The nature and development of self-concept

Self-concept is the picture, image or concept that a person has of himself. It consists of all that he perceives himself to be. It is the organized belief system and feelings an individual has regarding who he is, how he should behave, what other people think of him, where he belongs and what he could become. A person’s self-concept begins to develop early in life. In infancy, an individual constantly explores and feels himself and his environment, including those people who care for him. He learns what he is and what he is not and, through responding to his own name, acquires a sense of identity, He begins to sense the ‘I’ or ‘me’ in himself very strongly and goes on to distinguish himself from others with increasing rigidity as he grows up. Self-concept develop gradually and continuously through socialization. In all human interactions, the individual sees and evaluates himself relative to those people who are important to him. An adolescent may compare himself with his peers and conclude that he is tall and superior physically in his class. At the same time, a person also sees himself from the way in which other people react to him. For example, a person who is well cared for and those ideas and behaviors are valued by his family and friends would naturally grow up feeling assured and confident. By contrast, a person who is always being put down or ignored in all human situations would have little chance of development self-respect. Taken together, other many instances when a person sees himself in relationship to others and the cumulative experience of how other people behave toward him combine to shape and reshape his self-respect throughout his life. During the formative years, a person’s friends and mother, his siblings, other members of the family, neighbors, family friends and, at a later stage, teachers and schoolmates. Through constant interaction, the child learns about his own qualities and the worth or value that other people attach to them. At a later stage, the individual arrives at a firmer sense of self and becomes more adept at masking those personal qualities which he deems undesirable. At the same time, his self-concept also becomes less open to challenge and change.

Reference:

Shiu L Kong, ‘to promote positive self-concept’ in Psychology for teaching and caring, Kensington Educational, Tornoto.