Understanding Self - The Future Self

Using Time Perspective Effectively

-*The aim is to find a perspective which realizes our essential psychological needs and deeply held values. Balance and positivity comes from making positive use of the past, finding healthy ways to relish the present, and routinely making plans for improvement. -*Take your regrets, for example, and consider how they could work for you. Perhaps you could go back to college after all? Use the painful emotions to fuel your motivation. Immerse yourself in rewarding activities that demand your full attention rather than passive activities such as watching TV. This leads to greater fulfilment and is more likely to create lasting happy memories. -*Believe you can improve the future through your own constructive actions and you will gain a sense of empowerment and control, as well as minimizing those nagging doubts and the uncertainty of what lies ahead. By believing we will have a positive future, we actually increase our likelihood of doing so.

Soren Kierkegaard

According to _____________, "life can only be only understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." It means understanding the past, taking control of the present and leading an optimistic future.

-*Ought-to Selves -*Ideal or Hope-for Selves -*Feared Selves

Future Selves revolve around three ideas:

Balance and positivity

It comes from making positive use of the past, finding healthy ways to relish the present, and routinely making plans for improvement.

The Future Self

It is not a possibility that is out of one's hands. Having a clear vision of the future planning and weighing present options, and making the right choices can lead to an optimistic future. Thus, one has the power and agency to shape his/her future, while living in the present.

Self-concept

It is one's theory about oneself, the person one was in the past, is now, and can become in the future, including social roles and group memberships.

The Possible Selves Theory

Self-concept is one's theory about oneself, the person one was in the past, is now, and can become in the future, including social roles and group memberships. A well-functioning self-concept helps make sense of one's present, preserves positive self-feelings, makes predictions about the future, and guides motivation. The contents of the future-oriented component of self-concept have been termed possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986). Possible selves are the selves one believes one might become in the near and the more distal future and are therefore important in goal setting and motivation (for a review, see Oyserman & James, in press). Possible selves are valenced; that is, each individual has both positive images of the selves he or she desires and expects to become and negative images of the selves he or she wishes to avoid becoming.

Time Perspective Theory

Stanford University psychology professor emeritus Philip Zimbardo coined the idea of time perspective. After more than ten years' research, he concluded that our attitude toward time is just as defining as key personality traits such as optimism or sociability. He believes that time perspective influences many of our judgements, decisions, and actions. Zimbardo recommended that a more future-based time perspective could help students study and progress to higher education.

Philip Zimbardo

Stanford University psychology professor emeritus ___________ coined the idea of time perspective.

Towards an Optimistic Future

Understanding the self is not just about knowing oneself as a product of different life factors, it is also knowing ones potentials, and limits to evolve to the future self.

painful emotions

Use the ________ to fuel your motivation.

Feared Selves

What one is afraid to become

Ought-to selves

What one might become.

Ideal or Hoped-for selves

What one would like to become

The Premises of the Possible Selves

While one lives in the present and is bounded by present circumstances, he/she has the capacity to make the right choices that will have consequences and repercussions for the future. The Possible Selves Theory has outlined 6 philosophical premises that are not only crucial to one's full self-understanding but also vital in shaping one's future.

The 'present-hedonistic' type

You are dominated by pleasure-seeking impulses, and are reluctant to postpone feeling good for the sake of greater gain later. You are popular but tend to have a less healthy lifestyle and take more risks.

The 'future-focused' type

You are highly ambitious, focused on goals, and big on making 'to do' lists. You tend to feel a nagging sense of urgency that can create stress for yourself and those around you. Your investment in the future can come at the cost of close relationships and recreation time.

The 'present-fatalistic' type

You aren't enjoying the present but feel trapped in it, unable to change the inevitability of the future. This sense of powerlessness can lead to anxiety, depression and risk-taking.

The 'past-negative' type

You focus on negative personal experiences that still have the power to upset you. This can lead to feelings of bitterness and regret.

The 'past-positive' type

You take a nostalgic view of the past, and stay in very close contact with your family. You tend to have happy relationships, but the downside is a cautious, "better safe than sorry" approach which may hold you back.

-The 'past-negative' type -The 'past-positive' type -The 'present-hedonistic' type -The 'present-fatalistic' type The 'future-focused' type

Zimbardo identified five key approaches to time perspective. All five types come into play in our lives at some point, but there probably will be one or two directions in which you are more focused. Identify these and you can start developing a more flexible, healthier approach. These are:

The first premise

________ is that possible selves is both a motivational resource and behavioral blueprint of the self. How one envisions himself/herself to be fuels his/her drive to achieve his/her plans for the future enables him or her to set specific short-term and long-term goals. Aside from having these concrete goals and thoughts, people derive pleasure and satisfaction in making those plans, this further channeling behavior towards that end.

Third premise

_________ is ones future self is intertwined with his/her past and present selves. Present situations enable one to think clearly of his/her options and the decisions he/she needs to take, which would bring him/her closer to his/her future goals. On the other hand, experiences also shape how one perceives the future because of enduring concerns or unfinished businesses that are brought to the present, and thus, may be a driving force to one's future plans.

Possible selves

__________ are the selves one believes one might become in the near and the more distal future and are therefore important in goal setting and motivation (for a review, see Oyserman & James, in press). ___________ are valenced; that is, each individual has both positive images of the selves he or she desires and expects to become and negative images of the selves he or she wishes to avoid becoming.

Fourth premise

__________ is that future selves are a product of social interactions. How one's future is foreseen is a product of social contexts: family, peers and colleagues, schools and other institutions, the society, and the digital world. The technological landscape the millennial are exposed to (via social media, web applications, technology-driven resources) has shaped their future ambitions in determining the digital legacy they want to leave behind.

Second premise

___________ is not all future selves are positive. Future selves revolve around 3 ideas: what one might become (Ought-to selves), what one would like to become (Ideal or Hoped-for selves), and what one is afraid to become (Feared selves). Setting goals must be done realistically and in doing so, one needs to consider not only what he/she wants to become but also the possible negative outcome of his/her ambitions.

Fifth premise

___________ lies in life transitions that have an enabling influence on one's future selves. When there are changes in one's present life circumstances (e.g., entering a new grade level, transferring to a new school, shifting to a new course, experiencing changes in family situations, etc.), there will also be changes to how future life perspectives are viewed. However, people are not passive recipients of these changes with human agency, an individual is able to effect those changes for his/her future.

The last premise

_____________ is based on the concepts of proximal and distal goals. People are more motivated to work on goals that are more immediate than those which are not. Thus, some students lay down simple steps and concrete plans in ensuring their goals are achieved. Setting short-term (by term, semester, year) and long-term goals (by 5 years, 10 years) is one way of ensuring that their future self is fulfilled.