writing a self concept essay

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Master the art of crafting a concept essay and perfect your writing skills.

Every great work of literature begins with a spark of inspiration, a kernel of an idea that germinates within the writer’s mind. It is this concept, this central theme, that serves as the foundation of the entire writing process, guiding the writer along the creative journey. In the realm of academic writing, the concept essay holds a special place, as it requires the writer to explore abstract ideas, dissect complex theories, and present their understanding of a particular concept.

Unlike traditional essays where arguments are made, and evidence is provided, concept essays delve into the intangible realm of ideas, taking the reader on a captivating exploration of abstract concepts. These essays challenge the writer to convey their understanding of a concept without relying on concrete evidence or facts. Instead, they rely on the writer’s ability to provide clear definitions, logical explanations, and compelling examples that elucidate the intricacies of the concept at hand.

Effectively crafting a concept essay requires skillful mastery of language and an astute understanding of how ideas interconnect. It is a delicate dance between the power of words and the depth of thought, where metaphors and analogies can breathe life into otherwise elusive notions. The successful concept essay requires more than merely stating definitions or describing the concept; it necessitates the writer’s ability to engage and captivate the reader, transporting them into the realm of ideas where the abstract becomes clear and tangible.

Mastering the Art of Crafting a Conceptual Essay: Indispensable Suggestions and Instructions

Embarking on the journey of composing a conceptual essay necessitates an astute understanding of the complexities involved. This particular form of written expression empowers individuals to delve deeply into abstract concepts, unravel their intricacies, and articulate their findings in a clear and coherent manner. To accomplish this task with finesse, it is imperative to familiarize oneself with indispensable suggestions and instructions that pave the way to success.

1. Explore Profusely:

Investigate, scrutinize, and immerse yourself in the vast realm of ideas, allowing your mind to explore a myriad of perspectives.
Delve into diverse disciplines and subjects, sourcing inspiration and insight from a wide array of sources such as literature, art, philosophy, science, and history.
Be cognizant of the fact that the more extensive your exploration, the richer your conceptual essay will be.

2. Define Your Focus:

Once you have gathered an abundant collection of ideas, narrow down your focus to a specific concept that captivates your interest.
Choose a concept that is both intriguing and stimulating, as this will fuel your motivation throughout the writing process.
Strive to select a concept that possesses a level of complexity, rendering it ripe for analysis and interpretation.

3. Establish a Clear Structure:

Prior to commencing the writing process, create a well-structured outline that delineates the key sections and points you wish to convey in your essay.
Ensure that your essay possesses a clear introduction, body paragraphs that expound upon your chosen concept, and a comprehensive conclusion that ties together your arguments.
Organize your thoughts in a logical manner, employing effective transitions that allow your essay to flow seamlessly.

4. Support your Claims:

Avoid presenting mere conjecture or personal opinions; instead, bolster your arguments with credible evidence and examples.
Cite reputable sources, such as scholarly articles, books, or studies, to lend credibility and authority to your assertions.
Engage critically with the works of other esteemed thinkers, analyzing their viewpoints and incorporating them into your own exploration of the concept.

5. Polish and Perfect:

Once you have crafted the initial draft of your conceptual essay, allocate ample time for revision and refinement.
Engage in meticulous proofreading to eliminate any errors in grammar, punctuation, or syntax that may detract from the overall impact of your work.
Solicit feedback from trusted peers or mentors, incorporating their suggestions into your final version.

In conclusion, mastering the art of crafting a conceptual essay demands diligent exploration, focused attention, and a commitment to delivering a well-structured and thought-provoking piece of writing. By following these essential tips and guidelines, you can navigate the intricacies of this unique form of expression and develop an essay that both captivates and informs its readers.

Understanding the Purpose of a Concept Essay

Having a clear understanding of the purpose behind writing a concept essay is crucial for creating a successful piece of writing. Concept essays aim to explore and explain abstract ideas, theories, or concepts in a way that is accessible and engaging to readers.

Although concept essays may vary in subject matter, their main objective is to break down complex ideas and make them understandable to a wider audience. These essays often require deep analysis and critical thinking to present the chosen concept in a comprehensive and enlightening manner.

A concept essay goes beyond simply defining a concept but delves deeper into the underlying principles and implications. It requires the writer to provide insight, examples, and evidence to support their claims and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the concept being discussed.

Concept essays also provide an opportunity for writers to explore new and innovative ideas and present them in a thought-provoking way. They allow for personal interpretation and creativity, encouraging writers to examine a concept from different angles and offer unique perspectives.

Furthermore, concept essays can be used as a tool for education and learning, helping readers expand their knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of various concepts. By breaking down complex ideas into more digestible forms, these essays enable readers to grasp abstract concepts and apply them to real-world situations.

In conclusion, the purpose of a concept essay is to convey abstract ideas or concepts in a clear and engaging manner, utilizing critical thinking and analysis. By presenting complex ideas in a comprehensive way, concept essays facilitate understanding and encourage readers to explore and expand their knowledge in the chosen subject area.

Choosing a Strong and Specific Concept

When it comes to crafting a well-written piece of work, selecting a compelling and precise concept is crucial. The concept you choose will serve as the foundation for your essay, shaping the content, tone, and direction of your writing.

Before diving into the process of choosing a concept, it’s important to understand what exactly a concept is. In this context, a concept can be defined as a broad idea or theme that encapsulates a particular subject or topic. It is the main point or central idea that you want to convey to your readers through your essay.

An effective concept should be strong, meaning it should be able to capture the attention and interest of your readers. It should be something that has depth and substance, allowing for exploration and analysis. A strong concept will engage your audience and motivate them to continue reading.

In addition to being strong, your concept should also be specific. It should be focused and clearly defined, narrowing down your topic to a specific aspect or angle. A specific concept will help you maintain a clear direction in your writing and prevent your essay from becoming too broad or unfocused.

To choose a strong and specific concept, start by brainstorming ideas related to your topic. Think about the main themes or issues you want to address in your essay. Consider what aspects of the topic interest you the most and which ones you feel are worth exploring further.

Once you have a list of potential concepts, evaluate each one based on its strength and specificity. Ask yourself whether the concept captures your interest and whether it has the potential to captivate your audience. Consider whether it is specific enough to guide your writing and provide a clear focus for your essay.

By choosing a strong and specific concept, you will set yourself up for success in writing your concept essay. Remember to select a concept that is compelling, focused, and meaningful to you and your readers. With a well-chosen concept, you will be able to create a thought-provoking and engaging essay that effectively conveys your ideas.

Developing a Clear and Coherent Thesis Statement

When crafting an effective essay, one of the most important elements to consider is the development of a clear and coherent thesis statement. The thesis statement acts as the central theme or main argument of your essay, providing a roadmap for your readers to understand the purpose and direction of your writing.

A well-developed thesis statement not only states your main argument but also provides a clear focus for your essay. It helps you organize your thoughts and ensures that your essay remains cohesive and logical. A strong thesis statement sets the tone for your entire essay and guides the reader through your main ideas.

To develop a clear and coherent thesis statement, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the topic you are writing about. Conducting research and gathering relevant information will help you form a solid foundation for your thesis statement. Make sure to analyze different perspectives on the topic and consider any counterarguments that may arise.

Once you have a good understanding of the topic, you can begin brainstorming and drafting your thesis statement. Start by considering the main idea or argument you want to communicate to your readers. Your thesis statement should be concise and specific, clearly conveying your main point. Avoid vague or general statements that lack focus.

In addition to being clear and concise, your thesis statement should also be arguable. It should present a debatable claim that can be supported with evidence and logical reasoning. This allows you to engage your readers and encourages them to consider different perspectives on the topic.

After drafting your thesis statement, it is important to review and revise it as needed. Make sure it accurately reflects the content and direction of your essay. Consider seeking feedback from peers or instructors to ensure that your thesis statement is clear, coherent, and effectively conveys your main argument.

In conclusion, developing a clear and coherent thesis statement is essential for writing an effective essay. It sets the tone for your entire essay, provides a clear focus, and guides the reader through your main ideas. By thoroughly understanding the topic, brainstorming and drafting a concise and arguable thesis statement, and revising as needed, you can ensure that your essay is well-structured and persuasive.

Structuring Your Concept Essay Effectively

Creating a well-organized structure is vital when it comes to conveying your ideas effectively in a concept essay. By carefully structuring your essay, you can ensure that your audience understands your concept and its various aspects clearly. In this section, we will explore some essential guidelines for structuring your concept essay.

1. Introduction: Begin your essay with an engaging introduction that captures the reader’s attention. This section should provide a brief overview of the concept you will be discussing and its significance. You can use an anecdote, a rhetorical question, or a thought-provoking statement to make your introduction compelling.

2. Definition: After the introduction, it is crucial to provide a clear definition of the concept you will be exploring in your essay. Define the concept in your own words and highlight its key characteristics. You may also include any relevant background information or historical context to enhance the reader’s understanding.

3. Explanation: In this section, you will delve deeper into the concept and explain its various elements, components, or features. Use examples, analogies, or real-life situations to illustrate your points and make them more relatable to the reader. Break down complex ideas into simpler terms and highlight the connections between different aspects of the concept.

4. Analysis: Once you have provided a thorough explanation of the concept, it is time to analyze it critically. Discuss different perspectives or interpretations of the concept and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Consider any controversies or debates surrounding the concept and present a balanced view by weighing different arguments.

5. Examples and Case Studies: To further support your arguments and enhance the reader’s understanding, include relevant examples and case studies. These examples can be from real-life situations, historical events, or fictional scenarios. Analyze how the concept has been applied or manifested in these examples and discuss their implications.

6. Conclusion: Conclude your concept essay by summarizing your main points and restating the significance of the concept. Reflect on the insights gained from your analysis and offer any recommendations or suggestions for further exploration. End your essay on a thought-provoking note that leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

By structuring your concept essay effectively, you can ensure that your ideas are presented coherently and persuasively. Remember to use clear and concise language, provide logical transitions between sections, and support your arguments with evidence. With a well-structured essay, you can effectively communicate your understanding of the concept to your audience.

Using Concrete Examples to Illustrate Your Concept

One effective way to clarify and reinforce your concept in a concept essay is by using concrete examples. By providing specific and tangible instances, you can help your readers grasp the abstract and theoretical nature of your concept. Concrete examples bring your concept to life, making it easier for your audience to understand and relate to.

Instead of relying solely on abstract theories, you can support your concept with real-life scenarios, research studies, or personal anecdotes. These examples add depth and relevance to your essay, making it more engaging and meaningful.

When choosing examples to illustrate your concept, it is important to select ones that accurately represent the core elements of your concept. Look for examples that exhibit the underlying principles, attributes, or behaviors that are associated with your concept.

For instance, if your concept is “leadership,” you can provide examples of influential leaders from history or modern-day society. These examples can demonstrate the qualities that define effective leadership, such as integrity, communication skills, and the ability to inspire and motivate others.

Additionally, when presenting concrete examples, ensure that they are relevant and relatable to your target audience. Consider the background and interests of your readers and choose examples that they can easily comprehend and connect with. This will enhance the effectiveness of your essay and create a stronger impact.

In conclusion, using concrete examples is a powerful technique for illustrating your concept in a concept essay. By incorporating specific instances, you can bring clarity, relevance, and authenticity to your writing. This approach allows your readers to grasp your concept more easily and appreciate its practical application in real-life scenarios.

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What Is Self-Concept?

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Verywell / Cindy Chung

Development
Can It Be Changed?
Self-Concept Theories

Frequently Asked Questions

Self-concept is the image we have of ourselves. It is influenced by many forces, including our interaction with important people in our lives. It is how we perceive our behaviors, abilities, and unique characteristics. For example, beliefs such as "I am a good friend" or "I am a kind person" are part of an overall self-concept.

Other examples of self-concept include:

How you view your personality traits, such as whether you are an extrovert or introvert
How you see your roles in life, such as whether you feel that being a parent, sibling, friend, and partner are important parts of your identity
The hobbies or passions that are important to your sense of identity, such as being a sports enthusiast or belonging to a certain political party
How you feel about your interactions with the world, such as whether you feel that you are contributing to society

Our self-perception is important because it affects our motivations , attitudes, and behaviors . It also affects how we feel about the person we think we are, including whether we are competent or have self-worth.

Self-concept tends to be more malleable when we're younger and still going through self-discovery and identity formation . As we age and learn who we are and what's important to us, these self-perceptions become much more detailed and organized.

At its most basic, self-concept is a collection of beliefs one holds about oneself and the responses of others. It embodies the answer to the question: " Who am I? " If you want to find your self-concept, list things that describe you as an individual. What are your traits? What do you like? How do you feel about yourself?

Rogers' Three Parts of Self-Concept

Humanist psychologist Carl Rogers believed that self-concept is made up of three different parts:

Ideal self : The ideal self is the person you want to be. This person has the attributes or qualities you are either working toward or want to possess. It's who you envision yourself to be if you were exactly as you wanted.
Self-image : Self-image refers to how you see yourself at this moment in time. Attributes like physical characteristics, personality traits , and social roles all play a role in your self-image.
Self-esteem : How much you like, accept, and value yourself all contribute to your self-concept. Self-esteem can be affected by a number of factors—including how others see you, how you think you compare to others, and your role in society.

Incongruence and Congruence

Self-concept is not always aligned with reality. When it is aligned, your self-concept is said to be congruent . If there is a mismatch between how you see yourself (your self-image) and who you wish you were (your ideal self), your self-concept is incongruent . This incongruence can negatively affect self-esteem .

Rogers believed that incongruence has its earliest roots in childhood. When parents place conditions on their affection for their children (only expressing love if children "earn it" through certain behaviors and living up to the parents' expectations), children begin to distort the memories of experiences that leave them feeling unworthy of their parents' love.

Unconditional love, on the other hand, helps to foster congruence. Children who experience such love—also referred to as family love —feel no need to continually distort their memories in order to believe that other people will love and accept them as they are.

How Self-Concept Develops

Self-concept develops, in part, through our interaction with others. In addition to family members and close friends, other people in our lives can contribute to our self-identity.

For instance, one study found that the more a teacher believes in a high-performing student's abilities, the higher that student's self-concept. (Interestingly, no such association was found with lower-performing students.)

Self-concept can also be developed through the stories we hear. As an example, one study found that female readers who were "deeply transported" into a story about a leading character with a traditional gender role had a more feminist self-concept than those who weren't as moved by the story.

The media plays a role in self-concept development as well—both mass media and social media . When these media promote certain ideals, we're more likely to make those ideals our own. And the more often these ideals are presented, the more they affect our self-identity and self-perception.

Can Self-Concept Be Changed?

Self-concept is not static, meaning that it can change. Our environment plays a role in this process. Places that hold a lot of meaning to us actively contribute to our future self-concept through both the way we relate these environments to ourselves and how society relates to them.

Self-concept can also change based on the people with whom we interact. This is particularly true with regard to individuals in our lives who are in leadership roles. They can impact the collective self (the self in social groups) and the relational self (the self in relationships).

In some cases, a medical diagnosis can change self-concept by helping people understand why they feel the way they do—such as someone receiving an autism diagnosis later in life, finally providing clarity as to why they feel different.

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Other Self-Concept Theories

As with many topics within psychology , a number of other theorists have proposed different ways of thinking about self-concept.

Social Identity

Social psychologist Henri Tajfel developed social identity theory, which states that self-concept is composed of two key parts:

Personal identity : The traits and other characteristics that make you unique
Social identity : Who you are based on your membership in social groups, such as sports teams, religions, political parties, or social class

This theory states that our social identity influences our self-concept, thus affecting our emotions and behaviors. If we're playing sports, for instance, and our team loses a game, we might feel sad for the team (emotion) or act out against the winning team (behavior).

Multiple Dimensions

Psychologist Bruce A. Bracken had a slightly different theory and believed that self-concept was multidimensional, consisting of six independent traits:

Academic : Success or failure in school
Affect : Awareness of emotional states
Competence : Ability to meet basic needs
Family : How well you work in your family unit
Physical : How you feel about your looks, health, physical condition, and overall appearance
Social : Ability to interact with others

In 1992, Bracken developed the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale, a comprehensive assessment that evaluates each of these six elements of self-concept in children and adolescents.

Self-concept development is never finished. Though one's self-identity is thought to be primarily formed in childhood, your experiences as an adult can also change how you feel about yourself. If your self-esteem increases later in life, for instance, it can improve your self-concept.

Our self-concept can affect the method by which we communicate. If you feel you are a good writer, for instance, you may prefer to communicate in writing versus speaking with others.

It can also affect the way we communicate. If your social group communicates a certain way, you would likely choose to communicate that way as well. Studies on teens have connected high self-concept clarity with more open communication with parents.

Self-concept refers to a broad description of ourselves ("I am a good writer") while self-esteem includes any judgments or opinions we have of ourselves ("I feel proud to be a good writer"). Put another way, self-concept answers the question: Who am I? Self-esteem answers the question: How do I feel about who I am?

Our self-concept impacts how we respond to life, so a well-developed self-concept helps us respond in ways that are more positive and beneficial for us. One of the ways it does this is by enabling us to recognize our worth. A well-developed self-concept also helps keep us from internalizing negative feedback from others.

Different cultures have different beliefs. They have different ideas of how dependent or independent one should be, different religious beliefs, and differing views of socioeconomic development.

All of these cultural norms influence self-concept by providing the structure of what is expected within that society and how one sees oneself in relation to others.

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Richter T, Appel M, Calio F. Stories can influence the self-concept . Social Influence . 2014;9(3):172-88. doi:10.1080/15534510.2013.799099

Vandenbosch L, Eggermont S. The interrelated roles of mass media and social media in adolescents' development of an objectified self-concept: A longitudinal study . Communc Res . 2015. doi:10.1177/0093650215600488

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

What is Self-Concept Theory? A Psychologist Explains

What is Self-Concept Theory in Psychology? Definition + Examples (PDF)

You might answer with “ I’m a mother ,” or, “ I’m a therapist, ” or maybe, “ I’m a believer, ” “ I’m a good friend, ” “ I’m a brother. ”

Maybe you answer with, “ I am excellent at my job, ” “ I’m an accomplished musician, ” or “ I’m a successful athlete. ”

Other responses might fall into the category of traits: “ I’m a kind-hearted person, ” “ I’m intelligent and hard-working, ” or “ I’m laid-back and easy-going. ”

These responses come from your internal sense of who you are. This sense is developed early in life, but it goes through constant evaluation and adjustment throughout the lifespan.

In psychology, this sense of self has a specific term: self-concept.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you understand and show more compassion and kindness to yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students or employees improve their self-compassion.

This Article Contains:

What is self-concept a definition, self-concept theory, the components and elements of the self-concept model, the development stages of self-concept, 10 examples of self-concept, research on self-concept, measuring self-concept with scales, tests, and inventories, self-concept activities and lesson plans for preschoolers and older students (pdf), self-concept worksheets (pdf), 8 quotes on self-concept, a take-home message.

Self-concept is an overarching idea we have about who we are—physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and in terms of any other aspects that make up who we are (Neill, 2005). We form and regulate our self-concept as we grow, based on the knowledge we have about ourselves. It is multidimensional, and can be broken down into these individual aspects.

For example, you may have a very different idea of who you are in terms of your physical body, and who you are in terms of your spirit or soul.

The influential self-efficacy researcher Roy Baumeister (1999) defines self-concept as follows:

“The individual’s belief about himself or herself, including the person’s attributes and who and what the self is.”

A similar definition comes from Rosenberg’s 1979 book on the topic; he says self-concept is:

“…the totality of an individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object.”

Self-concept is related to several other “self” constructs, such as self-esteem, self-image, self-efficacy, and self-awareness. In the following section, we will explain these slight—yet important—differences.

Self-Concept vs. Self-Esteem

Self-concept is not self-esteem, although self-esteem may be a part of self-concept. Self-concept is the perception that we have of ourselves, our answer when we ask ourselves the question “Who am I?”

It is knowing about one’s own tendencies, thoughts, preferences and habits, hobbies, skills, and areas of weakness. According to Carl Rogers, founder of client-centered therapy , self-concept is an overarching construct that self-esteem is one of the components of it (McLeod, 2008).

Self-Concept vs. Self-Image

Self-image is related to self-concept but is less broad. Self-image is how an individual sees themselves, and it does not have to align with reality.

A person’s self-image is based on how they see themselves, while self-concept is a more comprehensive evaluation of the self, largely based on how a person sees themselves, values themselves, thinks about themselves, and feels about themselves.

Carl Rogers posited that self-image is a component of self-concept, along with self-esteem or self-worth and one’s “ideal self” (McLeod, 2008).

Self-Concept vs. Self-Efficacy

Self-concept is a more complex construct than self-efficacy. While self-efficacy refers to an individual’s judgments of their own abilities, self-concept is more general and includes both cognitive (thoughts about) and affective (feelings about) judgments about oneself (Bong & Clark, 1999).

Self-Concept vs. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness also influences self-concept. It is the quality or trait that involves conscious awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and traits (Cherry, 2018A). To have a fully developed self-concept (and one that is based in reality), a person must have at least some level of self-awareness .

We explore this further in The Science of Self-Acceptance Masterclass© .

Generally, theorists agree on the following points:

On the broadest level, self-concept is the overall idea we have about who we are and includes cognitive and affective judgments about ourselves;
Self-concept is multi-dimensional, incorporating our views of ourselves in terms of several different aspects (e.g., social, religious, spiritual, physical, emotional);
It is learned, not inherent;
It is influenced by biological and environmental factors, but social interaction plays a big role as well;
Self-concept develops through childhood and early adulthood when it is more easily changed or updated;
It can be changed in later years, but it is more of an uphill battle since people have established ideas about who they are;
Self-concept does not always align with reality. When it does, our self-concept is “congruent.” When it doesn’t, our self-concept is “incongruent.”

Identity and Self-Concept Theory in Psychology vs. Self-Concept in Sociology

Both psychology and sociology share an interest in self-concept, but they use slightly different ways to explore it. Individual researchers vary, of course, but generally, the divide can be thought of in these terms:

Sociology/social psychology focuses on how self-concept develops, specifically within the context of the individual’s social environment.
Psychology focuses on how self-concept impacts people (Gecas, 1982).

There are other differences between the two, including psychology’s general focus on the individual versus sociology’s focus on the group, community, or society; however, this difference in focus has led to two diverse research streams. Both have resulted in great insights and interesting findings, and they sometimes overlap, but this divide can still be seen in the literature today.

Carl Rogers and the Self-Concept Theory of Personality

Famed psychologist, theorist, and clinician Carl Rogers posited a theory of how self-concept influences and, indeed, acts as the framework for, one’s personality.

The image we have of who we are contributes to our personality, and our actions—combined with our personality —create a feedback loop into our image of ourselves. Rogers believed that our personality is driven by our desire for self-actualization . This is the condition that emerges when we reach our full potential and our self-concept, self-worth, and ideal self all overlap (Journal Psyche, n.d.).

How we develop our personalities and self-concepts varies, thus creating the unique individuals we are. According to Rogers, we always strive for self-actualization, some with more success than others.

How do people go about striving for self-actualization and congruence? This relates to the idea of how anyone “maintains” their idea of themselves. We explore that next.

Self-Concept Maintenance Theory

Self-Concept and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Self-concept maintenance refers to how people maintain or enhance their sense of self. It is relatively fixed after a person reaches adulthood, but it can—and does—change based on the person’s experiences.

The theory of self-concept maintenance states that we do not simply sit and wait for our self-concept to develop: we take an active role in shaping our self-concept at all ages (whether we are aware of this or not).

Although there are different theories about the processes of self-concept maintenance, it generally concerns:

Our evaluations of ourselves
Our comparison of our actual selves with our ideal selves
Our actions taken to move closer to our ideal selves (Munoz, 2012).

This may seem like a pretty logical and straightforward process, but we tend to give ourselves room for moral ambiguity. For example, a study by Mazar, Amir, and Ariely (2007) showed that people will generally engage in beneficial dishonesty when given the opportunity. However, these same people might not revise their self-concept to incorporate this dishonesty.

When participants in the study were prompted to be more aware of their internal standards for honesty , they were less likely to engage in beneficial dishonesty; on the other hand, when given a “degrees of freedom” (greater separation between their actions and the rewards they would receive for dishonesty), they were more likely to engage in dishonesty—with no impact to their self-concept.

This is one example of the work on self-concept maintenance, as humans constantly assess themselves and their moral code since it influences their identity and actions.

Self-Concept Clarity and Self-Concept Differentiation

Self-concept clarity is different from self-concept.

Self-concept clarity (SCC) refers to how clear, confident, and consistent an individual’s definitions of themselves are (Diehl & Hay, 2011). Self-concept differentiation (SCD) refers to how an individual’s self-representation may vary across contexts or social roles (e.g., self as a spouse, self as a parent, self as a student).

SCC and SCD are hot topics in psychology since they influence thought patterns and behavior.

Higher SCC indicates a firmer and more stable self-concept, while low SCC indicates that an individual is unclear or vague about who they really are. Those with low SCC may struggle with low self-esteem, self-consciousness, and neuroticism.

SCD is not as clear-cut. Having a high SCD may be viewed as a bad thing, but it can also be an effective coping mechanism for succeeding in the modern world where individuals have many different roles. If SCD is very high, it might mean that the individual does not have a stable self-concept and “wears a different mask” for each of their roles.

A very low level of SCD may indicate that the individual is authentically “them” across all of their roles—although it may also indicate that he cannot effectively switch from one role to another (Diehl & Hay, 2011).

Essentially, people who differentiate their roles slightly, yet maintain a clear image of themselves, may succeed most at finding balance in their identity and image.

The Components and Elements of the Self-Concept Model

There are different ideas about what self-concept consists of, and how it should be defined; however, there are some characteristics and dimensions that apply to the basic, agreed-upon conceptualization of self-concept.

Characteristics of Self-Concept

As a brief review, self-concept is the perspective we have on who we are. Each of us has a unique self-concept, different from the self-concept of others and from their concept of us.

However, there are some characteristics that all of our self-concepts have in common.

Self-concept:

Displays uniquely with each person.
Vary from very positive to very negative.
Carries emotional, intellectual, and functional dimensions.
Changes with the context.
Changes over time.
Influence the individual’s life (Delmar Learning, n.d.)

Dimensions of Self-Concept

Different dimensions may constitute different kinds of self-concept; for example, the dimensions that create “academic self-efficacy” will not have as much overlap with “social self-efficacy.”

There are some overarching dimensions that researchers understand with the self-concept puzzle. These dimensions include:

Self-esteem
Self-image (physical)
Identities or roles (social)
Personal traits and qualities (Elliot, 1984; Gecas, 1982)

Early childhood is a ripe time for young humans to perceive themselves in the world.

The Formation of Self-Concept During Early Childhood

There are three general stages of self-concept development during early childhood:

Stage 1 : 0 to 2 years-old a. Babies need consistent, loving relationships to develop a positive sense of self. b. Babies form preferences that align with their innate sense of self. c. Toddlers feel secure with gentle but firm limits d. At age two, language skill develops and toddlers have a sense of “me.”
Stage 2 : 3 to 4 years-old a. Three and four-year-olds begin to see themselves as separate and unique individuals. b. Their self-images tend to be descriptive rather than prescriptive or judgmental. c. Preschoolers are increasingly independent and curious about what they can do.
Stage 3 : 5 to 6 years-old a. They are transitioning from the “me” stage to the “us” stage, where they are more aware of the needs and interests of the larger group. b. Kindergarteners can use their words to communicate their wants, needs, and feelings. c. Five and six-year-olds can use even more advanced language to help define themselves within the context of the group (Miller, Church, & Poole, n.d.).

Self-Concept in Middle Childhood

During middle childhood (about 7 to 11 years old), children are beginning to develop a sense of their social selves and figuring out how they fit in with everyone else. They reference social groups and make social comparisons more often, and begin to think about how others see them.

Other characteristics of their self-concept at this stage include:

More balanced, less all-or-none descriptions
Development of the ideal and real self
Descriptions of the self by competencies instead of specific behaviors
Development of a personal sense of self (Berk, 2004)

Culture begins to play a big role at this stage, but we’ll talk more about that later.

The Development of Self-Concept in Adolescence

Adolescence is where the development of one’s self-concept really explodes.

This is the stage in which individuals (about age 12-18) play with their sense of self, including a time when they experiment with their identity, compare themselves with others, and develop the basis of a self-concept that may stay with them the rest of their life.

During this period, adolescents are prone to greater self-consciousness and susceptibility to the influence of their peers and chemical changes happening in the brain (Sebastian, Burnett, & Blakemore, 2008).

They enjoy greater freedom and independence, engage in increasingly competitive activities, compare themselves with their peers, and can value (even over-value) the perspective of others (Manning, 2007).

In adolescence, there are two important factors that influence self-concept and self-worth:

Success in areas in which the adolescent desires success
Approval from significant people in the adolescent’s life (Manning, 2007).

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You may have a good handle on what self-concept is but these examples can help explain it more.

Self-concepts are rarely all positive or all negative; someone may have both positive and some negative self-concepts in different domains (e.g., a husband who thinks of himself as a good father but sees his physical self as out-of-shape and unhealthy or a student who think so themselves as a great athlete who struggles academically).

Some examples of positive self-concepts include:

A person sees herself as an intelligent person;
A man perceives himself as an important member of his community;
A woman sees herself as an excellent spouse and friend;
A person thinks of himself as a nurturing and caring person;
A person views herself as a hard-working and competent employee.

On the flip side, these people could have negative self-concepts like:

A person sees herself as stupid and slow;
A man perceives himself as expendable and a burden on his community;
A woman sees herself as a terrible spouse and friend;
A person thinks of himself as a cold and unapproachable person;
A person views herself as a lazy and incompetent employee.

We all have many of these mini or domain-specific self-concepts that encompass our self-concept. Some may be more positive or negative than others, and each is an important piece of what makes us who we are.

Self concept, self identity and social identity – Khan Academy

Given the marked interest in this topic within sociology and psychology, there is quite a bit of research out there on the subject. Here are a few of the most interesting and impactful findings on self-concept.

Self-Concept in Marketing and How it Influences Consumer Behavior

It probably won’t shock you that the idea of self-concept has made its way into marketing—after all, brands and companies can profit from targeting certain desirable identities. In fact, it is the basis of fashion and consumerism.

Our self-concept influences our wants and needs, and can also shape our behavior. Whether it is true or not, we tend to believe that our purchases will help establish our identity. There is a reason why people buy certain clothing, cars, etc.

And this idea has a name: self-concept attachment.

Self-Concept Attachment

Self-concept attachment refers to the attachment we form to a product as it influences identity. For example, someone who loves their Patagonia jacket may also consider it as a status symbol that also represents their “outdoorsy” side.

Thus, this jacket has a strong self-concept attachment, in addition to its purpose of providing warmth.

Surprisingly, consumers become more attached to a brand when the brands match their “actual selves” rather than their ideal selves (Malär, Krohmer, Hoyer, & Nyffenegger, 2011). We tend to identify more with brands that “meet us where we are” rather than trying to connect with our higher, ideal selves.

Companies understand this and work to (1) get to know their target consumers better, and (2) mold their brand identity to match the self-concept of their consumers. The more they can get consumers to identify with their brand, the more they will buy that brand.

How Does Self-Concept Affect Interpersonal Communication?

Think about a cycle in which we develop, maintain, and revise our self-concept: we have an idea of who we are, and we act in accordance with that self-concept. Consequently, others form an idea about who we are, and they react in accordance with their idea of who we are, thus impacting our idea of who we are.

This feedback loop continues to shape us, and interpersonal communication plays a big role here.

Our self-concept drives our motivations, methods, and experiences with communicating with others. For example, if you see yourself as someone who is always right (or who must always be right), you may struggle in communicating with others when disagreements arise.

If that need is accompanied by an acceptance of aggression, you may use hostility, assertiveness , and argumentativeness to attack the self-concepts of the people you are debating instead of discussing their positions (Infante & Wigley, 1986).

Communication on social media is also a determinant and an outcome of an individual’s self-concept.

Sponcil and Gitimu (2012) suggested that, in general, the more friends an individual has on social networking sites, the more positively they feel about themselves as a whole. Conversely, the anxiety of social media and maintaining one’s image poses separate issues.

Self-Concept and Academic Achievement

Self-concept and academic achievement is also a positive feedback loop, as actions beget similar actions and identity to match.

In a longitudinal study, Marsh (1990) found that students with more positive academic self-concept achieved greater academic success the following year. Later studies confirmed the relationship between the two but indicated that achievement affects self-concept more than self-concept inherently influences achievement success (Muijs, 2011).

Research by Byrne (1986) offered instead that self-concept and academic self-concept can be considered two separate constructs; academic achievement may impact one’s overall self-concept, but it is most directly related to academic self-concept.

Self-Concept and Career Development

Self-concept develops throughout the lifespan and during any career.

According to researcher Donald Super, there are five life and career development stages:

Growth (Ages 0 to 14)
Exploration (Ages 15 to 24)
Establishment (Age 25 to 44)
Maintenance (Age 45 to 64)
Decline (Age 65+)

The first stage is marked by the development of one’s basic self-concept. In the second stage, able individuals experiment and try out new classes, experiences, and jobs. Stage 3 sees individuals establishing their career and building their skills, likely starting in an entry-level position.

In the fourth stage, individuals engage in a continuous management and adjustment process to both their self-concept and their career. Finally, the fifth stage is characterized by reduced output and preparations for retirement, activities which can have a huge impact on one’s self-concept (Super, Starishevsky, Matlin, & Jordaan, 1963).

Of course, this model assumes equal access and privilege upon entering the workforce, which is not truthful to reality. Not all humans, for example, have the opportunity to explore and establish themselves as easily as others.

Nevertheless, Super posited that self-concept drives career development and can act as a general framework and inspiration for future research in this area, including a social and racial unearthing of Rogers’ theory on self-actualization.

The research could also be conducted on Bandura’s work on self-efficacy, on role salience, and on the idea of multiple identities in career development (Betz, 1994).

Culture and Self-Concept

Unsurprisingly, culture can have a big impact on self-concept. For example, how children are treated in early childhood influences how their sense of self develops.

Many parents might be more concerned with emotions and satisfying the wants of their children, while others may be more firm and controlling of their child’s behavior, worrying about their needs rather than fulfilling their desires. This is a generalization, but one that holds under scrutiny: culture influence self-concept.

Research suggests that those from more collectivist cultures produced more group self-descriptions and fewer idiocentric self-descriptions than those from individualistic cultures (Bochner, 1994).

Further research also indicated that East Asian cultures are more accepting of contradictory beliefs about the self; this indicates that one’s self-concept in these cultures may be more flexible than, say, American culture (Choi & Choi, 2002).

Findings like these are fascinating, but they also reveal how and why it is difficult to measure self-concept. The next section summarizes those attempts.

One’s self-concept does not always align with “reality” or with how others view a person. However, there are still some tools that can measure self-concept.

If you are interested in using a self-concept measure for research purposes, look first at the development of the instrument, the definition it is based on, and the dimensions or components it measures. It’s important that you choose a tool that aligns with the idea of self-concept that your research uses.

Some of the most prominent tools to measure self-concept include:

The Robson Self-Concept Questionnaire (SCQ; Robson, 1989)
The Social Self-Concept Questionnaire (SSC; Fernández-Zabala, Rodríguez-Fernández, & Goñi, 2016)
The Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire (ASCQ; Liu & Wang, 2005)

Self-Concept Questionnaire by Dr. Saraswat

The Self-Concept Questionnaire from Dr. Saraswat (1984) has become a popular choice for measuring self-concept. It consists of 48 items measuring self-concept across six dimensions:

Temperamental;
Educational;
Intellectual.

For each item, the respondent rates how well each item describes their ideas about themselves on a 5-point scale. Higher scores indicate high self-concept, while low scores indicate low self-concept.

This self-concept questionnaire is generally thought of as reliable by researchers, but it is dated.

If you’re looking for a great resource with 10 simple but effective activities for cultivating self-concept in young children, Glori Chaika’s article “Ten Activities to Improve Students’ Self-Concepts” can be adapted to fit the context for several age ranges.

We summarize the 10 activities she suggests here:

1 – The Interview

This activity is great for the beginning of the year as students to get to know their peers.

Break the group into pairs, and make sure each student is paired with someone they don’t very well. Give them 10 minutes to interview each other (5 minutes per interview) with fun questions like “would you rather live on a boat or on an island?” or “what is your favorite subject at this school?”.

When all of the interviews have been completed, have each pair come to the front of the class and introduce their partner to the other children.

2 – The Journal

Journals can be beneficial in many ways, as keeping a journal allows you to self-examine. Help your students develop their sense of self by assigning journal entries that they keep in one notebook all year.

Tell your students that they can put whatever they want in their journal—they can write a poem, describe a dream they had, write about what they hope for, something they are happy about, something they are sad about, etc.—and that they must make at least three entries (or however many you decide is appropriate) per week.

Make sure to tell them that you will only read the entry if they give you permission, but that you will check to ensure they have at least three dated entries per week.

3 – Designing Self-Collages

Self-collages are a great activity from young children to high-schoolers. Tell the students they need to create a collage that represents who they are by using pictures, words, and/or symbols. They can cut things from magazines, print them out from the internet, or draw pictures themselves.

You may want to guide them by suggesting to focus on things they enjoy or are good at, places they’ve been or would like to go, and people they admire.

When everyone’s collage is complete, you can do an extra activity where students present their collage to the classroom, or maybe everyone tries to guess which collage belongs to which student.

4 – Ranking Traits

This activity is best for older students with writing skills. Have the students rip a piece of paper into ten strips and write a word or phrase on each strip that they feel describes them. Tell them that no one will see the things they write down, so they can be completely honest.

Once the students have written down their ten traits, have them arrange them in order from those they most like about themselves to those they least like about themselves.

Encourage them to reflect on their traits by asking questions like:

Do you like what you see?
Do you want to keep it?
Now give up one trait. How does the lack of that affect you?
Now give up another. Give up three. Now what kind of person are you?

After the students have reduced their traits to six, have them add the traits back, one by one. For an extra boost to this activity, you can have the students journal about their experience at the end, and how they want to use their strengths.

5 – Accentuate the Positive

Accentuating the positive is all about noticing and sharing the positive things about others (and themselves).

To try this activity, break the students up into groups of four to six. Instruct the groups to pick one person (to start with) and tell that person all the positive things about them. Encourage the students to focus on traits and skills that can be altered (e.g., work ethic, skill in soccer), rather than permanent features (e.g., eyes, skin).

One student in each group will act as a recorder, writing down all the positive things that are said about someone. Each member of the group takes a turn, and the recorder gives the individual the list of all the positive things said about them at the end of the activity.

This exercise can also make a great focus for a journal entry.

6 – Thumbprints

This activity requires an ink pad and the willingness to get a bit messy!

Have each of your students place his or her thumb on the inkpad and then on a piece of paper to get a thumbprint. Show them the five major fingerprint patterns and have them identify their print type. Explain how fingerprints are unique—both across their own fingers and from person to person.

Next, have each student create an animal out of their thumbprint. Bonus points if the animal is one the student feels represents him or her! Encourage them to write about this in their journal, or to add the thumbprint drawing to their journal.

7 – Create a “Me” Commercial

This activity can be especially fun for the drama-loving students. Tell them that they are each going to make a two or three-minute commercial on why you should hire them.

The commercial should focus on their special skills, talents, and positive qualities. It should highlight what is great about them and what they would bring to the fictional position they are auditioning for.

Give the students some time to write their commercial, then have them present their commercials to the class. An alternative method for this activity is to have small groups create commercials for each group member.

8 – Shared Learning

This is a simple activity if you’ve been having your students write in their journal for the whole term.

Tell the students to look through their journal entries and reflect. Have them choose one thing they have learned about themselves during this term.

When each student has chosen something they would like to share, sit in a circle and have each student share out on what they learned over the past three months (or four months, or six months, etc.).

9 – Write Yourself a Letter

This is another activity that is appropriate for older children since it requires somewhat advanced writing skills.

Tell the students that they will be writing a letter to themselves, and to be totally honest since no one else will be able to read it. They can write whatever they’d like in this letter to their future selves, but they may want to add in things that describe them today (e.g., height and weight, current friends, favorite music and movies, special things that happened to them this year).

On another piece of paper or on the back of this letter, tell students to write down ten goals they would like to accomplish by this time next year. Have your students seal the letter and their goals in an envelope, address the envelope to themselves, and give it to you. In one year, mail the letters out to the students.

This is a far-reaching activity that will encourage your students to think about how they change over time, and how they stay the same.

10 – Drawing Self Portraits

Make sure that each student has access to a mirror for this activity. If there isn’t one handy in your classroom, bring some small mirrors in for the students to use.

Tell your students to use the mirror to draw a picture of themselves. It doesn’t have to look exactly like them, but it should be a good representation of them. This simple activity can promote self-reflection in students (beyond the kind that involves a mirror).

To take this activity a bit further, have them divide the drawing in half—on the left side, each student should draw herself as she sees herself, and on the right side, she should draw herself as she thinks others see her. Along with this drawing, the students can make an entry in their journal on the differences between how they see themselves and how they think others see them.

Self-Concept Activities for Preschoolers

For example, a few of the activities that can help preschoolers develop a self-concept include:

Record each child’s voice during an activity period. Have the children listen to the voices and guess which voice goes with each child.
Have several children stand in a line in front of the class. Name the child who is first, second, third and so on. Ask the children to change positions. Then have each child in line name his or her new position. To vary the activity, have the children at their seats name each child in line and describe his or her position.
Make a friendship quilt. Cut several squares of brightly colored construction paper. Give each child one of the squares. Have them decorate the square or even glue a picture of himself, glitter, beads, sequins, or yarn to the square. Staple the squares, side by side, to the bulletin board. If extra squares are needed to fill in empty spaces, print the school’s name or teacher’s name on additional squares and intermingle them with the student’s squares.
Have the children think of some things they can’t do now, but can do when they grow older. What are some things they can do now that they couldn’t do when they were younger?
Role-play the growth process from baby to father or mother to grandparent. The child can interpret the process as he or she goes along. Children can also develop a short play about the family.

Any of these activities can be adapted to fit your children’s context, whether that is a classroom, at home, in a playgroup, in a therapy session, etc.

Lesson Plan on Self-Concept

If you’re looking for a good lesson plan on teaching self-concept, this plan from the Utah Education Network is a great choice.

It starts with a description of self-concept as “the person I think I am” and contrasts it with “the person others think I am” and “the person others think I think I am.”

A diagram on the first page shows a cycle with four “stops:”

As I see myself
As others see me
Other’s reactions to me

This diagram shows how each stop on the cycle feeds into the next, influencing each aspect and eventually coming back to the original stop. For example, how we see ourselves influences our actions. Our actions drive how others see us, and their image of us drives their reactions or behavior toward us.

Feedback on ourselves contributes to our overall image of ourselves, and the cycle continues.

Next, it describes several case studies to help drive the point home. There is the case of a 45-year old father who looks in the mirror and thinks about the wrinkle he just found, the weight he would like to lose, his desire to be a stay-at-home dad, his messy and unorganized house, and a commitment he made that has overextended him.

There is also a case of a middle-aged mother thinking about her miserable day at work, the last decade or so of overtime, her struggles to pay the bills and have a little money left for herself, and all the things she has on her to-do list.

A third case focuses on a teenage girl who is concerned about her skin, her haircut, whether her friends truly care about her, and an upcoming chemistry test that she has not studied for.

The final case concerns a teenage guy who was struggling to understand calculus and thinking back to the counselor that encouraged him to take it. He is also comparing himself to his straight-A brother and thinking about how he wished he could be the athlete his father wanted him to be. He is worrying about tryouts and doubting his ability to even make the team.

For each of these cases, the questions are:

How will the individual see himself or herself?
How will the individual act toward others?
How will the individual think others see him or her?
How will others act toward the individual?
What effect does this have on how the individual sees him- or herself?
Where is the spiral headed and how can its motion be reversed?

This is a great lesson for children to learn, whether you introduce it in elementary school (with some extra time and patience set aside!) or in high school.

Follow this link and click on “Self Concept Transparency” to see the example lesson plan for yourself, and feel free to invent examples most relevant to your class or client.

self-concept worksheets strengths self-esteem

Three of the most useful worksheets on self-concept are described below.

All About Me

This worksheet from the Utah Education Network is a good option for children of all ages.

It is only one page with 15 prompts to complete. These prompts are:

I feel good about…
I feel successful when…
My favorite person is…
My favorite activity is…
I wish I could…
If I could have three wishes, they would be: a. b. c.
I feel depressed when…
A character trait I need to improve is…
I am good at…
I wish I did not…
My family is…
I would like to be…
The most important thing to me is…
The thing I like best about myself…

You can find this worksheet and other worksheets and lesson plans on the Utah Education Network’s website here .

17 Exercises To Foster Self-Acceptance and Compassion

Help your clients develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves using these 17 Self-Compassion Exercises [PDF] that promote self-care and self-compassion.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Learning about how others perceive a construct can be helpful in furthering our own understanding of that construct.

Use the quotes below to see how your idea of self-concept compares to the ideas of others.

What others think of us would of little moment did it not, when known, so deeply tinge what we think of ourselves.

Paul Valéry

Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.

Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, ‘This is the real me’, and when you have found that attitude, follow it.

William James

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.

Act as if you are the person you want to be.

Bernie Siegel

The self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates.

Thomas Szasz

There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man’s lack of faith in his true Self.

An individual’s self-concept is the core of his personality. It affects every aspect of human behavior: the ability to learn, the capacity to grow and change. A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success in life.

Joyce Brothers

In this piece, we learned about what self-concept is (an overarching idea about who we are), how it comes about (it develops throughout the lifespan, and is most flexible in the early years), what it is related to and affected by (just about everything, but namely consumer behavior, academic achievement, career development, and culture), and whether you can do anything to change it—you can.

Our self-concept is affected by how we feel about ourselves and how we judge our abilities, competencies, and worth as a person. When we put some effort into boosting these self-evaluations, our self-concept will adjust to accommodate these changes.

We have the ability to change how we think about ourselves by working to become more like our ideal selves.

It might seem daunting to put in the effort required to revise your self-esteem and self-image, but like most tasks, getting started is the hardest part. Refer to some of the quotes above to get a dose of inspiration, or find some quotes on the subject that inspire you and keep them nearby whenever you’re in need of some motivation.

What do you think about self-concept? Do you have any other good quotes about self-concept? Do you have a developed self-concept or is it vaguer? Do you think it’s good or bad to have self-concept differentiation?

Let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free .

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Miller, S. A., Church, E. B., & Poole, C. (n.d.). Ages & stages: How children develop self-concept. Scholastic. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/ages-stages-how-children-develop-self-concept/
Muijs, R. D. (2011). Predictors of academic achievement and academic self-concept: A longitudinal perspective. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67, 263-277.
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Robson (1989). Development of a new self-report questionnaire to measure self-esteem. Psychological Medicine, 19, 513-518.
Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the Self. New York, NY: Basic.
Saraswat, R. K. (1984). Manual for Self-Concept Questionnaire. Agra, India: National Psychological Corporation.
Sebastian, C., Burnett, S., & Blakemore, S. J. (2008). Development of the self-concept during adolescence. Trends in Cognitive Science, 12, 441-446.
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Help me to make preparations for grade5 class about positive self concept.

Here is an idea: – Brief Introduction: Explain self-concept in simple terms—how we see ourselves, including our abilities, personality, and place in the world. Activities: – Positive Affirmation Cards: Students create and decorate cards with positive statements about themselves. Self-Portrait: Draw or paint self-portraits that express individual personalities and strengths. – Growth Mindset Chat: Discuss how effort and perseverance can improve abilities, showing that self-concept can grow and change. – Role-Playing: Practice scenarios that involve giving compliments, asking for help, and overcoming obstacles to understand how actions affect self-concept. – Reflection: Encourage journaling about personal growth, challenges, and successes to help students see their progress. – Parent Guide: Send home tips on reinforcing positive self-concept, including praise, open discussions, and setting a positive example.

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12 Self-Concept Examples

Dave Cornell (PhD)

Dr. Cornell has worked in education for more than 20 years. His work has involved designing teacher certification for Trinity College in London and in-service training for state governments in the United States. He has trained kindergarten teachers in 8 countries and helped businessmen and women open baby centers and kindergartens in 3 countries.

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Chris Drew (PhD)

This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU.

A self-concept is an idea you have about yourself. It is your self-definition.

Our concept of ourselves comes from internal self-narratives, but it is also impacted by what other people tell us about who we are. For example, constant put-downs by parents may cause a child to have a poor self-concept.

Examples of self-concept include seeing yourself as an introvert, extrovert, sports fanatic, family man, or political party member.

Definition of Self-Concept

Self-concept is a set of beliefs that we have about ourselves and who we are. It is our own definition; our image of ourselves.

Povedano-Diaz, Muniz-Rivaz, and Vera-Perea (2019, p. 2) offer us a scholarly definition:

“The perception of oneself from conscious awareness.”

We form this perception of ourselves, or self-concept, from our experiences, self-assessments , and observations of what we like and don’t like. It is shaped by others and society as well. We can’t define ourselves as something that is not confirmed by the environment.

Cues like how people speak to us, whether people avoid us, and even comparing ourselves to social ideals, all impact how we form our self-concept.

Examples of Self-Concept

1. ethical self-concept (e.g. i am an environmentalist).

People often see themselves as ethical beings first and foremost. They pride themselves on their ability to apply moral thinking to situations, and have red lines they draw about what they will and won’t do in their lives.

Many people, for example, see themselves as environmentalists, vegans, or simply a ‘good person’. This self-concept may determine many of the decisions you make in your life. In particular, it may impact the goods you consume. Environmentalists might spend extra money to get an electric vehicle; similarly, vegans will choose only to consume non-animal products.

This self-concept may also impact your choice of profession. You might think that certain jobs are not consistent with your ethics and may avoid them (i.e. you might find sales ‘sleasy’). You may also pursue a career in a non-government organization or charity, for example, if your ethics are central to your sense of self.

2. Religious Self-Concept

Many people also hold their religion at the very core of their self-concept. In fact, deep religious faith is a strong point of self-pride for people of many religions.

A person with a strong religious self-concept might carry reminders of their faith on them at all times. Christians may wear a cross around their neck, for example, while Jewish men might wear a yarmulke and Sikhs might wear a “dastar” head covering.

Similarly, you may pray at regular intervals due to your deep faith in god.

Your religious self-concept may also affect your choice of partner if you feel like you want to be partnered with a person who can walk with you through your journey of faith.

3. Personality Based Self-Concept (E.g. Introvert or Extrovert)

Generally speaking, personality is defined as the characteristic behaviors and feelings that make people distinct from each other.

For example, some people are outgoing and super friendly, while others are more reserved and less talkative. Some people are very driven and goal-oriented, while someone else is easy-going and meanders through life at a slower pace. While one person is very agreeable and likes to try new things, another person might not like change at all and resist new ideas.

Each person is definitely different. When it comes to a person’s self-concept, many of us define ourselves in terms of our personality characteristics. One person might say about themselves, “I like adventure and trying new things.” Another might say, “I like routine and stability.”

Of course, there is no right or wrong way to be, just different colors of personality in the rainbow of life.

4. Sports Team Affiliation

In a lot of cultures, sports are a huge priority. Throughout Central and South America, football is life. The people go absolutely crazy for their teams.

On days when the national team is playing an important match, the government will shut down and make the day an unofficial holiday.

Festivities might even start the day before a big match, and then carry on to the day after (if the local team won). It is an integral part of the culture. The citizens tie their self-worth to the achievements of their team and the results of a match is a matter of self-pride.

If you ask the people in some of these cultures to fill out a self-concept questionnaire, and you don’t include the name of their country’s team, they will write it in for you.

5. Identification with a Profession (E.g. I am a Professor)

In some economically developed countries, work is life. People are fully-devoted to their profession, sometimes to the point of obsession. They make great sacrifices in their personal lives to achieve career success.

When people put aside personal ambitions like getting married and starting a family, they have a void that needs to be filled. Work often fills that void. As time goes on, one’s profession can become the sole priority of a person’s existence. Even when married with children, some still will put their career first.

In these cases, one’s self-concept is synonymous with one’s professional title. If you ask, “Who are you?”, they will likely respond with, “I am a _____.” Just fill in the blank with their job title and you will instantly know how they define their self-concept.

6. Strong and Independent Woman (E.g. I am a Feminist)

Today, many women embrace a self-concept as ‘strong and independent’, rejecting old ideas about womanhood in society.

There was a time in many Western cultures when women had very limited options in life. The prescription from society involved first getting married, then having kids, and then taking care of everyone in the family, every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year…forever.

The only possible choice of self-concept was “wife and mother.” That was it. However, over the last several decades women have fought hard to create greater opportunities for themselves. It wasn’t easy.

Today, a lot of women define themselves based on their careers or passions. Many also include in that definition the notion of being strong and independent. Instead of docile and dependent on a man, the modern woman can exist as a single entity, capable of taking care of herself and standing strong in the process.

7. Symbolic Association (What we Buy)

There is a term in marketing that sheds some light on how many consumers define their self-concept. That term is: “symbolic purchasing behavior.” It refers to the fact that many products and services are purchased for what they signify in society.

People can become so attached to a brand that it partially defines who they are. If a person thinks of themselves as sophisticated and modern, then they will seek objects and activities that help confirm that identity.

Luxury items convey sophistication. Blue jeans and a t-shirt convey being down-to-earth. Driving a big truck or a sports car sends a message to others about who you are. By associating with certain products or attending certain kinds of event, they are strengthening their self-concept.

8. Political Self-Concept (E.g. I am a Democrat)

In a country with a multiparty political system, it is easy to see how prevalent it is that people become “at one” with their chosen party. People can be incredibly passionate about their socio-political ideals.

It makes sense. Political views concern some of the most serious and pressing issues in society today.

For example, the debate about government authority versus individual rights seems like a never-ending struggle. Or, the manufacturing goals of corporations versus the needs of environmental protection seems to carry the health of the planet in its balance.

These are issues that divide people into vastly different camps. For those that are so committed to one side or the other, their socio-political views and self-concept are one and the same.

9. The “Other People” Self-Concept

The media is constantly showing us examples of the ultra-successful. We are bombarded with stories of greatness and exceptionalism.

Reality however, is quite different. For every cover page of an entrepreneurial magazine that tells the story of one individual that started a company in a garage and eventually became the richest person in history, there are tens of thousands of others who failed.

To make matters worse, people in very poor countries also see those stories. Social media is everywhere. However, the chances of someone in a third-world country achieving the kind of wealth they see on the internet is practically zero.

After a while, this can create the “other people” self-concept; success and greatness are for others, not me. It is a disheartening state. To internalize the idea that you will be a failure forever can lead to a sense of helplessness and despair.

10. Body Image (E.g. I am Muscular)

It is hard not to be overly concerned with our appearance. We see images of handsome men and beautiful women every day.

We see them on social media, T.V. commercials, in the movies…everywhere. In fact, it is probably impossible to go an entire day without seeing images of the abnormally attractive.

It is so powerful that many of us form an identity that is tied directly to our physical appearance. We spend a lot of time and effort trying to improve ourselves physically: going to the gym, styling our hair, buying the right clothes.

Some people even go so far as to hire someone to take a big vacuum and suck the fat out of their stomach. Or, implant synthetic gunk into their rear-end to make their butt look more rounded.

A lot of people internalize their physical appearance to form their self-concept. The body image becomes the self-concept.

11. High School Cliques (E.g. I am a Jock)

The high school lunchroom is like a living collage of self-concepts. There is a snapshot of each type on full display.

You can easily see each type of self-concept manifested in the dress and manners of all. Of course, there are the cool kids. They are easy to spot because they are well-dressed and gossiping about others (and each other when backs are turned).

Sitting nearby are the jocks. Also, easy to spot. Constantly trying project self-confidence and usually thumping each other around or puffing out their chest as they walk to class.

And then, there are the motley crew of rebels and nonconformists. Some are artsy like, dressed in oversized vintage clothes and oozing an aura of gloom and unease. Although you can’t see them today because they are skipping school, the rebels prefer grungy clothes and messed up hair to let everyone know they just don’t care.

12. Family-Based Self-Concept (E.g. I am a Family Man)

Family is at the center of many people’s self-concept. A woman may define herself as “a mother, while the husband says he’s “a family man”.

We can look at their daily lives and it becomes obvious why. They are very devoted to the needs and priorities of the family, especially the children.

The choice of home may be based on the availability of good schools. Monday through Friday may involve shuttling the kids to and from various extracurricular activities. Weeknights can include the family sitting around the kitchen table playing board games, and weekends consist of camping excursions or attending the children’s sporting events.

We are what we do, and that can easily become the main component of our self-concept.

Self-Concept vs Self-Esteem

Self-concept is a very similar idea to self-esteem. The main difference between the two is that self-concept is descriptive whereas self-esteem is evaluative.

Self-efficacy , on the other hand, is a measure of how good you are at a specific task.


I am a teacher.	I am a good teacher.
I am a Democrat.	I am a good person because I am a Democrat.
I am ugly.	I feel depressed because I am ugly.
I am a dad.	I am a fun dad.
I am a Boston Bruins supporter.	I feel great about being a Boston Bruins supporter.

So, we have seen a myriad of self-concepts. There are many more. In fact, there are probably as many different versions of self-concepts as there are people.

Because life has become so dynamic, it offers endless options for which to define ourselves. We can be whomever we want to be. Of course, others may not agree and society could slam the door shut on our ideal self-concepts, but that’s okay. There is another one just around the corner. When one self-concept door shuts, another opens.

In fact, over our lifespan, our self-concept actually changes. As our interests and priorities change, so does the image of ourselves. That’s a good thing. After all, does anyone really want to be the same person they were in high school?

Baumeister, R. F. (1999). The nature and structure of the self: An overview. In R. Baumeister (Ed.), The self in social psychology (pp. 1-20). Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press (Taylor & Francis).

Povedano-Diaz, A., Muñiz-Rivas, M., & Vera-Perea, M. (2020). Adolescents’ life satisfaction: The role of classroom, family, self-concept and gender. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 17 (1), 19. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fijerph17010019

Leigh, J. & Terrance, G. (1992). Symbolic interactionism: Its effects on consumer behavior and implications for marketing strategy. The Journal of ConsumerMarketing, 9, 27-38. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000002594

Malär, L., Krohmer, H., Hoyer, W. D., & Nyffenegger, B. (2011). Emotional brand attachment and brand personality: The relative importance of the actual and the ideal self. Journal of Marketing, 75, 35-52. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1509%2Fjmkg.75.4.35

Tesser, A., Millar, M. and Moore, J. (1988). Some affective consequences of social comparison and reflection processes: The pain and pleasure of being close. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54 , 49-61. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.54.1.49

Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 23 Achieved Status Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 25 Defense Mechanisms Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 15 Theory of Planned Behavior Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 18 Adaptive Behavior Examples

Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 23 Achieved Status Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Ableism Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 25 Defense Mechanisms Examples
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Order bidding, useful tips for writing an essay explaining a concept.

Undertaking a self concept essay is a delicate and risky venture. And before we dive into all possible subtleties of this process, let’s first get to grips with the subject itself. “Who am I?” – this challenging and seemingly trite question is what our subconscious clings to over the course of our whole life, desperately urging us to interrogate our minds.

As individuals who are inquisitive by nature, we won’t stop confronting our sophisticated selves with this stark inquiry. Self-awareness, self-consciousness, self-efficacy, self-discovery – this ultimate selection of “selves” underlies our understanding of who we are and forms our self concept.

What Is the Self Concept?

“An idea of the self that is constructed from the different beliefs an individual holds about themselves” – this definition provides a brief but accurate overview of what self concept is. The extravagant notion of the self concept has served as a highly favored subject for scientific investigations as well as concept essays. Given the intricacy of this subject and the space for thinking it provides people with, the matter of the self-concept is frequently chosen as the topic for essays. Writers strive to make their tiny contribution into the understanding of this phenomenon and take an insightful look at the problem with their works. But, as we stressed above, creating a worthy essay that features the self concept is quite a challenge.

Next, we will provide an extensive guide to developing a masterful self concept essay.

Steps to Write a Self Concept Essay

By following a pattern of effective and time-proven steps in your essay, you prevent your work randomness and inconsistency, which are signs of low-quality writing.

Choosing the topic for your essay is a paramount element of creating it. Determine what interests you the most about the self concept, what issues surrounding the topic appeal to you more intensely than other self concept essay topics. Once you make up your mind about your favorite subject relating to this concept, move on to conducting research.

2. Research

One of the most important steps in writing any academic work is making research. Even if you think your knowledge of your self concept essay topic is enough, don’t shy away from getting to know even more about it. There’s plenty of credible psychology and philosophy sources on the web that can give you the necessary scientific background, and even beyond it. Be sure to browse carefully and responsibly, and beware of numerous dubious websites displaying fake and misleading information.

Along with the topic of your essay, you need to settle on the central idea of your work. It’s something you will center your entire essay around. Giving your essay one common idea helps avoid ambling unreasonably from one idea to another in your work.

The theme of your essay is very similar to the topic, but not quite the same. A theme is considered as an accompaniment to the topic, and its contextual setting unites the elements of the work. The theme provides the necessary ambience of the text and makes it coherent. So, decide on what mood, or theme, should prevail in your essay, and try to stick to it all the way through the writing process.

Creating an outline of your essay is an essential step in terms of convenience and saving time. This helps you structure the work, neatly arranging your thoughts and ideas in the logical order.

Suggestions for Your Self Concept Essay

In order to make your essay more appealing and informative, you should consider a number of critical tips and suggestions in addition to your own experience and writing habits.

Avoid junk in your essay. It’s very easy to get distracted and gradually shift to redundancies in the writing. This happens when we delve too deeply into what we’re elaborating on, or focus on the secondary of the subject.
Be consistent. Be sure to stick to the logical pattern of your text and eschew contradictions in it. Don’t go against your own assertions and statements you provided earlier in the text.
Make references in the text. Refer to authoritative sources, such as famous scholars. This will add more credibility and value to your work and show that your research is not limited to your own thoughts and statements, which might be slightly biased, instead comprises unprejudiced assertions from other researchers.
Apply critical thinking. Try to demonstrate your ability to analyze facts and form judgments objectively, not only repeating the arguments and facts, but engaging with them in an academic manner. Make your evaluation of the data, facts, and research findings balanced and reasoned.
Structure your work. Following a logical structure in your essay helps present your argument in a cohesive and comprehensible way. Keeping the text structured also helps to stay focused in your essay, and not swerve from the main subject.

Self Concept Essay Topics

As we stressed above, developing the topic for your essay is a key step. Still, you might as well compromise your creativity and let the web provide you with a myriad of essay topics, whereby you can choose the one that fits best to your liking. Here, we have listed some of the trending suggestions for your self concept essay ideas.

Self concept through interpersonal communication.
Social psychology and self concept.
The steps of self concept.
The self concept of self esteem.
Historical development of self concept theory.
The importance of having a strong self concept.
The media and technology on self concept.
Defining the concept of self.
The Pygmalion effect, and self concept.
Identity of self concept and the deaf.

Self Concept Essay Sample

The Idea of the Self Concept Self concept is the cognition we have of ourselves based on our personal experiences, body image, and thoughts. Self concept is also referred to as the perception of our abilities and our image. This perception is based on the information we gather about our skills, traits, and abilities. Normally, our self image begins to develop at six or seven months of age. The sense of identity expands as we start interacting with other people. So far, two basic theories have been developed that explain how interactions influence and shape our self concept. The reflected appraisal theory stands for our perception of how others see or evaluate us. The theory argues that people develop their self-image according to what they believe people think of them. This process is viewed as crucial for the development of a personal self-esteem as well as self concept. Another theory, the social comparison theory, explains how we evaluate our abilities by comparing ourselves to others. We compare ourselves to other people by looks, achievements, intelligence, and failures. Scientists also single out the forces that impact self concept. They fall into two main categories: internal and external sources. Internal forces are represented by what we think of ourselves and of others, how we perceive everything in life. External forces include the environment where we spend most of our time, the influence of other people, what others think about us. It is important to note that self concept constitutes an all-encompassing awareness people have of themselves in the past, present and how they see themselves in the future. It is the perception people have about their past or future selves that has a connection with that of their current selves. We usually tend to perceive our past selves in a less favorable way, while perceiving our future selves more favorably.

In a Nutshell

Given the newfound familiarity with how to write this type of essay, along with the concept essay example we provided, you can get started with making your mini-research on the topic of the self concept. Developing a worthy essay about self concept can be as easy as 1,2,3, providing that you make sure to follow our vital academic tips and recommendations!

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Self-Concept in Psychology: Definition & Examples

Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

The self-concept is a general term for how someone thinks about, evaluates, or perceives themselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself.

It’s formed through experiences, interactions, and reflections, and plays a pivotal role in influencing behavior, emotions, and interpersonal relationships. A healthy self-concept promotes well-being, while a negative one can lead to emotional and social challenges.

Baumeister (1999) provides the following self-concept definition: “The individual’s belief about himself or herself, including the person’s attributes and who and what the self is.”

The self-concept is an important term for both social and humanistic psychology . Lewis (1990) suggests that the development of a concept of self has two aspects:

(1) The Existential Self

This is “the most basic part of the self-scheme or self-concept; the sense of being separate and distinct from others and the awareness of the constancy of the self” (Bee, 1992).

The existential self is a concept within developmental psychology, particularly in the study of infant development. It refers to the basic and most fundamental understanding that an individual exists as a separate and distinct entity from others.

This realization typically begins in infancy, as early as a few months old, when a baby recognizes its existence apart from the external world.

The child realizes that they exist as a separate entity from others and continue to exist over time and space.

The existential self is the foundation upon which more complex aspects of self-concept, like the categorical self (understanding oneself in terms of categorical memberships like gender, skills, and age), are built.

According to Lewis (1990), awareness of the existential self begins as young as two to three months old and arises in part due to the child’s relationship with the world. For example, the child smiles, and someone smiles back, or the child touches a mobile and sees it move.

(2) The Categorical Self

Having realized that he or she exists as a separate experiencing being, the child becomes aware that he or she is also an object in the world.

The categorical self involves the understanding that one can be categorized into various groups based on traits, roles, and attributes.

Just as other objects, including people, have properties that can be experienced (big, small, red, smooth, and so on), so the child is becoming aware of himself or herself as an object which can be experienced and which has properties.

The self, too, can be put into categories such as age, gender, size, or skill. Two of the first categories to be applied are age (“I am 3”) and gender (“I am a girl”).

In early childhood, the categories children apply to themselves are very concrete (e.g., hair color, height, and favorite things). Later, self-description also begins to include reference to internal psychological traits, comparative evaluations, and how others see them.

For instance, a child might identify as being a “big boy” or “big girl,” differentiate themselves by saying they have “brown hair,” or later recognize they are “good at drawing.” The categorical self lays the foundation for more intricate self-identifications as one matures.

Self-image refers to the mental representation or picture that individuals have of themselves, encompassing both physical appearance and personal traits.

It’s how people perceive themselves and believe others perceive them. Personal experiences, interactions with others, societal standards, and media influences, can shape this perception.

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.

Self-image is a significant component of one’s overall self-concept and is crucial to self-esteem and confidence. It can influence behavior, choices, relationships, and overall mental well-being. Over time, a person’s self-image can change based on experiences, feedback, achievements, and personal reflections.

The Twenty Statements Test

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

He asked people to answer “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 includes examples of each of the following four types of responses:

Physical Description : I’m tall, have blue eyes…etc.
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.
Personal Traits : These are the third dimension of our self-descriptions. “I’m impulsive…I’m generous…I tend to worry a lot,”…etc.
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.

Typically, young people describe themselves more in terms of personal traits, whereas older people feel defined to a greater extent by their social roles.

Actual Self

The actual self is how individuals currently see themselves based on their self-awareness and introspection. It represents the attributes, roles, competencies, and characteristics that a person believes they genuinely possess at the present moment.

While “actual self” and “self-image” are closely related and often used interchangeably in casual discussions, they are distinct concepts within the realm of psychology. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:

Represents an individual’s current perception of themselves based on attributes, roles, and abilities they believe they genuinely possess.
Serves as a baseline for comparison with other self-representations, like the ideal self or ought self.
Refers to the mental representation or picture an individual has of themselves.
It encompasses both physical appearance and perceived personal traits.
Self-image is about how people perceive themselves and how they believe they are seen by others.

In essence, the “actual self” is a broader construct that might include one’s self-image as a component.

The actual self covers the entirety of an individual’s current self-perception, while the self-image focuses more on the visual or representational aspect and perceived traits.

Both, however, are integral parts of an individual’s overall self-concept.

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem (also known as self-worth) refers to the extent to which we like, accept, or approve of ourselves or how much we value ourselves.

Self-esteem always involves a degree of evaluation, and we may have either a positive or a negative view of ourselves.

Factors influencing self-esteem include:

Childhood experiences
Feedback from others
Comparisons with peers
Societal standards and cultural influences
Personal achievements or failures

High Self-Esteem : Individuals with high self-esteem generally believe that they have good qualities and value themselves positively. They often handle life challenges better, are more resilient, and have a positive outlook on life.

Confidence in our own abilities
Self-acceptance
Not worrying about what others think

Low Self-Esteem: Those with low self-esteem tend to view themselves negatively, doubt their abilities, and are more critical of themselves. They are more susceptible to experiencing feelings of worthlessness, depression, and anxiety.

Lack of confidence
Want to be/look like someone else
Always worrying about what others might think

Having a balanced self-esteem is crucial for mental well-being. While high self-esteem is generally beneficial, overly inflated self-esteem can lead to narcissism . On the other hand, chronically low self-esteem can contribute to a host of psychological issues, including depression and anxiety.

Measurement

There are several ways of measuring self-esteem. For example, Harrill Self-Esteem Inventory is a questionnaire comprising 15 statements about a range of interests.

Another example is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), which is a neutral cartoon given to the participant, who then has to devise a story about what’s going on.

Argyle (2008) believes 4 major factors influence self-esteem.

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, neglect, and 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, and 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, and premiership footballer, and this promotes self-esteem.

Other roles carry a stigma. E.g., a 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 identify 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.)

Experiments

Morse and Gergen (1970) showed that our self-esteem might change rapidly in uncertain or anxiety-arousing situations.

Participants were waiting for a job interview in a waiting room. They sat with another candidate (a confederate of the experimenter) in one of two conditions:

A) Mr. Clean – dressed in a smart suit, carrying a briefcase opened to reveal a slide rule and books.

B) Mr. Dirty – dressed in an old T-shirt and jeans, slouched over a cheap sex novel.

The self-esteem of participants with Mr. Dirty increased whilst those with Mr. Clean decreased! No mention was made of how this affected the subjects’ performance in the interview.

Self-esteem affects performance at numerous tasks, though (Coopersmith, 1967), so one could expect Mr. Dirty’s subjects to perform better than Mr. Clean.

Even though self-esteem might fluctuate, there are times when we continue to believe good things about ourselves, even when evidence to the contrary exists. This is known as the perseverance effect.

Miller and Ross (1975) showed that people who believed they had socially desirable characteristics continued in this belief even when the experimenters tried to get them to believe the opposite.

Does the same thing happen with bad things if we have low self-esteem? Maybe not. Perhaps with very low self-esteem, all we believe about ourselves might be bad.

The ideal self refers to the person an individual aspires to become. It embodies one’s goals, ambitions, and dreams, encompassing attributes, behaviors, and traits a person values and wishes to possess. This concept is pivotal in understanding personal development and self-concept.

Key points about the ideal self:

Comparison with Real Self: The ideal self stands in contrast to the “real self,” which represents how a person currently sees themselves. The gap between these two concepts can influence self-esteem. A smaller gap can lead to higher self-esteem, while a larger gap can result in feelings of dissatisfaction or inadequacy.
Dynamic Nature: The ideal self is not static; it evolves based on life experiences, societal influences, personal aspirations, and changing values.
Motivation: The ideal self can serve as a motivational force, pushing individuals to pursue personal growth, learn new skills, and strive for self-improvement.
Potential Pitfalls: While the ideal self can be a source of inspiration, an unattainable or overly perfectionistic ideal self can lead to disappointment, low self-esteem, and mental distress.

Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist, emphasized the importance of achieving congruence between the real self and the ideal self for overall psychological well-being.

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), this will likely 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 the 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 . Rogers 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 that 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

Argyle, M. (2008). Social encounters: Contributions to social interaction . Aldine Transaction

Baumeister, R. F. (Ed.) (1999). The self in social psychology . Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press (Taylor & Francis).

Bee, H. L. (1992). The developing child . London: HarperCollins.

Coopersmith, S. (1967). The antecedents of self-esteem . San Francisco: Freeman.

Kuhn, M. H. (1960). Self-attitudes by age, sex and professional training. Sociological Quarterly , 1, 39-56.

Lewis, M. (1990). Self-knowledge and social development in early life. In L. A. Pervin (Ed.), Handbook of personality (pp. 277-300). New York: Guilford.

Miller, D. T., & Ross, M. (1975). Self-serving biases in the attribution of causality: Fact or fiction? Psychological Bulletin, 82, 213–225

Morse, S. J. & Gergen, K. J. (1970). Social comparison, self-consistency and the concept of self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 16, 148-156.

Rogers, C. (1959). A theory of therapy, personality and interpersonal relationships as developed in the client-centered framework. In (ed.) S. Koch, Psychology: A study of a science. Vol. 3: Formulations of the person and the social context . New York: McGraw Hill.

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College essay

How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples

Published on September 21, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability. Your essay shouldn’t just be a resume of your experiences; colleges are looking for a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

To write about your achievements and qualities without sounding arrogant, use specific stories to illustrate them. You can also write about challenges you’ve faced or mistakes you’ve made to show vulnerability and personal growth.

Start with self-reflection, how to write about challenges and mistakes, how to write about your achievements and qualities, how to write about a cliché experience, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Before you start writing, spend some time reflecting to identify your values and qualities. You should do a comprehensive brainstorming session, but here are a few questions to get you started:

What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
Whom do you admire most and why?
What are the top five things you are thankful for?
What has inspired your hobbies or future goals?
What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

As you self-reflect, consider how your values and goals reflect your prospective university’s program and culture, and brainstorm stories that demonstrate the fit between the two.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Writing about difficult experiences can be an effective way to show authenticity and create an emotional connection to the reader, but choose carefully which details to share, and aim to demonstrate how the experience helped you learn and grow.

Be vulnerable

It’s not necessary to have a tragic story or a huge confession. But you should openly share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to evoke an emotional response from the reader. Even a cliché or mundane topic can be made interesting with honest reflection. This honesty is a preface to self-reflection and insight in the essay’s conclusion.

Don’t overshare

With difficult topics, you shouldn’t focus too much on negative aspects. Instead, use your challenging circumstances as a brief introduction to how you responded positively.

Share what you have learned

It’s okay to include your failure or mistakes in your essay if you include a lesson learned. After telling a descriptive, honest story, you should explain what you learned and how you applied it to your life.

While it’s good to sell your strengths, you also don’t want to come across as arrogant. Instead of just stating your extracurricular activities, achievements, or personal qualities, aim to discreetly incorporate them into your story.

Brag indirectly

Mention your extracurricular activities or awards in passing, not outright, to avoid sounding like you’re bragging from a resume.

Use stories to prove your qualities

Even if you don’t have any impressive academic achievements or extracurriculars, you can still demonstrate your academic or personal character. But you should use personal examples to provide proof. In other words, show evidence of your character instead of just telling.

Many high school students write about common topics such as sports, volunteer work, or their family. Your essay topic doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but do try to include unexpected personal details and your authentic voice to make your essay stand out .

To find an original angle, try these techniques:

Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses.
Mention objects that have special significance to you.
Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight.

Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality. When read out loud, the essay should sound like you are talking.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

Writing process
Transition words
Passive voice
Paraphrasing

Communication

How to end an email
Ms, mrs, miss
How to start an email
I hope this email finds you well
Hope you are doing well

Parts of speech

Personal pronouns
Conjunctions

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

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Self Concept Essay | Positive and Negative Self Concept, Long and Short Essays on Self Concept Theory

Self Concept Essay: Self-concept is how an individual thinks about oneself, based on their habits, skills, and attitude. In other words, it is the ability to reflect on one’s own characteristics and behavior. Self-concept is the image we have of ourselves in the mind, and also the views we think others have about us. The self-concept plays an important part in our overall well-being. It involves the ways we look at our characteristics, how we present ourselves and interact with others, and it even influences our decisions and actions. The self-concept is an awareness that contains knowledge about us. It includes our beliefs about our personality, physical appearance, abilities, values, and goals. It is a representation of the consciousness that we exist as individuals.

Self-concept is all about our beliefs, preferences, and attitudes guiding us towards our personal existence. It forms the basis of how we think, behaves, and perform in our various life roles at different points in time. The self-concept starts to develop at a young age when an individual is going through the process of self-discovery and identity formation. With age and experience, the self-concept becomes much more organized.

Students can find more English Essay Writing Topics, Ideas, Easy Tips to Write Essay Writing and many more.

Theory of Self Concept

There are different theories available on self-concept, being it a part of psychological studies. According to one theory, the self-concept has two main attributes namely Personal Identity and Social Identity. Personal Identity is the unique personality trait that characterizes a person. On the other hand, social identity is based on an individual’s role in social circles and groups. Another theory suggests that the self-concept is multidimensional and can be demonstrated through the following traits of human behavior.

Affect: Awareness about emotional beliefs
Academic: Success or failure in academics
Competence: Ability to respond to basic needs
Family: Interaction within family circles
Personal: Awareness about physical characteristics, appearance, health, etc.
Social: Capability to interact in social groups

As per psychologist Carl Rogers, the self-concept comprises three different aspects namely ideal self (the ambition), self-image (your view about yourself), and self-esteem (how you value your presence and role in society).

Positive and Negative Self Concept

A positive self-concept is a belief about oneself that helps to successfully face various challenges of life and then make some positive impact on the lives of others. The development of the self-concept in a child is often influenced by the response received from adults. A positive self-concept helps the child to feel confident and involved in various activities. Positive self-concept improves mental and emotional health and plays an important role in nurturing constructive relationships. There are various aspects that can have an influence on the development of self-concepts such as age, gender, religion, and traditions.

A positive self-concept helps us to recognize our own abilities and potentials while being realistic about our liabilities and limitations. But with a negative self-concept, we tend to focus on our failures, weaknesses, and imperfections. We sometimes get influenced by rejection, judgment, and criticism from other people. This gradually shapes the self-concept of what we believe about ourselves, our capabilities, and the world around us. In many ways, our self-image is related to the people who have some kind of opinion about us.

Influence in Careers

Positive and negative self-concepts can also influence career decisions. A positive self-concept would drive you towards seeking more opportunities for growth. You can develop the ability to handle rejections and failures much better and look for career success. Recognizing self-worth and keeping self-esteem are the byproducts of self-concept which can increase engagement in work. A positive self-concept is particularly important for team leaders to improve relationships with coworkers and to understand how their beliefs and behaviors affect themselves as well as others in the organization.

Short Essay on Self Concept

Factors influencing self-concept

The formation of the self-concept begins from early childhood. It continues to develop and evolve throughout life under the influence of various internal and external factors. These factors include emotional, social, physical, practical, mental, and spiritual beliefs and attributes. A healthy self-concept makes you feel good about yourself and deserve respect from others. But with a negative self-concept, you put little value on your opinions and ideas and lose self-confidence. Many theories indicate that there is a strong relationship between self-concept and motivation to perform. A person with a positive self-concept can view himself as intelligent and competent, whereas a low self-concept makes a person unapproachable and de-motivated. The theory suggests that we often view ourselves the same way that others perceive us. This tendency was referred to as the looking glass effect. Thus self-concept evolves through social interactions because we as social animals are concerned with how others look at us.

Developing a positive self-concept

The self-concept is not always aligned to reality in the sense of how you see yourself and how you wish you were. If there is a mismatch between the two, the self-concept is said to be ‘incongruent’. The roots of incongruence can be generated from childhood when parents place conditions on their love and affection in return for certain expectations to be fulfilled. Unconditional love, on the other hand, fosters congruence and positive self-concept. There are ways we can develop our self-concept in a more positive manner. It can begin with looking within ourselves, our beliefs, and our thought processes. We should devote efforts to shorten the gap between our ‘ideal’ self and ‘real’ self by making some realistic expectations. Represent your positive attitude through words and actions while interacting, and make important choices about your lifestyle and habits that impact the self-concept and help to reach your ideal selves.

FAQ’s on Self Concept Essay

Question 1. What is an important self-concept that helps students in academic achievement?

Answer: Students’ self-concept is reflected through their perceptions of their capabilities to succeed in academic tasks and motivates them to perform.

Question 2. What does social psychologist Henri Tajfel’s social identity theory suggest in the context of self-concept?

Answer: Henri Tajfel’s social identity theory suggests that the self-concept is composed of two parts as Personal identity and Social identity.

Question 3. Why is understanding self-concept important for managers in an organization?

Answer: Recognizing self-worth by managers can improve engagement and influence the work environment with self-confidence and motivation.

Concept Essay Paper

Concept essay generator.

Every writer has his/her own way of presenting a topic or an idea to the readers. Some of them wants to stir imaginations and make you create characters and places of your own. Others want to provoke your emotions and indulge you into the story. While others want to simply demonstrate a subject.

Essay writing is considered a talent. It requires a creative mind to be able to present thoughts and emotions and put them into writing. And the most difficult part is how to make it appealing to the readers. Knowing how to start an essay is even more difficult because you have to find the right inspiration to write.

What is Concept Essay? A concept essay is a piece writing that is used to present an idea or a topic with the sole purpose of providing a clear definition and explanation. Their usual content are those topics that may have previously been presented but were not given with full emphasis. Others are controversial and timely issues that raises questions but are not given full answers. What is Concept Paper? A concept paper is a brief document written to provide an overview of a project, research, or idea. It outlines the main goals, objectives, and methods of the intended project, serving as a preliminary proposal. Concept papers are often used to seek approval or funding, presenting the project’s significance, potential impact, and feasibility in a concise manner. This document helps stakeholders, such as sponsors or academic committees, understand the essence of the proposed work and decide whether to support it further.

Concept Paper Writing Topics & Ideas

In conceptual writing, the central focus lies on the idea or concept driving the work, positioning it as the cornerstone of the narrative. This approach dictates that all planning and critical decisions are determined in advance, rendering the actual writing process secondary. Essentially, the concept acts as a blueprint, guiding the creation of the text in a manner that is almost mechanical. Through this method, the initial idea transforms into an engine that propels the development of the written piece, underscoring the precedence of thought over the act of writing itself. Below are the topics and ideas of concept writing

The Evolution of Digital Privacy
The Psychology Behind Social Media Addiction
The Impact of Remote Work on Urban Development
Sustainability in Fashion: A New Trend
The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Cultural Identity in a Globalized World
The Ethics of Genetic Editing
The Role of Cryptocurrency in Modern Finance
Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace
The Influence of Music on Cognitive Development
Climate Change and Its Effects on Biodiversity
The Philosophy of Minimalism and Its Life Benefits
The Rise of E-Learning and Its Educational Impacts
Urban Farming: Solutions for Food Security
Virtual Reality: Transforming Entertainment and Education
The Gig Economy and Its Impact on Traditional Employment
Social Entrepreneurship: Business for Social Good
The Intersection of Art and Technology
Cybersecurity in the Age of Internet of Things
The Role of Nutrition in Preventing Chronic Diseases

Concept Essay Paper Format

Introduction.

Hook : Start with an engaging sentence to capture the reader’s interest. Background Information : Provide a brief context for the concept you are going to explore. Thesis Statement : Clearly state the concept or idea you will discuss, outlining the main point or argument of your essay.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of the concept or idea.

Topic Sentence : Introduce the main idea of the paragraph that supports your thesis. Explanation : Offer a detailed explanation of the idea, including definitions, descriptions, and relevant information. Examples and Evidence : Use specific examples, illustrations, or evidence to support your explanations and arguments. This could include statistics, quotes from experts, or real-life scenarios. Analysis : Analyze how the example or evidence supports your topic sentence and thesis, explaining its significance. Transition : Conclude the paragraph with a sentence that smoothly transitions to the next point or paragraph.

Summary of Main Points : Briefly recap the key arguments or explanations presented in your essay. Restatement of Thesis : Reiterate your thesis statement, highlighting how it has been supported through your discussion. Final Thoughts : Offer closing remarks that leave a lasting impression on the reader. This could include implications, future prospects, or a call to action related to the concept.

Concept Paper Example

Enhancing Digital Literacy in Rural Communities: A Pathway to Bridging the Digital Divide The rapid advancement of digital technologies has significantly transformed the way we live, work, and communicate. However, this digital revolution has also led to a widening gap between urban and rural areas in terms of access to technology and digital skills. This concept paper proposes a comprehensive project aimed at enhancing digital literacy in rural communities as a fundamental step toward bridging the digital divide. By equipping rural populations with the necessary digital skills, the project seeks to empower individuals, improve educational outcomes, and unlock economic opportunities. The purpose of this initiative is to develop and implement a scalable digital literacy program tailored to the needs of rural communities. This program will focus on basic computer skills, internet navigation, online safety, and the use of digital tools for education and entrepreneurship. The significance of this project lies in its potential to transform the lives of rural residents, providing them with the skills required to participate fully in the digital world. Objectives of the project include: Assessing the current level of digital literacy in targeted rural areas. Developing a comprehensive digital literacy curriculum that addresses identified needs. Delivering digital literacy training to residents of rural communities through workshops and online modules. Establishing community-based digital hubs equipped with internet access and computing resources. Evaluating the impact of the program on participants’ digital skills, economic opportunities, and educational outcomes. The methodology will encompass a needs assessment to identify specific digital literacy gaps, followed by the development of a curriculum that incorporates both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Training will be delivered through a combination of in-person workshops and online modules, ensuring broad access. Pre- and post-program assessments will measure the effectiveness of the training. Expected outcomes include improved digital literacy rates among rural populations, increased access to educational and economic opportunities, and enhanced participation in the digital economy. The project aims to establish a model for digital literacy training that can be replicated and scaled in other rural areas. In conclusion, enhancing digital literacy in rural communities presents a critical opportunity to bridge the digital divide and foster equitable access to the benefits of the digital age. This concept paper outlines a clear and actionable plan to empower rural residents with the digital skills necessary for success in a rapidly evolving world.

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Free Concept Essay

What Are the Steps to Writing a Concept Essay?

One of the things to consider in essay writing is to know how to start an essay. In addition to that, you have to come up with the steps on how to write an effective one.

Choose a topic. An effective essay is one that presents a more relevant topic. You need to choose the right topic first before you start writing.
Do your research. You have to back up your claims with factual information from reliable sources. Present at least three to four points for reference.
Create your outline. The essay outline of your concept essay because readers will consider how your ideas are presented.

Key Elements of Concept Paper

A concept paper outlines a project or idea, presenting its purpose, significance, methodology, expected outcomes, and, if applicable, budget and timeline. It serves to introduce and justify the project, aiming to secure interest or support by succinctly detailing its goals and potential impact.

The key elements are:

How to Make/ Create Concept Paper

1. choose your topic wisely.

Select a topic that is both interesting to you and relevant to your audience or potential funders. It should address a specific problem, need, or question.

2. Conduct Preliminary Research

Gather information on your topic to ensure there’s enough background material to support your concept. This research will help refine your idea and identify gaps your project could fill.

3. Write the Introduction

Start with a strong introduction that captures the essence of your concept. Include a brief overview of the problem or issue your project intends to address, its significance, and why it is worth exploring or implementing.

4. State the Purpose or Objective

Clearly articulate the purpose or objectives of your project or research. What do you aim to achieve? Be specific about the outcomes you anticipate.

5. Provide Background Information

Offer a detailed background that gives context to your concept. This section should include any relevant research, current findings, and a justification for your project or study.

6. Describe the Project or Research Design

Outline how you plan to achieve your objectives. This includes your methodology, the steps you will take, and the resources you will need. For research projects, specify your research questions, hypothesis, and the methods for data collection and analysis.

7. Discuss the Significance

Explain the potential impact of your project or research. How will it contribute to the field, benefit a specific group, or solve a problem? This section is crucial for persuading readers of the value of your concept.

8. Outline the Budget (if applicable)

If your concept paper is for a project requiring funding, provide an estimate of the budget. Break down the costs involved, including materials, personnel, and any other resources.

9. Set a Timeline

Include a proposed timeline for your project or research. This demonstrates planning and feasibility and helps funders understand the project’s scope.

10. Conclude Your Paper

Summarize the key points of your concept paper, reinforcing the importance and feasibility of your project or research. End with a call to action or a statement of next steps.

Importance of Concept Essay

As we go along the path of discovering new and better ideas that could feed our minds with more useful information, we also need to pause and make sure that these concepts are well explained.

The main importance of a concept analytical essay is to provide a more vivid evaluation as well as explanation of the ideas that may seem ambiguous. We cannot just live in a world where we are fed with information that we are supposed to accept. Remember that we have the freedom to accept what is true and decline what is not. With a concept essay, we can dig deeper into things and find out its true essence.

When do you need a concept paper?

A concept paper is needed when initiating a project, seeking funding, or proposing an idea to stakeholders. It serves as a preliminary outline, presenting the project’s rationale, goals, and methodology in a concise format to gauge interest or secure support.

How is a concept paper different from a research paper?

A concept paper differs from a research paper in its purpose and scope. While a concept paper outlines a project idea, seeking approval or funding with a focus on potential impact and methodology, a research paper presents detailed findings from completed research, including analysis and results.

What is the purpose of a concept essay?

The purpose of a concept essay is to explore and clarify a specific idea or concept. It aims to deepen understanding and stimulate thought by examining the concept from various angles, using examples, definitions, and personal insights to articulate its significance and implications.

Text prompt

Instructive
Professional

Explore the concept essay of happiness: what does it mean and how is it achieved?

Discuss in a concept essay the idea of freedom in the modern world.

Self-Concept Essays

Interpersonal communication, self-concept, and perception, popular essay topics.

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Dimensions of the Self-Concept Essay

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As a template for you assignment

Being yourself presupposes of the complicated mechanisms of self-concepts that play essential role in human lives. In everyday life, a person expresses different self-concepts in communication with people, certain actions, etc. Self concepts have various dimensions: physical concept, personality concept, social self, the concept of character traits, and the concept that covers skills and abilities.

Physical concepts reveal the way a person describes himself to others with respect to how he perceives himself in physical dimension. Physically, each person has sex, body constitution, and physical characteristics. For example, a girl may describes herself as a healthy young woman with a well figure, good stamina, tall stature and slim body.

Personality concepts describe people’s personality from psychological point of view. Each person has a certain biological characteristics that reveal the nature of her/his individual temper, intellectual abilities, and other things that help her to distinguish from others. A middle-aged man can perceive himself as a sanguine-charismatic, smart person, with optimistic mood, who leads active life.

The same person may have numerous social selves as he/she interacts with during people and performs the corresponding social functions. Owing to this, a human life resembles a network, where all people continuously interact and bound with each other. For example, a young woman may describe herself as a teacher in school, a daughter for her parents, a mother in her own family, an assistant for her children, a friend for some other people, etc.

A person has certain character traits that make him a unique social creature. During people’s lives they can change or preserve more or less unchangeable. In this context, the self-concept of a schoolboy may be the following: he is talkative, self-confident, kind and outgoing person, with certain positive and negative personal sides.

The self-concept of skills and abilities of a person reveal the personal opportunities and talents in certain spheres of the life. For example, a child may be good in drawing, but bad in writing. An old man can be considered as Jack-of-all trades, because he can do practically everything in a good way. An artist may be extremely creative, but impractical man. Nevertheless, all people have their advantages and disadvantages.

Every day of their life people demonstrate their five major self-concepts. Owing to salience of self-concept, each person considers a certain self-concept as the most essential one; hence, he/she dedicates extra time and effort to it. For example, a woman may consider her social self as a mother to be the most important in her life.

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Essay Samples on Self Concept

The possession and self concept.

We are surrounded by many objects from our childhood that decide the significance of our character. In this regard, possession is an important aspect in the acquisition of one’s identity and ownership throughout the life of a person. They range from small items such as...

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For most of my life, I have grown up in a predominantly Asian and Indian community. I was constantly surrounded by peers who wanted a career in the STEM field, to become a lawyer, or go into finance. I, however, wanted to perform. Apart from...

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Self and identity are intertwined as each plays an important role in shaping the individual. In this case, the individual represents the whole, while one half holds the self and the other half identifies. Self is the aspect of an individual's personality or personality; on...

Role Of Adolescence In Development Of Self Concept

Erik Erikson believed that each stage of development had a purpose and was important to the progress of life (Rathus, Berk, Longmuir & Rogerson, 2018). His fifth stage was set between the ages of twelve to eighteen (Rathus, et al., 2018). This is a transitional...

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Self Concept Essay | Essay on Self Concept for Students and Children in English

February 7, 2024 by Prasanna

Self Concept Essay: Self-concept refers to how a person thinks about, evaluates, and perceives themselves. It is a concept of being aware of oneself or having a concept of oneself. It is considered a person’s belief about oneself and the person’s attributes about what they think about oneself.

The self-concept embodies the answer to “Who am I? It is the extent to which self-knowledge is defined. It applies to a person’s attitudes and dispositions.

You can also find more Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Self Concept for Students and Kids in English

We are providing essay samples to students on a long essay of 500 words in English and a short essay on 150 words in English on the topic Self Concept Essay for reference.

Long Essay on Self Concept 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Self Concept is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

According to Burns, in 1982, “self concept is an image which an individual has of themselves.” Conceptualization and its process form its origin. Self-concept is an important aspect of life because it molds our thinking process and how we act and behave in our everyday life. It is one primary effect that impacts managerial thinking. It has a powerful influence on one of the many behaviours.

The self-concept has three components, which are self-image, ideal self, and self-esteem. Self-image is how the person sees oneself. Self-esteem is how much the person values themselves, and the ideal self is how the person wishes himself to be. The concept of one’s self is active, dynamic, and malleable. The self-concept can be influenced by surrounding social situations and even if a person tends to motivate themselves.

With age, people tend to grow in knowledge, skills, and awareness about themselves. This consciousness is called self. It is the reflection of one’s own identity as an individual, as a person. There are various ways in which a person thinks about themselves. Self-concept is the thinking aspect of oneself. It forms a primary part of the personality and reflects many personality traits in a person.

It is a mental image that a person has about his strengths and weaknesses. These are the set of opinions, attitudes, and cognitions that an individual has on themselves. The self-concept can be distinguished from self-awareness. It is the extent to which self-knowledge can be defined.

The self-concept in a person includes the past, present, and future of an individual, where the future selves define what the person might become or what they yearn to become, or what they are afraid of becoming. People hold a perception of their past and future selves, based on which they hold their perception of their present selves.

The concept of oneself is considered malleable when a person is at his younger age and is still going through the process of discovering his habits, behaviours, likes, and dislikes. With age, perceptions become more organized and detailed. They form a better idea of what they want to become and what is most important for them.

Various psychologists have put forward different domains for a self-concept which are, social domain, which is the ability to interact with others; competence domain is the ability to meet the basic needs; affect domain is the state of awareness; the physical domain is the feeling about the appearance of oneself, the academic domain is the awareness of success and failure in school and family domain refers to how the individual functions with family.

The concept that a person has of himself is not always aligned with reality. The degree to which a person’s self-concept matches up to the reality is defined as congruence and incongruence. When self-concept aligns with reality, it is called congruence; it is called incongruence when it does not match up. It is always best to think positively regarding oneself for self-encouragement.

Short Essay on Self Concept 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Self Concept is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Self-concept is the personal knowledge of an individual about who they are, how they are encompassing all their thoughts and feelings. It includes knowledge about how a person behaves, their capabilities, and their characteristics.

The self-concept of an individual develops rapidly during a person’s childhood and adolescence. It tends to take shape, and further changes as a person learn more about themselves. The self-concept should be understood by the structure of awareness and knowledge. People pay attention to themselves and notice both their internal states as well as external behaviours.

People collect information regarding themselves and based on this information, the concept of one’s self tends to build up, and people expand their ideas about who they are. Self-concept is not a single unitary concept; it is dynamic and is impacted by both the individual and society. Self-approval can contribute to greater success in an individual if he or she accepts themselves as they are.

10 Lines on Self Concept Essay in English

1. Carl Rogers has mentioned three components of self-concept; they are self-image, self-esteem, and ideal self. 2. One’s own motivation can influence the self-concept for seeking self-knowledge. 3. The self-concept has an active structure, and it changes from time to time. 4. Adolescence is the critical period for the ideal development of the self-concept. 5. Self-concept is made up of multiple schemes. 6. The self-concept has large cognitive and motivational roots. 7. The influence of society can manipulate the self-concept. 8. It is hierarchical and depends on an individual’s perception. 9. The ideal self-concept of an individual helps a person to construct himself in the proper way. 10. The concept of one’s self differs from one individual to another depending upon their surroundings and upbringings.

FAQ’s on Self Concept Essay

Question 1. Can self-concept influence one’s academic performance?

Answer: There are various factors in which a person’s academic performance depends. The self-concept can influence the performance to a certain extent.

Question 2. Does the Self-concept have any influence on self-confidence?

Answer: Yes, it does. If one has a good perspective about oneself, it will have an advantage in a person’s self-confidence.

Question 3. What factors affect a person’s self-concept?

Answer: The factors are age, gender, and religion, along with self-esteem and self-image.

Question 4. Who created the self-concept?

Answer: Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow popularized the term “self-concept.”

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Callero, P. L. (2003). The Sociology of the Self. Annual Review of Sociology,29(1), 115-133. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.29.010202.100057.
Gecas, V. (1982). The Self-Concept. Annual Review of Sociology,8(1), 1-33. doi:10.1146/annurev.so.08.080182.000245.
Mcvittie, C., & Mckinlay, A. (2017). The Self. The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Social Psychology,389-408. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-51018-1_19.

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Writing a concept essay: essential tips and guidelines
Ensure that your essay possesses a clear introduction, body paragraphs that expound upon your chosen concept, and a comprehensive conclusion that ties together your arguments. Organize your thoughts in a logical manner, employing effective transitions that allow your essay to flow seamlessly. 4. Support your Claims:
Concept of the Self and Self-Esteem Essay (Critical Writing)
Among the most common and widely used ways of self, the approach is self-esteem and self-concept. self-esteem refers to how an individual views himself from an emotional or affective aspect. This refers to how an individual feels about himself and also how the individual values himself. This can also be referred to as self-worth.
Self-Concept in Psychology: Definition, Development, Theories
Psychologist Bruce A. Bracken had a slightly different theory and believed that self-concept was multidimensional, consisting of six independent traits: Academic: Success or failure in school. Affect: Awareness of emotional states. Competence: Ability to meet basic needs. Family: How well you work in your family unit.
What is Self-Concept Theory? A Psychologist Explains
A Definition. Self-concept is an overarching idea we have about who we are—physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and in terms of any other aspects that make up who we are (Neill, 2005). We form and regulate our self-concept as we grow, based on the knowledge we have about ourselves.
12 Self-Concept Examples (2024)
Examples of Self-Concept. 1. Ethical Self-Concept (E.g. I am an Environmentalist) People often see themselves as ethical beings first and foremost. They pride themselves on their ability to apply moral thinking to situations, and have red lines they draw about what they will and won't do in their lives.
Useful Tips for Writing an Essay Explaining a Concept
Steps to Write a Self Concept Essay. By following a pattern of effective and time-proven steps in your essay, you prevent your work randomness and inconsistency, which are signs of low-quality writing. 1. Topic. Choosing the topic for your essay is a paramount element of creating it. Determine what interests you the most about the self concept ...
74 Self-Concept Topic Ideas to Write about & Essay Samples
The concept of the self According to McLeod self concept is the perception that an individual holds about him or herself. Self Concept and Self Esteem in Interpersonal Communication. Low self-esteem is associated with a person's emotional response to self-perception and social expectation. Low-self esteem is associated with the feeling of ...
Self-Concept in Psychology: Definition & Examples
Self-concept in psychology refers to an individual's self-perceived knowledge, beliefs, and feelings about themselves, encompassing elements like self-worth, self-image, and self-esteem. It's formed through experiences, interactions, and reflections, and plays a pivotal role in influencing behavior, emotions, and interpersonal relationships. A healthy self-concept promotes well-being, while a ...
How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay
Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses. Mention objects that have special significance to you. Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight. Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality.
The Self Concept of Individuals
The philosophy of self is the understanding of salient characteristics that distinguish an individual from the rest. Philosophers regard the self as the ultimate source of an individual's awareness as a unitary being. The self is believed to be responsible for a person's ideas and resultant actions that are characteristic of the individual.
Self Concept Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines
PAGES 2 WORDS 615. Self-concept is the mental image or idea that I have of myself and my strengths, weaknesses and status such as self-image. These are the whole set of opinions, attitudes and cognitions individuals have on themselves. The paper is a response that I will examine the origins of my self-concept.
Self Concept Essay
Students can find more English Essay Writing Topics, Ideas, Easy Tips to Write Essay Writing and many more. Theory of Self Concept. There are different theories available on self-concept, being it a part of psychological studies. According to one theory, the self-concept has two main attributes namely Personal Identity and Social Identity.
Concept Essay Paper
A concept paper is a brief document written to provide an overview of a project, research, or idea. It outlines the main goals, objectives, and methods of the intended project, serving as a preliminary proposal. Concept papers are often used to seek approval or funding, presenting the project's significance, potential impact, and feasibility ...
My Self Concept Essay Examples
My Self Concept Essay Examples. 1340 Words6 Pages. My Self-Concept My self-concept includes a number of different adjectives and roles, these include both good and bad things. The adjectives I use to describe myself are as follows: kind, loyal, selfish, hard working, apathetic, practical, honest, occasionally rude, and procrastinator.
Self-Concept Essay Examples
Interpersonal Communication, Self-Concept, and Perception. Introduction Interpersonal Communication is the practice of transferring messages across individuals whose lifestyles cumulatively impact one another in distinctive patterns in response to cultural and social conventions and situations. There are numerous implications of interpersonal ...
Self-concept essay- how we view ourselves vs others
Communications 101 Self- Concept Essay February 13, 2022 Self-Concept Self-concept is formed through the experiences and interactions we have with other people. Based on research, the textbook definition of self-concept is a "set of relatively stable perceptions that we hold about ourselves" (Adler p. 53). This affects the way that we ...
Dimensions of the Self-Concept
The self-concept of skills and abilities of a person reveal the personal opportunities and talents in certain spheres of the life. For example, a child may be good in drawing, but bad in writing. An old man can be considered as Jack-of-all trades, because he can do practically everything in a good way. An artist may be extremely creative, but ...
Self Concept Essays at WritingBros
Role Of Adolescence In Development Of Self Concept. Erik Erikson believed that each stage of development had a purpose and was important to the progress of life (Rathus, Berk, Longmuir & Rogerson, 2018). His fifth stage was set between the ages of twelve to eighteen (Rathus, et al., 2018). This is a transitional... Self Concept. Self Efficacy.
Self Concept Essay
10 Lines on Self Concept Essay in English. 1. Carl Rogers has mentioned three components of self-concept; they are self-image, self-esteem, and ideal self. 2. One's own motivation can influence the self-concept for seeking self-knowledge. 3. The self-concept has an active structure, and it changes from time to time.
my self concept essay
Self Concept Research Paper. "Self-Concept" Self-Concept is the perception we have of our skills, abilities and personality traits. The way we are to perceive ourselves and the way those around us perceive us, makes our persona, but these perceptions of ourselves continuously change throughout our lives. From a very early age we start growing ...
Self-Analysis: Shaping Identity and Personal Development: [Essay
Let us write you an essay from scratch. 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help; Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours; Write my essay. ... Three Views of the Enduring Self Essay. The concept of the enduring self has been a subject of philosophical inquiry for centuries. It pertains to the idea that there is a core aspect of an ...
Self concept essay
Recommended for you. 8. Understanding the Self Module 10-14 Answers (political self, digital self, material self) Understanding the Self 100% (7) 7. ( FLCT Module 1) Understanding the Self 100% (2) 1. Understanding THE SELF QUIZ ( Sociology)
Who I Am: Defining My Self-Concept
In other words, the self is a continuous recalibration of constructs (Gecas, 1982). Personally, my concept of self is the product of a recurrently restructured narrative, a sort of dynamic construct through which I sense my existence. As a human being, I am persistently discovering the inside and outside of my self, as well and how structured ...

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This Article Contains:

Self-Concept vs. Self-Esteem

Self-Concept vs. Self-Image

Self-Concept vs. Self-Efficacy

Self-Concept vs. Self-Awareness

Identity and Self-Concept Theory in Psychology vs. Self-Concept in Sociology

Carl Rogers and the Self-Concept Theory of Personality

Self-Concept Maintenance Theory

Self-Concept Clarity and Self-Concept Differentiation

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Dimensions of Self-Concept

The Formation of Self-Concept During Early Childhood

Self-Concept in Middle Childhood

The Development of Self-Concept in Adolescence

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12 Self-Concept Examples

Definition of Self-Concept

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2. Religious Self-Concept

3. Personality Based Self-Concept (E.g. Introvert or Extrovert)

4. Sports Team Affiliation

5. Identification with a Profession (E.g. I am a Professor)

6. Strong and Independent Woman (E.g. I am a Feminist)

7. Symbolic Association (What we Buy)

8. Political Self-Concept (E.g. I am a Democrat)

9. The “Other People” Self-Concept

10. Body Image (E.g. I am Muscular)

11. High School Cliques (E.g. I am a Jock)

12. Family-Based Self-Concept (E.g. I am a Family Man)

Self-Concept vs Self-Esteem

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