自我與同一性致力于研究自我的社會和心理過程，包括自我的主體方面，以及反映在自我心理表征中的感知和解釋方面。關于自我和身份的研究在人性研究中占有特殊的地位，因為自我關注可以說是個人追求幸福和理解生活的核心。人生目標的形成和影響，取決于一個人對自己是什么樣的人的看法，一個人理想地想成為(或想避免成為)的方式，以及一個人對什么是可行的看法。此外，自我和世界的概念影響著一個人朝著這些目標前進的過程如何被監控、評估、重新定向、重新評估和再次追求。因此，“自我”作為一種建構，對行為、自尊、動機、情感體驗和更廣泛的世界，以及人際關系、社會和文化都有著深遠的影響。該雜志旨在匯集心理學(如社會、人格、臨床、發展、認知)不同學科以及其他社會和行為學科(如社會學、家庭研究、人類學、神經科學)的研究人員對自我和身份的實證研究。特別強調的是新的實證研究，這是有關現有的理論模型，并為未來的研究開辟新的領域。該雜志的第二個持續激勵目標是實證研究，它在基本過程的層次上提供集成。該雜志為世界各地的心理學、社會學、消費者行為、行為醫學和精神病學的科學家、實踐者和學生提供了尖端的實證研究和偶爾的理論文章。

Self and Identity is devoted to the study of social and psychological processes of the self, including both its agentic aspects, as well as the perceived and construed aspects as reflected in its mental representations. Work on self and identity has a special place in the study of human nature, as self-concerns are arguably at the center of individuals’ striving for well-being and for making sense of one’s life. Life goals develop and are influenced by one’s view of what one is like, the way one would ideally like to be (or would like to avoid being), as well as one’s perceptions of what is feasible. Furthermore, conceptions of self and the world affect how one’s progress towards these goals is monitored, evaluated, redirected, re-evaluated, and pursued again. Thus, the "self" as a construct has far-reaching implications for behavior, self-esteem, motivation, experience of emotions and the world more broadly, and hence for interpersonal relationships, society, and culture. The Journal aims to bring together empirical work on self and identity undertaken by researchers across different subdisciplines within psychology (e.g., social, personality, clinical, development, cognitive), as well as across other social and behavioral disciplines (e.g., sociology, family studies, anthropology, neuroscience). Special emphasis is placed on new empirical research that is relevant for extant theoretical models and generative in opening new terrain for future investigation. A second continual motivating goal of the Journal is empirical research that offers integration at the level of basic processes. The Journal provides scientists, practitioners, and students in psychology, sociology, consumer behavior, behavioral medicine, and psychiatry around the world with access to cutting edge empirical research and occasional theoretical pieces.