Gay and Straight Possible Selves: Goals, Identity, Subjective Well‐Being, and Personality Development

TLDR

The study examined how the salience and elaboration of gay and straight possible selves relate to subjective well‑being and ego development among 107 gay men and lesbians. Participants wrote narratives of their straight and gay best possible selves, rated the salience of these narratives, and independent raters coded the amount of elaboration. Greater salience of the gay possible self was linked to higher subjective well‑being and outness, whereas greater salience of the straight possible self was linked to lower well‑being and outness; these possible self variables mediated the outness‑well‑being relationship, and straight self‑elaboration predicted personality development over two years, suggesting that happiness may depend on current life goals while personality development may require exploring identity sacrifices.

Abstract

Abstract This study examined the relations of the salience and elaboration of gay and straight possible selves to subjective well‐being (SWB) and ego development (ED) in a sample of 107 gay men and lesbians, who wrote narrative descriptions of their straight and gay best possible selves and rated the salience of these narratives (i.e., the clarity of the mental image, how easy it was to imagine). Independent raters coded the narratives for amount of elaboration (i.e., vivid detail). The salience of the gay possible self was positively related to SWB and outness, while the salience of the straight possible self was negatively related to SWB and being out. Furthermore, the possible self variables mediated the relationship of outness to well‐being. Straight self‐elaboration predicted personality development concurrently and prospectively, over 2 years. Results are interpreted as indicating that, while happiness may require us to focus upon our current life goals, personality development might require an exploration of the potential sacrifices of identity.