Identity Self Esteem

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Unit 7: 6.1. Explain the links between identity, self-image and self esteem Identity: In social science the term identity describes a person's conception and expression of their personal individuality or group identity, e.g. national identity or cultural identity. The shaping of someone's identity depends on the identification with significant others like parents, the peer group or even fictional movie-characters. Furthermore the term Identity describes a unique personality structure in combination with the picture that others have of this structure. The reflection of ourselves and who we want to be determines our identity. This concept is also described by some as the self image. Self-image: A person's self-image is the own mental…show more content…
How others see me. 3. How I see others seeing me. The term self esteem is used to describe the result of this internal self-evaluation. In this process individuals compare their description of themselves as they are, with their description of themselves as they would like to become. Self-esteem depends then on the ability to live up to one's ideals. Self-esteem: The term self-esteem is used in psychology to describe a person's overall emotional evaluation of their own worthiness. The concept of self esteem assumes that the result of this reflection determines further the attitude towards the self, affecting the individual in aspects like motivation, attitudes, confidence and the overall emotional well being. Some theories suggest that self-esteem is a basic human need or motivation. One of these is from the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. He included self-esteem in his hierarchy of needs. Maslow's hierarchy of…show more content…
In the context of his hierarchy an individual without the fulfilment of the self-esteem need, won't be able to progress and obtain self-actualization. Criticism: This relatively early psychological theory of human needs and motivation has received a lot of criticism over the last five decades. The hierarchy itself is questioned as well as the concept of self esteem as a result of an internal self evaluation. The theory in the tradition of “Humanistic psychology” is also questioned as being too subjective and that it is therefore difficult to apply to objectively measure humanistic phenomena. Maslows studies are based on individual people like Albert Einstein or Eleanor Roosevelt. He did not build his research on people with learning disability or mental health problems . He studied a small group of an elite student population. Maslow himself stated that: "...the study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy." (see
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