Cognitive Therapy and Research, Vol. 14, No 2, 1990, pp. 241-253 Unresolved Issues Hazel Markus 1 University of Michigan of Self-Representation The seven papers included in this volume converge in many of their assump- tions about the representation of the self, yet a number of issues remain un- resolved. These issues, including the structure and functioning of self-repre- sentations, and the role of negativity, affect, and the "other" in the self-system, are discussed here. KEY WORDS: self-representation;negativity;affect; the other; self-system. UNRESOLVED ISSUES OF SELF-REPRESENTATION This is a fascinating collection of papers. Each piece is noteworthy in at least one respect and together they comprise an unusually useful, important volume. Harter's paper is an insightful integration of the literature on self- representation in children, as well as a cogent appeal for attending to de- velopmental differences in the nature and functioning of self-representations. Segal and Vella's replicates and extends their work on cognitive organiza- tion in depression, and raises the thorny question of the presence of negativ- ity in all self-systems-viable and nonviable alike. The work of Hope, Rapee, Heimberg, and Dombeck is an intriguing exploration of the self-schemas of social phobics. Bemis and Hollon contribute a thoughtful, engaging piece on assessing the operation of self-schemas in eating disorders, and provide a suggestion about the cognitive essence of these schemata. The Hammen and Goodman-Brown paper, in an important extension of earlier work, ex- amines the potential role of self-schemas in the onset of depression in chil- dren. Finally, Safran, Segal, Hill, and Whiffen discuss a number of 1Address all correspondence to HazelMarkus,Institutefor Social Research,Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106. 241 0147-5916/90/0400-0241506.00/0 © 1990 Plenum Publishing Corporation