Ereno, Irish Pauline L.

Self

PS3B

Self-concept is the knowledge about oneself, a multi-dimensional construct that refers to an individual's perception of "self" in relation to any number of characteristics or self schema. Self schemas are beliefs about self that organize and guide the processing of self-relevant information. We developed self concept by: (1) Other peoples judgments. If people admire us, flatter us, seek out our company, listen attentively and agree with us we tend to develop a positive self-image. If they avoid us, neglect us, tell us things about ourselves that we dont want to hear we develop a negative self-image. (2) Social comparison. If the people we compare ourselves with (our reference group) appear to be more successful, happier, richer, better looking than ourselves we tend to develop a negative self image BUT if they are less successful than us our image will be positive. (3) Roles one play. Some social roles carry prestige e.g. doctor, airline pilot, TV. presenter, premiership footballer and this promotes self-esteem. Other roles carry stigma. E.g. prisoner, mental hospital patient, refuse collector or unemployed person. (4) Social Identity. Roles arent just out there. They also become part of our personality i.e. we identity with the positions we occupy, the roles we play and the groups we belong to (5) Introspection. It is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires, and sensation Assessment of the self-concept has been shown to differ across cultures. In Western cultures, they value individualism, to give priority to ones own goals and identifying ones identity in terms of personal attribute. The normative imperative is to become independent from others and to discover and express ones attributes Relationships, memberships, groups, and their needs and goals, tend to be secondary to the self. In Asian and non-Western cultures, they value collectivism, giving priority to ones groups and defining ones identity accordingly. Interpersonal relationships are more central than ones individual accomplishments. Great emphasis is placed on these relationships, and the self is seen primarily as an integral part of society.

Self esteemrefers 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. (1) High self esteem we have a positive view of ourselves. This tends to lead to o Higher motivation o Improved social relation o Confidence in our own abilities o Self acceptance o Not worrying about what others think o Optimism (2) Low self esteem we have a negative view of ourselves. This tends to lead to o Drug abuse o Depression o Delinquency o Lack of confidence o Want to be/look like someone else o Always worrying what others might think o Pessimism We developed self esteem by self comparison and judgment from others. Self Control--the ability to control one's emotions, behavior and desires in order to obtain some reward later, and is the capacity of efficient management to the future. It operates similarly to muscular strength; both are weaker after exertion, replenished with rest, and strengthened by exercise. Self Efficacythe belief that one is capable of performing in a certain manner to attain certain goals. People with high self-efficacy in a task are more likely to make more of an effort, and persist longer, than those with low efficacy. The stronger the self-efficacy or mastery expectations, the more active the efforts. On the other hand, low self-efficacy provides an incentive to learn more about the subject. As a result, someone with a high self-efficacy may not prepare sufficiently for a task. Learned Helplessnesshopeless and resignation when an individual perceive no control over repeated bad events. This inaction can lead people to overlook opportunities for relief or change. For example, a child who performs poorly on math tests and assignments will quickly begin to

feel that nothing he does will have any effect on his math performance. When later faced with any type of math-related task, he may experience a sense of helplessness.