It is evident that the perception of self and reflections on it significantly contributes to the personality’s overall development. Furthermore, it could be proposed that the self-concept of a person constitutes the fundamental basis for adequate social interaction and integration, appropriate self-esteem, and stability of mental health. The psychological processes, which are involved in the formation of self-perception, are considerably diverse. The notion of self comprises numerous aspects, including the experience, current beliefs and assumptions about life, and the perception of the future. Thus, it is possible to state that every person is a constantly changing and very complex being who interacts with the world reciprocally. In this reflective essay, I will dwell upon each of the mentioned constituents to describe what contributes to my notion of self.
First of all, it is important to elaborate on past experiences since they constitute a considerable part of any personality. It should be observed that nobody is born with a distinct self-concept, or with any self-concept, to be exact. Moreover, it is argued that even fully grown-up people (in terms of age) could lack an adequate self-concept. However, a child has some self-concept precondition in either event. I call it a “precondition” because it is difficult for a three-year-old to think of himself or herself in clear terms since children are significantly dependent on their parents. However, in the course of time, a child develops a basic form of self-concept.
I assume that one of the factors, which benefit the development of self-concept to a great extent, is the acquisition of responsibilities. I remember myself since the age of three, and I can state that I was rarely thinking about who I am. I interacted primarily with my parents, and since they are kind and loving people, I was very happy at the time. I consider this period to be a critical aspect of my self-concept development because I learned (even though at the time it was only an intuitive knowledge) that I am a person who is worthy of being loved. Later, as I entered school, I started to interact with my peers, which considerably expanded my self-concept. In my opinion, boys tend to socialize by building hierarchical relationships inside a relatively large collective, and since I am a male, I was also included in these relations. As I entered my teenage years, my notion of self became more diverse and sometimes conflicted. It is evident that I am still a very young man, and my personality development continues. Some people assume that self-concept evolves throughout the whole life of a person. Still, the period between childhood and late twenties is immensely important in establishing fundamental aspects of self-perception.
Further, it is essential to discuss the factors, which contribute to my self-concept currently. First of all, I greatly appreciate how my parents have brought me up. I can definitively state that they gave me several basic lessons about love for myself as well as for others and adequate self-esteem. It should be noted that maintaining appropriate self-esteem is considerably difficult in modern society since there is a tendency for constant social competition. People tend to compare themselves to their role models, or merely individuals, who are considered to be successful and prominent in society. It is especially hard to avoid social comparison in the teenage years because adolescents are eager to be accepted by their peers by any means, and sometimes it could be harmful or even dangerous for the individual’s personality. I cannot deny that I had some issues with self-esteem during my school years; however, I was able to overcome them. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this problem is not likely to have completely vanished. There always be some enticement to compare yourself to another person, and you would feel worthless as a result, but I assume that I’ve learned how to eliminate such conditions.
Since the notion of self-worth was mentioned, it is possible to elaborate on it because it constitutes a significant part of the self-concept. It is argued that this notion primarily describes your interaction with society and the quality of such communication because our self-appraisals could be ultimately positive and satisfying. However, when you have to integrate into society (which is an essential part of any man or woman who lives among other people), it is evident that levels of your utility, profitability, and worth play an immensely important role in both self-evaluation and evaluation from society.
Since I am a student, it should be stated that my most important social contribution is my education. I feel myself worthy because I am performing relatively well, and, overall, I am going through one of the essential parts of life successfully. However, it is also important to notice that whenever I get a low grade or I do not comply with the educational standards, it does not make me feel worthless or ashamed of myself. I know that I am not perfect, and, in my opinion, none of us can ever reach our “ideal self.” Nevertheless, this realization of the existing flaws does not make me feel bad for myself. On the contrary, I consider it to be a very inspiring idea: if I have flaws and imperfections, I have goals to achieve and a path to take. Reaching the state of “ideal self” might be very pleasant, but it would mean that you do not have any room for improvement.
Also, this realization of my actual worth helps me to respect myself as well as other people. Being respectful and having adequate self-esteem contributes to my relatively high-level of self-awareness. I understand how my emotions and psychological processes work. Thus I am aware of my actual personal characteristics and qualities as well as the perception of my personality by other people.
In conclusion, it is essential to summarize the ideas I presented in this essay, which constitute my idea of self. Firstly, I am deeply thankful for my parents since they’ve made an immense contribution to the evolution of my personality, and they continue to help me if the help is needed. Being both praised and admonished by my parents, I was able to develop appropriate self-esteem, which is a psychological basis for a healthy functioning person, in my opinion. Also, I can assume my self-worth to be relatively high, along with the self-awareness level. Nevertheless, as I already said, there has to be room for improvement, and thus I always struggle to be a better version of myself.