Relevant to me: the integration of other people into the self-concept happens and depends on their current relevance

Abstract

AbstractIn an environment, in which we are not only constantly surrounded by a vast amount of objects but also by other people most of the time, the interaction with others is inevitable and also very helpful. The ‘self’ seems to be a stable center in social contexts and whatever is associated with this self seems to influence the selection and processing of information. Hence, mechanisms of defining the “self” are an important topic in cognitive and social sciences. While previous studies already indicated that an integration of a potential partner into the self is possible, here the necessary conditions of such a partner-integration were put to test. A well-established paradigm was used, in which simple neutral stimuli were instructed to be related to a partner, who was also part of the experiment. Of particular interest was whether these newly formed partner-associations were also prioritized just like the associations including the self. The results of a first experiment indicated that partner-integration depended significantly on the perceived closeness to this person. A second experiment replicated this effect and extended it by revealing the independence of partner-integration on the presence of the partner. In sum, the results expand previous findings by demonstrating that the integration of another person is possible even if the setting does not foster it and by demonstrating the unimportance of physical presence. Partner-prioritization is discussed in social contexts and assumptions are formulated about how the self is represented and how it interacts with the representation of others.