Moderating role of authenticity on the effects of self-concept consistency on well-being

• Main Author: Poon, Vanessa Shu Ci
• Other Authors: Wan Ching
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/151029
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Literature has demonstrated that high self-concept consistency and high authenticity independently predicts better well-being. However, no research has examined the moderating role of authenticity on the relationship between self-concept consistency and well-being. Furthermore, past research on self-concept consistency has largely focused on social interactions in the offline contexts. The broad and potentially deep reach of social media in social life, spurred by the physical social constraints brought about by a pandemic, points to an increased importance of the online self in well-being. We proposed high self-concept consistency would predict better well-being, and these relationships would be conditional on the authenticity of the self-expression. Specifically, positive relationship between self-concept consistency and well- being would be weaker when authenticity was high. 173 young adults in Singapore who were active users of social media first rated their degree of authenticity in two offline and two online contexts, then rated themselves on 30 trait attributes in each context. The order of the contexts was counterbalanced. Finally, participants completed the measures of well-being and provided their demographic information. As expected, high online-offline self-concept consistency predicted better general well-being and specific offline-to-online interaction coping. Authenticity moderated the relationship between self-concept consistency and well-being. However, general well-being was more strongly related to self-concept consistency when authenticity was high, rather than when authenticity was low. The differing moderating effects of authenticity could signify the different roles that authenticity and self-concept consistency might play in specific cross-context behaviours and overall perception of well-being. Implications of the findings will be discussed.