Wong, Alexander E.

Self-concept clarity and grit are important constructs in the self-concept and selfregulation
domains. Though distinct in their focus on identity and goal processes, self-concept
clarity and grit similarly emphasize the extent to which self-views and goal-perseverance are
strong, clear, consistent, and unshakeable. We hypothesized self-knowledge and goalperseverance
may be mutually reinforcing given the role of self-knowledge in directing goal
pursuit, and of goal pursuit in structuring the self-concept. The present study tested this
hypothesis in the form of whether self-concept clarity and grit reciprocally influence one other
across time, and was conducted using a daily diary design with 97 college-aged participants
across several weeks. Data were analyzed using multilevel cross-lagged panel modeling. Results
indicated daily self-concept clarity and grit both had positive influences on each other across
time, while controlling for their previous values. The reciprocal influences were also symmetric:
self-concept clarity and grit had equally strong influences on each other. The results of the present
study are the first to indicate the existence of reinforcing feedback loops between self-concept
clarity and grit, and to demonstrate that fluctuations in self-knowledge trigger fluctuations in goal
resolve, and vice versa. The results suggest the two are, in part, both causes and consequences of
one another.

Agency and communion are fundamental dimensions underlying psychological
processes. Although agency and communion are coherent dimensions, their origins,
nature, stability differ across theoretical framework. Common to these frameworks are
gender differences in agency and communion. The present study hypothesized that
because agency and communion relate to gender, they may also relate to digit ratio. The
present study is important because digit ratio may offer clues on the origins and nature of
agency and communion, and their gender differences. Agency and Communion factors
were extracted from implicit linguistic measures obtained by LIWC analysis of selfnarratives.
Exploratory structural equation modeling indicated communion related to digit
ratio in men, and gender differences in communion. Although the results supported the
distal, biological influences of communion argued by evolutionary accounts, the null
finding agency was not related to digit ratio, while not directly interpretable, did not
contradict socialization accounts of agency.