Self-Concept, Pt. I: Who Am I?

Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC

 Do you feel as if you understand yourself, how you make decisions and why you behave in certain ways? If the answer to this question is no, that’s okay! If the answer to this question is yes, it never hurts to learn more about yourself. Awareness is key and getting a better understanding of self-concept can help you to get to know yourself better.

Self-concept is composed of two main elements: self-image and self-esteem. Self-image is described as how you view yourself and how you would describe yourself to other people. This can include physical characteristics (such as hair color, eye color, gender, and height), but it also includes experiences, interests, knowledge, and relationships. A big part of self-image is the expectations you hold of yourself – who do you want to be and what you can be?

Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself, which includes “feelings of self-worth, self-acceptance, and self-respect.” When it comes to communication with others, your self-concept plays a large role.

“Putting your self-image and self-esteem together yields your self-concept: your central identity and set of beliefs about who you are and what you are capable of accomplishing.” 

Awareness

The concept of awareness amidst psychology has been studied extensively and it determines “what we pay attention to, how we carry out intentions and what we remember of our activities and experiences each day.” When it comes to information from our surroundings, first we must take it in, determine the order of it, and then give it meaning – I often refer to this concept as processing.

“Much of what we know about ourselves we have learned through interaction with others.”

Criticism and praise influence our awareness and what we think about know about ourselves. However, it’s important to remember that not every critic knows what they are talking about. When it comes to a sense of self, as a baby we learn to look at ourselves in the mirror and recognize what our faces look like – features and all. Unfortunately, as we age we might look at that same face and wonder who we are, and what our purpose in life is. An individual’s sense of self is defined as one’s own “sense of individuality, motivations, and personal characteristics” (McLean, S., 2003). This is not fixed or absolute because we can change – as humans our brains are permeable. For example, if we get negative feedback from someone, whether it be in our personal or professional life, we can take this information in, process it and decide how we want to move forward with changes that we can make. Neuroplasticity allows our brain to constantly evolve and change as a result of an experience – also known as brain plasticity.

A person’s self-concept is easier to understand and unfold when it is broken down into three categories – attitude, beliefs, and values. They are all interrelated, and we can learn our attitudes, beliefs, and values through our interactions with others. The descriptions and table in part two of this blog series will help you not only define each of these three things but will also aid you in understanding the differences between them.  

Does this blog have you wondering who you are and what is most important to you? Thinking about self-concept can raise a lot of questions and I encourage you to think about your attitudes, beliefs, and values – self-improvement is an important part of life! Check out part two of this two-part blog series to learn more about self-concept and discovery.

Reference:

Course Hero. (2022). Interpersonal communication: Self-concept. Retrieved from: https://www.coursehero.com/study-guides/interpersonalcommunicationxmaster/self-concept/