My thesis is an attempt to approach Anna¡¦s predicament in Doris Lessing¡¦s The Golden Notebook from the angle of identity crisis. Charles Taylor maintains that in configuring the picture of self-identity, we actually answer the questions of existence. Identity crisis thus expresses the feeling of disorientation and uncertainty about the meaning of life. In The Golden Notebook, Anna is strained under her identity crisis which culminates in the mental collapse. In order to recover from the breakdown, Anna must re-answer the questions of her existence. In the introductory chapter, I give a brief sketch on the concept of the self, focusing on its transition from the Romanticism to the postmodernism. In the postmodern world, the romantic vocabulary of wholeness and personal significance gives way to the postmodern expressions of fragmentation and meaninglessness. Against these two poles, I try to analyze Lessing¡¦s attitudes. This chapter aims to offer the background against which the heroine¡¦s struggle and solution can be better realized. In Chapter One, I survey the concept of self as narrative and elucidate the three dimensions¡Xtemporal, moral, and social¡Xof the self. The main point is that the self is produced in the narrative, and in daily routines the textual identity is confirmed and reinforced. Thus the daily performance serves as the most solid prop to uphold the picture of self-identity. In Chapter Two, I trace the sources of Anna¡¦ identity crisis in light of the collapse of the practical involvements and highlight her syndrome of identity crisis with the aids of the theoretical discussion of the three dimensions. Chapter Tree deals with Anna¡¦s search for the true self, the presence of which presumably can solve her identity problem. The quest for the true self takes the route of her sessions with the therapist Mrs. Marks and the scribbling in the four notebooks. Both fail to produce the true self-narrative. If the self is created in the narrative as the concept of self as narrative suggests, the failure to produce the true self-narrative announces the absence of the true self. In Chapter Four, I examine Saul Green¡¦s features and Anna¡¦s intercourse with him to bring out the hazards of her situation and her reconciliation with the inaccessibility of the true self. By invoking the figure of the boulder-pusher, Anna substitutes the responsible self for the true self. She finally breaks out of the shackle of despair and recovers from her mental breakdown. In conclusion, I emphasize that Lessing is a strongly committed writer. Therefore, Anna¡¦s salvation can be considered as Lessing¡¦s suggestion for those who suffer out of a similar cause how to maintain themselves in the postmodern fragmentary world.

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Why is trait self-control associated with successful goal progress? Existing research has attempted to answer this question by focusing on individual differences in the process of goal pursuit. Herein, we propose and test a novel mechanism suggesting that self-control facilitates goal attainment not only by affecting the process of goal pursuit but also the type of goals peo- ple select in the first place. Three studies showed that high (vs. low) self- control individuals are more likely to report successful goal attainment and this association was mediated by their tendency to select the goals that reflect their true/authentic self. These results were obtained using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs and were robust against controlling for previously established mechanisms of the effect of trait self-control on goal attainment (habit strength, experiences of goal-conflicting desires). Overall, there findings contribute to the literatures on self-regulation, authenticity and goal management.

What does it mean to be authentic? Is authenticity an attribute of the individual, or do certain environmental factors facilitate or inhibit the enactment of the authentic self? This research proposes that authentic behavior is the subjective perception that one is behaving in a way that is in accordance with his or her core being. As such, sense of authenticity is considered an important component of the self. I present a theoretical model of the relationship between authenticity and the need for social approval. I analyze the reports of 194 survey respondents and interview data from 21 interviews. These quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that individuals engage in authentic and inauthentic behavior for a variety of reasons. Specifically, three different behavioral motivations have been identified: (1) behavior motivated by pursuit of the greater social good or for purposes of social cohesion, (2) behavior motivated by pursuit of instrumental gains, and (3) behavior motivated by an internal standard of integrity. Demographic variables and psychological variables were also found to be important determinants of authentic behavior. Blacks reported lower need for social approval than whites, and subsequently higher reports of authentic behavior. Self-esteem emerged in the analyses as a powerful predictor of authentic behavior. In tandem, these results suggest that it may not be one's level of social power that determines his or her ability to behave in ways deemed authentic, but rather one's sense of freedom and confidence in oneself. / Dissertation

Prior research suggests that rejection sensitive individuals may find it easier to express their true selves in an online environment. The purpose of the present study was to further examine the influence of true self, which is who a person believes he or she truly is, on the relationship between rejection sensitivity and online dating site usage. Additionally, the present study investigated the role of self-disclosure in online dating site usage. Five-hundred sixty one participants completed an online survey. Consistent with prior research, results indicated that rejection sensitivity and true self predicted online dating site usage. Further, true self partially mediated the relationship between rejection sensitivity and online dating site usage. Self-disclosure in online environments, however, did not influence the relationship between rejection sensitivity and online dating site use. In addition, for those who engaged in online dating, rejection sensitivity was not related to self-disclosure in online dating profiles or in communicating with individuals met through online dating sites. True self, though, was related to both self-disclosure in online dating profiles and in communication with those met through online dating sites. These findings suggest that rejection sensitive individuals are more likely to engage in online dating because it may facilitate representation of their “true” selves. Furthermore, rejection sensitivity may not facilitate individuals’ self-disclosure in online environments, whereas the desire to share one’s “true” self may facilitate self-disclosure in online environments.

Prior research suggests that rejection sensitive individuals may find it easier to express their true selves in an online environment. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which rejection sensitivity (RS) and true self influence self-disclosure within the context of online dating. We collected data from a total of 1,295 individuals who completed an online survey. For those who engaged in online dating, RS was not directly related to self-disclosure in online dating profiles or in communicating with individuals met through online dating sites/apps, but true self was. In addition, there was an indirect relationship between RS and self-disclosure in the context of online dating through true self. These findings suggest that rejection sensitive individuals who feel more comfortable revealing aspects of their "true"selves online may be more likely to engage in self-disclosure within the context of online dating, which could potentially offer some clue as to why rejection sensitive individuals may be somewhat more likely to engage in online dating than less rejection sensitive individuals. That is, rejection sensitive individuals are perhaps more likely to engage in online dating because it may facilitate representation of their "true"selves and may thus increase dating success.

Prior research (Blackhart et al., 2014) found that rejection-sensitive individuals are more likely to use online dating sites. The purpose of the current research was to explain the relationship between rejection sensitivity and online dating site usage. Study 1 examined whether true self mediated the relation between rejection sensitivity and online dating. Study 2 sought to replicate the findings of Study 1 and to examine whether self-disclosure moderated the relationship between true self and online dating in the mediation model. Results replicated those found by Blackhart et al. and also found that true self mediated the relationship between rejection sensitivity and online dating site usage. These findings suggest that rejection-sensitive individuals feel they can more easily represent their “true” selves in online environments, such as online dating sites, which partially explains why they are more likely to engage in online dating.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:28:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Soraia Dias Ciccone.pdf: 1480002 bytes, checksum: 75a48619428b512247c9979c6daa271f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-19 / Creativity appears in the works of W. D. Winnicott as the fundament of healthy existence, differing from the classic psychoanalytical theories about creativity that refer to the theory of sublimation. Thus, it paves the way to a new perspective in understanding the fundaments of human nature from the point of view of psychoanalysis. Creation and living are fundamental themes in Winnicott s theory, in which creativity is close to and inter-related with the feeling of being alive and the perception of one s own existence, as well as the perception that it is through the creative gesture that we can feel and express our true identity. It is intended to show that creativity to Winnicott is associated with the continuity of being, the expression of true self, with the spontaneous gesture and play, and even, in a sense, the foundation of these phenomena. In this direction, we can highlight the difference between several types of creativity, being it either the type that permeates the ordinary man s life, or the artist s life. / A criatividade surge na obra de Winnicott como fundamento da exist?ncia saud?vel, diferindo das teorias psicanal?ticas cl?ssicas sobre a criatividade referidas ? teoria da sublima??o. Desta forma, abre caminho para uma nova perspectiva de compreens?o dos fundamentos da natureza humana do ponto de vista da psican?lise. Criar e viver s?o temas fundamentais na teoria winnicottiana, sendo que nesta a criatividade se aproxima e se inter-relaciona com o sentimento de estar vivo e ? percep??o da pr?pria exist?ncia, assim como a percep??o de que ? atrav?s do gesto criativo que podemos sentir e expressar nossa verdadeira identidade. Pretende-se mostrar que a criatividade est? para Winnicott associada diretamente com a continuidade de ser, com a express?o do verdadeiro self, o gesto espont?neo e a atividade do brincar, sendo, at? mesmo, em certo sentido, o fundamento destes fen?menos. Nessa dire??o, poderemos abordar a diferen?a entre os diversos tipos de criatividade, seja a que permeia a vida do homem comum, seja a do artista.

In the United States, eating disorders affect approximately 20 million women annually (National Institutes of Health, 2011). With such a high prevalence, ensuring help-seeking in individuals with eating disorders is critical. A previously-supported eating disorder prevention approach includes cognitive dissonance intervention (CDI). CDI’s purpose is to change a person’s behavior to reflect their attitude or cognition. While true self intervention has not been with previously been applied to eating disorders, it has been efficacious in improving psychological risk factors associated with eating disorder risk. The current study combined true self and CDI to test a more holistic prevention tool (i.e. combining psychological and cognitive approaches to prevention). Specifically, the current study compared the combination prevention to true self intervention only, CDI only, and a control condition to examine outcomes of body satisfaction, eating disorder pathology, psychological outcomes, and help-seeking intentions. Overall, evidence did not support the preventions’ combined prevention superiority to control within the entire sample. When exploring individuals at risk of an eating disorder, however, CDI was significantly better than true self in reducing binge episodes and self-esteem. Furthermore, the combination prevention was significantly better than true self at increasing self-esteem. The following results warrant more research exploring other potential preventions to increase positive psychological outcomes. Moreover, future research should explore more options for increasing help-seeking intentions.

Background: As the expanding digital tools of communications provide new ways for people to interact online, new ways of initiating relationships have emerged from this technological development. From traditional online dating sites to today’s proximity dating applications that enable users to easily interact with other users nearby with the help of geolocation technology. This fast-paced movement allows dating applications to enter the market to assist people with the search for their soulmate. These dating applications such as Tinder allows people to manage their self-presentation as desired to pursue their goals online.    Problem: Previous literature about self-presentation and behaviour online has mainly focused on Facebook as the context. Because of its popularity among emerging adults today, this thesis has chosen to study Tinder as a context. Additionally, previous literature about Tinder has mainly focused on the motives behind using the app. However, the examination of self-presentation focusing solely on young women and how Tinder is utilized to reach one’s goal is not thoroughly researched.     Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge of how young heterosexual women in Sweden use self-presentation and utilize digital social platforms to reach their goal. This research examines the context of the online dating application Tinder to study experiences and get insights into how the users utilize the app and different strategies to succeed. To fulfil the purpose of this research, the research team is going to thoroughly analyse the participants’ experiences and opinions to further understand how self-presentation and strategies are implemented in a context as Tinder.     Method: This thesis has followed a qualitative approach where an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) strategy is used. Ten semi-structured interviews have been conducted on young heterosexual women between 18-25 in Sweden utilizing the online dating application Tinder.    Results: The findings suggest that the participants use different strategies and have a varying perception of Tinder depending on how they want other users to perceive them and what their goals are. The discovered strategies are how the participants select pictures, what information they disclose in their profile, and how they interact with male users on the application. The development of the digital environment has impacted how users behave online, and findings suggest that social online platforms do not facilitate the expression of the true self online as previous literature has stated.