Self Concept Case

Describe a time when you tried to bring about a change in your self-concept and were not successful in doing so.

When I was a teenager I would always worry about what others used to think about me and I used to believe everything they said about me was true. I eventually learned to ignore the things that were being said about me, but after hearing those things for several years you start to believe those things are true. Later in my teen years I tried changing the way I thought about myself. I tried convincing myself that all the names and things I was being called was just my peers picking on me and bullying me. I knew deep down that none of it was true but I couldn't make myself believe that I wasn't stupid or I wasn't ugly and I gave up trying to change the way I thought about myself and moved on.

Summarize the guidelines for improving self-concept in our textbook and explain how each might apply to a change in self-concept.

There are four guidelines for improving one's self concept.

1. The first concept is the most difficult and the most important. We must make a firm commitment to our personal growth. It isn't as easy as it may sound. It is more than just saying we want to change and be more open with others. We have to put forth the time and effort. It is a continuous effort and will not happen overnight. We must also realize that there are going to be ups and downs in the process of trying to change, but we can't let the bumps in the road get us down. It is also difficult to change one's self concept because we resist change and if we realize that from the start, we will be better prepared to handle the changes we are trying to make.

2. Gain and use knowledge to support personal growth. We must learn how our self concept became what it is and understand why it is the way it is. We should think about other's views on race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic classes to decide whether we want to accept these views as part of our own perspective or view them differently than others view them. We should learn information about ourselves through self disclosure, as we reveal our hopes and dreams we get responses from others that can give us a new perspective on who we are and we gain some insight into ourselves by interacting with others in different situations.

3. Set goals that are realistic and fair. Efforts to change ourselves work better when we set realistic goals. We always try to strive for perfection therefore expecting more from ourselves than we can realistically obtain. It is better to set a series of small goals and conquer those first, then after accomplishing those set goals, we can set more. I say start with baby steps and work our way up.

4. Seek contexts that support personal change. Think about the people who will help move toward the changes that we want to accomplish for ourselves. We need to be surrounded by people who will support us with what we are trying to accomplish. We also need to avoid self-sabotage. Others are not the only ones who