Noun
The gap in an individual self-perception of what they actually are and what they ought to be.
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More examples (3)
Higgins in 1987 came up with the self-discrepancy theory to explain people’s motivation. This argues that people have three types of self: the “ideal” self, which is what we hope to become; the “ought” self, which is how we think we should behave to achieve the ideal self; and the actual self, which is the extent to which we actually possess these desired attributes.
That urge to reduce self-discrepancy can also come from feeling that you’re not as good as everyone else. Therefore, when you think there’s a special “deal” that you need to get before they do, you’ll rush ahead without stopping to consider how good a deal it actually is. Consider the possibility that you’re actually a better person than everyone else because you've restrained your impulses.
But self-discrepancy in those of use with ADHD can be a straightforward chasm. The expectations we and others have of us are often wildly inconsistent with our reality; sometimes we can perform on a very high level, and sometimes we struggle with “simple” tasks. Our self-dicrepancy is also more profound because ADHD is an “unseen” disability that is not accommodated or even accounted for in most environments.