Self-discrepancies and affect: Incorporating the role of feared selves

The authors examined ought, ideal, and feared self-discrepancies as predict ors of agitation- and dejection-related affects. Overall, discrepancy from feared selves predicted anxiety and guilt, preempting the role of discrepan cies from ought selves; ideal and feared discrepancies both predicted depre ssion. Further analyses revealed interactions between actual-ought and actu al-feared discrepancies in predicting anxiety and guilt. Among participants who were relatively near their feared selves, discrepancies from ought sel ves were unrelated to these affects. In contrast, among those whose feared selves were more distant, ought discrepancies did predict agitation-related affect, consistent with self-discrepancy theory. Discussion centers on a v iew in which an avoidance motive (feared self) dominates anxiety and guilt if the feared element is nearby but in which an associated approach motive (ought self) dominates anxiety and guilt if the feared element is more remo te.