Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Christine Proulx
Abstract
Excessive self-consciousness is linked to negative outcomes like social anxiety, impaired self-esteem, and depression. This study investigated whether I-sharing—a construct that captures moments of shared subjective experience between individuals—can reduce self-consciousness. Drawing on theory and research suggesting that unmet psychological needs heighten self-focus, we hypothesized that I-sharing may have the opposite effect, particularly for individuals high in existential isolation. Participants (N = 410) were randomly assigned to either an I-sharing group or a control group. Existential isolation was measured as a potential moderator, given prior evidence that individuals high in existential isolation respond more strongly to I-sharing. Self-consciousness and social anxiety were measured both before and after the manipulation. Results showed that public self-consciousness significantly declined over time, but this reduction occurred regardless of I-sharing condition. In contrast, private self-consciousness declined more steeply in the I-sharing condition, even after controlling public self-consciousness and social anxiety. No significant moderation effects were observed for existential isolation or gender. Social anxiety also decreased across time, but again, this effect was not condition-specific. These findings suggest that the experimental context itself may reduce public-facing concerns, but that I-sharing in particular may offer a unique benefit in alleviating internal self-focus. The results highlight I-sharing’s potential clinical utility in reducing private self-consciousness—a known risk factor for internalizing disorders—and offer new insights into how shared subjective experience may ease the psychological burden of excessive self-awareness.
Language
en
Number of Pages
64 p.
Recommended Citation
Hardy, Sydney Mae, "Easing The Self: I-sharing's Impact on Self-consciousness" (2025). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 2137.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/2137