The Self Concept

The Self Concept Self can be explained through race, religious beliefs, social status, and etc. One can also explain self through using adjective words such as thoughtful and understanding. There are three core social motives that explain the self in its cognitive, affective, and behavioral manifestations. The motive to understand self underlies the cognitive self concept; self-enhances explains feelings about the self; and the motive to belong accounts for the interplay between self and behavior (Fiske, 2010). This paper will discuss the concept of self and how an individual develops self. This paper will also discuss the relationship between the self and emotions and how the relationship affects self-esteem and self -presentation.
Concept of the Self There are four aspects that make the concept of self: body self, inner self, interpersonal self, and societal self. William James (1890) endorsed all levels of the conceptual self. The body self is best described as one’s possessions such as cloths, car, or pet. The inner self or spiritual self is an individual private and intrapersonal feelings. Attitudes, abilities, and interests are all words that constitute an individuals inner self. Interpersonal or social self is the face-to-face, relational, between two people. Interpersonal self includes a person’s collection of roles (Fiske, 2010). An example of someone playing multiple roles is a male who is a father, husband, brother, and friend. Lastly, there is societal self; the societal self represents social identities defined at the level of the collective or the culture. An individual’s ethnicity, gender, religion, and age contribute to the identity of an individual. Besides the four aspects of self, William James distinguished the “I” from the “me.” The active part of the self, the “I” is the intentional part of the self and the “me” is how I am seen or