self-discrepancy
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.29 in modern English
28
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
6
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The gap in an individual self-perception of what they actually are and what they ought to be.
Example Sentences
- "Higgins in 1987 came up with the self-discrepancy theory to explain people’s motivation. This argues that people have three types of self: the “ideal” self, which is what we hope to become; the “ought” self, which is how we think we should behave to achieve the ideal self; and the actual self, which is the extent to which we actually possess these desired attributes."
- "That urge to reduce self-discrepancy can also come from feeling that you’re not as good as everyone else. Therefore, when you think there’s a special “deal” that you need to get before they do, you’ll rush ahead without stopping to consider how good a deal it actually is. Consider the possibility that you’re actually a better person than everyone else because you've restrained your impulses."
- "But self-discrepancy in those of use with ADHD can be a straightforward chasm. The expectations we and others have of us are often wildly inconsistent with our reality; sometimes we can perform on a very high level, and sometimes we struggle with “simple” tasks. Our self-dicrepancy is also more profound because ADHD is an “unseen” disability that is not accommodated or even accounted for in most environments."
Etymology
From self- + discrepancy.