MODULE I

SELF FORMATION

Self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity or self-perspective) is a multi-

dimensional construct that refers to an individual's perception of "self" in relation to any
number of characteristics, such as academics (gender roles and identity many others.

Each of these characteristics is a research domain (i.e. Academic Self-Concept) within

the larger spectrum of self-concept although no characteristics exist in isolation as one’s
self-concept is a collection of beliefs about oneself While closely related with self-
concept clarity (which "refers to the extent to which self-knowledge is clearly and
confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stable it presupposes but is
distinguishable from self-awareness, which is simply an individual's awareness of their
self.

It is also more general than self-esteem, which is a function of the purely evaluative
element of the self-concept

The self-concept is an internal model which comprises self-assessmentsFeatures assessed

include but are not limited to: personality, skills and abilities, occupation(s) and hobbies,
physical characteristics, etc. For example, the statement "I am lazy" is a self-assessment
that contributes to the self-concept. However, the statement "I am tired" would not be
part of someone's self-concept, since being tired is a temporary state and a more objective
judgment. A person's self-concept may change with time as reassessment occurs, which
in extreme cases can lead to identity crises.

Another model of self-concept contains three parts: self-esteem, stability, and self-
efficacy. Self-esteem is the "evaluative" component—it is where one makes judgments
about his or her self-worth. Stability refers to the organization and continuity of one's
self-concept. Is it constantly in flux? Can singular, relatively trivial events drastically
affect your self-esteem? The third element, self-efficacy, is best explained as self-
confidence. It is specifically connected with one's abilities, unlike self-esteem

Researchers debate when self-concept development begins but agree on the

importance of person’s life. Tiedemann (2000) indicates that parents’ gender
stereotypes and expectations for their children impact children’s understandings of
themselves by approximately age 3.Others suggest that self-concept develops later,
around age 7 or 8, as children are developmentally prepared to begin interpreting their
own feelings, abilities and interpretations of feedback they receive from parents, teachers
and peers about themselves.Despite 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
life-satisfaction.
Furthermore, the self-concept is not restricted to the present. It includes past selves and
future selves. Future or possible selves represent individuals' ideas of what they might
become, what they would like to become, or what they are afraid of becoming. They
correspond to hopes, fears, standards, goals, and threats. Possible selves may function as
incentives for future behavior and they also provide an evaluative and interpretive context
for the current view of self.[

The perception that people have about their past or future selves is related to the
perception of their current self. Temporal self-appraisal theory [22] argues that people
have a tendency to maintain a positive evaluation of the current self by distancing
negative selves and bringing close positive selves. In addition, people have a tendency to
perceive the past self less favourably [23] (e.g., I'm better than I used to be) and the future
self more positively [24] (e.g., I will be better than I am now).

COMPONENTS OF SELF

Carl Rogers (1959) Believes that the self concept has three different components:

 The view you have of yourself (Self image)

 How much value you place on yourself (Self esteem or self-worth)
 What you wish you were really like (Ideal self)

Self Image

(what you see in yourself)

This does not necessarily have to reflect reality. Indeed a person with anorexia who is
thin may have a self image in which the person believes they are fat. A person's self
image is affected by many factors, such as parental influences, friends, the media etc.

Kuhn (1960) investigated the self-image by using The Twenty Statements Test.

He asked people to answer the question 'Who am I?' in 20 different ways. He found that
the responses could be divided into two major groups. These were social roles (external
or objective aspects of oneself such as son, teacher, friend) and personality traits (internal
or affective aspects of oneself such as gregarious, impatient, humorous).

The list of answers to the question “Who Am I?” probably include examples of each of
the following four types of responses:

1) Physical Description: I’m tall, have blue eyes...etc.

2) Social Roles: We are all social beings whose behavior is shaped to some extent by the
roles we play. Such roles as student, housewife, or member of the football team not only
help others to recognize us but also help us to know what is expected of us in various
situations.

3) Personal Traits: These are a third dimension of our self-descriptions. “I’m

impulsive...I’m generous...I tend to worry a lot”...etc.

4) Existential Statements (abstract ones): These can range from "I’m a child of the
universe" to "I’m a human being" to "I’m a spiritual being"...etc.

1) THE REACTION OF OTHERS. If people admire us, flatter us, seek out our
company, listen attentively and agree with us we tend to develop a positive self-image. If
they avoid us, neglect us, tell us things about ourselves that we don’t want to hear we
develop a negative self-image.

2) COMPARISON WITH OTHERS. If the people we compare ourselves with (our

reference group) appear to be more successful, happier, richer, better looking than
ourselves we tend to develop a negative self image BUT if they are less successful than
us our image will be positive.

3) SOCIAL ROLES. Some social roles carry prestige e.g. doctor, airline pilot, TV.
presenter, premiership footballer and this promotes self-esteem. Other roles carry stigma.
E.g. prisoner, mental hospital patient, refuse collector or unemployed person.

4) IDENTIFICATION. Roles aren’t just “out there.” They also become part of our
personality i.e. we identity with the positions we occupy, the roles we play and the groups
we belong to.

But just as important as all these factors, are the influence of our parents! (See
Coopersmith’s research.)

Ideal Self

(what you'd like to be)

If there is a mismatch between how you see yourself (e.g. your self image) and what
you’d like to be (e.g. your ideal self ) then this is likely to affect how much you value
yourself. Therefore, there is an intimate relationship between self-image, ego-ideal and
self-esteem. Humanistic psychologists study this using the Q-Sort Method.

A person’s ideal self may not be consistent with what actually happens in life and
experiences of the person. Hence, a difference may exist between a person’s ideal self
and actual experience. This is called incongruence.
Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of
congruence exists. Rarely, if ever does a total state of congruence exist; all people
experience a certain amount of incongruence. The development of congruence is
dependent on unconditional positive regard. Roger’s believed that for a person to
achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence.

Michael Argyle (2008) says there are four major factors which influence its
development:

 The ways in which others (particularly significant others) react to us.

 How we think we compare to others
 Our social roles
 The extent to which we identify with other people

Johari window
The Johari window was created by two American psychologists, Joseph Luft (1916–
2014) and Harrington Ingham (1914–1995) in 1955 and is techniques used to help people
better understand their relationship with themselves as well as others.

Open or Arena: Adjectives that are selected by both the participant and his or her peers
are placed into the Open or Arena quadrant. This quadrant represents traits of the subjects
that both they and their peers are aware of.
Hidden or Façade: Adjectives selected only by subjects, but not by any of their peers, are
placed into the Hidden or Façade quadrant, representing information about them their
peers are unaware of. It is then up to the subject to disclose this information or not.

Blind : Adjectives that are not selected by subjects but only by their peers are placed into
the Blind Spot quadrant. These represent information that the subject is not aware of, but
others are, and they can decide whether and how to inform the individual about these
"blind spots".

Unknown: Adjectives that were not selected by either subjects or their peers remain in the
Unknown quadrant, representing the participant's behaviors or motives that were not
recognized by anyone participating. This may be because they do not apply or because
there is collective ignorance of the existence of these traits

 Feedback and self disclosure enhances the blind and hidden quadrant