both their identity and how it slots into society, ultimately feeling like you serve a purpose. According to Miller and Moran ( 2012 p:18) self concep

Transcription

1 Outline the main ideas about self esteem/self concept eg where it comes from, what it means, how it affects us, how it develops and summarise the relevance to an educational context. There are many different views of the self and where it comes from. William James (1890 in Rogers 2003) first developed the idea of the self in the form of two aspects: me and I recognising that people have multiple social selves while also having a conscious awareness of beings around them (Rogers 2003 p:231). However more recent ideologies of the self, from humanist psychologist Carl Rodgers, suggests the self is center to all human experience, forming an executive part of your personality that organises how you relate the world (Rodgers in Nevid 2013 p:501). Rodgers believed that each individual has an inner drive that s leads to self actualisation through the processes of self discovery and self-awareness (Rodgers, in Nevid 2013 p:501). Rodgers stated the self includes impressions you have of yourself, which he said ultimately constitute self concept (Rodgers, in Nevid 2013 p:501). Rodgers viewed one of the primary functions of the self being for the development of self-esteem. Through this it is seen that self-concept and self-esteem are intrinsically interwoven and connected parts of human nature, which affect all individuals regardless of personality type and behaviour. However both self-esteem and self-concept are heavily influenced by society (Rosenberg in Mruk 1999 p:122). According to Mead, a social psychologist, the self is very much intersubjective, which is constituted through social interaction in which people have to assume the role of the other in order to gain an understanding of themselves (Rogers 2003 p:233). Whilst psychologists such as Buckler & Castle (2014 p:169) suggest the self is a hypothetical construct or theory that we personally develop about who we are and our place in society. This essay intends to explore the notions of self-esteem and self-concept, their relationship with each other, where they originate from and how they are relevant in an educational context. Lawrence (2006 p:2) defines self-concept as the sum total of an individual s mental and physical characteristics and his/her evaluation of them. Self concept is best understood as an individuals awareness of own self whilst being aware of ones own identity (Lawrence 2006 p:2). Therefore individuals perceive 1

2 both their identity and how it slots into society, ultimately feeling like you serve a purpose. According to Miller and Moran ( 2012 p:18) self concept holds both descriptive and evaluative aspects. The descriptive aspects are related to self-image which includes: gender ; occupation ; ethnicity and family role (Miller and Moran 2012 p:18). Whereas the evaluative aspects are how the individual feels and thinks about these specific characteristics (Miller & Moran 2012 p:18). Both aspects affect self-esteem and how we view ourselves. Lawrence (2006 p:2) sees self-concept as the umbrella term in which selfimage, ideal self and self-esteem develop under. Psychologist s research suggests that humans are not born with a notion of selfconcept, its something that develops with growth; they found that infants are not born with an awareness of self- it is a developing concept within. Allman and Hasenstaub (1999) state children achieve a neurological basis of self awareness at 18 months of age as the neuron development in the anterior cingulate frontal cortex area of the brain is developed which enables children to make judgments on others and reflect on him/herself. This is when children start seeing themselves as a separate being and start to have a concept of ones self. Lewis (1990) suggests that the development of self-concept has two primary aspects: The Existential Self and The Categorical Self. Lewis (1990) states The Existential Self is the most basic part of the self-concept; the sense of being separate and distinct from others and the awareness of the constancy of the self - suggesting it gives a sense of own identity and being. Lewis (1990) also noted The Categorical Self as a developing sense of not only you exist but you are part of a category - suggesting each individual fits into a specific categories; e.g. boy/girl, tall/short. Furthermore, Lewis (1990) understood humans are complex beings in how we think about ourselves; he found as children grow the importance of social awareness increases, as children develop social roles and relations become more important to ones self- ultimately contributing to selfconcept. Along with the developmental process of self-concept comes the development of self-esteem. 2

3 Self Esteem describes the way individuals value or judge themselves (Miller & Moran 2012 p:37). It involves an evaluation process of the discrepancy between self image and ideal self which can lead to a positive or negative outcome about how an individual perceives themselves (Lawrence 2006 p:5). The evaluation process may leave individuals with low esteem, where there is little self-belief, or high esteem, where an individual is content with their selfimage. Similarly, Reber defines self-esteem as the degree to which one values oneself (in Minton 2012 p:33). He states self-esteem is determined by how successful we are in accomplishing tasks or goals in which we value (in Woolfolk, Hughes & Walkup 2013 p:104), meaning self-esteem can be specific to individuals and their own values within society regarding their ideal self. It is said that if our self image (how we view ourselves), is close to our ideal self (what we aspire to be), then our self esteem is deemed to be high (Miller & Moran 2012 p:19). Rodgers used the term congruence when the actual self and ideal self work in harmony. Contrasting to this, if the gap between actual self and ideal self is too wide there can be a lack of congruence therefore leading to a lower self -esteem (Miller & Moran 2012 p:19). Although high self-esteem is viewed as a positive aspect, Rodgers (1959) has examined how this can be just as damaging as low self-esteem for individuals; he thinks ideally self-esteem should be in the center of the scale. To be able to fully understand the impacts of self-esteem, it is essential to consider how individuals are treated by their parent/carer as they were growing up. Rodgers (1959) named this notion as Positive Regard, whereby the opinions and values of a significant other shape an individual s self-esteem and self-concept. Rodgers (1959) expressed that all humans need to feel valued and loved through positive regard for a sense of belonging. This links closely with Bowlby s Attachment theory whereby he reinforces the importance of close relationships for development as a child, stating children who form an attachment- that is an enduring social-emotional relationship to an adult- are more likely to survive (Bowlby in Kail 2012 p:331). If however individuals do not receive positive regard it can affect self-esteem and self-concept leaving individuals with negative attitudes and emotions about the self (Rodgers 1959). 3

4 Maslow s hierarchy of needs focuses specifically on the individual; how all needs are interwoven and how the needs have to be met in order to achieve selfactualisation, which is vital for the development of self-esteem (Walkup 2011). Alongside the individuals needs to be accepted by others and society, it is also equally important for the individuals educational needs to be met (Woolfolk, Hughes, & Walkup 2008). Lavoie (2002) examines how there is a dynamic relationship between self-esteem and skill development, therefore suggesting, the effects self-esteem can have on individuals within education are paramount to educational success. According to Lavoie (2002), this is evident as it is seen when a child improves in self-esteem, their academic competence increases, and as that competence increases, their self-esteem improves, which demonstrates a correspondent relationship between the two. The need to maintain a child s selfesteem is evident, within education it is essential to provide an environment where a child feels they are achieving and are valued (Lawrence 2006 p:13). If however a child lacks self-esteem in an educational context it can impact a child s behavior as Lawrence (2006 p:15) suggests there is a positive correlation between self-esteem and children s behavior. He states, children with lower self-esteem have more behavior problems and find it harder to make friends. (Lawrence 2006 p:15). Bartlett and Burton (2007 p:108) recognise how teachers play an important role in facilitating a child s self-esteem, self-concept and self-actualisation by making their pupils feel safe and valued in the classroom which ultimately encourages learning. To promote self-esteem in the classroom, Dweck (2000) conveys the importance to praise effort over achievement. However this is been open to misconception and trivilisation. According to Docking (1980) the use of strategies such as habitual empty praise, gold stars and meaningless statements, are more likely to feed children s self-preoccupation than to help them form a genuine sense of their own worth. This suggests that praise is being offered indiscriminately rather than as a result of real effort and achievement (Roberts 2006 p:111). This can have a negative impact on a child s self esteem as they are not being challenged to develop real knowledge, understanding and 4

5 skills, creating a danger that they will develop an unrealistic idea of ability and potential which can affect their learning process (Roberts 2006 p:111). In a recent study conducted by McKinney (2003 in Mehmet 2014 p:92), it was found that there are positive relationships between self-esteem and learning goals and negative relationships between self- esteem and performance goals this is suggesting how important self -esteem is regarding educational achievement. In conclusion, it is evident that both self-esteem and self-concept are a paramount part of human development, both heavily impacting individuals in either a positive or negative way. It is clear that family relations/close relationships influence an individual s development of self-concept and selfesteem (Rodgers 1959). Rodgers (1959) found that Positive Regard shapes individuals self-concept and self-esteem, giving them a sense of belonging and value. This is reflected within an educational context as children need to feel safe and valued within the classroom in order to learn effectively, and it is essential that teachers provide this (Bartlett and Burton 2007 p:108). Therefore it is important to acknowledge the affect other individuals have on the development of self-concept and self-esteem either in a positive or negative aspect. Word Count:

6 References Allman, J. M., and A. Hasenstaub (1999) Brains, maturation times, and parenting. Neurobiology of Aging. 20: Bartlett, S. and Burton, D. (2007) Introduction to Education Studies. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Ltd. Buckler S & Castle P (2014) Psychology for Teachers. London: Sage Docking, J (1990) control and discipline, London: Harper and Row Dweck, C. (2000) Self theories; their role in motivation, personality, and development. Hove: Taylor and Francis Group. Kail, R. (2012) Children and Their Development. United States: Pearson Education Inc. Lavoie, R (2002) Self-esteem: the cause and effect of success for the child with learning differences. Available at: (Assessed 18 March 2015) Lawrence, D. (2006) Enhancing self-esteem in the classroom. 3 rd edition. United Kingdom: Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd. Lewis, M. (1990). Self-knowledge and social development in early life. In L. A. Pervin (Ed.), Handbook of personality (pp ). New York: Guilford Mehmet, K. (2014) Predictors of Approach/Avoidance Achievement Goals: Personality Traits, Self-Esteem and Academic Self-Efficacy. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences. 2014, Vol. 6 Issue 1, p p. Minton, S. J. (2012) Using Psychology in the Classroom. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Moran, T. and Miller, D. (2012) Self-esteem: a guider for teachers. United Kingdom: SAGE Publications Ltd. Mruk, C. (1999) Self-esteem: research, theory and practice. United Kingdom: Free Association Books. Nevid, J. (2013) Psychology Concepts and Applications. Fourth Edition. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning. Roberts, R. (2006) Self-esteem and early learning: key people from birth to school. 3 rd edition. United Kingdom: Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd. 6

7 Rodgers, C. (1959). A Theory of Therapy, Personality and Interpersonal Relationships as Developed in the Client-centered Framework. In (ed.) S. Koch,Psychology: A Study of a Science. Vol. 3: Formulations of the Person and the Social Context. New York: McGraw Hill. Rogers, W. S. (2003) Social psychology: experimental and critical approaches. United Kingdom: Open University Walkup, V. (2011) Exploring Education studies. Harlow: Pearson. Woolfolk, A. Hughes, M and Walkup, V. (2008) Psychology in Education. Harlow: Pearson. 7