RESEARCH_FILE
Erica B. Slotter
Villanova University
Known for:Showing that breakups reduce self-concept clarity, and that this loss of clarity — not just the loss of the partner — drives post-breakup distress
Key findings
- 2010
Across three studies — including a daily diary study of students whose relationships ended — breakups changed the content of the self-concept and reduced self-concept clarity, and reduced clarity uniquely predicted post-breakup emotional distress. Who Am I Without You? The Influence of Romantic Breakup on the Self-Concept ↗
- 2014
After a relationship ends, people are more likely to reject self-aspects their ex-partner had been influential in creating — but effort invested in maintaining an attribute predicts keeping it, regardless of where it came from. The self is renegotiated, not erased. Me After You: Partner Influence and Individual Effort Predict Rejection of Self-Aspects and Self-Concept Clarity After Relationship Dissolution ↗