The Self Concept

             "The self-concept does not exist at birth" (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor 29). However, it begins to develop as human begins grow and change. We begin to see the first sign of a self concept forming at six to seven months, when children begin to discover different parts of them. There are two theories describing how interaction helps form self-concept. The first is reflected appraisal. Reflected appraisal is the "perceptions of the judgments of those around him or her" (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor 30). Meaning, the more supportive and positive messages you hear, concerning yourself, the more you will learn to appreciate and value yourself. Where as, the more negative messages you hear, concerning yourself, the more likely you will feel less loved and incapable (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor 30). "Your self-concept can be seen, at least in part, as a product of the messages you've received throughout your life" (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor 30). The "significant other" is a term assigned to describe those whose evaluations are especially influential (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor 30). The second is social comparison, "evaluating ourselves in terms of how we compare with others" (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor 31). "We decide whether we are superior or inferior and similar or different by comparing ourselves to what social scientist call reference groups – those people we use to evaluate our own characteristics" (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor 31).
             Three aspects of the self-concept include: The self-concept is subjective; a healthy self-concept is flexible; and the self concept resists change. The self-concept is subjective in the sense some people may have extremely high self-esteem due to distorted feed back from others. For example: "A boss may claim to be a great manager because assistants poor on false praise in order to keep their jobs" (Adler, Rosenfeld, & Pro...

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The Self Concept. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 02:22, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/25953.html