What Is The Concept Of Self?

Self-concept is the image we have of ourselves. In general, it brings together all of the feelings, images and thoughts that we have about ourselves.

Knowing what self-concept is can help you gain better self-esteem and make more assertive decisions in your life. When we talk about the concept of self,  we are referring to the image we have of ourselves.

Obviously, this image does not form itself:  it is the result of the most important interactions that we have developed in life,  among other factors.

Self-concept  also encompasses our perception of our abilities. This is why over time, they become more organized.

For social psychology, this term is very important, as it is for psychologists of the humanist current. Experts in the field also point out that  the concept of self is a decisive concept for the development of our personality.

In addition, having a positive self-concept  allows us to function well socially, professionally and personally. Want to know more about it? We will tell you about it in this article.

What is the concept of self?

Self-concept is the set of feelings, images and thoughts that we have about ourselves. A distinction arises here between the evaluative component (feelings) and the cognitive component (thoughts).

Thoughts  refer to the beliefs we have about ourselves,  and this includes body image, values, social identity, skills, or other traits we think we have.

The evaluative component is sometimes referred to as self-esteem,  and it groups together the feelings, positive or negative,  that we have about ourselves.

Main schools

As happens with many other terms, there are many schools that have claimed to come close to this notion of self-concept. For example, for Henri Tajfel, the concept of self  consists of personal identity and social identity, according to his theory of social identity.

When he mentions social identity,  he wants to include groups that we are a part of,  such as religion, family, university or others.

Personal identity is reserved for traits specific to our personality, those that make us unique in relation to others.

Some authors have looked at the  different schools that have tackled the subject of self-concept  and have classified them as follows:

• Symbolic interactionism:  priority is given to the social dimension, that is to say to the image that each person has on the basis of his relations with others.
• Social learning:  it refers to observable behavior, valuing self-reinforcement.
• Behavioralism:  Greater importance is placed on the environment and observable behaviors.
• Cognitivism:  the concept of self is part of a structure that pushes the individual to achieve his goals and objectives.
• Psychoanalysis:  here we study the concept of the self on the basis of the concepts of the ego, the superego and the id.
• Phenomenology:  it studies the processes of perception, which each subject internalizes.

In addition to these schools, other points of view  approach the study of self-concept in different ways. Today, therefore, it is possible to find that this term consists of several factors.

Self-concept factors

Depending on the school or the author, factors of self-concept may vary. From the perspective of humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers,  there are three factors that make up self-concept:

1. The image of yourself

Usually, it answers the question  “Who am I?” ”  And the answers may depend on social or personal traits roles.

Self-image can be influenced by friendships, colleagues or parents, in addition to other groups to belong to. The media can also have an influence.

It is necessary to remember that the image we have of ourselves cannot always coincide with reality. Some people have a high self-image and think they are better than others.

Nonetheless, in these cases there is probably a tendency towards negative self-image,  which causes one to exaggerate one’s weaknesses or flaws.

2. Self-esteem

This indicator refers to the value we place on ourselves and involves a degree of evaluation. The result can be positive or negative. There are several factors that affect our self-esteem. Argyle considered four:

• The reaction of others.
• Comparison with others.
• Social roles.
• Identification.

3. The ideal self

The ideal self refers to the person we would like to be. Sometimes  the way we see ourselves and the way we would like to see ourselves do not coincide.

As we have observed,  self-concept and self-esteem are linked. By working on our self-concept, we will be able to have high self-esteem. In any case, if we have low self-esteem, it would be best to see a psychologist.