THE ORGANIZATION OF THE SELF - AN ALTERNATIVE FOCUS FOR PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR-CHANGE

Cognitive theories of psychotherapy have tended to focus on the conten t of the self-concept as a key determinant in the formation of psychop athology. Studies completed in the last decade in the field of cogniti ve social psychology suggest that people also vary according to the or ganization of information within the self-concept, and this source of individual difference plays an important role in shaping emotional and behavioral responses to events. A diverse, unrelated, and contextuall y bound collection of self-conceptions may, at least for some people, be central to emotional health and well-being. These findings challeng e the firmly held Western perspective of the universal value of the di stinct, separate but fully integrated self, and in doing so lead to so me new ways for thinking about the link between the self-concept, psyc hopathology, and behavioral change.