Self-Concept
The relatively stable set of perceptions you hold of yourself. Self-concept develops from Social Comparison (comparing yourself to those around you) and/or Reflected Appraisal (people boosting/busting your ego). Self-concept is also subjective and distorted by:
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In the video to the left, you will see the character Jean Valjean struggle with his own self-concept when presented with an obstacle. He was a slave after having been arrested for thievery and, once released, he found God and made a better reputation for himself. His self-concept is that he is a good man, despite the crime he did many years ago. In this song, "Who am I?", he witnesses another man get arrested by police who wrongly believe the man is Jean Valjean. Jean then struggles to decide if he is the good, honest man he's tried to be. Or if he is the criminal who would let another man be punished for his crimes. He struggles to break free of the self-concept he developed from Reflected Appraisal from the police when he was a thief, leading him to believe that crime is the only thing about him, when in reality, that is obsolete information since he is no longer a criminal.
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Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is how you feel about your self-concept and your evaluations of self-worth. This can also develop from Reflected Appraisal and Social Comparison. For example, you can develop very high self-esteem from people constantly telling you how amazing and good you are, but you can also develop low self-esteem from people constantly insulting you, this would be Reflected Appraisal. Social Comparison can effect your self-esteem when you see how others are doing in life, and you compare yourself to see if you are doing better or worse than they are.
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In the video above, you will see Elle Woods singing about how she thinks she should have just stayed in Malibu instead of trying to succeed at Harvard Law School. She has just had her ego busted when she realizes the only reason she was selected for an internship was because her professor liked the way she looks, and not necessarily the way she thinks. This is an example of Reflected Appraisal and how her teacher and peers' feedback towards her led to her ego being busted.
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Adler, Ronald B., Judith A. Rolls, and Russell F. Proctor, II. LOOK: Looking Out, Looking in. Toronto: Nelson Education, 2012. Print.
Les Miserables 2012. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perf. Hugh Jackman. Universal, 2012.
Legally Blonde. By Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin. Performance.
Les Miserables 2012. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perf. Hugh Jackman. Universal, 2012.
Legally Blonde. By Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin. Performance.