Self-absorption paradox

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The self-absorption paradox describes the contradictory association whereby higher levels of self-awareness are simultaneously associated with higher levels of psychological distress and with psychological well-being.

In 1999, Trapnell and Campbell explored the self-absorption paradox in relation to private self-consciousness or attention to internal aspects of the self. They concluded that the relationship of self-awareness to psychological distress derived from a ruminative aspect of private self-consciousness, whereas the relationship of self-awareness to psychological well-being was attributed to self-contemplative reflection. [1]

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Notes

  1. Trapnell, P. D.; Campbell, J. D. (1999). "Private self-consciousness and the five-factor model of personality: Distinguishing rumination from reflection". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 76 (2): 284–304. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.76.2.284. PMID   10074710.

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