Answer:
Who are you? What makes you “you?”
You might answer with “I’m a mother,” or, “I’m a therapist,” or maybe, “I’m a believer,” “I’m a good friend,” “I’m a brother.”
Maybe you answer with, “I am excellent at my job,” “I’m an accomplished musician,” or “I’m a successful athlete.”
Other responses might fall into the category of traits: “I’m a kind-hearted person,” “I’m intelligent and hard-working,” or “I’m laid-back and easy-going.”
These responses come from your internal sense of who you are. This sense is developed early in life, but it goes through constant evaluation and adjustment throughout the lifespan.
In psychology, this sense of self has a specific term: self-concept.
Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you understand and show more compassion and kindness to yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students or employees improve their self-compassion.
You can download the free PDF here.
This Article Contains:
What is Self-Concept? A Definition
Self-Concept Theory
The Components and Elements of the Self-Concept Model
The Development Stages of Self-Concept
10 Examples of Self-Concept
Research on Self-Concept
Measuring Self-Concept with Scales, Tests, and Inventories
Self-Concept Activities and Lesson Plans for Preschoolers and Older Students (PDF)
Self-Concept Worksheets (PDF)
8 Quotes on Self-Concept
Take-Home Message
References
What is Self-Concept? A Definition
Self-concept is an overarching idea we have about who we are—physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and in terms of any other aspects that make up who we are (Neill, 2005). We form and regulate our self-concept as we grow, based on the knowledge we have about ourselves. It is multidimensional, and can be broken down into these individual aspects.
For example, you may have a very different idea of who you are in terms of your physical body, and who you are in terms of your spirit or soul.
The influential self-efficacy researcher Roy Baumeister (1999) defines self-concept as follows:
“The individual’s belief about himself or herself, including the person’s attributes and who and what the self is.”
A similar definition comes from Rosenberg’s 1979 book on the topic; he says self-concept is:
“…the totality of an individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object.”
Self-concept is related to several other “self” constructs, such as self-esteem, self-image, self-efficacy, and self-awareness. In the following section, we will explain these slight—yet important—differences.
Self-Concept vs. Self-Esteem
Self-concept is not self-esteem, although self-esteem may be a part of self-concept. Self-concept is the perception that we have of ourselves, our answer when we ask ourselves the question “Who am I?”
It is knowing about one’s own tendencies, thoughts, preferences and habits, hobbies, skills, and areas of weakness. According to Carl Rogers, founder of client-centered therapy, self-concept is an overarching construct that self-esteem is one of the components of it (McLeod, 2008).
Self-Concept vs. Self-Image
Self-image is related to self-concept but is less broad. Self-image is how an individual sees themselves, and it does not have to align with reality.
A person’s self-image is based on how they see themselves, while self-concept is a more comprehensive evaluation of the self, largely based on how a person sees themselves, values themselves, thinks about themselves, and feels about themselves.
Carl Rogers posited that self-image is a component of self-concept, along with self-esteem or self-worth and one’s “ideal self” (McLeod, 2008).
Self-Concept vs. Self-Efficacy
Self-concept is a more complex construct than self-efficacy. While self-efficacy refers to an individual’s judgments of their own abilities, self-concept is more general and includes both cognitive (thoughts about) and affective (feelings about) judgments about oneself (Bong & Clark, 1999).
Self-Concept vs. Self-Awareness
Self-awareness also influences self-concept. It is the quality or trait that involves conscious awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and traits (Cherry, 2018A). To have a fully developed self-concept (and one that is based in reality), a person must have at least some level
