Understanding Self is an important aspece of human life.

1. Understanding Self
Module- I

3. Self-Concept
 Self-concept is an individual’s perception of
self and is what helps make each individual
unique.
 Positive and negative self-assessments in the
physical, emotional, intellectual, and
functional dimensions change over time.
 A person’s subjective description of who the
person thinks he or she is.

4. Self-Concept
Your self-concept is your subjective description
of who you think you are—it is filtered through
your own perceptions.
For example, you may have great musical
talent, but you may not believe in it enough to
think of yourself as a musician. We can view
self-concept as the labels we consistently use
to describe ourselves to others.

5. Formation of Self-Concept
 Infant learns physical self different from
environment.
 If basic needs are met, child has positive
feelings of self.
 Child internalizes others people’s attitudes
toward self.
 Child or adult internalizes standards of
society.

6. Formation of Self-Concept
The first step in forming a self-concept is
learning to distinguish between one’s own
body and the rest of the world.
By the time an infant is 3 months old, it
likes to look at itself in the mirror,
presumably because it can see that its own
body movements “magically” produce
movements in the image.

7. Are You Conscious of Who
You Are?
Do you know what you’re doing right now? “Of
course,” you may think, “I’m studying in the
class.” But are you really aware of all of the
fleeting thoughts bouncing in your head, whether
you’re truly happy or sad, or even whether you
may be twiddling a pencil, jiggling your leg, or in
need of a snack?

8. Are You Conscious of Who You
Are?
To be aware of who you are and what
you may be thinking about is a more
involved process than you may think.
Researchers have described three ways
of being self-aware—conscious of who
you are and what you are doing: That is
Self-Awareness

9. Dimensions of Self-Concept
 Self-knowledge — “Who am I?”
 Self-expectation — “Who or what do I want
to be?”
 Social self – How person perceived by
others?
 Self-evaluation — “How well do I like
myself?”

10. Self knowledge
Global self: is the term used to describe the
composite of all basic facts, qualities, traits,
images and feelings one holds about oneself.
It includes:
1. Basic facts: sex, age, race, occupation, cultural
background.
2. Person’s position with social groups, qualities or
traits that describe typical behaviours, feelings,
moods and other characteristics (generous, hot-
headed ambitious, intelligent).

11. Self expectations
 Expectations for self flow from various
sources.
 The ideal self constitutes the self one want to
be.
 Self expectations develop unconsciously
early in childhood and are based on image of
role models such as parents.

12. Self evaluation
 Self esteem is the evaluative and affective
component of self concept
 Maslow’s Subsets of Esteem Needs:
1. Self-esteem (strength, achievement, mastery,
competence, ..)
2. Respect needs or the need for esteem from
others

13. Components of Self-Concept
 Self Identity
 Self image
 Self Concept
 Self-Confidence

14. Components of Self-Concept
 A sense of personal identity is what sets one
person apart as a unique individual.
 Identity includes a person’s name, gender,
ethnic identity, family status, occupation, and
roles.
 One’s personal identity begins to develop
during childhood and is constantly reinforced
and modified throughout life.

15. Components of Self-Concept
Self image
The self-image is the collection of traits
which we recognize in the ego and our
archetypal fields; for example, we might
recognize ourselves as patient, bold,
handsome, funny, talented, successful,
etc.

16. Components of Self-Concept
 Self image is an attitude about one’s
physical attributes and characteristics,
appearance, and performance.
 Self image is dynamic because any
change in body structure or function,
including the normal changes of growth
and development, can affect it.

17. Components of Self-Concept
 our self-concepts are often different from the
way others see us.
 We almost always behave differently in
public than we do in private.
 Sociologist Erving Goffman suggests that,
like actors and actresses, we have “on stage”
behaviours when others are watching and
“backstage” behaviours when they are not.

18. Components of Self-Concept
 Having self-confidence does not mean
that individuals will be able to do
everything. Self-confident people have
expectations that are realistic. Even
when some of their expectations are not
met, they continue to be positive and to
accept themselves.

19. Components of Self-Concept
 Self-confidence is an attitude which
allows individuals to have positive yet
realistic views of themselves and their
situations. Self-confident people trust
their own abilities, have a general sense
of control in their lives, and believe that,
within reason, they will be able to do
what they wish, plan, and expect.

20. Development of Self-Concept
 Self-concept evolves throughout life and
depends to an extent on an individual’s
developmental level.

21. Components of self-concept
are
The ideal self,
is the person would like to be, such as a good,
moral, and well-respected person
The public self,
is what the person thinks others think of him
and influences the ideal and real self.
The real self
how the person really thinks about oneself,
such as “I try to be good and do what’s right,
but I’m not well respected.

22. Stages in Development of Self
 Self-awareness (infancy)
 Self-recognition (18 months)
 Self-definition (3 years)
 Self-concept (6 to 7 years)

23. Factors Affecting Self-Concept
 Experience
 Developmental considerations
 Culture
 Internal and external resources
 History of success and failure
 Crisis or life stressors
 Aging, illness