ABSTRACT
The chapters in the present volume address self-inference processes—the ways that individuals make judgments about themselves. Some authors discuss the antecedents of self-inference (e.g., the conditions that are necessary for valid self-perception; see Wilson's chapter), some discuss the self-inference process itself (e.g., how people infer emotions from internal sensations and external cues; see Olson's chapter), and some discuss the consequences of self-inferences (e.g., the effects of self-judgments on depression and interpersonal behavior; see McCann's chapter). The targets of the self-inferences (the aspects of the self that are inferred) also are diverse in the various chapters, encompassing physical characteristics, personality traits, standards and goals, self-esteem, attributes in the self-image, and previous events in one's past (see, respectively, the chapters by Polivy, Herman, & Pliner; Sande; Higgins, Tykocinski, & Vookles; Jones; Turnbull, Miller, & McFarland; and Ross & Holmberg).
