SELF - CONCEPT

 An individual’s view of self.

 It is subjective.
 Involves a complex mixture of unconscious and conscious thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions.
 Directly affects self – esteem.

SELF -ESTEEM
 An individual’s overall feeling of self – worth or the emotional appraisal of self – concept
 Most fundamental self – evaluation
 Represents the overall judgment of personal worth or value

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF – CONCEPT

 Sense of competency
 Perceived reactions of others to one’s body
 On-going perceptions and interpretations of the thoughts and feelings of others
 Personal and professional relationships
 Academic and employment-related identity
 Personality characteristics that affect self-expectations
 Perceptions of events that have an impact on self
 Mastery of prior and new experiences
 Cultural identity

COMPONENTS OF SELF-CONCEPT
 IDENTITY
 Involves the internal sense of individuality, wholeness, and consistency of a person over
time and in different situations
o Sexuality is a part of identity and its focus differs across life span (as adult ages
focus shifts from procreation to companionship, physical and emotional intimacy
and pleasure seeking)
o Gender identity – is a person’s private view of maleness and femaleness
o Cultural identity – is from identification and socialization within an established
group
 BODY IMAGE
 involves attitudes related to the body (physical appearance, structure, or function)
 Feelings about body image include:
o Sexuality
o Feminity
o Masculinity
o Youthfulness
o Health
o Strength
 ROLE PERFORMANCE
 the way in which individuals perceive their ability to carry out significant roles
 Self - concept: developmental task - Pls. refer to page 702 of Fundamentals of Nursing
Book (Box 34 – 1)

FACTORS INFLUENCING SELF - CONCEPT

 IDENTITY STRESSORS
o Identity Confusion - when people do not maintain a clear , consistent, and continuous
consciousness of personal.
 BODY IMAGE STRESSOR
 Change in the appearance, structure, or function of a body part requires an adjustment in body
image.
 ROLE PERFORMANCE STRESSORS
 Throughout life a person undergoes numerous role changes.
 Any of these transition may lead to:
o Role conflict – when a person has to simultaneously assume two or more roles that are
inconsistent, contradictory, or mutually exclusive.
 o Role ambiguity – involves unclear role expectations, which makes people unsure about what to
do or how to do it, creating stress and confusion.
o Role strain – combines role conflict and role ambiguity
o Role Overload – involves having more roles or responsibilities within a role than are
manageable.
 SELF – ESTEEM STRESSORS
 Vary with developmental stages.

SEXUALITY
A function of the total personality….concerned with the biological, psychological, sociological, spiritual
and culture variables of life.
 Sexual Development
A. Infancy and Childhood
 First 3 year of life is crucial in the development of gender identity.
B. School – Age Years
 Parents, educators, and peer groups serve as role models and teachers how men and
women act with and relate to one another
C. Puberty/Adolescence
 Emotional changes are as dramatic as the physical ones.
D. Young Adulthood
 Continue to explore and mature emotionally in relationships.
E. Middle Adulthood
 Changes in physical appearance sometimes lead to concerns about sexual attractiveness.
 Actual physical changes related to aging affect sexual functioning.
F. Older Adulthood
 Often overlooked by HCP
 Studies show a correlation between sexual activity and physical health in older adults.
 Sexual Orientation - describes the predominant pattern of a person’s sexual attraction
overtime.
 Contraception - Numerous contraception are available.
 Sexually Transmitted Infections - Major problem is finding and treating the people who have
this.

FACTORS INFLUENCING SEXUALITY

 Sociocultural Dimensions of Sexuality
 People assign different meanings to sexuality on the basis of culture, gender, education,
socioeconomic status, and religion
 Decisional Issues
 Individuals make many decisions about their sexuality.
 Alterations in sexual health
 Infertility
 Sexual abuse
 Personal and emotional conflicts
 Sexual dysfunction

SPIRITUAL HEALTH
Spirituality – an awareness of one’s inner self and a sense of connection to a higher being, nature, or
some purpose greater than oneself.
- Helps individual achieve the balance needed to maintain health and well-being and cope with illness.

Factors Influencing Spirituality

 Acute illness
 Chronic illness
 Terminal illness
 Near-Death Experiences