Psychology professor Edward Higgins argues that people compare themselves to a kind of ‘guide’ that would be internal schemas or representations.
Self-discrepancy would occur when, due to emotional discomfort, these schemes turn out to be contradictory, then there is a tendency to reduce the difference that is generated. This author assures that these internal disagreements produce psychological agitation.
In the domains of the Self it is the real Self, or the ‘I-as-I-am’, which is how we see ourselves as skiers, and the self-representation of the attributes we believes we possess, or that others believe we possess. It is the basic self-concept comprising our own qualities such as intelligence, attractiveness, athletic status, or technical level we hold.
Carl Rogers, psychologist and initiator of the humanistic approach, affirmed that the real Self is composed of the self-concept, in addition to the perceptions, ideas, and values that identify us. In other words, the Self determines the awareness of what we ‘are‘ and what we ‘can do‘, that is, the perceived Self, as well as our own behavior and perception of the environment.
The more experiences we deny due to incoherence with our self-concept, the greater the difference between our Self and the skiing reality, and the greater the difficulty in adapting to the environment, manifesting a rigid Self.
If the situation amplifies this difference then it weakens our defenses, causes emotional discomfort (anxiety, anguish, fear), and increases the maladaptation to the environment. In contrast, if we are well adapted skiers, we exhibit coherence between our self-concept and our behavior, which translates into a flexible skier Self that can change in the face of new experiences.
According to this psychologist, the self-concept is developed from our childhood. If we had perceived the unconditional acceptance of our parents even when our behavior was not ideal, then as adults we will function with greater security and self-confidence. If, on the other hand, we were valued only when we exhibited appropriate behaviors, our self-concept will be distorted.
Another psychic dimension is determined in the ideal Self, which would be formed by the different judgments and opinions on how we would like to be and in the representation of the qualities that we would like to possess, or that another person expects us to possess.
Each one of us possess an ideal Self, that is, an ideal skier’s Self in which resides the kind of skiers we would like to be. It is our skier Self that motivates individual changes to improve or achieve goals and generally acts in the absence of positive results.
The closer our ideal skier Self is to our real skier Self, the more satisfied we will be, while the greater the divergence, the more the dissatisfaction and the implications this has on our affective states. Psychology professor Charles Carver proposed that the fearful Self refers to the one who would not wish to reach the ideal skier’s Self in order to avoid the possible negative emotions that would appear during the process.
The responsible Self, or the ‘I-that-should’, would reside in the representation of the attributes that we should possess, or that another believes we should have. It is the Self that acts on responsibilities and obligations and operates in the presence of negative results such as, for example, arriving at the mountain with a deficient physical condition, reproaching oneself for not having improved the ski technique or for not having trained sufficiently.
Both the ideal skier’s Self, which represents desires, hopes, illusions, expectations, or yearnings, and the responsible Self in terms of the sense of obligation and responsibility, act as guides by which our real skier Self intends to arrive.
Discrepancies appear when the ideal Self is willing to achieve the desired behavior but the responsible Self is inclined to avoid it, generating two types of negative situations: the absence of positive consequences associated with discouragement, and the presence of negative consequences related to anxiety and worry.
Other discrepancies are the perception that our own attributes do not match the ideals that we hoped to develop, which produces disappointment and dissatisfaction; and our own disillusionment due to the fact that others also believe that their personal desires have not been satisfied. These mismatches may generate in us a sense of frustration and disinterest in what is being done as well as a perceived lack of self-efficacy.
As skiers, we would have a healthy psychological well-being as long as there is no difference between how we see ourselves skiing, how we would like to see ourselves and not feeling the need to satisfy our own or other people’s demands, On the other hand, if we feel obliged to fulfill our own desires and aspirations, we may present a very high aspiration that generates a negative self-image. This is a clear example of discrepancy between the real Self, exemplified as we feel like we are a failure because we ski badly; and the ideal Self as the best skier we would like to be always achieving our goals.
Higgins further adds two other types of Selfs: the potential Self or ‘How-I-can-be’, i.e., the attributes that we can possess; and the future Self or ‘How-I-will-be’ in terms of the skiing qualities that we are likely to possess in the future.
In terms of viewpoints, the self-discrepancy theory considers two types by which we would perceive ourselves skiing. Our own viewpoint as a personal perspective, and the viewpoint of others (parents, siblings, partner, friends, instructors, coaches). For example, guilt is a discrepant consequence of our own point of view and shame is from the perspective of others.
Our own perspective on personal skiing attributes may not match the ideal attributes that others desire for ourselves. In other words, we may believe that we failed to demonstrate the desire of others, tending to assume that we disappointed them. In this case, the discrepancy between our real skier Self and the ideal skier Self occurs because of the absence of positive results, i.e., it represents that which we think of ourselves as skiers does not correspond to our own desires or aspirations, or which others have placed upon us, since we are unable to achieve them. As a result, we may tend to feel ashamed because we associate the discouragement, dissatisfaction, and disappointment we experience with the belief that we have lost our reputation because our personal desires were not fulfilled.
Some of us project our goals or aspirations as ideal guides, while others interpret them as self-demands. The theory of self-discrepancy, i.e., the difference between the real, the ideal, and responsibility, would explain why we react emotionally differently to the same skiing situations.
A third discrepancy is between the real Self and the social Self, that is, when we experience guilt when not achieving goals and perceiving or anticipating the loss of social esteem. In addition, the real Self versus social Self appears when, from our own perspective, we believe that significant others consider it our obligation or duty to achieve something in skiing, which may generate worry and guilt due to the perceived presence of negative outcomes.
