Possible Selves (Markus & Nurius)

Possible selves are representations of who a person might become, including hoped-for, expected, and feared selves. They can organize motivation and evaluation, but their effects depend on context, plausible strategies, and perceived feasibility.

Possible selves are representations of who a person might become, including hoped-for, expected, and feared possibilities. Markus and Nurius introduced the concept to connect self-understanding with the future. A possible self can make a choice feel relevant to identity, but imagining a vivid future does not automatically provide the skills, opportunities, or practical route needed to approach it.

Use the model to connect a personally meaningful possibility to actions and conditions in the present. A future image becomes more useful when the person can identify plausible strategies, support, and ways to interpret difficulty. Feared selves are optional and can be distressing; motivation does not require constructing an equally vivid negative future. Cultural context and structural constraints shape which possibilities feel available and which actions are feasible.

When to use it

When a future identity could clarify the relevance of present choices, especially if it can be linked to realistic strategies.

How it can help

Connect a meaningful possible self to feasible actions, support, and ways to handle difficulty. Do not require feared-self imagery or assume vividness alone changes behavior.