0Identifying the Self
Do you know what is a self-concept is? Self-concept is what a person thinks consciously or unconsciously about him or herself. Self-concept is perhaps the basis for all motivated behavior (Franken, 1994). The things that a person experience by a person in the outside world is a reflection of the self- concept of that person. It is the result of everything that a person has or has not experienced in their life.
There are three main components in self-concept namely the ideal self, real self and public self. The ideal self is what a person would like to be such as good moral and well-respected person. The real self is how a person really thinks about oneself. Public self is what a person thinks others think of him or her.
There are certain factors that play an important role in shaping a self -concept. Some of them are relationship, family, health, status, work, ageing culture etc.
We can easily identify a person with a positive self – concept. Some of the characteristics of such a person are self-confidence, ability to accept criticism and not become defensive, setting obtainable goals, willingness to take risks and try new experiences
How can we develop a positive self- concept among students as a teacher? Some of the methods that a teacher could adopt are:
Treat children with love and respect, provide successful experiences, give praise and appreciation for achievements, avoid competition, and allow them to explore and learn, give opportunities to make choices, help them to release emotions positively. The teacher should be a good listener to them. The teacher should make each student feel that each one is given good personal attention also should encourage them to do activities or extracurricular activities.
