Journal Entry on Self-Concepts

It is 12:51am New Years day and I am still awake…thinking. Over the past few weeks I had an opportunity to catch up with some old friends. It is always interesting seeing how things change over the years. Sharing in the personal success of people and observing their growth is an edifying experience. I began to wonder about how people come to believe in their ability to succeed. I wanted to know what creates this change this evolution in personal perspective. Is it possible for someone who may not have a good impression of themselves to change it for the better?

If one already has a positive opinion of themselves can they improve upon it? With many of these questions in mind I began to look at the phenomena of self concepts. "In a nutshell self-concepts can be viewed as the totality of a complex organized, and dynamic system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinion that each person holds to be true about his or her personal existence" (Purkey, 1988).

Where do our beliefs about ourselves arise? Well one powerful contributor to this concept is our personal experiences. The occurrences in our lives over time construct an overall picture of who we perceive ourselves to be. Reflecting upon experiences of success or mastery contributes to a positive self-concept. The opposite of this is true as well. The self-concepts we develop about ourselves do not simply reside in the realm of our minds but has a tangible influence in our lives made possible through our daily behaviors. Prescott Lucky (1945) contributed to our understanding of this best when he stated that self-consistency, or maintaining the status quo is a primary motivating force in human behavior. Stated another way our actions will create our reality around based upon our self-concept. Subconsciously or otherwise people will act out in ways indicative of self-perception.

-Regi