The relational self-theory and role-governed categories

Andersen’s work on self-concepts advanced our understanding by engaging more complex representational forms to better understand how people perceive themselves in relation to significant others in their lives. In the years since, there have been significant advances in our understanding of relational concepts. This paper explores how work on role-governed categories may deepen our understanding of the relational self. Role-governed categories are concepts defined by the roles entities play within relational structures – such as “husband” or “wife” within a marriage – rather than by their intrinsic features. Unlike feature-based categories organized around prototypes, role-governed categories are organized around ideals. We argue that this framework offers three specific advances for relational self-theory: it replaces prototype-based with ideal-based representations of relational partners; the principle of role‑filler independence illuminates how past others become internalized into the self; and embedding social identities within role-governed schemas explains how violated role expectations destabilize self-concept. We discuss implications for self-concept research, social identity, and clinical practice.