Self concept refers to conscious or unconscious perceptions and feelings about ourselves, with regard to our worth as persons.
Self concept begins during our early development, how we are told who we are and what worth we have. In the process, we acquire a picture of ourselves and we begin to qualify our experiences according to this view we have of ourselves.
The beginning of healthy relationships lies within the self. Knowing and loving yourself enables you to reach out positively to others. Thus, the foundation of respect for others is self- respect.
we may begin by assessing our present self- concept level. Basically, there are three dimensions of self- concept.
a.
Self image- refers to all perceptions & feelings about our worth with regards to physical and social appearance. Physical appearance includes our genetic inheritance and our physical attribute such as height, build, weight, and others.
Social appearance include our roles, names, and titles.
b.
Self- confidence- refers to all our perceptions and feeling about our worth with regards to our capabilities. The ability to do things, to achieve and to develop more competencies.
c.
Self- esteem- refers to all perceptions & feelings about our worth with regard to lovability. This relates to our basic ability to love and be loved.
A person is said to have a low or negative self- concept when he sees himself to have no worth, while a person is said to have high or positive self- concept when he sees himself to have value or worth.
Both inferiority and superiority complexes are symptoms of poor self concept. A person with superiority complex tries very hard to exhibit his worth to others by overstressing his strength. In truth, he is not really sure of his worth. On the other hand, a person with an inferiority complex suffers from extreme feelings or negative self- worth that he is unable to recognize his strength and thus, overstresses his weaknesses.
Our self concept is the result of past experiences as well as feedback from important people in our lives. Our relationship with our parents is an external entity that lays the groundwork for us as we grow. Later, we internalize that love and thus create our own self love. As we mature, self- love becomes predicated on conditions and standards are often skewed or distorted.
Our self- concept plays a significant role in our lives since it serves both as a mirror and a filter. It serves as a mirror because it reflects to us a picture of ourselves, which in turn affects us either positively or negatively. At the same time, our self concept filters our experiences so that we can interpret them according to the existing perceptions of ourselves. If a person for example gives me a gift out affection, yet I do not believe I am lovable, I could interpret the gesture as a person's need to get favors from me. In a way, reality is distorted as a result of the filtering process which my self- concept is responsible for. That s why it is necessary for us to develop a healthier self- concept.
