The Complexity of Self–Complexity: An Associated Systems Theory Approach

Abstract The current work proposed a new measurement of self–complexity based on Carlston's (1994) Associated Systems Theory (AST). AST is a systematic approach to classifying the cognitive representations of social entities and, as such, it provides a rich and theoretically based framework for examining self–concept representation in ways that existent approaches cannot. In the current study, an AST–based measure of self–complexity showed evidence of the buffering effect (i.e., when facing greater stress in their lives, those greater in self–complexity reported greater well–being in terms of fewer physical illnesses and less depression). However, this buffering effect was achieved only when an AST process–based scoring method (i.e., distance in AST space) was used and not when the traditional scoring method (i.e., H) was used. Implications of these results for understanding self–concept representation, AST, and their consequences are discussed.