Motivational power of possible selves: A critical review

This article investigates the role of possible selves in behavior regulation. It begins with a presentation of IBM theory (identity-based motivation), which is then compared with empirical results on the motivational effects of several features of possible selves: their content (valence, elaboration), the perceptions attached to their realization (perceived probability, temporal distance, and control) and the way in which they are evoked (salience, visual perspective). Taken together, these results support the key role of a central notion in IBM theory: the connection between our present and future selves. However, we also highlight the need to clarify this concept by distinguishing between two forms of connection, one referring to the experiential self and the other to the conceptual self. Lastly, we propose future research avenues that will allow the consequences of this proposition to be tested and for us to move beyond current conceptual and methodological limitations.