preview

Self Concept Research Paper

Decent Essays

"Self-Concept"

Self-Concept is the perception we have of our skills, abilities and personality traits. The way we are to perceive ourselves and the way those around us perceive us, makes our persona, but these perceptions of ourselves continuously change throughout our lives. From a very early age we start growing an identity and traits that are periodically shaped by experiences. Although I have only lived for 20 years, I have learned a lot from past experiences, experiences involving those that surround me, good and bad.

The concept I have of myself that has been built by past experiences is an easy and relatable one, I personally consider myself to be a very strong, happy and outgoing person. From a early stage in my life, my self-esteem, …show more content…

Usually, people are very judgmental with themselves, comparing themselves with others and making decisions about themselves based on the comparisons that they have made. People constantly estimate or appraise themselves. Therefore it could be that self-esteem refers to the positive or negative evaluation of ourselves.

Along with the experiences we live throughout our lives, one thing that also shapes us into the concept we have of ourselves is culture. Someone's culture can make a great impact in their being, in my case, I come from the Dominican Republic, a country where the air is warm and people are always smiling. To prove my point I took the time to interview someone who lived there their entire life, someone who is very absorbed by the culture and someone who knows me very well, my mother. To begin the interview I asked her what are some differences between the American and the Dominican culture, she said that "the Americans seem to be more uptight and stress more about materialistic things than in comparison to our culture, where we are carefree and seem to go more with the flow of things". Another question asked about both cultures was that in regards to the people of …show more content…

Nonetheless, the relative importance of each of these items for individual self-esteem varies between cultures." Additionally, they explained that participants who lived in Western Europe and certain regions of South America, are said to value ones freedom and living a stimulating life, "they are more likely to derive their self-esteem from the impression of controlling their lives". On the other hand, for those that lived in cultures that value conformity, tradition and security, such as certain parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, are comparatively more likely to base their self-esteem on the feeling of doing their duty. Granted this discoveries, I can hold my ground on how different ways of living, affect one's

Get Access