Self-concept, according to encyclopedic literature, is a stable system of an individual’s ideas about himself, an image of his own “I”, an attitude towards himself and other people, a generalized image of his qualities, abilities, appearance, social significance; a prerequisite and consequence of social interaction. In classical psychology, it is customary to distinguish between the real “I”, the ideal “I”, and the dynamic “I” (what the individual intends to become).
The concept of “I”-concept arose in the 50s of the last century in the works of humanistic psychologists: K. Maslow and C. Rogers. Scientists considered this concept as an auto-attitude, that is, an individual’s attitude towards himself. This attitude has conscious and unconscious aspects. The “I” concept is associated with the individual’s desire to relate himself to a certain social group (gender, age, ethnic, civil, social role) and is manifested in various ways of self-realization.

The discrepancy between the real and ideal “I”, realized by the individual, can cause negative emotional characteristics personality (inferiority complex) and intrapersonal conflicts. The “I” concept ensures the integrity and situational stability of the individual, his self-affirmation and self-development in line with the life strategy adopted by the individual. A synonym for the “I” concept is "self-awareness" of the individual.

Components of self-concept

COGNITIVE COMPONENT OF SELF-CONCEPT

An individual's ideas about himself, as a rule, seem convincing to him, regardless of whether they are based on objective knowledge or subjective opinion, whether they are true or false. The specific methods of self-perception leading to the formation of the self-image can be very diverse.

The abstract characteristics that we use to describe a person are in no way related to a specific event or situation. As elements of a generalized image of an individual, they reflect, on the one hand, stable trends in his behavior, and on the other, the selectivity of our perception. The same thing happens when we describe ourselves: we try to express in words the main characteristics of our usual self-perception, these include any role, status, psychological characteristics individual, description of property, life goals, etc. All of them are included in the image of the Self with different specific weight - some seem more significant to the individual, others - less. Moreover, the significance of the elements of self-description and, accordingly, their hierarchy can change depending on the context, the life experience of the individual, or simply under the influence of the moment. This kind of self-description is a way to characterize the uniqueness of each personality through combinations of its individual traits (Burns R., 1986, p. 33).

EVALUATIVE COMPONENT OF SELF-CONCEPT

The emotional component of an attitude exists due to the fact that its cognitive component is not perceived by a person indifferently, but awakens in him assessments and emotions, the intensity of which depends on the context and on the cognitive content itself (Burns R., 1986, p. 34).

Self-esteem is not constant, it changes depending on circumstances. The source of evaluative knowledge of an individual’s various ideas about himself is his sociocultural environment, in which evaluative knowledge is normatively fixed in linguistic meanings. The source of an individual’s evaluative ideas can also be social reactions to some of his manifestations and introspection.

Self-esteem reflects the degree to which an individual develops a sense of self-esteem, a sense of intrinsic value and a positive attitude towards everything that is included in the sphere of his Self.

Self-esteem manifests itself in the individual's conscious judgments in which he tries to formulate his importance. However, it is hidden or overtly present in any self-description. There are three points that are essential to understanding self-esteem.

Firstly, an important role in its formation is played by the comparison of the image of the real self with the image of the ideal self, that is, with the idea of ​​what a person would like to be. Those who achieve in reality the characteristics that define their ideal self-image should have high self-esteem. If a person perceives a gap between these characteristics and the reality of his achievements, his self-esteem is likely to be low (Burns R., 1986, p. 36).

The second factor important for the formation of self-esteem is associated with internalization social reactions for this individual. In other words, a person tends to evaluate himself the way he thinks others evaluate him.

Finally, another view on the nature and formation of self-esteem is that the individual evaluates the success of his actions and manifestations through the prism of identity. An individual experiences satisfaction not from the fact that he simply does something well, but from the fact that he has chosen a certain task and is doing it well.

It should be especially emphasized that self-esteem, regardless of whether it is based on the individual’s own judgments about himself or interpretations of the judgments of other people, individual ideals or culturally defined standards, is always subjective.

A positive self-concept can be equated to positive attitude to yourself, to self-respect, self-acceptance, a sense of self-worth; In this case, synonyms for a negative self-concept become a negative attitude towards oneself, self-rejection, and a feeling of inferiority (Burns R., 1986, p. 37).

BEHAVIORAL COMPONENT OF SELF-CONCEPT

The fact that people do not always behave in accordance with their beliefs is well known. Often, the direct, immediate expression of an attitude in behavior is modified or completely restrained due to its social unacceptability, the individual’s moral doubts, or his fear of possible consequences.

Any attitude is an emotionally charged belief associated with a specific object. The peculiarity of the self-concept as a complex of attitudes lies only in the fact that the object in this case is the bearer of the attitude itself. Thanks to this self-direction, all emotions and evaluations associated with the self-image are very strong and stable. Not attaching importance to another person's attitude towards you is quite simple; For this purpose, there is a rich arsenal of psychological defenses. But if we're talking about about the attitude towards oneself, then simple verbal manipulations may be powerless here. No one can just change their attitude towards themselves (Burns R., 1986, p. 39).

In modern psychology, the self-concept is considered as one of the components of personality, as an individual’s attitude towards himself. The concept “I-concept” expresses the unity and integrity of the personality with its subjective inner side, that is, what the individual knows about himself, how he sees, feels and imagines himself. (Grimak L.P., 1991, p. 197).

Self-concept is a set of attitudes towards oneself. Most definitions of attitude emphasize its three main elements, its three psychological components:

Self-image is an individual’s idea of ​​himself.

Self-esteem is an affective assessment of this idea, which can have varying intensity, since specific features of the self-image can cause more or less strong emotions associated with their acceptance or condemnation.

Potential behavioral response, that is, those specific actions that can be caused by self-image and self-esteem.

The subject of an individual’s self-perception and self-esteem can, in particular, be his body, his abilities, his social relations and many other personal manifestations.

Let us dwell in more detail on the three main components of the self-concept (Burns R., 1986, p. 32).

COGNITIVE COMPONENT OF SELF-CONCEPT.

An individual's ideas about himself, as a rule, seem convincing to him, regardless of whether they are based on objective knowledge or subjective opinion, whether they are true or false. The specific methods of self-perception leading to the formation of the self-image can be very diverse.

The abstract characteristics that we use to describe a person are in no way related to a specific event or situation. As elements of a generalized image of an individual, they reflect, on the one hand, stable trends in his behavior, and on the other, the selectivity of our perception. The same thing happens when we describe ourselves: we try to express in words the main characteristics of our usual self-perception, these include any role, status, psychological characteristics of the individual, description of property, life goals, etc. All of them are included in the image of the Self with different specific weight - some seem more significant to the individual, others - less. Moreover, the significance of the elements of self-description and, accordingly, their hierarchy can change depending on the context, the life experience of the individual, or simply under the influence of the moment. This kind of self-description is a way to characterize the uniqueness of each personality through combinations of its individual traits (Burns R., 1986, p. 33).

EVALUATIVE COMPONENT OF SELF-CONCEPT.

The emotional component of an attitude exists due to the fact that its cognitive component is not perceived by a person indifferently, but awakens in him assessments and emotions, the intensity of which depends on the context and on the cognitive content itself (Burns R., 1986, p. 34).

Self-esteem is not constant, it changes depending on circumstances. The source of evaluative knowledge of an individual’s various ideas about himself is his sociocultural environment, in which evaluative knowledge is normatively fixed in linguistic meanings. The source of an individual’s evaluative ideas can also be social reactions to some of his manifestations and introspection.

Self-esteem reflects the degree to which an individual develops a sense of self-respect, a sense of self-worth and a positive attitude towards everything that is included in the sphere of his Self.

Self-esteem manifests itself in the individual's conscious judgments in which he tries to formulate his importance. However, it is hidden or overtly present in any self-description.

There are three points that are essential to understanding self-esteem.

Firstly, an important role in its formation is played by the comparison of the image of the real self with the image of the ideal self, that is, with the idea of ​​what a person would like to be. Those who achieve in reality the characteristics that define their ideal self-image should have high self-esteem. If a person perceives a gap between these characteristics and the reality of his achievements, his self-esteem is likely to be low (Burns R., 1986, p. 36).

The second factor important for the formation of self-esteem is associated with the internalization of social reactions to a given individual. In other words, a person tends to evaluate himself the way he thinks others evaluate him.

Finally, another view on the nature and formation of self-esteem is that the individual evaluates the success of his actions and manifestations through the prism of identity. An individual experiences satisfaction not from the fact that he simply does something well, but from the fact that he has chosen a certain task and is doing it well.

It should be especially emphasized that self-esteem, regardless of whether it is based on the individual’s own judgments about himself or interpretations of the judgments of other people, individual ideals or culturally defined standards, is always subjective.

A positive self-concept can be equated to a positive attitude towards oneself, self-esteem, self-acceptance, a sense of self-worth; In this case, synonyms for a negative self-concept become a negative attitude towards oneself, self-rejection, and a feeling of inferiority (Burns R., 1986, p. 37).

BEHAVIORAL COMPONENT OF SELF-CONCEPT.

The fact that people do not always behave in accordance with their beliefs is well known. Often, the direct, immediate expression of an attitude in behavior is modified or completely restrained due to its social unacceptability, the individual’s moral doubts, or his fear of possible consequences.

Any attitude is an emotionally charged belief associated with a specific object. The peculiarity of the self-concept as a complex of attitudes lies only in the fact that the object in this case is the bearer of the attitude itself. Thanks to this self-direction, all emotions and evaluations associated with the self-image are very strong and stable. Not attaching importance to another person's attitude towards you is quite simple; For this purpose, there is a rich arsenal of psychological defenses. But if we are talking about attitude towards oneself, then simple verbal manipulations may be powerless here. No one can just change their attitude towards themselves (Burns R., 1986, p. 39).

We examined the concept of self-concept and its structural components. The formation of the self-concept is based on the individual characteristics of the individual, as well as under the influence of the mechanism of mutual communication. The process of psychosocial development of a person, the stages of formation of the self-concept of an individual throughout the entire life cycle, are most fully presented by E. Erikson.

1.2 SELF-CONCEPT AND INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ERIC ERICKSON’S THEORY..

In modern psychology there is a research position of individual personality development, the position of an observer located within the process under study. This is the position of E. Erikson, it is presented in the periodization of the human life cycle. According to E. Erikson, any person can go through all stages, no matter what culture he belongs to; it all depends on how long his life span is.

Erikson considers his concept of psychological development of personality as a variant of the epigenetic doctrine of development. From the biological content of the term “epigenesis,” that is, embryonic development determined by external factors, Erickson borrows the idea of ​​the sequential formation of psychological neoplasms in a person, each of which at a certain moment becomes the center of a person’s mental life and behavior. Each of these new formations expresses a person’s attitude to society, to other people, to himself (Abramova G.S., 1999, p. 328).

According to Erik Erikson, each stage of development has its own expectations inherent in a given society, which the individual can justify or not justify, and then he is either included in society or rejected by it. The solution of problems characteristic of each stage, according to Erikson, depends both on the already achieved level of psychomotor development of the individual, and on the general spiritual atmosphere of the society in which this individual lives. These considerations by Erik Erikson formed the basis of the two most important concepts of his concept - “group identity” and “ego identity”. Group identity is formed due to the fact that from the first day of life, the upbringing of a child is focused on including him in this social group, to develop the worldview inherent in this group. Ego identity is formed in parallel with group identity and creates in the subject a sense of stability and continuity of his “I”, despite the changes that occur to a person in the process of his growth and development.

The formation of ego-identity, or, in other words, the integrity of the individual, continues throughout a person’s life and goes through a number of stages (Obukhova L.F., 1999, p. 95).

Table 1 shows the stages of a person’s life path according to E. Erikson.

Table 1

Stages of a person’s life path according to E. Erikson

Stage Age Leading existential

Term

The concept of “Self-concept” was born in the 1950s in line with phenomenological, humanistic psychology, whose representatives (A. Maslow, K. Rogers), unlike behaviorists and Freudians, sought to consider the holistic human Self as a fundamental factor in behavior and development personality.

The term is often used as a synonym for “self-awareness,” but unlike the latter, “I-concept” is less neutral, including the evaluative aspect of self-awareness.

The self-concept, in essence, determines not just what an individual is, but also what he thinks about himself, how he looks at his active beginning and possibilities for development in the future .

Problems of defining self-concept

The complexity of the problem in defining the self-concept has been emphasized by many researchers. Its essence is too general character what we define as "I".

“Even such a simple material object as a glass can be defined differently, depending on the practical or theoretical context. This is even more true in relation to concepts such as “personality”, “consciousness” or “self-awareness”. It’s not so much a matter of terminological laxity of the humanities, much of it is that different researchers are concerned with different aspects of the problem of personality and the human “I”. But what, in fact, is its mystery? F. T. Mikhailov is concerned with the question of what is the source creativity man, the dialectic of the creator and the created. A.G. Spirkin is interested in “I” as a carrier and at the same time an element of self-awareness. D.I. Dubrovsky approaches the “I” as the central integrating and activating factor of subjective reality. Psychologists (B. G. Ananyev, A. N. Leontiev, V. S. Merlin, V. V. Stolin, I. I. Chesnokova, E. V. Shorokhova and others) consider the “I” as the inner core of the personality, sometimes as its conscious beginning, sometimes as a clot of individual self-awareness, a person’s system of ideas about himself. The research interest of neurophysiologists is aimed at identifying where and in what parts of the brain the regulatory mechanisms of the psyche are localized, allowing a living being to distinguish itself from others and ensure the continuity of its life activity. For psychiatrists, the problem of “I” focuses on the relationship between the conscious and unconscious, the mechanisms of self-control (“the power of “I”), etc., etc.,” the famous philosopher and sociologist Igor Semenovich Kon reflects on the problem of “I” in his acclaimed book “I” In search of myself” (p. 7) .

For Burns, “I-concept” is associated with self-esteem as a set of attitudes “about oneself” and is the sum of all an individual’s ideas about himself. This, in his opinion, follows from the identification of descriptive and evaluative components. The author calls the descriptive component of the “I-concept” the image of the Self or the picture of the Self. The component associated with the attitude towards oneself or towards one’s individual qualities, self-esteem or self-acceptance. He writes that the “I-concept” determines not just what an individual is, but also what he thinks about himself, how he looks at his active beginning and possibilities for development in the future. Describing the youthful “I-concept,” R. Burns points to a well-known contradiction: on the one hand, the “I-concept” becomes more stable, on the other hand, “... undergoes certain changes due to a number of reasons. Firstly, physiological and psychological changes associated with puberty cannot but influence an individual’s perception of his appearance. Secondly, the development of cognitive and intellectual capabilities leads to the complexity and differentiation of the “I-concept,” in particular to the ability to distinguish between real and hypothetical possibilities. Finally, thirdly, the demands emanating from the social environment - parents, teachers, peers - may turn out to be mutually contradictory. Changing roles, the need to make important decisions regarding profession, value orientations, lifestyle, etc., can cause role conflict and status uncertainty, which also leaves a clear imprint on the “I-concept” during adolescence.”

Thus, depending on the original problem and the methods of its division, the meaning of concepts and their countless derivatives changes.

Material has been accumulated on the content of the Self-Image and its structure. Many works reveal age-related characteristics of ideas about the content of one’s “I”. Special subject psychological research There was also a question about the levels of development of the Self-Image, mastery of which in different age groups can mean not only knowledge of one’s “I”, but also a readiness to realize it. Most authors propose studying changes in the content of self-image, that is, the transition from objective indicators (physical characteristics) to subjective ones ( personal qualities, ideas, attitudes).

The structure of the self-concept

The subject of an individual’s self-perception and self-esteem can, in particular, be his body, his abilities, his social relationships and many other personal manifestations. Based on the self-concept, the individual builds interaction with other people and with himself.

Cognitive

Usually a person believes that he has certain characteristics. These characteristics cannot be deduced or reduced to one current moment of his life - if a person believes that he is “strong”, this does not mean that he is in this moment lifts the weight. Moreover, in fact, this person may not be objectively strong. Or maybe it is. The set of beliefs about oneself is the cognitive component of the self-concept.

These beliefs may have different meanings for an individual. He may believe, for example, that he is brave first of all, and strong only tenth. This hierarchy is not constant and may change depending on the context or over time. The combination and significance of characteristics at a given moment largely determine the individual’s attitudes and expectations about himself.

Along with other things, the cognitive component of the self-concept is represented in the mind of the individual in the form of social roles and statuses.

Estimated

An individual not only believes that he has certain characteristics, but also evaluates them in a certain way and relates to them. He may or may not like the fact that he is, for example, strong. An important role in the formation of this assessment is played by:

Behavioral

No matter who a person considers himself to be, he cannot ignore how he actually behaves, what he actually succeeds in. This “objective” part is the behavioral component of the self-concept.

Most modern scientists dealing with personality problems come to the conclusion that when studying the self-image, it is most productive to move from metaphors to the spheres and properties of the psyche that “work” on the self-image. They, like vectors, determine a certain general load and direction of the central structure, which is often called “self”.

Other approaches to the structure of self-concept (self-image)

T. Yu. Kaminskaya identifies two approaches to developing the problem of the structure of the Self-Image. In the first approach structure of the Self-Image the motivational component is not highlighted, or only minor components are highlighted. Thus, S. Stein defines Self-Concept - “a system of representations of images and assessments existing in the mind of an individual, relating to the subject himself.” L.A. Wenger speaks of the Self-Image as a set of generalized meaningful and evaluative representations.

The second approach is to recognize the influence of the motivational component (the connection between Self-Image and behavior) on the development of Self-Image. In other words, the prerequisites are being formed for the inclusion of a motivational component in the structure of the Self-Image.

The most common is the idea of ​​the structure of the “Self-Image” as a unity of cognitive (the image of one’s qualities, abilities, appearance, etc.), emotional (self-esteem, self-deprecation, etc.) and evaluative-volitional (the desire to increase self-esteem, gain respect etc.) components (A.V. Petrovsky, M.G. Yaroshevsky).

G. E. Zalessky distinguishes two components of the Self-Image - motivational and cognitive. In relation to the study of age-related features of the development of Self-Image, Special attention is devoted to clarifying the question of how the formation of each of the components occurs when two components of the Self-Image begin to interact.

The cognitive block of Self-Image reflects meaningful ideas about oneself. This understanding of the cognitive block of the Self-Image is close to the understanding of the Self-Image by other researchers. But both evaluative (self-esteem) and target (level of aspirations, system of prohibitions and rewards) components are added to this block. The motivational block is responsible for the functional significance of these qualities, that is, whether these qualities act as criteria in the choice of motives, goals, and actions. And if they do, then do the qualities perform the function of active or meaning-forming motives?

Measuring Self-Concept

The literature presents a diverse set of techniques for studying the self-concept (I-image) or its components.

Various questionnaires Examples:

The Self-Attitude Research Methodology (MIS) was developed by R. S. Panteleev (1989) and contains 9 scales:

• inner honesty;
• self-confidence;
• self-leadership;
• reflected self-attitude;
• self-worth;
• self-acceptance;
• self-attachment;
• internal conflict;
• self-accusation.

The method for diagnosing socio-psychological adaptation was developed by K. Rogers and R. Diamond (1954). The methodology has been tested and standardized on different samples of students in domestic schools and universities. Based on a Russian-language sample, adapted by A. K. Osnitsky. Scale as measuring tool found a high differentiating ability in diagnosing the characteristics of self-image, their restructuring during critical age periods of development and in critical situations that prompt an individual to reassess himself and his capabilities, acceptance or rejection of himself, others, emotional comfort or discomfort, internal or external control, dominance or statements, avoidance of solving problems.

I. S. Kon raises the question of whether an individual can adequately perceive and evaluate himself, in connection with the problem of the relationship between the main functions of self-consciousness - regulatory-organizing and ego-protective. In order to successfully direct his behavior, the subject must have adequate information both about the environment and about the states and properties of his personality. On the contrary, the ego-protective function is focused primarily on maintaining self-esteem and stability of the self-image, even at the cost of distorting information. Depending on this, the same subject can give both adequate and false self-assessments. The low self-esteem of a neurotic is a motive and at the same time a self-justification for leaving an activity, while self-criticism creative personality- an incentive for self-improvement and overcoming new frontiers.

Projective techniques

Almost all projective techniques are aimed at studying the personal sphere in its various aspects - level of aspirations, degree of self-acceptance, attachment to loved ones, conflict, etc. The idea that in a drawing or story you can see a kind of “self-portrait” is the basis of the tests “Drawing of a Man” (K. Machover), “House - Tree - Man” (Goodenough - Harris), Thematic Apperception Test (G. Murray), Psychogeometric Test (Dellinger), Symbol Apperception Test (Nagibina-Afanasyeva) and others.

Types and classifications of self-concept (self-image)

Self-image (Self-image, Self-conception) is a kind of global self-esteem. The self-image can be adequate and inadequate, real and ideal, structured and disintegrated, etc.

Almost any of the self-images has a complex structure, ambiguous in its origin.

V.V. Stolin notes that the analysis of the final products of self-awareness, which are expressed in the structure of ideas about oneself, “I-image”, or “I-concept” is carried out either as a search for types and classifications of images of “I”, or as a search for “ dimensions" (that is, meaningful parameters) of this image. The most famous distinction between the images of the “I” is the distinction between the “real I” and the “ideal I”, which in one way or another is already present in the works of W. James, S. Freud, K. Lewin, K. Rogers and many others, as well as the distinction between the “material self” and the “social self” proposed by W. James. S. Samuel identifies four “dimensions” of the “Self-concept”: body image, “social self”, “cognitive self” and self-esteem.

A more detailed classification of images was proposed by M. Rosenberg:

• "real me"
• "dynamic self"
• "actual self"
• "probable self"
• "idealized self"

Self-Image Acceptance

Recognition and acceptance of all aspects of one’s Self, as opposed to “conditional self-acceptance,” ensures the integration of the Self-concept, asserts the Self as a measure of oneself and one’s position in life space. Self-concept (Self-image) is the seed that carries both the embryo and its potential for growth and development. The coordination of the work of all structures, their harmonious interaction is necessary condition psychological comfort.

V. Rotenberg in his book “Image of the Self” gives examples of the perception of the image of the Self under hypnosis: “When one subject was told that he was Paul Morphy, a brilliant American chess player, and was asked to play chess, his first reaction was to demand a huge fee - a million dollars . He was handed a pack of blank paper, announcing that this was the coveted million, and at that moment a powerful surge of electrical activity in the skin was recorded on the encephalograph, indicating a pronounced emotional reaction. By the way, Mikhail Tal himself played with this subject, and he also played a game with him in his usual state outside of hypnosis. The photographs showed how confidently the subject behaved during the game, while he considered himself Paul Morphy, for whom the name Tal means nothing - and how timidly the same subject squeezed into a chair outside of hypnosis, well imagining who he was playing with. By the way, Tal admitted that although the subject’s performance “in character” was, of course, not at Morphy’s level, it was still about two grades higher than without hypnosis. A few months later, in response to a journalist’s question: “Which party is for Lately Do you remember more than others?” Tal replied: “Meeting with Morphy,” and explained to the stunned reporter that he had no hallucinations yet. So, it is the suggestion of a holistic image that makes it possible to identify unique possibilities in hypnosis that the person himself is not aware of. Of course, these possibilities are precisely revealed, and not introduced by the state of hypnosis.”

Psychological conflicts become unique quality control points on the way to personal growth and self-realization, when the interaction, the dialogue of Self-images is interrupted, “split”, each of which, being an essential part of the Self-concept, tries to “declare itself”, “speak”, “be heard”, but is not accepted as one’s own, is rejected or transforms protectively.

The complexity and unpredictability of the self-image creates difficulties for its study. Sometimes a teacher deals with a student whose various parts and components of the self-image are “blurred” and are not interconnected. The consequence of psychological undifferentiation and dependence, which constitute the main system-forming property of “borderline self-awareness,” are its three interrelated characteristics:

1. A high level of bias in the self-image and its accessibility to subjective distortions;
2. Overdependence on the assessments of significant others, stress availability and vulnerability of the self-concept in relation to emotionally traumatic experiences;
3. “Narrowness” and “flatness” of the system of individual meanings representing the image of the Self.

“The factor that creates the greatest risk of destabilization of self-attitude is the low degree of differentiation of the self-concept and, as a result, insufficient autonomy of cognitive and affective processes that increase the stress availability of the entire holistic system,” says E. T. Sokolova.

In the personality structure, the mental component is particularly distinguished, which is responsible for the integrity of the psyche. This is a certain core - the self.

Babies initially do not differentiate between themselves and the world. As one grows, the bodily self begins to develop, with the awareness of which comes an understanding of the non-identity of the internal and external worlds. Later, young children begin to compare themselves with their parents, peers and relatives, finding certain differences. By middle childhood, their knowledge about themselves expands so much that it already includes a whole system of assessing their own qualities.

In adolescence and adolescence, self-esteem takes on a more abstract character, and adolescents develop a noticeable concern about how others perceive them. Finding yourself, collecting your own identity from the mosaic of knowledge about yourself becomes a paramount task for boys and girls. It is during this period that their intellect reaches a level of development that allows them to think about what the world around them is and what it should be like.

We can say that what is inherent in the self-concept is what the teenager is trying to develop. For example, a physically ill child’s self-concept is healthy. Such a child will try to physically pull himself up. If the level of aspirations is high, and one’s own capabilities are perceived as insufficient, neuroticism (touchiness, stubbornness) may occur.

Throughout the adult period of life, a person’s self-concept simultaneously strives to maintain continuity and undergoes changes. Important life events: changing jobs, marriage, the birth of children and grandchildren, divorce, job loss, war, personal tragedies - force us to reconsider our attitude towards ourselves.

It has been discovered that the dynamics of change in a person’s self-concept begins with a change in attitude towards oneself and the outside world, which serves as an impetus for a shift in all interdependent components of a multi-level system. With the increase of contradictions in the structure of the self-image, stability is disrupted, the internal consistency of the elements of the self-concept model disappears, “loss of self” occurs, and mental tension arises. The process of change, which follows either the path of simplification or the path of complication of the content of the Self-concept, ends with the transformation of its entire structure.

Factors influencing self-concept

All researchers note the complexity and ambiguity of the formation and development of the self-image. Self-image is a systemic, multi-component and multi-level education human psyche. All components of this system have countless degrees of freedom, which makes it difficult to scientific approach in diagnosing and predicting the formation of self-image. Apparently, the points of personal growth and development along the path of self-realization coincide with such human realities as selfhood, self-actualization, the ideal self and a person’s desire to find a harmonious correspondence of these realities in his self-image.

Gergen (1971) notes the following factors related to the evaluations of others that influence an individual's self-image:

1. Consistency external evaluation and self-concepts.
2. The significance of the ideas that the assessment addresses.
3. Trust in the expert. The greater the credibility of the expert making the assessment, the greater his influence (Bergin, 1962).
4. Number of repetitions. How larger number repetitions of the given assessment, the greater the likelihood of its acceptance.
5. Modality of assessment. Acceptance or ignoring of external evaluation depends on whether it is positive or negative.

Based on this, external assessment will pose a threat to the self-concept in cases where:

• the assessment does not coincide with the individual’s ideas about himself and is negative;
• assessment affects functionally meaningful concepts which the individual uses for self-determination;
• the expert making the assessment enjoys significant credibility;
• the individual is systematically exposed to the same external assessment and cannot ignore it.

The reflective “I” is a kind of cognitive scheme that underlies the implicit theory of personality, in the light of which the individual structures his social perception and ideas about other people. In the psychological orderliness of the subject's idea of ​​himself and his dispositions, the leading role is played by higher dispositional formations - the system of value orientations in particular.

G. E. Zalessky highlights next steps formation of personal meanings:

Notes

Literature

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The first definition of self-concept belongs to Rogers. The self-concept consists of ideas about an individual's own characteristics and abilities, ideas about the possibilities of his interaction with other people and with the world around him, value concepts associated with objects and actions, and ideas about goals or ideas that can have a positive or negative orientation. Thus, it is a complex structured picture that exists in the mind of the individual as independent figure or background, which includes both the self itself and the relationships into which it may enter, as well as the positive and negative values ​​associated with the perceived qualities and relationships of the self - past, present and future. In the second definition, the self-concept is formulated as a system of ideas, images and assessments existing in the mind of an individual that relate to the individual himself. It includes evaluative ideas that arise as a result of the individual's reactions to himself, as well as ideas about how he looks in the eyes of other people; on the basis of the latter, ideas are formed about what he would like to be and how he should behave.

Self-concept - dynamic system a person’s ideas about himself, which includes both the actual awareness of his physical, intellectual and other qualities, and self-esteem, as well as subjective perception of those influencing this person external factors.

Self-concept contains components:

1) cognitive - the image of one’s qualities, abilities, appearance, social significance, etc. (self-awareness);

2) emotional - self-respect, selfishness, self-abasement, etc.;

3) evaluative-volitional - the desire to increase self-esteem, gain respect, etc.

Self-concept is a prerequisite and consequence of social interaction, determined by social experience. Its components include:

1) physical self - scheme own body;

2) real self - the idea of ​​oneself in the present tense;

3) dynamic self - what the subject intends to become;

4) social self - correlated with the spheres of social integration: gender, ethnicity, civil, role, etc.;

RATIO WITH THE SOCIETY.

5) existential self - as an assessment of oneself in the aspect of life and death;

6) the ideal self, which the subject, in his opinion, should become, focusing on moral norms;

7) fantastic I - what the subject would like to become, if it were possible.

The formation of a person’s self-concept occurs with the accumulation of experience in solving life problems and when they are assessed by other people, especially parents. Formation of self-concept, ultimately determined by the broad socio-cultural context, arises in circumstances of exchange of activity between people, during which the subject “looks like in a mirror at another person” and thus fine-tunes, clarifies, and corrects the images of his “I”. The formation of an adequate self-concept, and, above all, self-awareness, is one of the important conditions for raising a conscious member of society. The closest thing in meaning to it is self-awareness. But self-concept is a less neutral concept, including the evaluative aspect of self-awareness. This is a dynamic system of a person’s ideas about himself, which includes both the actual awareness of his physical, intellectual and other qualities, and self-esteem, as well as the subjective perception of external factors influencing a given personality.

ROBERT BOUNDS Burns (American psychologist, author of books on the topic of self-concept), one of the leading English scientists in the field of psychology, who seriously studied issues of self-awareness, defines this concept as follows: “I-concept” is the totality of all a person’s ideas about himself, coupled with their assessment. The descriptive component of the self-concept is often called the self-image or self-picture. The component associated with the attitude towards oneself or one’s individual qualities is called self-esteem or self-acceptance. The self-concept, in essence, determines not just what an individual is, but also what he thinks about himself, how he looks at his active beginning and possibilities for development in the future.

The self-concept arises in a person in the process of social interaction as an inevitable and always unique result mental development, as a relatively stable and at the same time subject to internal changes and fluctuations mental acquisition. It leaves an indelible imprint on all manifestations of a person’s life - from childhood to old age. Mental development.

From the moment of its inception, the self-concept becomes an active principle, acting in three functional and role aspects:

1. Self-concept as a means of ensuring internal consistency - a person always follows the path of achieving maximum internal consistency. An essential factor in restoring internal consistency is what a person thinks about himself.

2. Self-concept as an interpretation of experience. This function of the self-concept in behavior is that it determines the nature of the individual interpretation of experience, because a person has a strong tendency to base not only his behavior, but also the interpretation of his experience on the basis of his own ideas about himself.

3. Self-concept as a set of expectations. The self-concept also determines a person's expectations, that is, his ideas about what should happen. Every person has certain expectations that largely determine the nature of his actions.

R. Burns, on the one hand, most fully reflects the structure of the self-concept, and on the other, organizes the terminology found on the pages of psychological literature. The self-concept is presented in the form of a hierarchical structure. At its top is the global self-concept, which includes all kinds of facets of individual self-awareness. Due to the fact that a person, on the one hand, has consciousness, and on the other, is aware of himself as one of the elements of reality, WILLIAM JAMES (American psychologist and philosopher) considered the global, personal Self (Self) as a dual formation in which I -conscious (I) and I-as-object (Me). These are two sides of one integrity, always existing simultaneously. One of them is pure experience, and the other is the content of this experience (I-as-object). Most definitions of attitude emphasize three main elements:

1. A belief that can be either justified or unfounded (the cognitive component of the attitude).

2. Emotional attitude towards this belief (emotional-evaluative component).

In relation to the self-concept, these three elements of attitude are specified as follows:

1. Self-image - an individual’s idea of ​​himself.

2. Self-esteem is an affective assessment of this idea, which can have varying intensity, since specific features of the self-image can cause more or less strong emotions associated with their acceptance or condemnation.

3. Potential behavioral response, i.e. those concrete actions, which can be caused by self-image and self-esteem.

Components of self-concept. Having identified the three main components of the self-concept, we should not forget that the self-image and self-esteem are amenable to only conditional conceptual distinction, since psychologically they are inextricably linked. The image and assessment of one’s “I” predispose a person to certain behavior; therefore global We consider the self-concept as a set of human attitudes aimed at oneself. However, these settings may have different perspectives or modalities. There are usually at least three main modalities of self-attitudes.

1. Real Self - attitudes related to how a person perceives his current abilities, roles, his current status, that is, with his ideas about what he is in the present time.

2. Mirror Self - attitudes associated with a person’s ideas about how others see him. Mirror Self performs important function self-correction of a person’s claims and his ideas about himself. This mechanism feedback helps to keep the Real Self within adequate limits and remain open to new experiences through reciprocal dialogue with others and with oneself.

3. Ideal Self - attitudes associated with a person’s idea of ​​what he would like to become. The ideal self is formed as a certain set of qualities and characteristics, roles that a person would like to see in himself and that he would like to perform. Moreover, a person forms the ideal elements of his Self according to the same basic aspects as in the structure of the Real Self. Ideal image consists of a number of ideas that reflect the innermost aspirations and aspirations of a person.

4. Constructive Self (Self in the future). It is he who is characterized by a focus on the future and the construction of a projective model of “I”. The main difference between a constructive self-project and an ideal self is that it is permeated with effective motives, and they are more consistent with the attribute “I strive.” Those elements that a person accepts and sets for himself as an achievable reality are transformed into the constructive self. As a set of attitudes characteristic of each person, aimed at oneself. The self-concept forms important component human self-awareness, it participates in the processes of self-regulation and self-organization of the individual, since it determines the interpretation of experience and serves as a source of human expectations.

The terms “I-image” or “I-picture” which are often used in the literature as synonyms for self-concept, do not sufficiently convey the dynamic, evaluative, emotional nature of an individual’s ideas about himself. It is preferable to use them to designate only the first, static, cognitive component of the self-concept in order to emphasize the presence of the second, evaluative component. Most authors use the term “self-esteem.” So, Coopersmith calls self-esteem is an individual’s attitude towards himself, which develops gradually and acquires a habitual character. Self-esteem- This is a personal judgment about one’s own value, which is expressed in attitudes characteristic of the individual. Rosenberg defines self-esteem in approximately the same way. For him this is a positive or negative attitude, aimed at a specific object called “I”. Thus, self-esteem reflects the degree to which an individual develops a sense of self-respect, a sense of self-worth and a positive attitude towards everything that is included in the sphere of his “I”.

That's why low self-esteem involves self-rejection, self-denial, and a negative attitude towards one’s personality.

There are three points that are essential to understanding self-esteem. Firstly, an important role in its formation (SELF-ASSESSMENT) is played by the comparison of the image of the real “I” with the image of the ideal “I”, that is, with the idea of ​​​​what a person would like to be.

This comparison often appears in various psychotherapeutic techniques, and a high degree of agreement between the real “I” and the ideal is considered an important indicator mental health. In James's classical concept, the idea of ​​​​actualizing the ideal “I” is based on the concept of self-esteem, which is defined as a mathematical ratio - the real achievements of an individual to his claims.

The second factor, important for the formation of self-esteem, is associated with internalization (INTERIORIZATION - the formation of internal structures of the human psyche through the assimilation of external social activities, appropriation of life experience, the formation of mental functions and development in general, SPEAKING ABOUT YOURSELF WITHOUT DISTURBING OTHERS) social reactions to a given individual - a person tends to evaluate himself the way he thinks others evaluate him (in the works of Cooley and Mead).

Finally, another way to think about the nature and formation of self-esteem is that the individual evaluates the success of his actions and manifestations through the prism of his identity. An individual experiences satisfaction not because he simply does something well, but because he has chosen a certain thing and does it well.– people make great efforts to “fit” into the structure of society with the greatest success.

It should be especially emphasized that self-esteem, regardless of whether it is based on the individual’s own judgments about himself or interpretations of the judgments of other people, individual ideals or culture, but given standards, is always subjective.

Self-concept as a dynamic set of attitudes characteristic of each personality, aimed at the personality itself.

As follows from this definition, a positive self-concept can be equated to a positive attitude towards oneself, self-respect, self-acceptance, a sense of self-worth; In this case, synonyms for a negative self-concept become a negative attitude towards oneself, self-rejection, and a feeling of inferiority.