How Is Self-Concept Defined?

So how exactly do psychologists define selfconcept? It is generally thought of as our

individual perceptions of our behavior, abilities,
and unique characteristics. Self-concept is
essentially a mental picture of who you are as
a person.

The term self-concept is a general term used to

refer to how someone thinks about, evaluates
or perceives themselves. To be aware of
oneself is to have a concept of oneself.

Baumeister (1999) provides the following self

concept definition: "The individual's belief
about himself or herself, including the person's
attributes and who and what the self is".

Self-concept tends to be more malleable when

people are younger and still going through the
process of self-discovery and identity formation.
As people age, self-perceptions become much
more detailed and organized as people form a
better idea of who they are and what is
important to them.

Components of Self-Concept

Our personal identity includes such things as

personality traits and other characteristics that
make each person unique.

Social identity includes the groups we belong to

including our community, religion, college, and
other groups.

Lewis (1990) suggests that development of a concept

of self has two aspects:
(1) The Existential Self - This is 'the most basic part of
the self-scheme or self-concept; the sense of being
separate and distinct from others and the awareness of
the constancy of the self' (Bee, 1992). (ex: baby playing
in a crib)
(2) The Categorical Self - Having realized that he or she
exists as a separate experiencing being, the child next
becomes aware that he or she is also an object in the
world. Just as other objects including people have
properties that can be experienced (big, small, red,
smooth and so on) so the child is becoming aware of
him or her self as an object which can be experienced
and which has properties. The self too can be put into
categories such as age, gender, size or skill. Two of the
first categories to be applied are age (I am 3) and
gender (I am a girl).
Carl Rogers (1959) believes that the self concept has
three different components:
1. The view you have of yourself (self image)- this
does not necessarily have to reflect reality.
Indeed a person with anorexia who is thin may
have a self image in which the person believes
they are fat. A person's self image is affected by
many factors, such as parental influences,
friends, the media etc.
2. How much value you place on yourself (self
esteem or self-worth) - Self esteem refers to

the extent to which we like accept or approve

of ourselves or how much we value ourselves.
1. HIGH SELF ESTEEM i.e. we have a
positive view of ourselves. This tends to
lead to Confidence in our own abilities;
Self acceptance; Not worrying about
what others think; Optimism
2. LOW SELF ESTEEM i.e. we have a
negative view of ourselves. This tends
to lead to Lack of confidence; Want to
be/look like someone else; Always
worrying what others might think;
Pessimism
Even though self-esteem might fluctuate, there
are times when we continue to believe good
things about ourselves even when evidence to
the contrary exists. This is known as the
perseverance effect.
Why care about self-esteem?

Improve school performance

Improve social relationships

Guarantee good leadership

Prevent risky behavior such as drinking

Promote health

Self-esteem is sought because it is a valuable

aid in coping with stress, trauma, and
misfortunes. Self-esteem may be of little value
under normal circumstances, but in response to
adversity, people need self-esteem to keep
their spirits up and to keep striving for positive
outcomes. Self-esteem is thus a valuable
resource.
3. What you wish you were really like (ideal self)Where a persons ideal self and actual
experience are consistent or very similar, a
state of congruence exists. The development of
congruence is dependent on unconditional
positive regard. Rogers believed that for a
person to achieve self-actualization they must
be in a state of congruence.

Identity

Identity-peoples general sense of themselves;

is what sets one person apart as a unique
individual; Identity includes a persons name,
gender, ethnic identity, family status,
occupation, and roles.

A self-concept exists only one person's mind,

whereas identity is essentially social. That is,
identity rests on a definition of the self that is
shared by the person, other people, and society
at large.

Jean Phinney describes four outcomes for ethnic

minority youth in their search for identity.

Assimilation-fully adopting the values and

behaviors of the majority culture and rejecting
their current ethnic culture.

Separated-associating only with members of

their ethnic culture.

Marginality-living in the majority culture but

feeling alienated and uncomfortable in it and
disconnected from the minority culture as well.

Biculturalism (sometimes called integration)maintaining ties to both cultures.

William Cross : African-American racial identity process

NIGRESCENSE

Pre-encounter- at this point, the adolescent

may not be consciously aware of her race and
how it may affect her life.

Encounter-the adolescent has an encounter

that provokes thought about the role of racial
identification on his life.

Immersion-the adolescent may search for

information about racial identity, and will also
learn about racial identity through interaction
with peers of the same race.

Internalization & commitment -at this point,

the adolescent has developed a secure sense of
racial identity and is comfortable socializing
both within and outside the racial group he or
she identifies with.

Eriksons (1959) theory of psychosocial development

has eight distinct stages

All people are influenced by both their cultural and

social experiences. Erickson and Bronfenbrenner both
back this idea up with these ideas:
1. Teachers who give welcoming and encouraging
requirements are often beneficial to students who are
experiencing divorce or separation of their parents.
2. A student's notion of themselves changes over time.
While a student may feel confident in one subject, they
may not feel as competent in another.
3. Teachers are in the position to help students
reinforce and identity that correlates with their career,
religion, ethnicity, gender and connection to society.
4. Teachers provide assistance to students in regard to
developing positive social skills and coping skills.
5. When it comes to cheating, a majority of students will
do so under high pressure and with little chance of
being caught; teachers have the responsibility to keep
students away from doing this.