MODULE I SELF FORMATION Self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity or self-perspective) is a multidimensional construct that refers to an individual's perception

of "self" in relation to any number of characteristics, such as academics (and nonacademics),gender roles and sexualityracial identity many others. Each of these characteristics is a research domain (i.e. cademic Self-!oncept) "ithin the larger spectrum of self-concept although no characteristics exist in isolation as one#s self-concept is a collection of beliefs about oneself$hile closely related "ith self-concept clarity ("hich "refers to the extent to "hich self-%no"ledge is clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stableit presupposes but is distinguishable from self-a"areness, "hich is simply an individual's a"areness of their self. &t is also more general than self-esteem, "hich is a function of the purely evaluative element of the self-concept 'he self-concept is an internal model "hich comprises self-assessments(eatures assessed include but are not limited to) personality, s%ills and abilities, occupation(s) and hobbies, physical characteristics, etc. (or example, the statement "& am la*y" is a self-assessment that contributes to the self-concept. +o"ever, the statement "& am tired" "ould not be part of someone's self-concept, since being tired is a temporary state and a more ob,ective ,udgment. person's self-concept may change "ith time as reassessment occurs, "hich in extreme cases can lead to identity crises. nother model of self-concept contains three parts) self-esteem, stability, and selfefficacy. Self-esteem is the "evaluative" component-it is "here one ma%es ,udgments about his or her self-"orth. Stability refers to the organi*ation and continuity of one's self-concept. &s it constantly in flux. !an singular, relatively trivial events drastically affect your self-esteem. 'he third element, self-efficacy, is best explained as selfconfidence. &t is specifically connected "ith one's abilities, unli%e self-esteem /esearchers debate "hen self-concept development begins but agree on the importance of person#s life. 'iedemann (0111) indicates that parents# gender stereotypes and expectations for their children impact children#s understandings of themselves by approximately age 2.3thers suggest that self-concept develops later, around age 4 or 5, as children are developmentally prepared to begin interpreting their o"n feelings, abilities and interpretations of feedbac% they receive from parents, teachers and peers about themselves.6espite differing opinions about the onset of self-concept development, researchers agree on the importance of one#s self-concept, influencing people#s behaviours and cognitive and emotional outcomes including (but not limited to) academic achievement, levels of happiness, anxiety, social integration, self-esteem, and lifesatisfaction. (urthermore, the self-concept is not restricted to the present. &t includes past selves and future selves. (uture or possible selves represent individuals' ideas of "hat they might

become, "hat they "ould li%e to become, or "hat they are afraid of becoming. 'hey correspond to hopes, fears, standards, goals, and threats. 7ossible selves may function as incentives for future behavior and they also provide an evaluative and interpretive context for the current vie" of self.8 'he perception that people have about their past or future selves is related to the perception of their current self. 'emporal self-appraisal theory 8009 argues that people have a tendency to maintain a positive evaluation of the current self by distancing negative selves and bringing close positive selves. &n addition, people have a tendency to perceive the past self less favourably 8029 (e.g., &'m better than & used to be) and the future self more positively 80:9 (e.g., & "ill be better than & am no"). COMPONENTS OF SELF !arl /ogers (;<=<) >elieves that the self concept has three different components)

'he vie" you have of yourself (Self image) +o" much value you place on yourself (Self esteem or self-"orth) $hat you "ish you "ere really li%e (Ideal self)

Self Image
(what yo see i! yo "self# 'his does not necessarily have to reflect reality. &ndeed a person "ith anorexia "ho is thin may have a self image in "hich the person believes they are fat. person's self image is affected by many factors, such as parental influences, friends, the media etc. $ h! (%&'(# investigated the self-image by using The Twe!ty Stateme!ts Test. +e as%ed people to ans"er the ?uestion ' )ho am I*' in 01 different "ays. +e found that the responses could be divided into t"o ma,or groups. 'hese "ere social roles (external or ob,ective aspects of oneself such as son, teacher, friend) and personality traits (internal or affective aspects of oneself such as gregarious, impatient, humorous). 'he list of ans"ers to the ?uestion @$ho the follo"ing four types of responses) m &.A probably include examples of each of

%# Physi+al Des+"i,tio!) &#m tall, have blue eyes...etc. -# So+ial Roles) $e are all social beings "hose behavior is shaped to some extent by the roles "e play. Such roles as student, house"ife, or member of the football team not only help others to recogni*e us but also help us to %no" "hat is expected of us in various situations.

.# Pe"so!al T"aits) 'hese are a third dimension of our self-descriptions. @&#m impulsive...&#m generous...& tend to "orry a lotA...etc. /# E0iste!tial Stateme!ts (abstract ones)) 'hese can range from "&#m a child of the universe" to "&#m a human being" to "&#m a spiritual being"...etc. 'ypically young people describe themselves more in terms of such personal traits, "hereas older people feel defined to a greater extent by their social roles.

Self Esteem a!d Self )o"th

(the e0te!t to whi+h yo 1al e yo "self# Self esteem refers to the extent to "hich "e li%e accept or approve of ourselves or ho" much "e value ourselves. Self esteem al"ays involves a degree of evaluation and "e may have either a positive or a negative vie" of ourselves. 2I32 SELF ESTEEM i.e. "e have a positive vie" of ourselves. 'his tends to lead to

!onfidence in our o"n abilities Self acceptance Bot "orrying about "hat others thin% 3ptimism

LO) SELF ESTEEM i.e. "e have a negative vie" of ourselves. 'his tends to lead to

Cac% of confidence $ant to beDloo% li%e someone else l"ays "orrying "hat others might thin% 7essimism

'here are several "ays of measuring self-esteem. (or example, +arrill Self Esteem &nventory is a ?uestionnaire comprising ;= statements about a range of interest. nother example is the Themati+ A,,e"+e,tio! Test (' '), "hich is a neutral cartoon given to the participant "ho then has to devise a story about "hat's going on. Mo"se a!d 3e"ge! (%&4(# sho"ed that in uncertain or anxiety arousing situations our self-esteem may change rapidly. 7articipants "ere "aiting for a ,ob intervie" in a "aiting room. 'hey "ere sat "ith another candidate (a confederate of the experimenter) in one of t"o conditions) ) Er. !lean - dressed in smart suit, carrying a briefcase opened to reveal a slide rule and boo%s. >) Er. 6irty - dressed in an old '-shirt and ,eans, slouched over a cheap sex novel.

Self-esteem of participants "ith Er. 6irty increased "hilst those "ith Er. !lean decreasedF Bo mention made of ho" this affected sub,ects# performance in intervie". Cevel of self-esteem affects performance at numerous tas%s though (!oopersmith, ;<G4) so could expect Er. 6irty sub,ects to perform better than Er. !lean. Even though self-esteem might fluctuate, there are times "hen "e continue to believe good things about ourselves even "hen evidence to the contrary exists. 'his is %no"n as the perseverance effect. Mille" a!d Ross (%&45# sho"ed that people "ho believed they had socially desirable characteristics continued in this belief even "hen the experimenters tried to get them to believe the opposite. 6oes the same thing happen "ith bad things if "e have lo" self-esteem. Eaybe not, perhaps "ith very lo" self-esteem all "e believe about ourselves might be bad. A"gyle 6elie1es the"e a"e / ma7o" fa+to"s that i!fl e!+e self esteem. ;) T2E REACTION OF OT2ERS. &f people admire us, flatter us, see% out our company, listen attentively and agree "ith us "e tend to develop a positive self-image. &f they avoid us, neglect us, tell us things about ourselves that "e don#t "ant to hear "e develop a negative self-image. 0) COMPARISON )IT2 OT2ERS. &f the people "e compare ourselves "ith (our reference group) appear to be more successful, happier, richer, better loo%ing than ourselves "e tend to develop a negative self image >H' if they are less successful than us our image "ill be positive. 2) SOCIAL ROLES. Some social roles carry prestige e.g. doctor, airline pilot, 'I. presenter, premiership footballer and this promotes self-esteem. 3ther roles carry stigma. E.g. prisoner, mental hospital patient, refuse collector or unemployed person. :) IDENTIFICATION. /oles aren#t ,ust @out there.A 'hey also become part of our personality i.e. "e identity "ith the positions "e occupy, the roles "e play and the groups "e belong to. >ut ,ust as important as all these factors, are the influence of our parentsF (See !oopersmith#s research.)

Ideal Self
(what yo 8d li9e to 6e# &f there is a mismatch bet"een ho" you see yourself (e.g. your self image) and "hat you#d li%e to be (e.g. your ideal self ) then this is li%ely to affect ho" much you value yourself. 'herefore, there is an intimate relationship bet"een self-image, ego-ideal and self-esteem. +umanistic psychologists study this using the J-Sort Eethod.

person#s ideal self may not be consistent "ith "hat actually happens in life and experiences of the person. +ence, a difference may exist bet"een a person#s ideal self and actual experience. 'his is called i!+o!g" e!+e.

$here a person#s ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. /arely, if ever does a total state of congruence existK all people experience a certain amount of incongruence. 'he development of congruence is dependent on unconditional ,ositi1e "ega"d. /oger#s believed that for a person to achieve self-actuali*ation they must be in a state of +o!g" e!+e. Mi+hael A"gyle (-((:# says the"e a"e fo " ma7o" fa+to"s whi+h i!fl e!+e its de1elo,me!t;

'he "ays in "hich others (particularly significant others) react to us. +o" "e thin% "e compare to others 3ur social roles 'he extent to "hich "e identify "ith other people

SELF COMPETENCE

E<ALAUTION OF CAPA=ILITIES !ompetency "heel L !ommitment L Self confidence L (ull focus L 7ositive image L Eental readiness L 6istraction control L !onstructive evaluation