Practice Innovations, Vol 11(1), Mar 2026, 15-26; doi:10.1037/pri0000284
In this article, an alternative formulation of the self-concept and self-concept change is presented. The article comprises the following three parts: (a) an explanation of why most mainstream accounts of the nature of the self-concept encounter serious problems in explaining its resistance to change in the face of what would seem disconfirming evidence, especially when that evidence is positive in nature; (b) a presentation and explication of an alternative formulation of the self-concept, one grounded in a general conceptual framework known as “Status Dynamics,” and (c) a description of some therapeutic strategies and case illustrations based on treating the self-concept as a status-based (as opposed to an information-based) entity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)