The dynamic self: how the content and structure of the self-concept change with mood.

Change in the content and structure of the self-concept was examined in a 2-year prospective study of depression. A self-descriptive card-sorting task measured the self-concepts of participants who were either high or low in cognitive vulnerability to depression at 2 times, once when their mood was low and once when it was not. Analyses examined change in the positive and negative content of the self-concept and in 3 features of self-structure: differential importance, compartmentalization, and self-complexity. Findings suggest that change in the content of the self-concept simply reflects life circumstances, whereas change in self-structure may help to counteract stress and negative mood.