What will I be? The role of
temporal perspective in
predictions of affect, traits, and
self-narratives
Daniel Heller, Elena Stephan, Yona Kifer, and Constanti ne Sedikides
Legend
- Point of research/results
- Statistics
- Background theory/conceptualisation/operationalisation
- Experiment/intervention
Notes
Abstract
This article examined the effect of temporal perspective on the multifaceted future self (i.e., affect,
traits, and self-narratives). Participants imagined themselves in the near versus distant future, and
subsequently predicted their affect (Experiment 1), traits (Experiment 2), and naturalistic self-
concepts (Experiment 3). Drawing from the Construal Level Theory and self-enhancement
literatures, we hypothesized and found across three experiments that predictions of one's self in the
distant future are more positive than predictions of one's self in the near future. Furthermore,
building upon literature on the existence of normative and culturally sanctioned implicit theories of
positive growth throughout the life span, we hypothesized and found that increased temporal
distance yielded less variable predictions of affect, traits, and self-narratives (all three experiments)
and that higher-level attributions mediated the effect of temporal perspective on the positivity of
self-narratives (Experiment 3) and that time distance leads to more positive and less variable future
selves.
Predictions of oneself in the distant future are more positive than predictions of one's self in
the near future
Increased temporal distance yielded less variable predictions of affect, traits, and self-
narratives
the further in the future, the less predictions variated (all generally more positive)
and higher-level attributions mediated the effect of temporal perspective on the positivity of
self-narratives
the further in the future, the more abstract predictions
and time distance leads to more positive and less variable future selves
the further in the future, the less predictions variated (all generally more positive)
Mental travel is a unique human capacity. People are able to create autobiographies in their minds,
reconstructing their past and imagining their future (Higgins, 1987; Markus & Nurius, 1986;
Sedikides, Wildschut, Arndt, & Routledge, 2008). Focusing on future mental travel, or the imagined
self in the future, we propose in this article that the valence and variability of the future self are
systematically influenced by temporal perspective (i.e., near vs. distant).
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, The way the future self is imagined varies according to whether that would be the near or
distant future self
Future selves are typically viewed favorably and optimistically (for reviews of the self-enhancement
literature see: Alicke & Sedikides, 2009, 2011; Sedikides & Gregg, 2003). For example, people expect
higher levels of well-being in the future relative to the present (Busseri, Choma, & Sadava, 2009;
Robinson & Ryff, 1999; Ryff, 1991), and overestimate their future life satisfaction levels relative to
actual levels (Busseri et al., 2009). Also, people believe that (a) they are more likely than their peers
to experience positive life events such as accumulating wealth or having an intellectually gifted child,
and (b) they are less likely than their peers to experience negative life events such as a mugging or
contracting contagious diseases (HelwegLarson & Shepperd, 2001; Regan, Snyder, & Kassin, 1995;
Weinstein, 1980). Moreover, people expect long-term increases in their desirable attributes, and
long-term decreases in their undesirable ones, until late in their life span (Heckhausen & Krueger,
1993; Sedikides & Hepper, 2009). Adding to these latter findings, imagining future (positive) selves is
further associated with increased optimism, psychological well-being, and gratitude (Gonzales,
Burgess, & Mobilio, 2001; Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006).
People generally think the future will be better than the present
People generally overestimate the quality of their future life
People generally think their future will be more positive than others’
People generally think their future will be less negative than others’
People generally expect that their positive traits will get better while their negative traits will
get less for the rest of their lives
People who imagine positive future selves are generally more optimistic, psychologically
better, and more grateful
Previous research, then, shows that people view the future self in a favorable manner. Yet, how do
variations in future temporal perspective influence predictions of the valence and variability of
multiple facets (i.e., affect, traits, and narratives) of future selves, and what is the mechanism
underlying the effects of time perspective on self-views? Building on Construal Level Theory (CLT;
Liberman, Trope, & Stephan, 2007), we argue that views of future selves differ systematically as a
function of temporal distance. In particular, guided by the principle of mental construal over
psychological distance, we suggest that the mere imagining of the self in near versus distant time
produces differences in self-related predictions.
People generally view the future self favourably
How does time perspective influence the future self view?
Temporal distance influences views of the future self
Imagining the self in the near or distant future influences the predictions people make about
the self
According to CLT, psychological proximity (e.g., in time distance) is associated with a lower-level
mental construal of stimuli, which constitutes a detailed and concrete representation. However,
given that people typically possess relatively limited information about more distant entities,
psychological distance is associated with a higher-level construal, which is a schematic and abstract
representation (Liberman et al., 2007). Indeed, research confirms that representations of the self in
the distant (versus near) future are more abstract and structured (Nussbaum, Trope, & Liberman,
2003; Nussbaum, Liberman, & Trope, 2006). For example, distant (compared to near) future self-
representations incorporate broader and more superordinate identities, while entailing less
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