Years ago, I interviewed James Patterson, an advertising manager, about the latest campaign. But all he wanted to talk about was fiction-writing. “I hope to be a writer. It is always in my head,” he said.

I remember thinking: Sure, you and everybody else.

A decade or so later, however, I was surprised to see James on TV, holding up his new book.

Mr. Patterson’s ability to see himself as a writer illustrates a concept known as “possible selves.” The term, coined in 1986 by the social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius, grew out of research on self-concept. While self-concepts – “I am a kind person” or “I am a good parent”- are rooted in the present, the researchers found people are also informed by ideas about what they might become and how they might change.

These possible selves, both positive and negative, are closely related to motivation. A violin student who envisions life as a professional musician might be motivated to practice. A person whose feared possible self is an alcoholic may become a non-drinker. In a small study, when young adults were encouraged to envision themselves as either regular exercisers (hoped-for selves) or inactive(feared selves), both groups exercised more in the weeks afterward.

A possible self can take you beyond daydreams, which are often not necessarily grounded in reality. It can come to fruition if you build a bridge from your “now” self to the possible self. “If you’re regularly dreaming of a different career, enroll in a course, shadow someone, take up a hobby or a side job. Making the transition requires you to say now, today, this week, these are the steps I can actually take to attain the goal,” said Daphna Oyserman, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California.

But don’t quit your job just yet. An analysis of career-transition research concluded that successful reinventions require adjustments and re-evaluations as you go. Mr. Patterson, for example, wrote almost a dozen books while still at his ad agency; he found his style only after many tries.

【小题1】Why does the author mention the interview?

A．To show his expectation.	B．To explain his surprise.
C．To display Patterson’s ability.	D．To introduce a concept.

【小题2】What can we learn about the idea of “possible selves”?

A．It involves three aspects.

B．It allows for personal growth.

C．It ensures one a promising future.

D．It includes the idea of self-concept.

【小题3】What does professor Daphna intend to express?

A．The idea of “now”self.

B．The wish for the career transition.

C．The importance of concrete action.

D．The necessity of expert-consulting.

【小题4】What is probably talked about in the following paragraph?

A．Different writing styles.

B．Multiple research methods.

C．Patterson’s success in his advertising business.

D．The exploration and adaptation of job transition.