Self-concept (psychology)
Self-concept in psychology refers to the comprehensive perception an individual has of their own identity, character, and nature, essentially answering the question, "Who am I?" This concept encompasses various facets, including personality traits, behavioral characteristics, skills, and attributes that contribute to a person's uniqueness. The development of self-concept begins in infancy and evolves throughout life, becoming more stable as individuals age. Key components of self-concept include self-schemas and the understanding of one's past, present, and future selves.
Psychologists explore how self-concept is shaped by life experiences, social interactions, and the perceptions of others. Children begin to develop a sense of individuality through interactions with caregivers and peers, leading to a more complex understanding of themselves that includes both similarities and differences compared to others. This process is influenced significantly by external feedback, which can either enhance or diminish self-perception. Additionally, self-concept is distinct from related concepts such as self-esteem and self-image, as it encompasses a broader range of self-understanding. Individuals may also experience a mismatch between their self-concept and their ideal self, leading to feelings of incongruence. Overall, self-concept is a dynamic and multifaceted construct that continues to evolve throughout a person's life.
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Self-concept (psychology)
Self-concept refers to the image an individual has of their own character, nature, or identity. It is essentially the way a person answers the question, “Who am I?” It includes aspects such as personality, behavioral traits, skills and abilities, attributes and characteristics, and all the things that make one person unique. A person’s self-concept begins forming in infancy and changes over time. The older a person becomes, the firmer their self-concept becomes.
Psychologists have proposed several theories as to how a person forms a self-concept, as well as various approaches to defining aspects of self-concept. This includes the way life experiences and circumstances affect the way a person develops a self-concept. Psychologists are also interested in the ways a person’s self-concept may differ from the perceptions others have of that person, as well as how an individual’s self-concept may differ from objective observations.
Origins
Until infants are a few months old, they have no sense of being a separate being from their parents. As they grow and begin to experience more in the world around them, babies begin to develop a sense of being separate and unique from others. As their senses and abilities increase, babies begin to realize that they can affect things around them; for example, when they shake a rattle it makes noise, and when they bump a ball, it rolls.
In addition, babies become aware of others as separate beings and start to form relationships. They notice who responds when they cry and start to anticipate having fun with a grandparent. Through interactions such as these, babies begin to form their concept of who they are and their role in the relationships. Along the way, young children also begin to develop the idea of being inherently the same even when they are taken to a different location and even as time passes. This developing understanding of the aspect of individuality that is separate from others and that remains constant in time and space is the beginning of what psychologists call the existential self.
Over time, young children begin to realize that they have characteristics that can be compared and categorized in relation to others. The earliest observations are usually based on physical characteristics and often relate to things that are the same, including facial features and gender. A toddler might notice that they have curly hair “like daddy,” or is the same size as a playmate, for instance. Over time, children begin to build comparisons based on differences as well, such as noticing that a sibling is older, or a new infant cousin is younger and smaller.
As children grow and mature mentally and emotionally, they begin to include other less-concrete aspects into their self-concepts. Children start to understand traits such as kindness and helpfulness. They also notice differences in abilities such as reading, sports, and so on, and start to compare their abilities to those of others. All of these factors become part of the growing child’s self-concept. Psychologists refer to this as the categorical self-concept.
The concept is formed based on what the child sees and perceives and what the child hears from others. Children generally learn what traits are considered good or desirable and which ones are less preferable based on how others react to them. The reaction of others also plays a significant role in a child’s developing perception of their own status in relation to these traits and characteristics. This means that a child whose parents are critical of the child in some aspect, such as sports abilities, will learn to see themself as deficient in that area. Similarly, a child who is very talented athletically but whose parents only value intelligence and school performance may not see the athletic skills as a positive aspect of their personality. Conversely, a child whose parents express pride in and appreciation for the child’s athletic efforts will come to see sport as something they are good at, which contributes to self-esteem and positive self-concept.
Overview
Psychologists define a self-concept as a person’s view of themself as an entire person. The self-concept covers a range of different aspects of an individual, including physical appearance, behavior, social traits, and emotional and spiritual qualities. It is a complex concept that is based partially in reality; partially in a person’s awareness of how others see them; and partially in the person’s interpretation of their own tendencies regarding various behaviors, characteristics, and standards.
A person can have a self-concept that includes multiple understandings of who they are and how they act. For example, a person may think that they are smart and have a positive self-concept from a standpoint of intellectual ability, but feel uncomfortable in social settings and view themself as socially inept. This is because a self-concept is broader than other, more limited aspects of the self, such as self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-image. Self-esteem is the value or worth a person places on themself. Self-awareness is consciously acknowledging aspects of one’s self. Self-image is more generally related to a person’s outward appearance to others. All of these are limited and specific aspects of self-concept.
The concept of the ideal self is also related to self-concept. Most people have a model in their minds of what their most perfect self would be like. This can be in terms of any characteristic or ability. For example, a person’s ideal self might be athletic, able to speak multiple languages fluently, and be perfectly patient and kind all the time. However, people are rarely able to reach the ideal standards that they have in mind. This creates a mismatch between the self-concept and the ideal self, which can sometimes cause problems. This is referred to as the level of congruence or incongruence in the self-concept.
Congruence results when a person’s self-concept and reality are similar, and the way the person sees themself and the way they act are closely aligned. Incongruence occurs when there is a significant discrepancy between how a person thinks they are and the way they really act or are seen by others. It can often be the result of receiving conflicting or incorrect input from others. For example, a child who is raised by parents who are very critical of everything they do may feel like nothing they do is ever right. At the same time, they may observe other children who act in the same way and are not criticized. This type of distortion and disharmony can create problems for the person when they feel powerless to change the self-concept, or goes to extremes to try to change a self-concept that is flawed because of the incongruence.
A person’s self-concept tends to become more solidly formed as the person matures and moves through adulthood. However, it is subject to change and revision all through life. People’s self-concepts often change, positively and negatively, as circumstances in life change. Experiences that alter self-concepts are generally those that cause people to reevaluate some aspect of themselves, prompt people to compare their self-concepts to reality, or result from any deliberate effort to move closer to an ideal self.
Psychologists also note that people can have different self-concepts depending on their various roles. The degree to which a person has different views of themself based on roles and relationships is referred to as self-concept differentiation.
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