Introduction

concept psychological personality

In the process of cognition of the surrounding world, a person uses the system internal funds: ideas, images, concepts, among which an important role is played by a person’s idea of ​​himself (“I-concept” or “I-image”) - about his personality traits ah and qualities, abilities, motives. Self-image is a product of self-awareness. But at the same time, it contributes to the achievement of internal consistency of the individual, determines the interpretation of experience, and is a source of expectations and attitudes. Thus, the self-concept is both a product of self-consciousness and, at the same time, essential condition this process.

The self-image is formed under the influence of various external influences that an individual experiences while living in society. The most important for him are contacts with significant others, who, in essence, determine the individual’s ideas about himself. At the initial stages of life, almost any social contacts have a formative effect on him and contribute to the formation of the self-concept. However, from the moment of its inception, the self-concept itself becomes an active principle, an important factor in the interpretation of experience. Thus, the self-concept is formed under the influence of the individual’s social contacts, determines the perception of these contacts and all experience as a whole, and is also the source of the individual’s expectations.

Therefore, research in the field of self-awareness is of great importance for each individual, since it allows you to most deeply study the characteristics of your own psyche, and, perhaps, solve any significant issues.

Today, there is a lot of research on the origin of the self-concept, its development and measurement. The variety of approaches, some of which are quite controversial, and the lack of information about this phenomenon justify relevancedeclared topic. After all, man has long wanted to know who he is, why he is the way he is. Currently, another one has been added to the traditional philosophical questions: “Why do I perceive myself this way?”

Object of study:Self-concept of personality

Subject of study:structural characteristics of the self-concept of personality

Purpose of the study: to study the structural characteristics of the self-concept of personality

Research objectives:

explore theoretical approaches to understanding the self-concept in psychological science;

identify different ideas about the structure of the self-concept;

to experimentally identify what meaningful characteristics of the self-concept a person identifies and how this is related to his self-esteem.

Hypothesis:People with different levels of self-esteem differ in the representation of the content characteristics of the self-concept.

The following were used in the research process: methods:

theoretical (analysis of psychological, pedagogical, philosophical, social literature within the chosen topic);

empirical;

methods for processing and interpreting research results.

The structure of the work consists of two chapters, four paragraphs, an introduction, a conclusion and a list of references.

Chapter 1. Theoretical approaches to the study of self-concept in psychological science

.1 Understanding of domestic and foreign psychologists the essence of self-concept

The problem of self-concept has attracted and continues to attract the attention of many authors, however, in various works it can be defined as “self-image”, “cognitive component of self-awareness”, “self-perception”, “self-attitude”, etc.

First you need to define what it is - “I-concept”? Let's consider the options presented in various psychological dictionaries. Thus, in the psychological dictionary, edited by A.V. Petrovsky and M.G. Yaroshevsky, we find the following definition: “The self-concept is a relatively stable, more or less conscious, experienced as a unique system of an individual’s ideas about himself, on the basis of which he builds his interaction with other people and relates to himself. In the dictionary edited by V.P. Zinchenko and B.G. Meshcheryakov Self-concept is defined as a dynamic system of a person’s ideas about himself, including: a) awareness of his physical, intellectual and other properties; b) self-esteem; c) subjective perception of those influencing one’s own personality external factors. Also, when analyzing the literature devoted to the self-concept, one can find two more detailed definitions of it. The first definition belongs to K. Rogers. He argues that the self-concept consists of ideas about own characteristics and the abilities of the individual, ideas about the possibilities of his interaction with other people and with the world around him, value ideas associated with objects and actions, and ideas about goals or ideas that may have a positive or negative orientation. It turns out that the self-concept can be represented as a complex structured picture that exists in the mind of the individual and includes both the self itself and the relationships into which it can enter, as well as positive and negative values ​​associated with the perceived qualities and relationships of the self in the past , present and future. In another definition, belonging to J. Staines, 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. A similar definition is given by M. Rosenberg. The self-concept is the reflective self, the self seen by itself. This is the totality of an individual's thoughts and feelings regarding himself as an object

Thus, summarizing these seemingly different understandings, we can say that the self-concept is a stable, but at the same time changing system, which includes a person’s ideas about himself and self-esteem, on the basis of which he builds his behavior.

The component of the self-concept associated with the description of oneself, ideas about oneself, is often called 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 is self-esteem or self-acceptance. It turns out that the self-concept determines not only 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 [Burns, 2004].

R. Burns, highlighting the content and evaluative parts in the structure of the self-concept, considers it as a system of human attitudes aimed at himself. In relation to the self-concept, the three main elements of attitude can be defined as follows:

The cognitive component of the attitude is the self-image - the individual’s idea of ​​himself. 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 emotional - evaluative component - 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. [Burns, 2004].

It is believed that the image of “I” is what determines behavior. We find this position in the works of many researchers. Here is what I.S., in particular, writes about this. Kon: “From childhood to adolescence and from youth to maturity, a person is more clearly aware of his individuality, his differences from others and gives them more meaning, so that the image of “I” becomes one of the central, main attitudes of the personality, with which he correlates all his behavior "[Kon, 1979]. “I” is an actively creative, integrative principle, which gives an individual the opportunity not only to be aware of himself and his qualities, but also to consciously direct and regulate his activities. The author notes that self-consciousness contains a dual “I”:

) “I” as a subject of thinking, reflexive “I” - active, acting, subjective, existential “I” or “Ego”;

) “I” as an object of perception and inner feeling- objective, reflective, phenomenal, categorical “I” or image of “I”, “concept of I”, “I-concept” [Kon, 1984].

I.S. Cohn considers the possibility of adequate perception and assessment of oneself, in connection with the problem of the relationship between the main functions of self-consciousness - regulatory-organizing and ego-protective. To successfully direct his activities and regulate his behavior, the subject must have adequate information, both about the environment and circumstances, and about the states and properties of his personality. However, sometimes, in order to maintain self-esteem and maintain the stability of the self-image, the ego-protective function can lead to a distortion of perceived information. As a result of such distortion, in addition to adequate ones, the subject may also develop false self-esteem. [Kon, 1978].

This idea, along with a number of other provisions, underlies R. Burns’ theory of self-concept. He noted that “another function of the self-concept in behavior is that it determines the nature of the individual’s interpretation of experience. Two people, faced with the same event, may perceive it completely differently" [Burns, 1989]. However, here the position under discussion is expanded by the category of perception. This means that the image of “I” is what we use to interpret the events of our life. Burns introduces this idea to us as follows: “The self-concept acts as a kind of internal filter that determines the way a person perceives any situation. Passing through this filter, the situation is comprehended and receives a meaning that corresponds to a person’s ideas about himself” [Burns, 1989].

Summarizing these provisions, we can say that the image of “I” is something with the help of which a person comprehends what is happening, and, based on the result of such comprehension, behaves in a certain way, reacts in accordance with his view of the situation. At the same time, behavior is something that largely influences the self-concept itself. That is, there is a certain circle: the image of “I”, formed on the basis of behavior, influences this very behavior. More precisely, the image of “I” is influenced not by the behavior itself, but by what is happening in the world around us as a result of our behavior or accompanying it.

It would be advisable to pay attention to the other side of the formation of the image of “I”. This refers to the image of a person in the eyes of other people, feedback and their influence on the development of the image of “I”. This process is part of the above statement about the relationship between behavior and self-image. I am concept psychological personality

The influence of others' assessment on a person's perception of himself was first discovered by C. Cooley. In 1912, he developed the theory of the “mirror self.” This theory is based on the idea that a person’s perception of himself is significantly influenced by his opinion. this person about how others perceive him. Subsequently, this theory was reflected in the works of most authors who devoted their works to the self-concept. Its main position can be considered that “the main guideline for the self-concept is the self of another person, that is, the individual’s idea of ​​what others think about him. “I-as-others-see-me” and “I-as-I-see-myself” are very similar in content. In other words, a person tends to evaluate himself as he believes others evaluate him" [Burns, 1989]. "J. Mead argued: a person only becomes a true person when he treats himself as an object, that is, he treats himself the way other people treat him. Our views on all objects (including the most beloved object of our thoughts - ourselves) arise from our ability to see the world through the eyes of other people, to understand and be influenced by social symbols" [Allakhverdov, 2000].

The structure of the phenomenal “I” depends on the nature of the processes of self-knowledge of which it is the result. In turn, the processes of self-knowledge are included in the broader processes of a person’s communication with other people, in the processes of the subject’s activity. The results of the analysis of the structure of his ideas about himself, his self-images, his attitude towards himself depend on how these processes are understood and how, consequently, the subject himself, the bearer of self-consciousness, appears in the study. [Stolin, 2006].

A developed and differentiated positive self-attitude presupposes self-acceptance simultaneously in two value-semantic positions, personality modes: in the mode of an active self-effective, successful self and in the mode of a spontaneous, loving, “warm” self. Partial or fragmented self-attitude is realized by truncation of one of the axes of a holistic self-attitude - autosympathy or self-esteem [Sokolova, 1991].

Recognition and acceptance of all aspects of one’s authentic 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 living space. Internal dialogue here they will perform the functions of clarifying and affirming self-identity, and its specific forms, reasons for its occurrence and motives indicate the degree of harmony - inconsistency, maturity of self-awareness. Psychological conflicts then they become an obstacle to personal growth and self-actualization when the interaction and dialogue of self-images is interrupted, “split” [Sokolova, 1991].

The attitude of the individual towards himself, which arises as a result of the activity of self-consciousness, is at the same time one of its fundamental properties, which significantly influences the formation of the meaningful structure and form of manifestation of a whole system of other mental characteristics of the individual. An adequately conscious and consistent emotional-value attitude of an individual towards himself is the central link of his inner mental world. This relationship creates its unity and integrity, coordinating and ordering the internal values ​​of the individual that she has accepted in relation to herself [Chesnokova, 1977].

The emotional-value attitude of an individual towards himself arises on the basis of experiences included in the rational moments of self-awareness. Various feelings, emotional states, transformed into different time, in different life circumstances in connection with thinking about oneself, understanding oneself, etc. constitute that emotional “fund”. By being included in self-knowledge, this emotional sphere of self-awareness at a more or less mature level of development makes it more subtle and perfect and, by being included in the self-regulation of behavior, determines its greater adequacy and differentiation.

Most of what is experienced from the area of ​​the individual’s relationship to himself, in a compressed form, passes into the sphere of the unconscious and exists there in the form of internal capabilities, emotional reserves, potentialities and is actualized under certain conditions, being included in the emotional life of the individual in the present, creating a kind of apperception of his emotional life in the future. .

1.2 The structure of the self-concept and its formation

Analysis of the “I-image” allows us to distinguish two aspects in it: knowledge about oneself and self-attitude. In the course of life, a person gets to know himself and accumulates various knowledge about himself; this knowledge constitutes the meaningful part of his ideas about himself - his “I-concept”. However, a person cannot be indifferent to knowledge about himself. What is included in this knowledge evokes emotions (both positive and negative) and evaluations in a person. The content of knowledge about oneself becomes the basis of one’s more or less stable self-attitude [Bodalev, Stolin, 2006].

Considering the structure of the self-concept, R. Burns notes that the self-image and self-esteem are amenable to only conditional conceptual distinction, since psychologically they are inextricably interconnected. The image and assessment of one's self predispose an individual to a certain behavior; therefore, the global self-concept can be considered as a set of individual attitudes aimed at himself [Burns, 2004].

Ideal Self - attitudes associated with an individual’s ideas about what he would like to become [Burns, 2004].

Stolin notes that the analysis of the final products of self-consciousness, which are expressed in the structure of ideas about oneself, the Self-image, or the Self-concept, is carried out either as a search for types and classifications of images of “I”, or as a search for “dimensions” (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 is already present in the works of W. James, S. Freud, K. Lewin, K. Rogers and many others. Also known is the distinction between the “material self” and the “social self” proposed by W. James. A more detailed classification of images was proposed by Rosenberg: “real self”, “dynamic self”, “actual self”, “probable self”, “idealized self” [Stolin, 2006].

The ideal self is made up of a number of ideas that reflect the innermost hopes and aspirations of the individual; these ideas are divorced from reality. According to Horney, a large discrepancy between the real and ideal self often leads to depression due to the unattainability of the ideal. Allport believes that the ideal self reflects the goals that an individual associates with his future. Combs and Soper view the ideal self as the image of the person an individual wants or hopes to become, that is, as a set of personality traits that are necessary, from his point of view, to achieve adequacy and sometimes perfection. Many authors associate the ideal self with the assimilation of cultural ideals, ideas and norms of behavior, which become personal ideals thanks to the mechanisms of social reinforcement; such ideals are characteristic of every individual [Burns, 2004].

The ideal image, like the “super-ego,” is considered an authority that carries out a regulatory function and is responsible for the selection of actions. However, it is a mistake to confuse these two concepts. The “super-ego” performs repressive functions, and it underlies the feeling of guilt, while through ideal image a relative assessment of various actions is carried out; it is possible that the ideal image influences intentions rather than actions. We can correlate this concept of an ideal image with what Adler calls the goal or plan of life [Fress, Piaget, 2008].

The Real Self, being strong and active, allows you to make decisions and take responsibility for them. It leads to true integration and a healthy sense of wholeness and identity. [Horney, 1998].

Horney separates the actual or empirical self from the idealized self, on the one hand, and the real self, on the other. The actual self is an all-encompassing concept for everything that a person is in given time: for his body and soul, health and neuroticism. The actual I is what the subject means when he says that he wants to know himself, that is, he wants to know what he is like. The idealized self is what the subject is in his irrational imagination or what he should be according to the dictates of neurotic pride. The Real Self is the “primordial” force that acts in the direction of individual growth and self-realization. The Real Self is what the subject refers to when he says he wants to find himself. For neurotics, the real Self is the possible Self - as opposed to the idealized Self, which cannot be achieved [Horney, 1998].

S. Samuel identifies four “dimensions” of self-concept: body image, “social self”, “cognitive self” and self-esteem. Almost any of the self-images has a complex structure, ambiguous in its origin [Stolin, 2006].

The concept of “possible self” was introduced as part of the analysis of the structure of the self-concept as an integral entity. M. Rosenberg and G. Kaplan, considering the idea of ​​a multi-level organization of self-images (the structure of the self-concept), identify various “plans of functioning” of the self-concept: the plane of reality, the plane of fantasy, the plan of the future, etc., including the plan possibilities. The "possible self" is a person's idea of ​​what he could become. It is not identical to the “ideal Self”, given by social standards and requirements, because it includes negative self-characteristics; it is different from the “desired Self”, directly determined by our motivations, since it includes reflection on moments of involuntary self-development [Belinskaya, 1999] .

In more detail and in isolation from the idea of ​​a level structure, the concept of “possible self” was developed in the concept of H. Marcus. She introduced the concept of “working self-concept” - the self-concept at a given time and in a given social context of interaction, part of the self, defined at the micro- and macro-social level. Some working self-concepts are updated more often, others less often. The stability and variability of the self-concept depends on the likelihood of the appearance of one or another particular self-concept in a situation of specific social interaction. This idea of ​​“probability”, a certain relativity of self-manifestations, determined the emergence of the category of “possible self” - according to Markus and Nurius [Belinskaya, 1999], it is an extrapolation of our current working self-concept. There are as many “possible selves” as there are working self-concepts. They can be both negative and positive. According to Markus and Nurius, the “possible self” is our ideas about what we will become in the future, which have a motivating function - the image of ourselves as successful in the future or the idea of ​​ourselves as a potential failure is a prerequisite for real success or failure. In addition, strong differences between the current working self-concept and the “possible self” are a source of anxious or depressive states [Belinskaya, 1999].

I.S. Kon designated the psychological processes and mechanisms of self-awareness that contribute to the formation, maintenance and change of an individual’s self-image as “reflexive self.” The author cites the model of the reflexive self proposed by Rosenberg [Kohn, 1984]. The components of the reflexive self, forming its parts, elements, are nouns (answering the question “Who am I?”) and adjectives (answering the question “What am I?”). The structure of these components is built according to the following criteria:

.According to the degree of clarity of awareness, the representation of one or another of them (components) in consciousness;

.According to the degree of their importance, subjective significance;

.According to the degree of consistency, logical consistency with each other, on which the consistency and consistency of the image of the Self as a whole depends [Kon, 1978].

Each individual has a principle of organizing perception and thinking, character traits, abilities, will, emotions, attitudes, values, etc. into a single whole. This center forms the core of the human personality and in various psychological theories called “self,” “I-concept,” “self-awareness,” etc. In foreign psychology, the term “I-concept” is most widely used.

Self-concept is a relatively stable, more or less conscious system of an individual’s ideas about himself, on the basis of which he relates to himself and builds his interaction with other people.

Analyzing ideas about the structure of the self-concept, we can identify three main and more or less universal components:

) cognitive component - an image of one’s qualities, abilities, appearance, social significance, one’s character, etc. (Real Self and Ideal Self);

) emotional-evaluative component - a person’s experience of his ideas about himself, self-esteem, self-respect or self-destruction, self-love or love for others, etc.

) behavioral component - actions that a person takes based on a system of ideas about himself, social attitudes towards himself and others

The ability to develop a system of ideas about oneself (self-concept) in a person arises on the basis of the ability to reflect, that is, thanks to introspection and introspection.

Chapter 2. Study of the content characteristics of the self-concept and self-esteem of the individual

2.1 Research methods

Analysis of the “I-image” allows us to distinguish two aspects in it: knowledge about oneself and self-attitude. In the process of his life, a person gets to know himself and accumulates knowledge about himself, which constitutes the meaningful part of his ideas about himself - his “I-concept”. However, knowledge about himself, naturally, is not indifferent to him: what is revealed in it turns out to be the object of his emotions, assessments, and becomes the subject of his self-attitude. Not everything in this system is clearly understood by man; some aspects of the “I-image” turn out to be unconscious, therefore we have a formation that is quite difficult to research.

Also, knowledge about oneself that is the same in its content different people may have different subjective significance.

Based on this, the task of our empirical research was to diagnose the self-esteem of a person’s personality and to identify the meaningful components of his self-concept. The purpose of this diagnosis was to determine the level of self-esteem of one’s personality and to identify the characteristics of one’s self that are most used by a person.

In accordance with the objectives, to study the cognitive component of self-awareness, i.e., a person’s idea of ​​himself or the “image of self,” the M. Kuhn and T. McCartland test “20 statements of self-attitude” was used. To study the emotional component of self-awareness, which is an experienced attitude towards oneself as a whole or towards individual aspects of one’s personality, the questionnaire “Personal Self-Assessment” by S.A. Budassi was used.

The study involved 30 students from different universities in the city of Volgograd.

At the first stage, we conducted a study of the self-esteem of our subjects. The questionnaire included 20 different personality traits, which the subject must first evaluate to the extent to which he likes them more, is more significant (20 - highest mark, 1 - lowest score). Then you need to evaluate these qualities in relation to yourself, to what extent they are inherent (from 20 to 1 point). Next, by calculating the average value and standard deviation, the level of self-esteem of the subject was determined and his result was assigned to one of three groups: with a low, medium or high level of self-esteem.

At the second stage, we conducted a study of the cognitive component of the self-concept. For this purpose, a variant of non-standardized self-description was used, followed by content analysis.

The subjects were asked to give 20 different answers to the question “Who am I?” within 12 minutes.

The test was processed using the method of content analysis. Content analysis is a method of qualitative and quantitative analysis of the content of texts in order to identify or measure various facts and trends reflected in these texts.

In accordance with the standard application of content analysis, test processing was carried out in several stages. First, the categories of analysis were determined - the most general, key concepts corresponding to the research problem. The category system plays the role of questions in a questionnaire and indicates which answers should be found in the text.

Then the unit of analysis was chosen - a word, phrase or judgment - and the unit of count was established - the frequency of their appearance in the test.

7 main categories of Who Am I statements were identified:

Designation "person"

physical characteristics

Social characteristics

Interests

Personal qualities

This includes a direct indication of a person’s gender: man, woman, boy, girl.

Includes a description of physical characteristics and appearance. For example: blonde, left-handed.

There is an indication of a person’s social identity -

family, group, civil, ethnic, professional. For example: husband, brother, hairdresser, citizen.

Includes a person's interests and values. For example: motorist, summer resident.

Reflects emotional assessment personal characteristics. For example: stubborn, passionate, the life of the party.

Indicates the transpersonal nature of the statement, integrative characteristics, unusual experiences. For example: part of the universe, warrior of light, space.

2.2 Results of empirical research

As a result of diagnostics and statistical processing of data obtained using a personality self-assessment questionnaire, an average self-esteem value of 0.46 points with a standard deviation of 0.6 points was obtained.

In accordance with these indicators, three groups of subjects were identified:

.With a low level of self-esteem (results below the mean plus standard deviation);

.With an average level of self-esteem (indicators fell within the standard deviation area);

.With a high level of self-esteem (results above the sum of the mean and standard deviation).

The next step was to analyze the cognitive component of the subjects in these three groups. As a result of processing the “20 self-attitude statements” test using the content analysis method, 7 categories of Who Am I statements were identified:

Designation "person"

physical characteristics

Social characteristics

Interests, values

Personal qualities

Existential characteristics

In Table 2.1. The ratio of average values ​​by category and the percentage distribution of categories of statements “Who am I” are presented. For a visual representation, this distribution of percentages is expressed in the diagram Fig. 2.1.

Table 2.1 Percentage distribution between categories of answers to the question “Who am I?” among three groups

Low levelMedium levelHigh levelAverage%Average%Average%1. Designation "person"0.840,753,750,753,752. Gender0.552.750.753.750.633. Physical characteristics2.2511.250,954,750,753,754. Social characteristics9.7548.757,4537,255,2526,255. Interests, values0.753.751,557,752,3511,756. Personal qualities5.4527.258,341,510507. Existential characteristics0.452.250,251,250,31.5

Rice. 2.1. Percentage distribution between categories of answers to the question “Who am I?” among three groups

As can be seen from table 2.1. and Figure 2.1., among the three groups of subjects that we identified when comparing the levels of self-esteem, the most obvious differences are present in the representation of such categories as “Social characteristics”, “Personal qualities”, “Physical characteristics” and “Interests, values”.

Moreover, in the group with a low level of self-esteem, the predominance of the categories “Social characteristics” and “Physical characteristics” is observed to a greater extent than in subjects with an average and, especially, a high level. It can be concluded that these people are experiencing the fulfillment of their social roles as unfortunate, which gives them special meaning. For example, roles such as friend or son/daughter. The lack of emotional experiences or tension in areas associated with this characteristic leads to its selection as the most significant. We can also say about “Physical characteristics”. Most likely the attitude towards one's own physical image causes some kind of emotional stress in a person. This will not necessarily be associated with his dissatisfaction with his appearance, and perhaps will have more deep meaning in the case when a person perceives some stereotypes behind physical characteristics. For example, the statement “I am a blonde” may contain a person’s attitude towards the stereotype “All blondes are stupid” and thereby, causing a certain emotional tension, infer this characteristic as the most significant.

In the group with high levels of self-esteem, the categories under consideration, on the contrary, are represented to a lesser extent. However, categories such as “Personal qualities” and “Interests, values” were more represented than other groups of subjects. This may be due to the fact that other characteristics do not evoke a special emotional response in these subjects, and therefore are not as represented in their minds. The most relevant for them are “Personal qualities” and “Interests, values”. They are the source of development and self-realization for these subjects, because according to physical and social characteristics they consider themselves to be quite adapted. On the other hand, the ideas that subjects state about the uniqueness of their personal characteristics can be a source of high levels of self-esteem.

Thus, we can say that subjects with different levels of self-esteem have different representations of the concepts of “Self-Image” they highlight. Differences in determining the content of one’s own self-concept may also be reflected in its evaluative component.

Assuming that the content of the self-concept is reflected in a person’s self-esteem, we can talk about psychological support people with at different levels self-esteem. Thus, analyzing the components of the self-image identified by a person and expanding ideas about them, changing the focus of self-perception, can lead to a change in self-esteem, and, thus, to better psychological adaptation and well-being.

Based on the results of our study of the cognitive and emotional components of a person’s self-concept, we can say that in people with different levels of self-esteem, its various structural components are represented differently. Perhaps such a difference in highlighting the characteristics of the self-image is associated with some emotional tension caused by its implementation, and due to this, the greater relevance of this characteristic for a person. However, for more accurate conclusions and confirmation of the hypotheses we put forward based on the results of the study, it is necessary to conduct additional research using statistical means of processing the results.

Conclusion

The relevance of the problem of studying the self-concept is beyond doubt among psychologists, teachers and other specialists. Both the theoretical study of various approaches to understanding the essence of the self-concept and its practical research can become a source of new knowledge that can help in practice help people achieve internal harmony of the individual, find resources for development, see and solve any problems. We analyzed the psychological literature on the problem of self-concept and considered a number of approaches to considering its essence and structure. In particular, we examined the idea of ​​R. Burns, who considered the Self-concept as a complex system of attitudes towards oneself and, in connection with this, identified its components as:

1. Cognitive component of the attitude - self-image

Emotional - evaluative component - self-esteem

Potential Behavioral Response

Also, the position was considered that the self-concept, being formed in the process of human life under the influence of ongoing events environment, itself is at the same time an important factor determining a person’s behavior and perception of the world around him.

Real Self - attitudes related to how an individual perceives his current abilities, roles, his current status, that is, with his ideas about what he really is;

Mirror (social) Self - attitudes associated with the individual’s ideas about how others see him;

Ideal Self - attitudes associated with an individual’s ideas about what he would like to become.

As a result of the analysis psychological research Self-concept, we hypothesized that people with different levels of self-esteem differ in the representation of the content characteristics of the self-concept.

To test this assumption, we examined the cognitive component of self-awareness using the test by M. Kuhn and T. McCartland “20 statements of self-attitude”, and the emotional component of self-awareness using the “Self-Evaluation of Personality” questionnaire by S.A. Budassi.

The results of the study showed us that people with different levels of self-esteem define themselves differently. People with low levels of self-esteem have some characteristics of their self-concept to a greater extent than people with normal and average levels, and vice versa for other characteristics. Thus, we can say that our hypothesis itself was confirmed, that is, in people with different levels of self-esteem, the substantive characteristics of the self-concept are presented differently. However, according to the results of our study, we cannot talk about a unilateral influence of the level of self-esteem on the representation of certain characteristics. To do this, it will be necessary to continue studying this area and experimentally testing the assumptions we put forward in the process of interpreting the results.

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Leo Tolstoy, in his article “Believe Yourself,” published in 1906 in a youth magazine, wrote, addressing his words to youth: “Believe yourself, young men and women emerging from childhood, when the questions first arise in your soul: who am I, why do I live? and all the people around me? And the main, most exciting question: is this how I and all the people around me live? Believe yourself even when the answers that appear to you to these questions do not agree with those that were instilled in you in childhood... Yes, believe yourself in that time of great importance when the light of your consciousness lights up in your soul for the first time of divine origin. Do not extinguish this light, but take care of it with all your might and let it flare up. In this alone, in the flaring up of this light, is the only great and joyful meaning of every person’s life.”

Self-concept- this is what psychology calls a relatively stable system of a person’s ideas about himself, associated with self-evaluation and attitude towards himself.

SELF-CONCEPT is not limited to the awareness of one’s qualities or the totality of self-esteem. The answer to the question: “Who am I?” - implies not so much self-description as self-determination: “What can I become, what are my capabilities and prospects, what else can I do in life? »

Components of self-concept

Self-concept- it is holistic, although not devoid internal contradictions image of "I". This is, first of all, a person’s attitude towards himself, containing the following components:

1. cognitive component- knowledge about yourself, your capabilities, abilities, properties, appearance, significance for other people;
2. evaluation component (self-esteem)- this is an emotional assessment of knowledge and ideas about oneself, with which self-esteem, pride, self-abasement, etc. are associated;
3. behavioral component- a practical attitude towards oneself, derived from the first two components, which manifests itself, for example, in the desire to increase self-esteem, gain respect, develop abilities, etc. The self-concept is formed under the influence of individual experience and experience of interaction with other people. Particularly important is interaction with close people, those whose opinions and attitudes and whose assessment are most significant for a person.

Development of self-concept

Already in the first years of life, a child begins to develop an idea of ​​himself and an attitude towards himself based on the attitude of his parents, brothers and sisters towards him. In the future, the assessments of peers and teachers also become significant. kindergarten, teachers. Developing under the influence of contacts with other people, the self-concept itself becomes an active principle, an important factor on the basis of which the child builds his interactions with other people.

In adolescence, the self-concept develops especially intensively, and an important place in it begins to be occupied by the assessment of the features of one’s appearance and attractiveness in the eyes of peers. Teenagers constantly associate themselves with others, often experience anxiety and self-doubt, and often have a low assessment of their attractiveness and importance in the eyes of adults and peers.

According to the famous American psychologist Virginia Satir, “ all a person’s pains, his problems, and sometimes an unacceptably ugly life and even crimes - all this is the result of low self-esteem, which people could neither realize nor change" Increasing self-esteem through awareness of one’s self-worth, uniqueness, originality, as well as the desire for self-improvement - the necessary conditions for the favorable development of self-concept in adolescence.

Basic functions of self-concept

According to psychologists, the self-concept has three main functions in a person’s mental life:

1) contributes to the achievement of internal consistency and personal stability;
2) helps to interpret and evaluate individual experience;
3) determines a person’s expectations and ideas about what should happen.

The third function is central. A person who is confident in his own worth will expect others to also rate him highly and treat him accordingly. People who doubt their worth believe that others will not value them highly and expect to be treated with disdain.

The structure of the self-concept

The structure of the self-concept can be distinguished:

1) real "I"- a person’s ideas about his real capabilities, abilities, social status, i.e. about what he really is;
2) ideal "I"- a person’s ideas about what he would like to become;
3) mirror (social) “I”- a person’s ideas about how other people see him.

“I” concept is understood in psychology as a stable system of an individual’s generalized idea of ​​himself, as an image of his own “I” (image of “I”), which determines the individual’s attitude towards himself and other people. In other words, the “I” concept includes the entirety of an individual’s knowledge and ideas about himself, his emotional attitude towards his personality, as well as those forms of behavior that are determined by these knowledge, ideas and assessments.

A significant part of the issues related to the description of this system (its structure, formation and dynamics) are still subject to further development. The discrepancies in a number of fragments of the “I” concept are such that it makes no sense to criticize them. However, the importance of the problem is so great that highest degree familiarization with existing research results as a basis for further developments becomes relevant. The difficulty of studying the problems of the “I” concept lies in the presence of contradictions in inner world a person, in his weak awareness of certain aspects of his personality. It is characteristic that over the past 30 years the number of studies and books on the issues of the “I” concept has more than doubled.

The image of “I” is a person’s holistic idea of ​​himself. It does not come down to a simple awareness of one’s individual traits and qualities. In the image of “I”, the more significant moment is not so much autobiographical self-description as self-determination: Who am I? What am I like? What do I want? What I can? What will I become? How an individual sees himself (what his image of “I” is) determines his strategies for interacting with other people, his forms of behavioral self-regulation, his attitude towards business partners and, in general, his relationships with the outside world. It is important that the image of “I” determines the attitude towards oneself, self-respect, self-love or, as psychologists say, self-acceptance. Self-love does not mean elevating yourself above others. On the contrary, it is self-love that allows a person to love others and appreciate them. E. Fromm wrote about this: “My own “I” should be the same object of my love as another person.”

The self-image usually includes:
- “I” - real - as an individual’s idea of ​​himself, what he really is;
- “I” - ideal - as his idea of ​​his desired image;
- “I” is mirrored - as his idea of ​​what others think about him;
- “I” - fantastic - as an individual’s idea of ​​what he could become under a favorable combination of circumstances, etc.

The complex interaction of all these aspects of the image of “I” practically excludes the possibility of an individual being in a state of complete “psychological calm,” aimless existence and inactivity.

In domestic psychology in the structure of the “I” concept there are the following components:
- cognitive, containing an image of one’s appearance, abilities, personal qualities, one’s status in the team, etc.;
- emotional, reflecting the attitude towards oneself;
- evaluative-volitional, expressing the individual’s desire to increase his significance, social role, authority, etc.

All these components are formed and developed in communication and activity. Within the framework of personality psychology, self-awareness is of particular importance as highest level development of consciousness. It is symbolic that the fundamental course “ General psychology“begins and ends with the concept of “consciousness”, covering all stages of its development in human ontogenesis.

A special form of consciousness is self-consciousness, where the personality acts as a subject and as an object of knowledge. Through the process of self-awareness, a person knows himself and relates to himself. Self-awareness is characterized by its product – the self-concept.

Self-concept is a developing system of a person’s ideas about himself and includes:

• Awareness of one’s properties – physical, intellectual, characterological, social, etc.
• Self-esteem;
• Subjective perception of external factors influencing one’s own personality.

The concept of self-concept appeared in the 1950s in line with humanistic psychology. Its representatives A. Maslow and K. Rogers sought to consider the holistic human self as a fundamental factor in behavior and personality development.

The first theoretical developments in this area belong to W. James. He divided the personal Self into the interacting Self-conscious and the Self-as-object.

Self-concept is defined as a set of attitudes that are aimed at oneself and distinguish three structural components:

1. The cognitive component is the “image of the self.” It includes the content of ideas about oneself - role, status, psychological characteristics. Regardless of whether they are true or false, they seem convincing to the individual - reliable, sociable, strong, etc.
2. The evaluative or emotional-value component. Includes self-respect, self-criticism, selfishness, self-deprecation;
3. Behavioral component. It characterizes the manifestations of cognitive and evaluative components in behavior, in speech, in statements about oneself, etc. This includes the desire to improve one’s social status, the desire to be understood, and to hide one’s shortcomings.

All components of the self-concept are closely interconnected, although they have a relatively independent logic of development. There is no single scheme for describing the complex structure of the self-concept in the literature yet.

R. Burns, for example, presents the self-concept as a hierarchical structure, the top of which is the global self-concept. It concretizes the personality’s attitudes, which have different modalities, towards oneself.

Those qualities that people attribute to their own personality are not always objective, and other people are not always ready to agree with them. At first glance, objective indicators, such as height, age, may have different meanings for different people. different meaning, which is determined by the general structure of their self-concept.

Self-concept plays the following role:

• Promotes the achievement of internal consistency of the individual;
• Determines the interpretation of the acquired experience;
• Is a source of expectations about oneself.

It is human nature to strive to achieve maximum internal consistency and for this he is ready to undertake various actions to restore lost balance. Based on ideas about oneself, a person builds not only his behavior, but also interprets his own experience. In this regard, the self-concept acts as an internal filter and determines the nature of a person’s perception of any situation. The situation, passing through this filter, is comprehended and receives a meaning that corresponds to a person’s ideas about himself.

If there is a discrepancy between the self-concept and real behavior, then this gives rise to suffering. Despite the fact that the Self presupposes internal unity, the individual actually has many “Images of the Self.”

People tend to desire to have a positive “self-image”; denial of one’s own self is always experienced very painfully, because it is associated with feelings such as pride or humiliation.

Knowledge of oneself can be neither exhaustive nor free from the evaluative characteristics of other people and contradictions.

Self-concept in various theories of personality

To date, the scope and content of this concept remain controversial.

H.C. Cooley, L.S. made a great contribution to the study of this phenomenon. Vygotsky, E. Erikson, I.S. Kohn, R. Burns, V.V. Stolin and many other scientists.

Scientists such as Cooley and Mead at the beginning of the 20th century began to study the self-concept from a sociological perspective. This direction began to be called “social interactionism,” but long before them, in 1752, A. Smith said that a person’s attitude towards himself and his self-esteem depend on other people. You can see your own strengths and weaknesses if you rely on their attitude. Therefore, it is no secret that a person judges himself and his behavior in much the same way as he thinks that he is being judged.

Having developed the theory of the “mirror self,” Mead and Cooley based their position on the thesis that the development and content of the self-concept is determined by society.

The authors of the individual approach - D. Super, R. Acquirer, D. Bugental - based their theory on internal factors in the formation of the self-concept. Representatives of the psychoanalytic school proposed a different approach to studying this phenomenon.

Thus, E. Erikson, relying on the views of S. Freud, considers the self-concept through the prism of ego identity, the nature of which is associated with the characteristics cultural environment surrounding the individual and his capabilities. The scientist describes eight stages of personality development, which are directly related to changes in ego-identity, indicates crises that arise on the way to solving internal conflicts, which are characteristic of various age stages. Erikson focuses on adolescence and adolescence Special attention. He speaks of the mechanism of self-concept formation as an unconscious process, in contrast to symbolic interactionism.

One cannot help but say something about such a researcher of the self-concept as R. Burns. He based his theory on the views of E. Erikson, D. Mead, K. Rogers.

His self-concept is related to the individual's self-esteem. This is a set of “self-importance” attitudes. The author calls the descriptive component of the Self-concept the image of the Self or the picture of the Self, and the component associated with the attitude towards oneself, he calls self-esteem or self-acceptance. In his opinion, the self-concept determines not only what an individual is, but also what he thinks about himself, how he looks at his active beginning and what are the possibilities of development in the future.

Exploring the self-concept of I.S. Cohn believes that it is part of the personality structure as an attitude and names two properties of the Self - differentiation and generality, and also proposes four laws by which the image of the Self is constructed:

1. Integration or system of the reflected, mirror Self. The essence comes down to the fact that the image of the Self is formed on the basis of other people;
2. Social comparison system. Comparison of the present with the past and future. One's achievements are compared with one's aspirations, comparing oneself with other people. Self-esteem is formed;
3. The self-attribution system is the attribution of certain properties to oneself;
4. System of semantic integration of life experiences. Through integration, all previous systems are interconnected.

The self-concept in Russian psychology was mainly considered in the context of the study of self-awareness. This problem was dealt with by V.V. Stolin, E.T. Sokolova, S.R. Panteleev et al. The authors divide many theories in the study of “I” into structuralist ones - they consider the Self-concept as a structure that performs certain functions and functional ones - they study the “I” as part of mental experience and the structure of this experience.

With the first approach, the “I” will be complex and multidimensional, and with the second, it will be united and holistic.

Thus, there are many approaches to the study of self-concept in the scientific literature. All of them consider the problem in close connection with the self-awareness of the individual from various theoretical positions, which sometimes contradict each other.

But the fact that the self-concept is an important unit of personality development and is formed under the influence of a person’s life can hardly be disputed.

The concept of self-concept emerged in the 1950s. in line with humanistic psychology, whose representatives sought to consider the holistic, unique human self.

Originating in foreign psychological literature, in the last decades of the 20th century. the concept of “Self-concept” has firmly entered into everyday life in Russian psychology. However, in the literature there is no single interpretation of this concept; the closest in meaning to it is the concept of “self-awareness”. The relationship between the concepts “I-concept” and “self-awareness” has not yet been precisely defined. They often act as synonyms. At the same time, there is a tendency to consider the self-concept, in contrast to self-awareness, as a result, the final product of the processes of self-awareness.

What does the term “I-concept” mean, what is the real psychological meaning is it invested in? Psychological dictionaries interpret self-concept as a dynamic system of a person’s ideas about himself. The English psychologist R. Berne, in his book “Development of the Self-Concept and Education,” defines the Self-concept as “the totality of all an individual’s ideas about himself, associated with their assessment.” 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. The initial dependence of the self-concept on external influences is undeniable, but later it plays an independent role in the life of every person. The world, ideas about other people are perceived by us through the prism of the self-concept, which is formed in the process of socialization, but also has certain somatic, individual biological determinants.

How does the formation of an individual's self-concept occur? The relationship between man and the world is rich and diverse. In the system of these relationships, he has to act in different capacities, in different roles, and be the subject of a wide variety of activities. And from every interaction with the world of things and the world of people, a person “takes out” the image of his Self. In the process of self-analysis, the division of individual specific images of his Self into their constituent formations - external and internal psychological characteristics- there is, as it were, an internal discussion with oneself about one’s personality. Each time, as a result of self-analysis, according to S.L. Rubinstein, the image of one’s self “is included in ever new connections and, because of this, appears in ever new qualities, which are fixed in new concepts... it seems to turn the other side each time, new properties are revealed in it.”

Thus, a generalized image of one’s Self gradually emerges, which seems to be fused from many individual specific images of the Self in the course of self-perception, introspection and introspection. This generalized image of oneself, arising from individual, situational images, contains general, character traits and ideas about one’s essence and is expressed in the concept of oneself, or self-concept. In contrast to situational images of the Self, the Self-concept creates in a person a feeling of his constancy and self-identity.

The self-concept, formed in the process of self-knowledge, at the same time is not something given once and for all, frozen, it is characterized by constant internal movement. Its maturity and adequacy are tested and corrected by practice. The self-concept significantly influences the entire structure of the psyche, worldview as a whole, and determines the main line of human behavior.

What is the structure of the self-concept? R. Berne (like many Russian psychologists) identifies three components in the structure of the self-concept: cognitive, evaluative and behavioral. The cognitive component, or self-image, includes the individual's ideas about himself. The evaluative component, or self-esteem, includes an affective assessment of this self-image. The behavioral component includes potential behavioral reactions or specific actions that can be caused by knowledge about oneself and attitude towards oneself. This division of the self-concept into components is arbitrary; in fact, the self-concept is a holistic formation, all components of which, although they have relative independence, are closely interconnected.

What role does the self-concept play in the life of an individual?

The self-concept plays an essentially threefold role in the life of an individual: it contributes to the achievement of internal consistency of the individual, determines the interpretation of his experience, and is a source of expectations.

First, the most important function Self-concept is to ensure the internal consistency of the individual and the relative stability of his behavior. If the new experience gained by an individual is consistent with existing ideas about himself, he is easily assimilated and becomes part of the self-concept. If the new experience does not fit into existing ideas about oneself and contradicts the existing self-concept, then the mechanisms psychological protection, which help the individual to tendentiously interpret the traumatic experience or deny it. This allows you to keep the self-concept in a balanced state, even if real facts put it at risk. This desire to protect the self-concept, to protect it from destructive influences, is, according to Burns, one of the fundamental motives of all normal behavior.

The second function of the self-concept is that it determines the nature of the individual's interpretation of his experience. The self-concept acts as a kind of internal filter that determines the nature of a person’s perception of any situation. Passing through this filter, the situation is comprehended and receives a meaning that corresponds to a person’s ideas about himself.

The third function of the self-concept is that it also determines the individual’s expectations, i.e. ideas about what should happen. People who are confident in their own worth expect that others will treat them the same way and, conversely, people who doubt their own worth believe that no one can like them and begin to avoid all social contacts.

Thus, the development of personality, its activities and behavior are significantly influenced by the self-concept.