spontaneous self-concept

n. Spontaneous self-concept is the self-concept researchers infer from individuals' spontaneous descriptions of themselves. When individuals are asked to describe themselves freely, they tend to define themselves using characteristics that would distinguish the self from others in the immediate context. Accordingly, individuals will construct different spontaneous self-concepts in different social contexts. The notion of spontaneous self-concept highlights the constructive and contextualized nature of the self – different characteristics of the self-concept are recruited to define who one is in response to different features of the social situation. – YHK, CYC