A multitheoretical integration of self-loss: Psychological structure and formation mechanisms

Abstract: Self-loss refers to a psychological phenomenon in which individuals, under the influence of particular experiences or circumstances, feel unable to maintain important aspects of their identity, personal attributes, or value commitments, or to develop a coherent understanding of themselves, and consequently experience a sense of self-loss or self-alienation. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, the relational self-change model, and symbolic interactionism, this review examines the manifestations of self-loss and the pathways through which it develops across different contexts from three perspectives: intrapersonal integration, interpersonal regulation, and the social construction of meaning. It further organizes factors associated with self-loss into three categories of tension: intrapersonal integration tension, relational regulation tension, and external normative tension. Building on this synthesis, we propose the Triple Tension Model of Self-Construction as an integrative analytical framework for understanding factors associated with self-loss across contexts. Future research could draw on cognitive neuroscience to investigate the biological underpinnings and formation mechanisms of self-loss, examine how interactions with artificial intelligence influence self-boundaries and subjectivity, explore cross-cultural variations in the manifestations of self-loss and the applicability of the Triple Tension Model, and advance the development of standardized assessment instruments and targeted interventions.