The Fundamental “Who Am I?”
Question
Verywell / Cindy Chung
Self-concept is the image we have of ourselves.
It is influenced by many forces, including our interaction with the important people in our lives.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
Other examples of self-concept include:
Our self-perception is important because it affects ourmotivations,attitudes, and behaviors.
Self-concept tends to be more malleable when we’re younger and still going through self-discovery andidentity formation.
It embodies the answer to the question: “Who am I?”
If you want to find your self-concept, list things that describe you as an individual.
What are your traits?
What do you like?
How do you feel about yourself?
His theory explains what it means when these parts are congruent or incongruent with reality that impacts your self-concept.
When it is aligned, it is said to becongruent.
This incongruence can negatively affectself-esteem.
Rogers believed that incongruence has its earliest roots in childhood.
Unconditional love, on the other hand, helps to foster congruence.
How Self-Concept Develops
Self-concept develops, in part, through our interaction and observation of others.
(Interestingly, no such association was found with lower-performing students.)
The characters we identify with.Self-concept can also be developed through the stories we hear.
The media.Bothmass media and social mediaalso play a role in self-concept development.
When these media promote certain ideals, we’re more likely to make those ideals our own.
The more often these ideals are presented, the more they affect our self-identity and self-perception.
Can Self-Concept Be Changed?
Self-concept can also change based on thepeoplewith whom we interact.
This is particularly true for individuals in our lives who are in leadership roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Self-concept development isneverfinished.
If your self-esteem increases later in life, for instance, it can improve your self-concept.
Our self-concept can affect the method by which we communicate.
It can also affect the way we communicate.
Put another way, self-concept answers the question: Who am I?
Self-esteem answers the question: How do I feel about who I am?
One of the ways it does this is by enabling us to recognize our worth.
A well-developed self-concept also helps keep us from internalizing negative feedback from others.
Different cultures have different beliefs.
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