Abstract: Self-concept clarity refers to the extent to which the contents of an individual’s self-concept are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stable. Self-concept clarity influences the quality of our lives from many aspects (e.g. aggression, the use of products as identity bolsters, the management of social conflict, depression, suicide behavior, and so on). Compare to its broad and significant influences, we know little about how to achieve self-concept clarity efficiently because little work has been done to put various antecedents of self-concept clarity into an integrated theoretical framework. Inspired by that self-concept clarity in nature is a metacognitive feeling related to the structural coherence of self-concept, the present article provides a new theoretical framework of self-concept clarity from the perspective of self-concept structural integration. The theoretical framework is helpful to solve the theoretical and practical dilemmas of self-concept clarity. The present review firstly deconstructed the structural integration of self-concept into three facets: the abstract integration of concrete experiences, the synchronic integration across situations, and the diachronic integration across temporal periods. Then, the present review analyzed and recommended integrating principles for each facet: generalizing and integrating principles for the abstract integration, compatibility for the synchronic integration, and continuity for the diachronic integration. Based on these analyses, we proposed some strategies to improve self-concept clarity using the integrating principles. The present review also proposed several strategies to improve self-concept clarity based on these integrating principles of the three structural integrating facets. We reviewed related and pertinent research providing initial evidence for these integrating principles. Moreover, by sketching the three facets of self-concept structural integration, the review sorted out the environmental factors and personal factors that may hinder the integrating principles and illustrated why these factors would influence self-concept clarity. From the environmental aspect, adverse experiences in disadvantaged situations (e.g. low socioeconomic status, family disharmony adverse, and adverse childhood experiences), situational conflicts (e.g. value conflicts, role conflicts, and cultural conflicts), and situational changes (e.g. role exists, break-ups) may cause a lower level of self-concept clarity. From the personal aspect, the valence of self-concept elements (e.g. low self-esteem), contingencies of self-concept elements(e.g. intrinsic contingent self-esteem), and the objectively organized structure of self-concept elements (e.g. integrational self-concept) are all related to self-concept clarity. By deconstructing self-concept structural integration into three facets and sketching the integrating principles for each facet, the present review proposed a new theoretical framework for understanding and improving self-concept clarity. Research on how self-concept clarity could be influenced and on how to conduct interventions on self-concept clarity is still an emerging field. This new structural integrating perspective provides a network of novel hypotheses. Although this review provides initial evidence for the causal paths we proposed, many theoretical assumptions still need to be appropriately and sufficiently tested. That is, this review may stimulate a fruitful branch of research in theoretical and applied fields related to self-concept clarity.

Key words: self-concept clarity, antecedents, intervention strategies, abstract integration, synchronic integration, diachronic integration

摘要： 自我概念清晰性是个体对自身看法感到明晰、确信、内部一致和跨时间稳定的程度，它影响广泛，但现有研究缺乏对其影响因素和干预策略的理论整合。受低自我概念清晰性源于自我概念结构整合困难启发，本文提出了自我概念结构三元整合假设，将自我概念结构整合分为跨经验抽象整合、跨场域共时整合和跨时间历时整合三方面，从这三方面剖析了如何降低自我概念结构整合难度，并基于此梳理了影响自我概念清晰性的环境因素（外因）和个体因素（内因）。本文为理解自我概念清晰性形成机制提供了新的理论框架，为自我概念清晰性干预提供了“路线图”。

关键词: 自我概念清晰性, 跨经验抽象整合, 跨场域共时整合, 跨时间历时整合, 环境因素, 个体因素