Tyra Waterton

9/8/17

The Self-Concept Paper

Self-concept is defined as a relatively stable set of beliefs that each of us holds of ourselves

(Adler). In laymans terms, who we think we are. The concept seems easy enough to remember,

easy enough to recall on a test, and I can explain it in my own words. Everything is crystal clear

until someone asks me to write an essay about myself. Then suddenly, the skies part, I stare into

the distance as I realize that I dont know how to explain who I am. I would define myself as a

complex enigma of paradoxes that are in a perpetual rivalry for my personality. Confusing, yet

exciting. What I do know is that I am the hot mess known as Tyra Waterton, born of an

American mother and a Guyanese father in 1999. I am an extroverted, introvert. A daughter. A

sister. The girl who towers at approximately 510, with the confusing skin tone that can neither

be classified as dark-skinned or light-skinned, and a winning smile. However, my physical traits

are not half as interesting as my personality. When I think of who I am, my thoughts are what

come to mind. I believe my head is a relatively marvelous place, and I doubt I can do it justice on

paper. One trait I value above all else is my ability to see things from more than one perspective.

When asked my religion I say Christian or Baptist, however I am more spiritual than religious.

For example, the idea of astrology makes sense to me, though it is often regarded with pagan

beliefs. Officially, my sexual orientation is straight because Ive never been sexually attracted to

a female, but Im open to anything. James Dean once said No, I am not a homosexual. But, I'm

also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back. If I had to identify as
anything it would be, just riding this out but mostly straight. While some of my beliefs were

self-developed, most of my personality came from experiences. A significant other is defined as

a person whose opinion is important enough to affect ones self-concept strongly (Adler). The

people I considered significant others growing up shaped my approach to life and the way I feel

about myself, specifically my self-esteem and self-image.

When I was younger I was afraid of everything. I used to be shy, timid, and soft-spoken. It was

really annoying. My dad was the definition of the word extrovert. He played sports, went to

every party as a teenager, and was friends with everyone. He taught all of his kids to stick up for

themselves. My parents were the type to say, Dont let anybody put their hands on you. or If

you get into a fight and lose, youre getting your [butt] whooped when you get home too. I

wasnt allowed to be pushed around. So while I wasnt one for speech, my self-esteem has

always been pretty high. I was never a part of cliques in school. This could have been due to the

fact that I wasnt very sociable or because I was too different. I used to get left out of stuff

frequently and that would upset me. However, I mostly experienced anger because I knew they

werent better than me. Ive always thought I was pretty great and I knew that someday I would

be rich for something. Recently, I have risen to borderline arrogance. I am confident about every

situation (within reasonable limits). I try not to over-estimate myself but underestimating

yourself is way more dangerous. If you overestimate you might rise to the occasion or fail. If you

underestimate you never get to find out. Self-esteem is described as our evaluations of self-worth

(Adler). I see my level of self-esteem as the amount of potential I know I have, that amount is

high.
I see myself as a lot of things. At school I think I am precocious, an intellectual, a scholar of

sorts. There are a lot of skills that could improve, but thats why I am there. Around friends I am

hilarious, the most entertaining thing since the silent movies. Or depending on the situation I take

on the role of the responsible mom-friend. At home I am the youngest girl with the adorable dog.

But my opinions are not all based on self-serving bias, or interpreting information in a way that

casts the perceiver in the most favorable manner (Adler), I also see my faults I procrastinate like

I get payed to do it. I am incredibly lazy and never want to go anywhere. And my room is looks

like it gets hit by a tornado every morning. I try to be optimistic about my capabilities and

outlook on life because it is easy to be stifled by negativity. When I was younger my feelings

were a lot more fragile. In third grade we learned about adding and subtracting fractions. The

teacher asked for the answer to the problem, and everyones hands shot up. However, she opted

to call on me. Thinking back I suppose it mustve been opposite day because my hand certainly

was NOT raised. The teacher prodded at the simplicity of the problem, so I made an educated

guess. Three halves? It was incorrect. My classmates roared with obnoxious laughter. The

teacher, regarded my answer as dumb and proceeded to the next student. The moral of the story

is that Im still not very good at fractions. This most likely stemmed from the fact that I assumed

I was terrible at it until my freshman year. One event changed my self-image, or how I saw

myself concerning math. Negative thinking can only lead to negative results. Now, I try to take a

yes-I-can approach to everything before I automatically accept defeat.

Inescapably, the experiences I encounter will continue to affect the way I develop. I have learned

a lesson for every good, bad, unusual, or unexpected situation I have been in. There is knowledge

everywhere. I think of experiencing each moment as studying for the next. I like to live life week
by week, day by day, problem by problem and resolution to resolution. And along the way if my

self-esteem seems arrogant or my self-image seems bias, thats okay. Being arrogant is healthier

than self-deprecating. Staying positive is better than staying negative. I can only dream that when

Im older I have an entire arsenal of experiences, and lessons to share with my kids. Hopefully,

more good than bad.