Self Concept Paper

Maxim Semin
Communications 108
Professor: Ashla Hill Roseboro
Due: 2/12/18
 I grew up in Vladivostok Russia, which is the “Capital of Primorsky Krai”(Higgins).

There I spent most of my life as a child and it was not until twelve years later until I moved to

united states. Through that time in russia and the rest of my life a variety of experiences as well

as personal traits shaped me into who I am today. I discovered many of my strength weaknesses

and other characteristics such as values and beliefs, which consist of my personal and social

identity

Lifestyle as a kid in Russia is a bit different than here in U.S., there we have a very

outdoor based set of activities such as tag, hide and seek, boxing and hundreds of others, unlike

in U.S. where “155 million Americans regularly play video games” (Campbell) slouching in

front of a TV for hours. Growing up as a male in that environment has put a lot of pressure to

perform better in sports and other physical activities, people will look down on you if you are

weak and nerdy. I was one of the top athletes in my school therefore I had to train extra hard to

maintain my physical and social position. I loved being the guy everyone counts on during

school championships and competitions, getting all the respect from peers and even parents of

other students was thrilling. This was my biggest strength. For twelve years I was that guy,

however moving to united states I was shocked by the physical condition of my peers, they were

weak and overweight. I started to realize that people were more respected if they were just social

with others and relatively smart. I never imagined that overweight or skinny as a stick people

with no muscle or tone could ever be so popular and liked. A few month passed by and I let go of

all the training and exercise I used to do because no one really cared for it. This was a huge

mistake, I did not realize how much contribution my physical strength had on my self esteem. I

was never a social person to begin with, I never initiated conversations, people always wanted to
talk to me, but this time it was all different. I was getting looked down on because there was

nothing special about me, people just saw me as this weird quiet kid that no one talked to. I hated

it, and couldn't do anything about it. Soon I realized that my shy and serious personality was my

biggest weakness to my social life, even though that was how everyone acted back home, so I

had trouble getting new friends.

Time went on and I got to know the language very well and I was a completely different

person then I was back in russia. I started to fit in and socialize with different people, and even

have a girlfriend. But the kid that was a long time ago me was gone, I was someone else. Over a

few years of my new life I slowly noticed that this is not who I am, I wanted to be strong and

confident, instead I got weak but friendly, my new me would have been bullied back in my

hometown, so I decided to go back for the summer and find myself once again. That trip changed

my life. My grandad who was like a father to me, since my dad left when I was two taught me

the concept of a white crow, to stand out and be yourself despite of what the rest of the world is

doing. This has been my way of life and belief ever since. I finally started to workout because I

knew deep down that this was my source of high self esteem. “Looking good, feeling strong and

having a positive attitude are all parts of high self-esteem, and are all benefits of a regular

exercise regime”(Crawford).

his was my strength that I forgotten about. I stopped being what others wanted me to be

and focused on myself and never been happier. Although I was different from majority of

people, I got many new friends that shared the same interests as me and that I was comfortable

around. But talking to different strangers was getting harder and harder, I was only able to open

with people I enjoyed talking to. This is another weakness of mine, in life there will be instances
where I will need to communicate with people I dislike, therefore I needed to change that too. So

I began widening my friends group, by talking to new people, trying new things and not being so

quick to judge. I became more humble. After a while I had the most diverse friends group than

ever before, I knew people of different color, race, ethnicity, religion body shape etcetera. This

made my social skills a lot better, making me more friendly and open. Down the road i also

found out that another source of confidence for me was my ability to use my brain in tough

situations, another words i was very good at improvising and thinking quick on the spot. When

me and my friends would get into trouble i would always come up with a solution and gain their

respect.

In Conclusion the events that shaped me the most as a person, occurred during the time

of my transition between the two countries. I found that my biggest source of confidence and self

esteem come from, not fitting in the crowd, but by being myself, as well as being fit. Intelligence

is also very comforting when stuck in a sticky situation. On the other hand being very social and

friendly to strangers was my downside that i had to overcome through many years. Overall i

know that the experiences the good and the bad ones all had a major contribution in shaping the

person i am today.
 Reference Page

Campbell, C. (2015, April 14). Here's how many people are playing games in America. Retrieved

February 11, 2018, from https://www.polygon.com/2015/4/14/8415611/gaming-stats-2015

Higgins, A. (2016, July 23). Vladivostok Lures Chinese Tourists (Many Think It's Theirs).

Retrieved February 11, 2018, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/world/asia/vladivostok-china-haishenwai-tourists.html

Crawford, B. (2017, September 11). How Does Exercise Affect Your Self-Esteem? Retrieved

February 11, 2018, from https://www.livestrong.com/article/438937-how-does-exercise-affect-

your-self-esteem/