A Personal Reflection

A Personal Reflection

A person is an individual; this person will look at the environment, through both nature and nurture to develop a concept of self. The concept of self comes from past and future; how a person was and who the person wants to be. This study of personality illustrates the individual looking into the world for hopes, fears, and understanding of what to expect from these elements in the world, how to interact, and who the world thinks he or she should be. Within the social world, the self is a person attitude toward the world. The social world play a role in how the person will interact, the influences the person will perceive as acceptable and wants to guide his or her behavior. The individual consists of three concept of the self: self efficacy, self esteem, and the self concept. When, looking at these concepts I can see how they interact with whom I am, and how I perceive myself in the social world. This also allows me to share personal experiences and events that have and are interacting with my own social development. Defining the self, looking at the concepts of self esteem, efficacy, and self concept along with sharing personal experiences and events give a better insight of me.

The Self

The self illustrates how a person perceives, who he or she are. The self-concept defines the organization of attributes and roles that the individual sees in when looking at oneself. A general definition of self comes from social interaction; this interaction influences and guides an individual’s behavior. According to Myers (2010), self concept consists of three sources: cognitive dissonance theory, self-perception theory, and self-presentation theory (p. 140). The self-presentation theory illustrates how a person will attempt to stay consistent; a person does not want to appear foolish or inconsistent. A person can take the consistency to an extent that the person displays insincerity or hypocrisy, but this action will assist in making a good impression, and displaying this perception of self. More than the self-perception theory is the self-justification theory or cognitive dissonance theory and the self-presentation theory.

Cognitive dissonance theory demonstrates that a person motivates to maintain a consistency among his or her cognitions. This theory assumes that when a person senses tensions or even a lack of harmony, when two thoughts or beliefs, are inconsistent (Myers, 2010). A person, who justifies his or her action by believing it to be true, is unreceptive to self correction. Showing that a person’s view of the self; will become a consistent in actions regardless of past beliefs. This theory shows an explanation of self-persuasion, although self-perception demonstrates why humans compare the self to others.

Self-perception is how action of the individual is judged by the action of others traits, attitude, and environmental forces. Self-perception suggest that when a person’s own attitude is lacking the person will look at his or herself as a person observing would look at him or her, by looking at the self behavior and circumstance that cause the attitude. A person watches his or her own actions and attitude like an outsider would, concluding belief in something by how strong the person reacts to the situation. These three theories of self demonstrate why a person conceives who he or she is.

The self becomes more defined by beliefs of a person in his or her capabilities to perform over the influences that affect life. How self-efficacy determine how the person will think, feel, or motivate self behavior. A person who doubts his or her own capabilities will shy away from a difficult task but when a person has a strong concept of self the person will concentrate on how to perform successfully. The concept of the self can be used for a self interpretation.

The Self of Mary

I am seen in three concepts of the self. These three concepts can determine my actions of how I perceive my personality traits, my physical characteristics, self values and goals, along with my role in society. The first of these three concepts is the self concept.

Self Concept

The self concept is how a person’s concept of the self relates to the social world. The true self and the opposite of despair is the connection of self concept in present studies and how the experience of meaning in life connects to the individual (Schlegel, Hicks, Arndt, & King, 2009). The true self serves as a meaning in life. How a person sees him or herself is how the person will experience life in a social world. I try to view myself as an individual, as a mother, and a friend. I try to hold high standards for myself setting examples I want my children to live by. I look to my friends and family for an understanding of how I should act and react in situation of life. Learning from their example yet bringing my own variation of how events or mishaps should be treated and handled. A person is a product of his or her own environment, I hope as I grow and develop in mine I remember to know myself, love myself, and be true to myself. In this every changing world, “to thy own self be true” is a necessity more than ever. Self esteem also help when developing and maintaining a self concept.

Self Esteem

When maintaining a self concept a person’s self-confidence comes into play. Self esteem is more than thinking highly of oneself. Self esteem is a person’s feelings and beliefs of his or her value and capability. Self esteem is a state of mind that a person should have, too often a person can fall prey to flatterers, and becoming disheartened when dangers confront (Buhrmester, Blanton, & Swann, 2011). This concept of the self is of self worth and a global evaluation of self. When I think of self esteem as a self reflection of me capable of requirements, holding my head high in my life choices, and not accepting others views of me when they are demeaning. I am not perfect but I am unsure of any human-being who is. I may be a bit overweight or not be the most beautiful person in the world, but I am happy with whom I am. To me self esteem is accepting myself in a world that can be unforgiving and un-accepting. To keep a high self esteem a person must have high self efficacy.

Self Efficacy

Completing a task that someone else is also working on but doing it more rapidly, or better, being more successful in this task and receiving positive feedback for this accomplishment raises self efficacy. Self efficacy illustrates a person’s concept of judgment in accomplishing a task, reaching a specific goal, and this is not sensed globally. This concept of self is how a person my think, feel, act, and motivate the self (Zulkosky, 2009). Self efficacy is measured by how capable, I am in obtaining a goal, performing better or equal to others I feel are strong in an area, and by what I have already accomplished. Self efficacy is also undertaking new tasks and achieving my goal and reaching for higher stakes. Most recently this is my ability to do my job at a higher level than my peers, but it is my ability to continue a degree and obtain a future goal, which will help raise my self esteem, and self concept.

Social Experiences or Events of Personal Development

When, I reflect over my life, I have several social experiences and events that help to define me. At the age of 15 I was moved from my home in New Jersey to Arizona and had to rely on myself efficacy, self esteem, and self concept to make friends, adjust to my new environment, and overcome my fears of not fitting-in to the new society. At the age of 22, I had to relearn who I was and what I wanted for not only myself but also my three small children. I had divorced and was starting my life new once again in a new place where I had my brother. I had to relearn who I was to me, what society expected of me, and what role I wanted to take in it. In this part of my life my self-perception played a large role, being a single mother was new challenges, new goals, and more ambitions. I had to succeed in life I had others who depended on me. My last event of personal development is still ongoing. I hope to succeed, thrive, and accomplish from experiences and new ones while working on my bachelor’s degree. I need to use the concept of self to determine my attributes of where I am and where I want to be. I need to understand the importance of self esteem, concept, and efficacy to help my journey of personal development. Each major journey in my life has brought the self that I am today forward. I am stronger in personable skills, being made to make friends in a new environment. I achieve more quickly from taking on the role of single mother, whilr others depend on me for their own examples of self. I work harder to reach the aspect of self to be the am and the person I want to be.

Conclusion

In conclusion the self is how a person looks at his or herself in a personal and social way. Our environment has as much to do with who we are as how we are. The self is a mixture of identity, mental concept, and a regard to personality. The self is looking into concepts of self esteem, self efficacy, and self concept. The individual will depend on the attributes from each of these to develop not only from the past but also toward a future of who he or she wants to be. Having a love of oneself will assist in this. Along with how the self relates to the social world, how efficient the self is. In personal experiences I rely on past strengths to accomplish personal goals, to help myself mature within an every changing world. I am me and I am glad to be an individual in world of full of uniqueness.

References

Buhrmester, M. D., Blanton, H., & Swann, W. r. (2011). Implicit self-esteem: Nature, measurement, and a new way forward. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(2), 365-385. doi:10.1037/a0021341

Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Schlegel, R. J., Hicks, J. A., Arndt, J., & King, L. A. (2009). Thine own self: True self-concept accessibility and meaning in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(2), 473-490. doi:10.1037/a0014060

Zulkosky, K. (2009). Self-efficacy: a concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 44(2), 93-102. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.