| A significant portion of the self is constructed from our actions and the roles to which they correspond. Although many of our social roles are enacted regularly, some may lay dormant, yet still influence one's self-concept. We propose that there are systematic differences in mental representation between these inactive roles and more active roles. Specifically, inactive roles should be more likely to be construed in high-level terms, while active roles should be more likely to be construed in low-level terms. Experiment 1 found that for inactive roles, participants displayed an implicit construal preference for the high-level aspects of the role. Experiment 2 provided evidence that an implicit measure of construal was necessary in order to tap these unconscious associations. These experiments support the hypothesis that inactive social roles are mentally represented in a unique manner with respect to more active roles. |
