Two seemingly inconsistent aspects of the self have been described in the self-concept literature: stability and malleability. Stability reflects the idea that the self-system is an enduring construct in people's minds and that people are motivated to maintain and express a coherent and stable sense of true self. In contrast, malleability reflects the notion that the self-concept is dynamic, with different self-representations activated at various times. These two aspects of the self are incorporated within a conceptual model that focuses on the antecedents, moderators, and consequences of two important, yet often conflicting, selves: the idealistic and pragmatic selves. The idealistic self is a mental representation that places principles and values above practical considerations and seeks to express the person's sense of true self. In contrast, the pragmatic self is an action oriented mental representation that is guided by practical concern. Building on a synthesis of construal level theory with research on the self, we propose that a more distal time perspective activates an idealistic versus a pragmatic self. Self-activation, in turn, influences the preference between two major motives: maximizing identity versus instrumental benefits. A series of six studies supports this conceptualization by demonstrating that: (a) distal rather than proximal time perspective enhances the preference for identity over instrumental benefits; (b) people construe themselves as relatively more idealistic than pragmatic when primed with a distal than proximal time perspective, and (c) self-activation mediates the effect of time perspective on preference. The studies also investigate boundary conditions and process measures that shed light on the interface between time, self, and preference. The final section discusses the theoretical implications for the literatures on construal level, self, and justice and the practical implications for organizational behavior, political psychology, and decision-making.
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