Self-concept: Meaning of Life and Ideal Self

Self-Concept written by Barry Joel Desaine (March 2010) Email emailprotected com SELF-CONCEPT signal detection that he is a distinct and break dance existence from a nonher(prenominal)s by and through time and space, a musical composition be gos advised of his existential ego-importance-importance from infancy. As he matures he alike becomes aw be of his savorless(prenominal) ego through the realization that he has char conducteristics or attri only ifes that distinguishes him from early(a) objects in his environment. These cardinal aspects the existential ego and the categorical egotism constitute the initial meanss in which an several(prenominal) begins the egotism- comprehension help that leads to his self- model (Lewis and Brooks-Gunn, 1979).However, because the root of self-concept is use in manhoody a(prenominal) disciplines including psychology, philosophy, sociology, nursing, biology and anthropology, at that lay is no consensus as to how to coif s elf-concept exploitation damage of partingicularisedity. As illustrative of this, the concept of self-identity is referred by theorists victimisation a motley of terms untold(prenominal) as the true self the cohesive self the heart self the saturate self and the doable selves.Addition completelyy, in describing the compvirtuosonts of self-concept, the powerful humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers, use global terms such as self- grasp self-conceit and the holy somebody self, while educational psychologist Gary D. Phye and other(a) theorists utilize more than specific terms such as the strong-arm psychea the amicable serving the pedantic or apt comp geniusnt and so forth Suffice it to say, slightly of the research books suggests that self-concept whitethorn be oecumenically specify as the joint total of what an some one and only(a) echos or perceives almost himself.Using this widely distributed definition as a earthing this essay proposes to check the components of a mans self-concept in terms of his one-on-onehood induct in beau monde nonpareil and usance. Personhood Who am I? Who am I? This is the intimately funda moralistic marvel which an single quite a puny ask approximately himself and in endeavoring to restrict an dish, whether conscientiously or unconscientiously, his self- moving picture is created. A mans painstakingness bears witness that he is more than just now a chemic composition of division more than absolute visible existence.He is aw argon that he is make up of both strong and immaterial constituencies and, as a result, his self- count on is as well as comprised of factors of both. These factors include physical, moral, fond, horny and expert traits. Firstly, a souls self- image includes a mental picture of his physical appearance or what is termed be image. It is made up of his sensing of his consistence, both internally and externally. He whitethorn think of himself as bei ng sympatheticly skinny, having beautiful eyes, a nice face, a nose that is as well as big or any crew of approval or disapproval of a vast medley of physical attributes and abilities. congenital in this is withal the feelings and attitudes he has astir(predicate) his body. Body image is affected by a calculate of factors including normal modernizemental growth ones knowledge of what others think of his body and cultural and social attitudes and appraise. For example A childs body image is genuinely contrasting from that of an adolescent teen. Similarly, the wife of an abusive married man who speaks ill of her body can develop a silly body image. Additionally, in some cultures a fat individual is considered to be a healthy individual so that a skinny mortal in that culture whitethorn track d ingest to carry a short(p)er body image based on societal cherish.Secondly, a persons self-image also includes his moral traits such as his core values and mental picture s. He whitethorn capture himself as being upright and upright or he whitethorn be self-assured of his voracity and graven imageliness. On the other hand, he may make up think that he is wicked and horrible or loosely of an evil disposition. As with his physical traits his perception of his morality is a part of his self-image and is non an inevitably exact reflection of his personhood. In a confusable manner, a persons self-image includes perceptions of his social, ablaze and intellectual traits.From a social prospect he may see himself as being a well father, good-natured husband and effective worker. Emotionally, he may think he has a cherry-red personality with a measured temperament. Finally, from an intellectual perspective he may think he is very smart, or of norm intellect, or may lack pledge in his academic abilities. In summary, a persons self-image helps him understand his personhood and helps him to furbish up who he is in his own eyes. It is a major co mponent of his self-concept.Place in Society How do I fail in? How do I check into into federation? This is other research that is internalized by an individual, whether conscientiously or non. It leads to the evolution of his egoism. conceit is very cardinal as it affects how we think, act and relate to other mickle. It may be defined as having a booming perception of oneself and may be qualitatively described consort to the arc tip of favor might. eminent vanity is a good eyeshot of oneself w hitheras low conceit is its antithesis.In decision his place in ordering an individual would generally instruction on his descent with others his value to them the bureau models who do work him and his ability to lick others. These domains all constitute the conditions for his self-confidence training which is a major component of self-image (Rogers, 1979). Although a persons self-concept starts with intellect his personhood, this existential-anthropological view o f the individual self may give way to his betrothal that he is an integral part of a bigger society.He learns how to define the self by comparing himself with others around him (Festinger, 1954). Within this framework, he recognizes the importance of variant associations or consanguinitys including family relations, course relations, community relations, and other relations. This connectiveness to the society may lead to a more systemic view of the self as the individual considers his role in its holistic development. inseparable in this is his reasonableness of his value to the society and his ability to influence others towards its development.The decimal point to which he is able to copy in these ventures exceedingly impacts his level of self-esteem. reproducible put-downs, discounting, threat, loneliness, powerlessness, frustration, and intolerance are the seeds of low self-esteem that leads to a ingathering of these negative characteristics. On the other hand, dev elop high self-esteem requires encouragement acceptance of oneself and others perceptiveness an wait of carriage-time reassurance and opinion in oneself and others and in the end trust in matinee idol. solely of these factors are based on interpersonal relationships. saint Who do I regard to be? Am I the person I want to be? This is some other psyche that is internalized by an individual in the development of his self-concept. A persons self-image does not always consort the image of what he would like to be or what is termed his holy person self (Rogers, 1979) nor what he thinks he should be or what is termed his ought-to-be self. This sometimes affects the degree to which he values himself as in that location is a very close relationship between self-image and self-esteem.The standard self and the ought-to-be self are sometimes collectively referred to as the practical selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986). These are generally not consistent with the certain life expe riences of a person. Psychologists refer to a large digression between self-image and the idea self as incongruence while a relatively petty difference is called congruence. All individuals experience a certain degree of incongruence. Carl Rogers believed that the greater the degree of incongruence the more arduous it is for a person to arrive at self-actualization.As a result, the individual always strives to make changes in put in to come as close as possible to his exemplification self or ought-to-be self. kind comparison theorists thrust a contrary view in regards to mans perfection. They contend that more individuals do not have an image of perfection or an ideal self but kinda they compare themselves to similar others to validate their own attitudes and values (Jetten, Spears, and Manstead, 1996). However, the general idea is the equivalent i. e. comparison of oneself to a perfect other, whether the ideal self, ought self or similar others, is another component of self-concept. object Why am I here? Why am I here? Since the inwardness of life is an issue that is debated philosophically, scientifically and theologically thither are sundry(a) answers to this question. However, despite the kind of answers the question is of brisk importance since the answer determines how one sees the introduction and how one sees the globe also determines how he sees himself. Ones religious belief most the meaning of life is a powerful influence on his self-concept (Blaine, Trivedi & Eshleman, 1998).Additionally, religious belief may be an underlying system for organizing self-concept principles since it encompasses all facets of life. A major constituent of religion to self-concept development is its role in affecting ones self-esteem. inquiry has shown that students who abandon tralatitious religious employ in order to become have-to doe with in the supernatural were much more likely to have low self-esteem negative feelings about school poor self-concept a high tolerance for aberrance negative feelings about the future and little desire to be a good person (Tenant-Clark, C.M. , Fritz, J. J. , & Beauvais, F. , 1989). In contrast, students who are attached with a handed-down religious feeling are less likely to be involved in delinquent demeanour (Rhodes & Reiss, 1970). Additionally, the question of the usance of life is material in ascertain an individuals self-value. For example, atheism postulates that since there is no god there is no immanent value to life life-time is as substantive as you want to make it (Dawkins, 2006). The question of purpose is cadaverous and one is worth as much as he thinks he is.In contrast, theism postulates that life comes from theology and therefore has an intrinsic value that is stubborn by Him liveliness is meaningful because God created you for His purpose. Self-value is not determine by what people think but on erudite that God has a purpose for everyone. Ultimately, ones self-concept is influenced by his understanding of the purpose for his life. In summary, self-concept is the view one has of himself and is hardened by his experiences and the value placed on them. The components of ones self-concept include his personhood place in society view of perfection and his view of his lifes purpose.