Self concept is who we think we are, the picture we have of ourselves, plus the picture we think others have of us. Self concept plays an important part in our overall wellness. It affects the ways we look at our body, how we express ourselves and interact with our friends, and it even influences how we make decisions.
Self-concept is generally thought of as our individual perceptions of our behavior, abilities, and unique characteristics—a mental picture of who you are as a person. 1 For example, beliefs such as "I am a good friend" or "I am a kind person" are part of an overall self-concept.
The four main components of self concept are the self schemas, past self, present self and future/possible selves.
The self-schema refers to a long lasting and stable set of memories that summarize a person's beliefs, experiences and generalizations about the self, in specific behavioral domains.
We all have ideas and beliefs about other people, but we also hold the same sort of impressions about ourselves. The term schema refers to the cognitive structures we have to describe various categories of knowledge about the world, and like many other things, we also hold schemas about ourselves. In psychology, these are known as
self-schemas.
What They Are
So how exactly do self-schemas function? These categories of knowledge reflect how we expect ourselves to think, feel, and act in particular settings or situations. Each of these beliefs includes our overall perceptions of ourselves ("outgoing," "shy," "talkative") as well as our knowledge of past experiences in similar
situations.
For example, if you have to give a speech in one of your classes, your self-schema might be that you are shy in situations where you have to speak in public. Because you have an overall belief about your personality as well as past experiences talking in public situations, you probably already have a fairly good idea of how you will feel, think, and act in this situation.
Among other things, people can hold self-schemas about:
- Behaviors ("I'm assertive," "I avoid conflict")
- Personality traits ("I'm shy," "I'm friendly")
- Physical characteristics ("I'm pretty," "I'm overweight")
- Interests ("I love sports," "I like art")
When people are very high or extreme in a certain area, they are described as being self-schematic in that dimension.
For example, a person who believes that they are a "people person" and not remotely timid or shy would be said to be self-schematic in that area. If a person does not hold a schema for a particular dimension, they are said to be aschematic.
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