The Relationship Between Rumination and Self-Concept Clarity

The quest for self-clarity, coherence, and consistency is thought by some to be a frequent motivating factor. Historically, self-focused thought and self-monitoring have been seen as means of increasing self-clarity. However, cross-sectional research has found a negative correlation between one specific type of self-focused thought, rumination, and self-concept clarity. The purpose of the following two research papers was to further examine the relationship between these two variables. The first paper consisted of a laboratory experiment in which rumination was induced and its effects on self-concept clarity were measured. The second paper consisted of an experience sampling study in which the relationship between rumination and self-concept clarity (SCC) was observed over time. Granger Causality Analysis was then used to infer temporal precedence of the variables. Together, these two experiments provide information on both the causal relationship between the variables as well as their naturalistic progression. The results have implications for the study of self-clarity as well as for the clinical treatment of rumination.