Who are we? Our memories fade, and our appearance, personality, values, behaviour, and even the biological tissues we are made of change every so often, yet we experience a continuous concept of the self throughout our lifespan. In this explanation, we will explore how and when this concept develops and how it is understood in psychology.
- We will begin by looking at the concepts of self-definition.
- Then, we will discuss the factors of self-concept in Rogers' self-theory and the importance of self-concept.
- Next, we will explore some concepts of the self examples in the existential and categorical self-theory proposed by Lewis (1990).
- Moving along, we will consider the relationship between culture and self-concept.
- Finally, we will look at how Lewis and Brooks-Gunn (1979) tested the existence of an existential self in children.
Fig. 1 - Self-concept indicates how we think and feel about ourselves.
Concepts of the Self: Definition
The concept of the self refers to how we see and evaluate ourselves. It shapes our behaviour and how we see ourselves fitting into the world. While it is not yet fully understood, several theories have been proposed regarding its structure and development. We will explore Roger's humanistic view of the self and the development of the existential and categorical self structures suggested by Lewis.
Factors of Self-Concept in Rogers' Self Theory
The Rogerian self-concept is shaped by nurture, specifically how important figures treated us during childhood. According to Rogers' theory, our self-concept consists of three parts:
Self-image
Self-esteem
The ideal self
Our self-image refers to our perception of who we are, self-esteem refers to the sense of our value, and the ideal self represents who we want to become.
Roger emphasised that self-esteem depends on the congruence between our self-image and ideal self. In other words, the closer we are to our goals, the more we value ourselves.
Importance of Self-Concept
Children that receive unconditional positive regard from their parents meaning they are valued and accepted for who they are, can develop a positive view of themselves and an intuitive ideal self.
Unconditional positive regard is an attitude of openness, acceptance, and empathy towards another person, which is held unconditionally, regardless of their achievements or choices.
Since their self-image is already positive, they experience a greater overlap between self-image and the ideal self, resulting in high self-esteem.
Unconditional positive regard facilitates a congruence between one's self-image and the ideal self, resulting in high self-esteem.
Fig. 2 - Unconditional positive regard facilitates high self-esteem.
In contrast, children that receive conditional positive regard, meaning they are only given affection and acceptance for their achievements, can develop conditions of worth.
Conditions of worth refer to the conditions we think we need to satisfy to be valued and accepted by others. They are often internalised from the expectations of our parents.
John's parents only praise him and offer to spend time with him when he wins piano competitions, and they tend to withdraw their affection whenever he performs poorly. John's parents' attitude is characteristic of conditional positive regard.
A person who has developed conditions of worth feels that they aren't enough unless they are, for example, popular, rich or successful. Their self-esteem suffers because they experience incongruity between who they are and their unrealistic and often inauthentic goals.
Conditions of worth lead to a greater incongruity between the self-image and the ideal self, resulting in low self-esteem.
Person-Centred Therapy
The Rogerian self-theory is applied in person-centred therapy. This type of therapy emphasises the importance of the therapist holding an unconditional positive regard towards the client to create conditions that facilitate the development of a more positive self-concept.
Person-centred therapy is also typically led by the client, as it is assumed that the client can intuitively know what they need and guide themselves to achieve self-actualisation.
The therapist's role is to provide the client with an open and accepting space to do so.
Self-actualisation is a basic human motive to better oneself and fulfil one's full potential.
Concepts of the Self Examples – Existential vs Categorical Self
Lewis (1990) distinguished two parts of the self: the existential self and the categorical self.
What is the Existential Self in Psychology
The existential self in psychology refers to recognising that you exist as a separate entity from others.
The Existential Self
The existential self develops when we are around two months old, long before we can express it. The existential self refers to the basic self-awareness, the ability to recognise that we are separate from others and the world around us. This is also the stable component of our self-concept that is continuously maintained throughout our lifespan.
The existential self is thought to develop through experience as the child interacts with the world around them.
The child can recognise that it feels different when they hit their parent or a toy versus when they hit their leg. Based on what the child can sense, they start to develop a concept of being separate from the surrounding stimuli.
What is the Categorical Self in Psychology
The categorical self in psychology is when you recognise that you exist as an individual separate from others and are characterised by distinct features and properties, e.g. height, age or gender.
The Categorical Self
Similarly to the Rogerian self-image, the categorical self encompasses the categories and characteristics we assign to ourselves. According to Lewis, the categorical self develops at around 18 months. Consequently, children will only start defining themselves using categories like a baby, a boy, big or small at about 18 months. These categories later develop into a friend, an honest person, a student, a nerd, or a citizen of England.
These categories can change throughout our lifespan and are important for our sense of identity. The labels we ascribe to ourselves represent how we see ourselves, our identity, and our social roles.
For a child who plays football after school, this activity might become a significant part of their identity or how they see themselves in the world. With time, another part of their identity, such as an interest in gaming or their engagement in religious practice, may replace football.
Culture and Self-Concept
Since our environment influences the development of our self-concept, it will also be influenced by our culture. Different cultures hold different attitudes towards raising children and can instil other conditions of worth in children.
In individualistic cultures, parents may encourage children to talk about their successes and think about how these accomplishments can benefit them. While in collectivist cultures, children may be discouraged from talking about their accomplishments and taught to prioritise how they can benefit their family as a whole.
Consequently, in individualistic cultures, children are likely to develop individual success as a condition of worth. In collectivist cultures, children can believe that their contribution to their family is what makes them valuable.
Culture also plays a role in shaping the categorical self. The labels we assign to ourselves and the value we attribute to them will depend on the cultural environment surrounding us.
The Rouge Test – Lewis & Brookes-Gunn (1979)
Lewis & Brookes-Gunn conducted the rouge test on children between nine and 24 months to investigate when the categorical concept of the self develops in children.
The rouge test tests the children's ability to recognise their reflections.
After having had a red mark put on their nose, children were placed in front of a mirror, and their reactions were watched.
The researchers found that some children around 18 months touched their noses after seeing the rouge in the mirror, suggesting that they were capable of self-recognition. However, only children aged over 21 months old were consistently touching their noses in response to the reflection.
Existential Self in Psychology
The existential self in psychology refers to being aware of the self as a separate entity to others, an individual component in the world taking physical form. You are identifiable in that your hair, sex, gender, and other features distinguish you from others.
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