Defining The Self

Defining the self
The concept of self refers to the union of elements (such as body, emotions, thoughts, and
sensations) that constitute the individuality and identity of a person (Merriam-Webster online
dictionary). It is used to suggest how someone thinks about, perceives and evaluates
themselves.
Many theorists have tried to define the concept of self and to discover how it develops during
one’s life and how personal experiences and circumstances might shape it. Each self is
unique because its shaping depends on each individual’s religious, social, physical, emotional
and spiritual background. The concept of self usually develops in childhood and early
adulthood when it can still be modified or updated, according to the situation. But, this does
not mean that it cannot be altered later, in life, if necessary. It might be influenced by
biological and environmental factors, but the most important influence on it is given by the
social interaction.
During their lives, people form, shape and develop their concept of self, according to the
information one discovers about themselves, in different aspects of their daily life. It has
more dimensions that must be taken into consideration: self-esteem, self-image, self-efficacy
and self-awareness. Let’s explore them, one by one, to find out what role they have in the
construction of a solid, beautiful self.
1. Self-esteem refers to the positivity of a person’s concept of self. In psychology, the

term self-esteem describes the subjective sense of a person; about his/her own
personal value. It simply shows how much someone likes and appreciates themselves,
regardless of the situation. A strong, healthy self-esteem has the power to influence
people’s motivation, planning and well-being. It affects the quality of life.[1] A very
high or a very low level of self-esteem can be extremely problematic, that is why, it is
advisable to try and establish a balance between these two extremes. It is also referred
to as: self-respect, self-worth and self-regard.
The psychologist Abraham Maslow placed self-esteem at the top of his hierarchy of
needs, claiming that esteem is one of the basic human motivations. People need to feel
appreciated by those around them and also, by themselves. Someone who doesn’t love
themselves has difficulties in building self-esteem. Also, there are more factors that can alter
an individual’s self-esteem: age, disability, racism, discrimination, genetics, physical
abilities, illness, socioeconomic status and thought patterns. Many times, our own personal
experiences form the foundation for building our self-esteem. People who were criticized
most of their lives by their family or/and friends, tend to have a very low level of self-esteem,
while those who have received constant support and appreciation have a high level.
It is very easy to recognize a person with a high level of self-esteem: they usually
have a positive outlook on life, they have no problems in refusing undesirable requests, they
know how to express their needs, they avoid dwelling on past bad memories/experiences,
they feel confident and know very well their own faults an qualities. On the other hand,
individuals with low self-esteem believe that they are not as good as the others, they have
difficulties in expressing their needs, they focus mostly on their weaknesses, they experience
fear and self-doubt, they feel they have no control over their actions or life and they have
troubles in accepting positive feedback.
People with excessive self-esteem have the clear tendency to: believe they are
invincible and unbreakable, think they are always right, perceive themselves as being perfect,
Self-esteem can be defined by various factors: identity, self-confidence, feeling of

security, feeling of competence and sense of belonging.
2. Self-image: refers to the way in which people see themselves, both internally and
externally.
“Self-image is how you perceive yourself. It is a number of self-impressions that have

built up over time… These self-images can be very positive, giving a person confidence in
their thoughts and actions, or negative, making a person doubtful of their capabilities and
ideas.”[2]
Random House Dictionary defines self-image as “the idea, conception, or mental

image one has of oneself.”[3]
An individual’s perceptions of reality represent the main foundation for the building
of self-image. Self-image changes over the years, along with the individual’s personal
experiences and circumstances. Self-image can be controlled by the individual, if he or she
chooses to. It’s only a matter of will.
According to Suzaan Oltmann[4], an individual’s self-image has three elements:
- How someone sees themselves and what they think about themselves;
- What a person thinks other think about him/her;
- The ideal self of a person.
There are also six dimensions that need to be taken into account for a better
understanding of what self-image really means:
- The physical dimension (how a person thinks he or she looks like);

- The psychological dimension (what a person thinks about his or her personality);
- The intellectual dimension (what a person thinks about his or her intelligence);
- The skills dimension (what a person thinks about his or her social and technical
skills);
- The moral dimension ( what a person thinks about his or her values and principles);
- The sexual dimension (how a person succeeds to adapt to the masculine/feminine
norms of the society they belong to).
There are people who have a positive self-image and there are people who have a
negative self-image. People with a positive self-image have the habit to:
- Perceive themselves as being attractive;

- Perceive themselves as being intelligent;
- Perceive themselves as being happy and healthy;
- Perceive themselves as being almost perfect;
- Believe that other people perceive them in the same positive manner.
People with a negative self-image have the tendency to:
- Think they are not attractive;

- Think they are rather stupid;
- Not feel healthy or happy;
- Believe they are far from being perfect;
- Think that the others perceive them just as bad as they do.
Unfortunately, many people become obsessed with self-image and lose

control, especially when the physical dimension is involved. And the consequences appear
before too long: eating disorder, depression, anxiety, physical disfigurement, shame etc. The
good news is that many programs have been developed in the recent years; programs meant
to help people with self-image issues overcome their problems.
3. Self-efficacy: “it is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a particular
situation.” Psychologist Albert Bandura described these beliefs as “determinants of
how people think, behave, and feel”.[5]
According to psychologist Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, self-efficacy is

the key to understanding observational learning, social experience and reciprocal
determinism. Bandura also claims that self-efficacy is an extremely important part of
the self-system. The self-system is made up of an individual’s cognitive skills,
attitudes and abilities. Its purpose is to influence the way in which people perceive
different situations and their reactions to them. Self-efficacy can have an impact on
everything from psychological states to behavior to motivation.[6]
Individuals with a strong sense of self-efficacy have the habit of:

- Recovering rapidly from setbacks and after being disappointed;
- Showing greater interest in their activities;
- Becoming committed to their activities;
- Seeing problems as challenges.
On the other hand, people who possess a weak self-efficacy have the tendency to:
- avoid challenges;
- believe they are unable to solve difficult tasks;
- focus their attention on negative results, more than they should;
- stop believing in their ability to solve a task once it becomes more difficult.
Bandura claims that there are four major sources of self-efficacy: mastery
experience, social modeling, social persuasion and psychological responses.
"The most effective way of developing a strong sense of efficacy is through

mastery experiences," claims Bandura.[7] A person that has managed to successfully fulfill a
difficult task will discover that his/her sense of efficacy is stronger and that he feels more
confident in his ability to face daily challenges. On the contrary, if an individual is not able to
successfully perform, at least, some of his daily tasks, than he or she will feel like a failure
and the sense of self-efficacy will be weakened.
4. Self-awareness means being aware of your own feelings, abilities, physical and moral
characteristics. This is considered to be a psychological state in which one’s self is the
main focus of the attention. When they are born, people are not totally self-aware.
They become aware of who and how they are according to different situations and
personal experiences that shape their personality.
Some psychologists have divided self-awareness in two categories: public self-

awareness and private self-awareness. Public self-awareness appears when the
individual is the center of the attention: in those particular moments, he or she
becomes very aware of the way in which the others might perceive him/her. Private
self-awareness can be very well defined by the moments, in which an individual is
aware of a particular moral, psychological or physical aspect of his /her person. This
might happen when a person sees herself/himself in the reflection of a window shop
or looks at her own reflection in the mirror. This is an internal process and the person
in question might not always be happy with the conclusions.
When a person finds herself/himself in the spotlight, he/she might feel nervous and
intimidated by the other’s attention. This usually leads to a heightened state of self-
awareness, which is known as self-consciousness. In most cases, the state of self-
consciousness is temporary because it arises in special circumstances, like receiving
too much unwanted attention from the others. When the “focused” individual is no
longer the center of the attention, these feelings diminish in intensity and, finally,
disappear.
Nowadays, the continued development of technology allows people to create and

recreate themselves, over and over again. So many social networks, offering
numerous ways of presenting and representing yourself in the digital world have lead
to many and unexpected ways through which people can show their identity, who they
are. The limits of oneself is fluid and it can be influenced by biological, artifactual
and sociocultural structures. Thus, a person’s extended self will be represented by
his/her material possessions, friends, family, pets, body, groups he/she belongs to.
Due to the flourishing of internet services and technological development, social
media, online games, devices that facilitate our access into these wonderful digital
worlds, people have numerous ways that help them present their virtual selves to other
users of the same digital products. Researchers have discovered four levels of the
extended-self:
- Individual level: Personal possessions;
- Family level: Residence and furnishings;
- Community level: Neighbourhood or town/city
- Group level: Social groups.
[1]
Nguyen Dat,Tan, Wright Pamela, Dedding Christine, Pham, Tam, Thi, Bunders Joske, Low self-esteem and its
association with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in Vietnamese secondary school students: A cross-
sectional study, Vietnam, Front Psychiatry, 2019,p.32.
Fein Steven.& Spencer Steven, Prejudice as self-image maintenance: Affirming the self through derogating
[2]
others, Washington, American Psychological Association, 1997, pp. 31-44.

[3]
Seymour Barofsky, Carole Cook, Pamela DeVinne, Hernandez Wanda, Random House Webester’s
Dictionary, fourth edition, Ballantine Books, New York, 2001, page 476.
[4]
Oltmann is teaching and learning specialist at Varsity College, Africa.
[5]
Bandura Albert, Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies, UK, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp.
56-57.
[6]
Bandura Albert, Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review. UK,
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1977, pp.191-215.
[7]
Bandura Albert, Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. UK, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press; 1997, pp.
36-38.

Defining The Self

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Defining The Self

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Defining The Self

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Defining the self

1. Self-esteem refers to the positivity of a person’s concept of self. In psychology, the

Self-esteem can be defined by various factors: identity, self-confidence, feeling of

“Self-image is how you perceive yourself. It is a number of self-impressions that have

Random House Dictionary defines self-image as “the idea, conception, or mental

According to Suzaan Oltmann[4], an individual’s self-image has three elements:

- The physical dimension (how a person thinks he or she looks like);

- Perceive themselves as being attractive;

People with a negative self-image have the tendency to:

- Think they are not attractive;

Unfortunately, many people become obsessed with self-image and lose

According to psychologist Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, self-efficacy is

Individuals with a strong sense of self-efficacy have the habit of:

"The most effective way of developing a strong sense of efficacy is through

Some psychologists have divided self-awareness in two categories: public self-

Nowadays, the continued development of technology allows people to create and

- Family level: Residence and furnishings;

- Community level: Neighbourhood or town/city

- Group level: Social groups.

others, Washington, American Psychological Association, 1997, pp. 31-44.

You might also like