Abstract
INTRODUCTION: This research identifies and explores two distinct modes of self-experience and their influence on psychological openness. We distinguish between the unitary self-mode, where individuals perceive themselves as cohesive, stable entities, and the multiple self-mode, where they recognize their diverse, context-dependent aspects. These modes represent fundamentally different ways of experiencing and organizing self-knowledge that can be situationally activated. While both modes of self-experience have been theoretically described, their influence on psychological functioning remains empirically unexplored. METHODS: Through five experiments (N = 989), we tested whether activation of the multiple self-mode increases psychological openness compared to activation of the unitary self-mode using different experimental manipulations and measures. RESULTS: Induction of the multiple self enhanced psychological openness compared to induction of the unitary self. This effect was consistently observed across various domains of openness: openness as a state (Study 1, N = 204), openness to change (Studies 3 and 4, N = 230 and N = 184), range of values (Studies 2 and 3, N = 212 and N = 230), psychological mindedness and decentering (Study 5, N = 159). Results consistently showed moderate effect sizes (d = 0.31-0.44) across different operationalizations of both the multiple self-induction and openness measures. DISCUSSION: These findings indicate that the way in which individuals organize their self-knowledge has important implications for their cognitive and experiential flexibility, contributing to our understanding of personality plasticity and development.