1. This is what we believe WE are like as a person and what we believe that OTHER people think about us.

2. Show how these factors affect – Self esteem Physical & mental health Employment prospects Level of education Make sure you cover positive and negative factors Don’t forget to cover – Physical factors Social & emotional factors Economic factors Environmental factors Using a character from a TV family, produce a lifeline and predict physical changes, changes in family circumstances, economic changes and environmental changes which could occur over the next 15 years.

3. Objectives 20,8,9,19 - 9,19 - 23,8,1,20 - 23,5 - 2,5,12,9,5,22,5 - 23,5- 1,18,5 - 12,9,11,5 - 1,19 - 1 - 16,5,18,19,15,14 and 23,8,1,20, -23,5- 2,512,9,5,22,5- 20,8,1,20- 15,20,8,5,18 - 16,5,15,16,12,5 - 20,8,9,14,11 -1,2,15,21,20- 21,19

4. We are going to learn how ‘Self Concept’ contributes to our growth and development. This is what we believe WE are like as a person and what we believe that OTHER people think about us.

5. Self Concept We all have a picture of ourselves. – who we are, what we are like inside. This is the image of ourselves that we like others to see. This is called our self-concept. It is based on two things:  What we believe we are like as a person  What we believe that other people think about us.

6. Self concept involves: How clever we are How physically attractive we are How popular we are with other people How we compare with other people we know How fit and strong we are How good we are at various work or sporting activities How likely we are to be successful at coping with problems Looking at the statements shown, comment on how you see yourself. Be honest! Looking at the statements shown, comment on how you see yourself. Be honest!

7. What is self concept? Self concept means understanding ourselves. To understand ourselves we must first of all have developed self-awareness, but how do we do this? To develop self-awareness we need to build up a picture of ourselves, using:  The knowledge we have about ourselves  The feedback we receive from other people Self-concept is part of our emotional and social development. The view we have of ourselves changes as a result of: the experiences we have life events the life stage we are in. This can affect how we see ourselves. And whether we have high or low self-concept?

8. Positive and Negative Self-concept Positive self-conceptNegative self-concept You are motivated to do something because you have often been successful You lack motivation because, when you have tried new things before, you often did not do very well You are confident in social situations because you usually get on well with people You lack confidence, especially when meeting new people, new people make you feel anxious as you fear you will have nothing to say You are generally happy with lifeYou are unhappy a lot of the time You have enough self-confidence to cope with new challenges and to view them positively You often find life difficult and do not enjoy new challenges, as you are afraid of failure

9. Age makes a big difference to the way children describe themselves and to the way adults think about their lives. Self concept is limited to a few descriptions, for example, boy or girl, size, some skills Self-concept can be described in a range of ‘factual categories’, such as hair colour, name, details or address, etc. Self-concept starts to be explained in terms of chosen beliefs, likes, dislikes, relationships with others Many adults will be able to explain the quality of their lives and their personality in greater depth and detail than when they were adolescents Some older adults may have more self-knowledge than during early adult life. Some people may show ‘wisdom’ in the way they explain their self-concept

10. Self concept at different ages Infancy and childhood Newborns have no concept of itself as a person. As children get older they meet a wider range of people and this starts to influence the picture they are forming of themselves. Children do not just do the things they are taught or imitate, they think about what is happening and decide what their own values are. This called internalising or examining within themselves.

11. Adolescence Their sense of self is very strong. Adolescence want more independence. They want to make their own decisions. They may not feel very secure about themselves but they have an internal picture of themselves and they want to project so that others can see them. A good awareness helps them to; make decisions, form social and sexual relationships, develop confidence in work roles or in a chosen college course. teachersparentsfriendsrelativespeople at workmedianeighbours

12. Adulthood Adults are recognised by society as being fully independent and responsible for their actions. We are surrounded by images of young, attractive people in advertisements, media, newspapers. The image adults have of themselves is influenced by life events that have been experienced. Some can be positive and some can be negative. Events that can be an influence include: o Marriage o Starting a family o Experiencing divorce From the age of 50 adults may experience discrimination in the workplace and this can have a negative effect on someone’s self concept. They may feel hurt, not valued, feel rejected, or become resentful and angry

13. Older Adults In late adulthood some people feel they are not valued, particularly as they have lost their work role. They may have become withdrawn and depressed. They may feel they have nothing to contribute. Ian is 63. He has worked as a salesman in a furniture store for 30 years. Ian loves his work. He lives on his own so he enjoys meeting the customers and chatting to his colleagues. This is his main social life. He is called in to see the manager when he arrives at work one day. The manager tells Ian that the firm would like him to take early retirement. This is because they are going to introduce a number of changes and fell that Ian would benefit financially if he were to leave at the end of the month. The manager makes it clear that he expects Ian to accept the package being offered. 1.How will Ian’s social development be affected by taking early retirement? 2.How do you think Ian’s self-concept might be affected by taking early retirement?

14. Appearance Somewhere between 10 and 12 years of age, children start to analyse the ways in which they are like or not like others. All of the following influence how we think of ourselves and others: Shape of our body Hair Height Weight Eyes Skin colour Facial features Many people think there is an ‘ideal’ look that they should resemble. If we think we look good then we have a positive self- image. If we think we do not look good we may have a negative self- image. A negative self-image may contribute to a low self-concept.

15. Clothes, hairstyle, make up and body shape are seen differently by different people. No one look s attractive to everyone. What you see as attractive may be so because of your own age, culture and lifestyle. The important issue is to feel positive about the way you look. We can easily develop a negative self image if we do not understand the way other cultures or personal beliefs influence other people’s opinions of our appearance. A poor self-image may cause us to lack confidence or to feel depressed about our relationships with other people.

16. Gender Gender is not the same as sex. Someone's sex is determined by their genes. Gender is about the way society expects individuals to behave. Gender affects self- concept because individuals have to learn how other people expect someone of their sex to behave. This is called gender role. Women tend to choose different types of jobs. They are more likely to interrupt their career to look after children. They appear still to put the needs of family before their career so that their progress in the workplace is held back.

17. Culture Different people have different customs and ways of thinking. Your family or the community where you grew up may have different beliefs and expectations from other families and communities. These differences influence the way we think. We call this range of influences ‘cultural influences’. This is called ‘norms’ by sociologists. Culture is shared beliefs, customs and values. It includes things such as language, religion and other faiths, diet, sport and music. It also includes ideas about things like personal modesty, morality and gender roles. Culture binds society together. It gives people a shared identity and a sense of belonging. This is why it is important for someone’s self- concept.

18. Emotional Maturity You are now old enough and mature enough to be able to describe your self-concept. Try to describe yourself beginning with your physical appearance. Then try to describe your personality, including what you see to be your strengths and weaknesses. Now swap your description with your partner and discuss whether they think you have described yourself accurately. You may find a difference between your view and theirs. A person’s understanding of his or her own self-concept is dependent on his or her own emotional and intellectual maturity. A person needs complex language to describe his/her self-concept accurately so language development must come first. For this reason alone small children alone cannot describe their self- concept. At the age of 2 a child will be able to say if they are a boy or a girl and they may know their age. But they will not be able to describe themselves. By 10 years a child can describe their appearance, his/her likes and dislikes and aspects of his/her life i.e. home & school. But they will not be emotionally mature enough to compare themselves with another person. By late adolescence people are emotionally mare enough to draw comparisons with their peer group. The peer group is particularly important at this age. They help them form a view of their self- concept, their environment, personal needs and abstract ideas. They will have clear opinions on many issues. By the time a person is an adult they will have enough emotional maturity to have personal insight. They will also have the necessary language to describe his/her self-concept in detail.

19. Education Education can influence our self- concept The expectations of teachers influence your chances of future success or failure. Students who are expected to do well often perform better than those who are expected to fail. This is called a self- fulfilling prophecy. You mix with other people and compare yourself to them Success or failure at school has an affect on your self-esteem You learn theories and ideas that help you to understand your life and that of others Lasting friendships made at school boosts self-esteem because it shows that people continue to wan to be your friend Our ideas are strongly influenced by our experiences at school. Young people spend more than half their time they are awake at school, doing homework or meeting friends from school. Later experiences at college or university can also confirm our change what we think about ourselves.

20. Relationships with Others If, on the other hand, a person has poor relationships, particularly within their family, they may lack confidence and probably feel that they are not loved or valued. This could result in them being unable to form lasting relationships in adolescence and adulthood. An important part of a person’s self-concept is what they believe others think about them. Communication is an important part of all relationships. Good communication skills can help us to form positive relationships. It is in relationships that people find out what others think about them. If a person has a trusting and honest relationship with another person, such as a friend, they may learn from them that others have a higher opinion of them than they thought. This will improve their self esteem.

21. Sexual Orientation Heterosexual – sexually attracted to the opposite sex Homosexual – sexually attracted to the same sex Bisexual – sexually attracted to both sexes Sexual orientation refers to our sexual behaviour and choice of partner. A person’s sexual orientation is certain to form part of his or her self-concept. It will be particularly significant to those who are homosexual. This is because to admit to being homosexual can still be a very traumatic thing to do. A young person who is homosexual may encounter the following problems: o Parents may express sadness or disappointment o Acquaintances may express homophobic attitudes o They may suffer prejudice at work or school o Some people believe that homosexuals should not be allowed to work with children e.g. teachers or social workers o Pensions and housing laws do not allow the same privileges as for heterosexual couples o There is considerable opposition to homosexual couples being allowed to foster or adopt children.

22. Life Experiences- Life Experiences- these are the everyday things that happen to us. A single life experience is not likely to affect our self-concept, but life events considered all together can. Infants & Children Infants life experiences are very limited. Carers are responsible for the life experiences of a baby. This will affect their self-concept. Children begin to make relationships with other people and their life experiences widen. Their self-concept is affected by other relationships with teachers, friends, etc. Adults Adults life experiences are wider still as they become completely independent. They become workers and set up home themselves. If their experiences are satisfying and they have a satisfactory relationship with their partner then these are positive factors contributing to their self-concept. Sometimes these experiences are not positive. They may experience bullying in the workplace or within a relationship. They may experience discrimination in their lives, because of their sex, sexuality, race or disability. All of these can negatively affect their self-concept Adolescents Adolescents become increasingly independent and their experiences widen. Most teenagers go through a period of rebellion. Usually parents can put up with this, and the rows and arguments pass. They are left with a good relationship and in turn have a positive self- concept. If adolescents have a bad relationship with their parents, they are more likely to get in to crime, drugs, or alcohol abuse. They may become promiscuous. This can lead to unwanted pregnancy and it can lead to the chances of sexually transmitted diseases. All these limit their opportunities and have a negative effect on their self-concept. Older Adults Many older adults have very positive life experiences. They have good relationships with their families, and enjoy busy, active lives. However, older people can feel devalued by others, which has a negative effect on their self-concept.

23. Individual student analysis of ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I like this?’ Factors influencing self concept Make a list of everyone you have seen or spoken to in the last two days. Next to the name, write down the nature of their relationship with you, e.g. friend, brother, parent, teacher Draw a circle with you in the middle, and the words ‘Who am I’. Add lines between you and the individuals, identifying the relationship Is anyone close/important to you missing from this list? If so add them now. What are the key features of these relationships, e.g. dependency, mutual support, physical attraction, power, protection, sharing Can you identify any barriers to good relationshipsWhat does this tell you about yourself?