diff --git a/opentracing-api/src/main/java/io/opentracing/References.java b/opentracing-api/src/main/java/io/opentracing/References.java
index 56419588..57cf26e9 100644
--- a/opentracing-api/src/main/java/io/opentracing/References.java
+++ b/opentracing-api/src/main/java/io/opentracing/References.java
@@ -32,4 +32,9 @@ private References(){}
      * See http://opentracing.io/spec/#causal-span-references for more information about FOLLOWS_FROM references
      */
     public static final String FOLLOWS_FROM = "follows_from";
+
+    /**
+     * The self reference class can be used to construct a {@link Span} instance with a specific {@link SpanContext}.
+     */
+    public static final String SELF = "self";
 }
diff --git a/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockSpan.java b/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockSpan.java
index 40a2597a..9e988f43 100644
--- a/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockSpan.java
+++ b/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockSpan.java
@@ -285,27 +285,43 @@ public int hashCode() {
             this.references = new ArrayList<>(refs);
         }
         MockContext parent = findPreferredParentRef(this.references);
+        MockContext self = findFirstReference(this.references, References.SELF);
         if (parent == null) {
             // We're a root Span.
-            this.context = new MockContext(nextId(), nextId(), new HashMap<String, String>());
+            this.context = new MockContext(self != null ? self.traceId : nextId(), self != null ? self.spanId : nextId(),
+                    self != null ? self.baggage : new HashMap<String, String>());
             this.parentId = 0;
         } else {
             // We're a child Span.
-            this.context = new MockContext(parent.traceId, nextId(), mergeBaggages(this.references));
+            this.context = new MockContext(self != null ? self.traceId : parent.traceId,  self != null ? self.spanId : nextId(),
+                    mergeBaggages(this.references));
             this.parentId = parent.spanId;
         }
     }
 
     private static MockContext findPreferredParentRef(List<Reference> references) {
-        if(references.isEmpty()) {
-            return null;
+        MockContext firstChildOf = findFirstReference(references, References.CHILD_OF);
+        if (firstChildOf == null) {
+            // return first non self reference
+            // self references can never be a parent reference
+            for (Reference reference : references) {
+                if (!References.SELF.equals(reference.getReferenceType())) {
+                    return reference.getContext();
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            return firstChildOf;
         }
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    private static MockContext findFirstReference(List<Reference> references, String referenceToFind) {
         for (Reference reference : references) {
-            if (References.CHILD_OF.equals(reference.getReferenceType())) {
+            if (referenceToFind.equals(reference.getReferenceType())) {
                 return reference.getContext();
             }
         }
-        return references.get(0).getContext();
+        return null;
     }
 
     private static Map<String, String> mergeBaggages(List<Reference> references) {
diff --git a/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracer.java b/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracer.java
index 13132f46..bb88790f 100644
--- a/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracer.java
+++ b/opentracing-mock/src/main/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracer.java
@@ -112,10 +112,12 @@ public <C> MockSpan.MockContext extract(Format<C> format, C carrier) {
             }
         };
 
-        Propagator TEXT_MAP = new Propagator() {
-            public static final String SPAN_ID_KEY = "spanid";
-            public static final String TRACE_ID_KEY = "traceid";
-            public static final String BAGGAGE_KEY_PREFIX = "baggage-";
+        Propagator TEXT_MAP = new TextMapPropagator();
+
+        class TextMapPropagator implements Propagator {
+            static final String SPAN_ID_KEY = "spanid";
+            static final String TRACE_ID_KEY = "traceid";
+            static final String BAGGAGE_KEY_PREFIX = "baggage-";
 
             @Override
             public <C> void inject(MockSpan.MockContext ctx, Format<C> format, C carrier) {
@@ -159,7 +161,7 @@ public <C> MockSpan.MockContext extract(Format<C> format, C carrier) {
 
                 return null;
             }
-        };
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/opentracing-mock/src/test/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracerTest.java b/opentracing-mock/src/test/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracerTest.java
index 2209837a..74974746 100644
--- a/opentracing-mock/src/test/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracerTest.java
+++ b/opentracing-mock/src/test/java/io/opentracing/mock/MockTracerTest.java
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
  */
 package io.opentracing.mock;
 
+import static io.opentracing.mock.MockTracer.Propagator.TextMapPropagator.BAGGAGE_KEY_PREFIX;
+import static io.opentracing.mock.MockTracer.Propagator.TextMapPropagator.SPAN_ID_KEY;
+import static io.opentracing.mock.MockTracer.Propagator.TextMapPropagator.TRACE_ID_KEY;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotEquals;
@@ -201,7 +204,7 @@ public void testTextMapPropagatorHttpHeaders() {
         Assert.assertEquals(finishedSpans.get(0).context().traceId(), finishedSpans.get(1).context().traceId());
         Assert.assertEquals(finishedSpans.get(0).context().spanId(), finishedSpans.get(1).parentId());
     }
-  
+
     @Test
     public void testActiveSpan() {
         MockTracer mockTracer = new MockTracer();
@@ -319,4 +322,54 @@ public void testChildOfWithNullParentDoesNotThrowException() {
         Span span = tracer.buildSpan("foo").asChildOf(parent).start();
         span.finish();
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testSelfReferenceWithParent() {
+        MockTracer mockTracer = new MockTracer(MockTracer.Propagator.TEXT_MAP);
+
+        final HashMap<String, String> selfIds = new HashMap<>();
+        selfIds.put(TRACE_ID_KEY, "40");
+        selfIds.put(SPAN_ID_KEY, "42");
+        selfIds.put(BAGGAGE_KEY_PREFIX + "foo", "bar");
+        final HashMap<String, String> parentSpanId = new HashMap<>();
+        parentSpanId.put(TRACE_ID_KEY, "40");
+        parentSpanId.put(SPAN_ID_KEY, "41");
+
+        mockTracer.buildSpan("foo")
+            .addReference(References.SELF, mockTracer.extract(Format.Builtin.TEXT_MAP, new TextMapExtractAdapter(selfIds)))
+            .addReference(References.CHILD_OF, mockTracer.extract(Format.Builtin.TEXT_MAP, new TextMapExtractAdapter(parentSpanId)))
+            .startManual()
+            .finish();
+
+        assertEquals(1, mockTracer.finishedSpans().size());
+        assertEquals(40, mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).context().traceId());
+        assertEquals(42, mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).context().spanId());
+        final Map.Entry<String, String> firstBaggageItem = mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).context().baggageItems().iterator().next();
+        assertEquals("foo", firstBaggageItem.getKey());
+        assertEquals("bar", firstBaggageItem.getValue());
+        assertEquals(41, mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).parentId());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testSelfReferenceWithoutParent() {
+        MockTracer mockTracer = new MockTracer(MockTracer.Propagator.TEXT_MAP);
+
+        final HashMap<String, String> selfIds = new HashMap<>();
+        selfIds.put(TRACE_ID_KEY, "40");
+        selfIds.put(SPAN_ID_KEY, "42");
+        selfIds.put(BAGGAGE_KEY_PREFIX + "foo", "bar");
+
+        mockTracer.buildSpan("foo")
+            .addReference(References.SELF, mockTracer.extract(Format.Builtin.TEXT_MAP, new TextMapExtractAdapter(selfIds)))
+            .startManual()
+            .finish();
+
+        assertEquals(1, mockTracer.finishedSpans().size());
+        assertEquals(40, mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).context().traceId());
+        assertEquals(42, mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).context().spanId());
+        final Map.Entry<String, String> firstBaggageItem = mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).context().baggageItems().iterator().next();
+        assertEquals("foo", firstBaggageItem.getKey());
+        assertEquals("bar", firstBaggageItem.getValue());
+        assertEquals(0, mockTracer.finishedSpans().get(0).parentId());
+    }
 }