Possible Selves

Possible Selves are alternative drafts of our character that we evoke whenever we recollect the past, consider the present, or envision the future. During these cognitive processes, our self-perception is not singular but polyvalent, enabling us to simultaneously conceive of alternative possibilities relating to how we may have acted in the past, how we could respond in the present, and how we might behave in the future. Each of these alternatives evokes their own perceived character or 'self', representing the person we may have been previously, could be presently, and might become immanently. Such envisioned characters are called 'Possible Selves' in cognitive and behavioral psychology, but share characteristics with earlier conceptualizations of 'Sub-Personalities' in Analytical and Transpersonal Psychology. Howsoever we name them, these versions of our Self provide the basis for invaluable therapeutic techniques through which clients can find the flexibility to alter the way they recall previous experience, react to current circumstances, and plan for the future. The Possible Selves Project aims to develop these techniques.