The person who we think ought to be or should be based on our social roles and expectations from others (e.g. expectations from parents).

Ought Self

The self or person in which we want or aspire to be. Discrepancies here create the motivation to achieve our ideal. 

Ideal Self

Result from shortcomings among our current, ideal, and ought self. These shortcomings help motivate us and guide us towards becoming our ideal and ought selves.

Alma College

People compare their current self to internalized standards or the “ideal/ought self.” Inconsistencies among these different selves are associated with emotional discomforts that motivate us to take actions to help meet our ideal self.

Self-Discrepancy Theory

Contains information pertaining to the conceptions of the self:
- Self-Concept
- Self-Esteem
- Relational Selves
- Self-Efficacy
- Self-Guides
- Self-Schema

Various Conceptions of Self

Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (2017). Social cognition: From brains to culture. London: Sage Publications. 

 Social Cognition: From Brains to Culture 3rd Edition

Self-Guides

One's definition of who they are--includes feelings, attitudes, behaviors, desires, and judgements that one considers to be characteristic of themselves. An awareness that we are physically distinct from others.

Self-Concept

A generalized evaluation of one's self. Typically either a positive or negative evaluation of traits, abilities, etc. 

Self-Esteem

The relational self pertains to how the self is related to others; specifically, how mental representations may be tied to other people and how we change how we define ourselves when in the context of other people. 

Relational Self

Proposed by Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is an individual's belief in their own ability to successfully complete a specific task. This belief, which can be influenced by past successes in similar tasks, is considered a key factor in determining a person's motivation, emotional state, and subsequent behavior.

Self-Efficacy

Knowledge structure that consists of cognitive generalizations we have about ourselves. 

Self-Schema

A person's overall subjective evaluation on their worth, and how they feel about the evaluation. Those with high self esteem tend to feel hopeful, and those with low self esteem tend to feel hopeless and withdraw. Typically either a positive or negative evaluation of traits, abilities, etc.

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