ABSTRACT
The idea of the self as a single, unitary entity is one that pervades our culture and may well apply to most people most of the time. However, the consensus within social psychology is that there are multiple self-concepts that are differentially accessible within different contexts (for a review, see Markus & Wurf, 1987, and see Chapter 2). Indeed, there is evidence to suggest that the more identities an individual possesses, the better is their mental health (Kessler & McRae, 1982), yet this may only be the case when the identities are successfully integrated with one another (Thoits, 1983). This chapter makes the case that the self-concept can often develop through early experiences to become fragmented and poorly integrated. Moreover, when the expression of different facets of the self is closely linked with different internal states, a person will experience swings in their mood that often have an impact on people around them. We propose that at the extreme, this process expresses itself as a bipolar disorder, or alternatively as another condition characterised by mood swings such as borderline personality disorder. Effective therapy helps people to gain an awareness of these changes in self and then to alter their behaviour in ways that transform and integrate recurrent self-images, and this allows them to go on to develop healthier, more flexible and less mood-dependent self concepts.
