stable over time (Markus & Kunda, 1986). Moreover, research indicates that
cognitive representations of the self p lay a central role in the way we process in-
formation and thus in how we interact with the world around us.
Self-Schemas
Surveys tell us that most Americans believe exercise is good for their physical
and mental health. The majority of adults periodically take up jogging, swim-
ming, aerobic dancing, or some other type of exercise program. However, alarge number of people rarely, if ever, exercise. And about half of those who
begin an exercise program quit within the first year. Why do some people
succeed in making exercise a part of their lives, whereas others fail? One ex-planation has to do with whether the would-be exerciser incorporates exercise
into his or her self-schema.
Self-schemas are cognitive representations of ourselves that we use to or-
ganize and process self-relevant information (Markus, 1977, 1983). Your self-
schema consists of the behaviors and attributes that are most important to
you. Because each part of your life is not equally important, not everythingyou do becomes part of your self-schema. If both you and I occasionally
play baseball and write poetry, we can ’t assume that these two activities play
an equally important role in our self-schemas. Baseball might be an important
part of how I think of myself, but not poetry, whereas the opposite might be
the case for you.
If you could see your self-schema, what would it look like? An example is
shown in Figure 15.2. Basic information about you makes up the core of yourself-schema. This includes your name, information about your physical ap-
pearance, and information about your relationships with significant people,
such as with a spouse or parents. Although different for each of us, these
SelfMemory
MenParentsWine
Clothing SchoolBasketballGeographyReligion
FIGURE 15.2 Example of a Self-Schema Diagram418 CHAPTER 15 The Cognitive Approach