Defining Self ConceptEssay Preview: Defining Self ConceptReport this essayDefining Self ConceptWhen one thinks of the self concept is the mental and conceptual awareness and persistent regard that sentient beings hold with regard their own being. Parts of the self concept include; physical, psychological and social attributes and can be influenced by its attitudes, habits, beliefs and ideas. These components can then be turned into the general concept of self-esteem and self-image. Your self-concept can change because you see and understand things differently depending on your feelings, beliefs and attitude. Self awareness is a two-way process as your feelings and beliefs affect your self-concept and the opposite is also true. One would also define self-concept as the understanding we have of our own existence and how we relate to other and to our surroundings. (www.essentialskillsforlife.com)
How is the self-concept developed?According to an article from essential skills for life, one must possess a positive or healthy self-concept you must: know yourself, love yourself, and be true to oneself.
Today we live in an increasingly complex and multifaceted world. In order to meet the challenges we now face, it is more important than ever to build a solid personal foundation.
It also goes on to denote that to be sure, that a healthy self-concept is more than having high self-esteem. While high self-esteem is important, the term itself can be misleading since self-esteem is largely based on your feelings of self-worth and encompasses your beliefs about being valuable and capable. Developing a healthy self-concept takes deliberate planning and concentrated effort. It takes acknowledging your intrinsic value as a human being, and then working to acquire the skills needed to confront the many challenges and adversities we encounter in life. When you posses a healthy self-concept, nothing can rattle you, or take you off your stride. You are poised, and assured because you know you are equipped to handle whatever comes your way. It consists of your self-image, either positive or negative, at an emotional level. (www.essentialskillsforlife.com)
In James [1890] conception of the `social self we can find the self is not a `thing in itself, not a self-contained entity, separated from the environment but a relationship, – often very intense – between a person and those parts of the environment which have personal value and affective significance. This implies that not only significant others (see also Mead, 1934), but also culturally relevant stories and experiences told by these others, are, from an early age onward, part of a developing self [e.g., Bruner, 1986; Sarbin, 1986]. This self is not to be conceived of as an individual placed in a preceding or external history, but it is itself a historical process, that is, an embodiment of a personal
– and social identity, of some kind, which the individual of James and his family had experienced in childhood. Rather a series of interrelated ‘experiential relations’ which had been developing under the shadow of James’ and family and thus were, and continue to be, part of the historical formation of the nation. The identity of the individual was, in all cases, a concept that would change with time (cf. Johnson (1996) for an insight into this idea).
To begin with, James first saw himself as the individual in question (a relationship between himself and others) during a period of profound political, social, and religious awakening at his mother’s request and in various forms which he could access through his father. During this period, the family would, however, feel it necessary to deal with the new political and socio-religious developments of his own country, so that they must take the necessary precautions to prevent himself from being a part of them. As James sees the situation, his mother and his grandmother did, on the one hand, see him as a ‘citizen in the land of his birth’, but on the other hand he was determined not to become a part of those developments, as he was already in an uncomfortable situation of political, social, and theological upheaval with his parents. This led to further change and ultimately to James’ growing concern for his family and himself.
His father, in all likelihood, knew of this and was involved in the radical restructuring of the family formation that resulted in the government becoming quite different from the existing institutions of social life, of which his family, including the old household, were not yet in a position to protect them. Hence, after James wrote his first book, his father became the author’s representative in the family government, as he considered it to be his responsibility to make sure that his children had a stable home and social status. As with the father, though, no legal recognition of the state of affairs would be given to him. Furthermore, his older brother, a member of the clergy, would do the best he could to prevent his involvement. Thus he has remained involved through various forms of mediation, most recently in the ongoing struggle for the right to vote on May 2, 2000 (or so the French election, because of the national law which declared the right to vote in France).
Although his father was of course sympathetic to the demands of his children, he felt that the government’s efforts to put such matters before the people were, by definition, an infringement of his freedom, as the French constitution explicitly states. Consequently, he decided to write the book before a local assembly. From the outset, he kept an eye on his children and their personal histories. This was especially so as he viewed the role played by ”