What Is Self-Concept?

By Kendra Cherry Updated on November 07, 2022

Medically reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS

Self-concept is the image we have of ourselves. It is influenced by many forces,

including our interaction with important people in our lives. It is how we perceive
our behaviors, abilities, and unique characteristics. For example, beliefs such as
"I am a good friend" or "I am a kind person" are part of an overall self-concept.

Other examples of self-concept include:

How you view your personality traits, such as whether you are an extrovert
or introvert
How you see your roles in life, such as whether you feel that being a
parent, sibling, friend, and partner are important parts of your identity
The hobbies or passions that are important to your sense of identity, such
as being a sports enthusiast or belonging to a certain political party
How you feel about your interactions with the world, such as whether you
feel that you are contributing to society

Our self-perception is important because it affects our motivations, attitudes,

and behaviors. It also affects how we feel about the person we think we are,
including whether we are competent or have self-worth.

Self-concept tends to be more malleable when we're younger and still going
through self-discovery and identity formation. As we age and learn who we are
and what's important to us, these self-perceptions become much more detailed
and organized.

At its most basic, self-concept is a collection of beliefs one holds about

oneself and the responses of others. It embodies the answer to the
 question: "Who am I?" If you want to find your self-concept, list things that
describe you as an individual. What are your traits? What do you like? How
do you feel about yourself?

Rogers' Three Parts of Self-Concept

Humanist psychologist Carl Rogers believed that self-concept is made up of
three different parts:

Ideal self: The ideal self is the person you want to be. This person has the
attributes or qualities you are either working toward or want to possess. It's
who you envision yourself to be if you were exactly as you wanted.
Self-image: Self-image refers to how you see yourself at this moment in
time. Attributes like physical characteristics, personality traits, and social
roles all play a role in your self-image.
Self-esteem: How much you like, accept, and value yourself all contribute
to your self-concept. Self-esteem can be affected by a number of factors—
including how others see you, how you think you compare to others, and
your role in society.

Incongruence and Congruence

Self-concept is not always aligned with reality. When it is aligned, your self-
concept is said to be congruent. If there is a mismatch between how you see
yourself (your self-image) and who you wish you were (your ideal self), your self-
concept is incongruent. This incongruence can negatively affect self-esteem.

Rogers believed that incongruence has its earliest roots in childhood. When
parents place conditions on their affection for their children (only expressing love
if children "earn it" through certain behaviors and living up to the parents'
expectations), children begin to distort the memories of experiences that leave
them feeling unworthy of their parents' love.

Unconditional love, on the other hand, helps to foster congruence. Children who
experience such love—also referred to as family love—feel no need to
continually distort their memories in order to believe that other people will love
and accept them as they are.
How Self-Concept Develops
Self-concept develops, in part, through our interaction with others. In addition to
family members and close friends, other people in our lives can contribute to our
self-identity.

For instance, one study found that the more a teacher believes in a high-
performing student's abilities, the higher that student's self-concept.
(Interestingly, no such association was found with lower-performing students.)

Self-concept can also be developed through the stories we hear. As an example,

one study found that female readers who were "deeply transported" into a story
about a leading character with a traditional gender role had a more feminist self-
concept than those who weren't as moved by the story.

The media plays a role in self-concept development as well—both mass media

and social media. When these media promote certain ideals, we're more likely to
make those ideals our own. And the more often these ideals are presented, the
more they affect our self-identity and self-perception.

Can Self-Concept Be Changed?

Self-concept is not static, meaning that it can change. Our environment plays a
role in this process. Places that hold a lot of meaning to us actively contribute to
our future self-concept through both the way we relate these environments to
ourselves and how society relates to them.

Self-concept can also change based on the people with whom we interact. This
is particularly true with regard to individuals in our lives who are in leadership
roles. They can impact the collective self (the self in social groups) and the
relational self (the self in relationships).

In some cases, a medical diagnosis can change self-concept by helping people

understand why they feel the way they do—such as someone receiving an
autism diagnosis later in life, finally providing clarity as to why they feel different.

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Other Self-Concept Theories

As with many topics within psychology, a number of other theorists have
proposed different ways of thinking about self-concept.

Social Identity
Social psychologist Henri Tajfel developed social identity theory, which states
that self-concept is composed of two key parts:

Personal identity: The traits and other characteristics that make you
unique
Social identity: Who you are based on your membership in social groups,
such as sports teams, religions, political parties, or social class

This theory states that our social identity influences our self-concept, thus
affecting our emotions and behaviors. If we're playing sports, for instance, and
our team loses a game, we might feel sad for the team (emotion) or act out
against the winning team (behavior).

Multiple Dimensions
Psychologist Bruce A. Bracken had a slightly different theory and believed that
self-concept was multidimensional, consisting of six independent traits:

Academic: Success or failure in school

Affect: Awareness of emotional states
Competence: Ability to meet basic needs
Family: How well you work in your family unit
Physical: How you feel about your looks, health, physical condition, and
overall appearance
Social: Ability to interact with others
In 1992, Bracken developed the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale, a
comprehensive assessment that evaluates each of these six elements of self-
concept in children and adolescents.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When is the development of self-concept

finished?
Self-concept development is never finished. Though one's
self-identity is thought to be primarily formed in childhood,
your experiences as an adult can also change how you feel
about yourself. If your self-esteem increases later in life, for
instance, it can improve your self-concept.

How does self-concept affect communication?

Our self-concept can affect the method by which we
communicate. If you feel you are a good writer, for instance,
you may prefer to communicate in writing versus speaking
with others.

It can also affect the way we communicate. If your social

group communicates a certain way, you would likely choose
to communicate that way as well. Studies on teens have
connected high self-concept clarity with more open
communication with parents.

What is the difference between self-concept and

self-esteem?
Self-concept refers to a broad description of ourselves ("I am
a good writer") while self-esteem includes any judgments or
opinions we have of ourselves ("I feel proud to be a good
writer"). Put another way, self-concept answers the question:
 Who am I? Self-esteem answers the question: How do I feel
about who I am?

Why is a well-developed self-concept beneficial?

Our self-concept impacts how we respond to life, so a well-
developed self-concept helps us respond in ways that are
more positive and beneficial for us. One of the ways it does
this is by enabling us to recognize our worth. A well-
developed self-concept also helps keep us from internalizing
negative feedback from others.

How does culture influence self-concept?

Different cultures have different beliefs. They have different
ideas of how dependent or independent one should be,
different religious beliefs, and differing views of
socioeconomic development.

All of these cultural norms influence self-concept by providing

the structure of what is expected within that society and how
one sees oneself in relation to others.

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Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the
facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and
keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Additional Reading

Weiten W, Dunn DS, Hammer EY. Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the
21st Century. Cengage Learning.