Variety of Possible Selves: The Role of Agency and Empirical Evidence Review

Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics. 2022. Vol. 19. No. 2. P. 405–423.

Grishutina M., Kostenko V.

The development of possible selves theory has led to the introduction of new types of the construct. However, the types are inconsistent with the original definition by Markus & Nurius (1986). Researchers tend not to consider the phenomenon of agency playing a crucial role in the motivational function of possible self. Thus, now in the literature, we have non-systemized concepts of various types of possible self. The primary aim of this paper is to analyze existing types of possible selves through the lens of agentic energy, and to unify the understanding of the construct. We consider the most frequent types of possible self, such as hoped-for possible self, feared possible self, best possible self, self-regulatory and self-enhancing possible selves, lost possible self, shared possible self, and impossible self. Creating the systematic view is essential for the future of the theory as there are already some misconceptions that come from a liberal interpretation of the originally strong construct. We propose a solution in the form of a traditional literature review with the result of definitions reconsidered depending on the role of agentic energy in possible self producing. We conclude that taking into account the agentic potential reveals the processes behind the various types of possible selves. The expected outcome of the framework is to set a unified direction for further discoveries.

Keywords: Я-концепция, self-identity, personality, психология личности, развитие личности, personality development, возможное я, agency, агентность, self-image, possible self, невозможное я, impossible self, self-schema