What are the 4 concepts of the self?

Self-concept is what you believe defines you as a person. It answers the question: “Who am I?”

In psychology, many theories on self-concept exist, but most of them parallel the notion that self-concept is a critical component of identity development.

Self-concept involves everything about you, from your moral stance and everyday behaviors to your recreational talents and political beliefs.

According to research published in 2020 that discusses the self-concept theory proposed by William D. Brooks and Philip Emmert in 1976, your self-concept may be primarily positive or negative and predisposes you to certain thoughts or behaviors.

The world of psychology is vast, and identity development has been a point of interest for decades.

As such, many theories on self-concept exist, some independently of others and some building off earlier works.

One of the most widely accepted frameworks of self-concept was developed by psychologist Carl Rogers, who believed self-concept could be broken down into three primary components.

What are the 3 parts of self-concept?

According to Rogers, the three core parts of self-concept are:

  1. Ideal self: your vision and ambitions of who you want to be
  2. Real self (self-image): how you currently see and perceive yourself
  3. Self-esteem: how much worth and value you believe you have

Rogers believed how your ideal self and real self aligned was important to the development of your self-esteem.

If your ideal self did not match the reality of your real self, he suggested your self-concept was “incongruent,” and your self-esteem was likely to be negatively affected.

Real selves matching ideal selves was labeled as “congruent” and associated with positive self-esteem.

What are the four concepts of the self?

Within the framework for self-concept are coexisting theories, such as that of self-presentation, which suggests your self-concept influences how behavior can be a way to show others who you are.

In self-presentation theory, four concepts of the self exist:

  1. Public self: your view of yourself as defined by other people’s public knowledge of you
  2. Self-concept: who you believe you are
  3. Actual or behavioral self: the self created by your actions and habits
  4. Ideal self: the self you aspire to be

Self-categorization theory

In the 1980s and 1990s, John Turner, a social psychologist, proposed another self-concept principle known as self-categorization.

In his works, Turner felt two different levels of self-categorization existed:

  1. Personal: your sense of self as an individual
  2. Social: your sense of self as defined by the group you feel you belong to

Turner suggested self-concept was a combination of personal and social identities, and that people could define themselves on multiple levels based on their intrapersonal comparisons.

For example, as an individual, you may identify yourself as a strong athlete. However, as a member of a team, you may feel less confident as a performer if the team doesn’t do well.

The looking glass self-concept

In 1902, Charles Cooley, a sociologist, introduced what was known as the looking glass theory, an extension of self-concept that suggested your sense of self was directly influenced by the perception of those around you.

For example, if you notice everyone laughs when you make a comment, you may start to define yourself as “funny.”

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What are the 4 types of self

Second, we distinguish the four main conceptual units that constitute the various selves of self-presentation. These are the public self, the self-concept, the actual or behavioral self, and the ideal self.

What are the types of self

Rogers' Three Parts of Self-Concept.
Ideal self: The ideal self is the person you want to be. ... .
Self-image: Self-image refers to how you see yourself at this moment in time. ... .
Self-esteem: How much you like, accept, and value yourself all contribute to your self-concept..

What are the four 4 self

four different aspects: self-perception, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and oth- er's perception of one's ability.

What is the main concept of self?

The individual's belief about himself or herself, including the person's attributes and who and what the self is.” A similar definition comes from Rosenberg's 1979 book on the topic; he says self-concept is: “…the totality of an individual's thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object.”