Self-concept
In the psychology of self, one's self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self-structure) is a collection of beliefs about oneself.
[3] The self-concept is distinguishable from self-awareness, which is the extent to which self-knowledge is defined, consistent, and currently applicable to one's attitudes and dispositions.
Psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow had major influence in popularizing the idea of self-concept in the West.
[9] Rogers also hypothesized that psychologically healthy people actively move away from roles created by others' expectations, and instead look within themselves for validation.
"[10] According to Carl Rogers, the self-concept has three different components:[11][12] Abraham Maslow applied his concept of self-actualization in his hierarchy of needs theory.
[13] The self-categorization theory developed by John Turner states that the self-concept consists of at least two "levels": a personal identity and a social one.
[14] Children and adolescents begin integrating social identity into their own self-concept in elementary school by assessing their position among peers.
are assessed and applied to self-schemas, which are ideas of oneself in a particular dimension (e.g., someone that considers themselves a geek will associate "geek-like" qualities to themselves).
A person's self-concept may change with time as reassessment occurs, which in extreme cases can lead to identity crises.
[23] At this point, children are developmentally prepared to interpret their own feelings and abilities, as well as receive and consider feedback from peers, teachers, and family.
For example, a study at Kuwait University with a small sample of 102 individuals with gender dysphoria examined self-concept, masculinity and femininity.
[43] Clearly, it is important to consider the context of social and political attitudes and beliefs before drawing any conclusions about gender identities in relation to personality, particularly about mental health and issues around acceptable behaviours.
The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory is a self-report questionnaire developed in 1981 to measure attitudes toward the self among children, adolescents and adults.
Originally, the inventory was aimed at children in school (8-15 years) but later on, a revised version where 17 of the 58 items were rephrased to use with adults.
Productive coping behaviours include focusing on the positive, finding solutions to the problem, and physical recreation, while non-productive mechanisms involve worrying, self blame, and wishful thinking.
[55] Additionally, one's social norms and cultural identities have a large effect on self-concept and mental well-being.
One of the social norms within a Western, independent culture is consistency, which allows each person to maintain their self-concept over time.
[57] Anit Somech, an organizational psychologist and professor, who carried a small study in Israel showed that the divide between independent and interdependent self-concepts exists within cultures as well.
They used hobbies and preferences to describe their traits, which is more frequently seen in interdependent cultures as these serve as a means of comparison with others in their society.
This term captures the idea of a situational predicament as a contingency of their [marginalized] group identity, a real threat of judgment or treatment in the person's environment that went beyond any limitations within.
"[60] Steele and Aronson described the idea of stereotype threat in their study of how this socio‐psychological notion affected the intellectual performance of African Americans.
[61] Steele and Aronson tested a hypothesis by administering a diagnostic exam between two different groups: African American and White students.
The findings were that academic performance of the African American students was significantly lower than their White counterparts when a stereotype threat was perceived after controlling for intellectual ability.
Hidden curriculum refers to a covert expression of prejudice where one standard is accepted as the "set and right way to do things".
[clarification needed] For example, the model of "teacher as the formal authority" is the orthodox teaching role that has been perpetuated[by whom?]
It seems boys see themselves as building larger group relationships based on shared interests, threaten, boast, and call names.
It is important to observe there is no link between self concepts and skills [i.e., correlations about r = 0.19 are rather weak if statistically significant with large samples].
[70] In recent years, more women have been entering into the STEM field, working in predominantly mathematics, technology and science related careers.
The study found that it affected the formation in three different ways: risk taking, communication of personal views, and perceptions of influences.
When it came to communication about personal views, half of the participants reported that it was easier to express these opinions online, because they felt an enhanced ability to be creative and meaningful.
