This article describes research on the associations between self-concept structure and sense of personal identity. Particular emphasis was given to the feature of self-concept differentiation. Notably, it was examined whether the effects of SCD on such aspects of self-experience as sense of having inner contents, sense of uniqueness, sense of one’s own boundaries, sense of coherence, sense of continuity in time, and sense of self-worth depend on individuals’ epistemic motivation, and more specifically their joint need for cognition, reflection, and integrative (...) self-knowledge scores. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct profiles of epistemic motivation: disengaged, engaged and struggling, and engaged and integrating group. Subsequent analysis showed, first, that the three groups differed in SCD and sense of identity, with the epistemically disengaged group having the highest levels of SCD, and the epistemically engaged and integrating group having consistently the strongest sense of identity. Second, and more importantly, it showed that SCD was negatively related to overall sense of identity, and, in particular, senses of having inner contents, coherence and continuity in time, but only among individuals in the epistemically engaged and struggling group. (shrink)

Attachment style, relationship status, gender and relational competences among young adults The seeking of a lifetime partner/spouse, establishing and maintaining close relationships are central developmental tasks in young adulthood. In successful achievement of these tasks relational competences may play a crucial role, thus making it reasonable to study their conditions. This article provides a theoretical and empirical analysis of the relationship between relational competences and attachment style, relationship status, and gender. It presents a study of a normal sample of 423 (...) young adults, aged 20-35, who completed The Questionnaire of Relational Competences in Intimate Relationships, Revised Adult Attachment Scale, and Demographic Questionnaire. The analysis of the data revealed that in the description of various relational competences all three factors play an important role. It has also turned out that the association between relational competences and attachment style is influenced by the circumstances pertaining to relationship status. (shrink)