ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to extend Higgins' self-discrepancy theory (SDT) to discrepancies involving the social component of the self. Many theorists agree that the self contains two distinct components: the individual self and the social self, social identity theory argue that an important aspect of an individual's self-image is derived from memberships in social groups and social categories. According to self-categorization theory, self-definition is dependent on the social context, and people can define themselves in personal terms or in terms of particular group memberships. Self-discrepancy theory delineates the relation between different types of self-state representations and distinct kinds of emotional distress. The different types of discrepancies referring to the attributes of one's ingroup would be associated with distinct group-based emotional distress and to the collective self-esteem. Based on the proposition that salient group memberships are embedded in the self, the present chapter adapted SDT concepts to delineate the relation between social-self discrepancies and group-based emotional distress.
