Self in Society and Personal

Self in Society and Personal Life

The concept of the self may seem rather abstract, but this does not detract from its importance. Understanding the importance of self is integral to studying both social and personal trends. An examination of self-esteem, self-concept, and self-efficacy and how these affect both society and the author's personal life, a better understanding of the concept of self can be gained.

The position of the self in society is a topic that many sociologists and psychologists concern themselves with in order to better understand the goings on of humans and their interactions together. According to Huitt (2004), "By self, we generally mean the conscious reflection of one's own being or identity, as an object separate from other or from the environment. There are a variety of ways to think about the self" (para. 1). Understanding one's self is an important topic in social psychology, for the idea of the self impacts a great deal of other topics in both psychology and sociology. For instance, one's idea of one's self and the role that one's self plays in society impacts how one interacts with others, fulfills goals, and comprehends ruling bodies. Through an examination of the self in the social world as well as the self in my own life, understanding the importance of this concept will become abundantly clearer.

Examining the self in society forces one to quantify what is meant by self. Self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy are all components within the self. According to Perera (2007), self-esteem is one's opinion of one's self. Huitt (2004) furthers this definition by writing, "Self-esteem is the affective or emotional aspect of self and generally refers to how we feel about or how we value ourselves (one's self-worth)" (para. 1). Although some people see self-esteem and self-concept as the same thing (Huitt, 2004), Huitt writes that self-concept is more cognitive and less emotional than self-esteem, which can also refer to specific parts of a self-concept. According to Alvarez (2009), self-concept has to do with a person's knowledge of him or herself "such as beliefs regarding personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles" (para. 1). Finally, self-efficacy is defined as peoples' beliefs about their ability to "exercise influence over events that affect their lives" (Bandura, 1994, para. 1). Working together, these three concepts define one's self, or more specifically one's idea of one's self.

In society, one's idea of one's self plays a major role in determining social behavior, such as how groups are formed and the actions of a generation. For instance Mundell (2008) writes that today's students are more likely than students in the 70s to believe they are going to have good futures and are already performing positively even when this may not be the case. This information causes Mundell (2008) to conclude that "the 'self-esteem' movement popular among today's parents and teachers may have gone too far" (para. 3). Thus, high self-esteem among groups in society can motivate these groups to make positive choices or cause them to believe their choices and actions are acceptable even when they are not. When young people have high amounts of self-esteem and self-efficacy -- balanced by a self-concept that insures they see their strengths and weaknesses in an accurate light -- they can rise to greater heights, impacting society positively. Indeed, Bandura (1997) writes, "The way in which adolescents develop and exercise their personal efficacy during this period can play a key role in setting the course their life paths take" (pg. 177). Because society is made up of people, people who have higher levels of self-efficacy in large numbers tend to change society, making it more proactive, productive, and progressive. In addition, the opposite of this is also true. Indeed, larger groups with lower levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy tend to create societies that are less motivated to change, or at least pockets within this society who have motivated the laissez-faire mentality. Furthermore, one's self-esteem, self-concept, and self-efficacy help determine how one sees one's self in society. Those who see themselves as unproductive and who believe they will be burdens to society can account for many of those who make up society's prisons and areas of social assistance.