I have been reading on the self, more specifically the portion about our own self concepts. The self includes consciousness of physical charasteristics as well as one's inner character and emotional life.  Daniels (2004) believes that the self-concept is individualized, positive or negative, emotional, intellectual, and functional, environmental and time changes, and is very influencial on one’s life. I believe that self-concept might be the most over scrutinized segment of the self, that humans possess. It is broken down into 4 main categories- your identity, body image, self-esteem, and role performance. I feel as if these 4 categories comprise the majority of a person’s life. From puberty till the day we die, people are constantly conscious of being seen as different in the eye of society. For me self-esteem has been the biggest part of my self-concept, that I have always had problems with. I often struggle with the way I think others see me and internal confidence. From family time to athletics, self-esteem has always been somthing I have relied on but hasnt always been there. I can’t speak for everyone but I believe that the lack of 1 of the 4 major categories of self-concept in young people may be why we are having more mental health problems. Experience has taught me, once diagnosed with a mental health problem it is hard to regain your previous self-concept and it takes time before creating a new self-concept. With the increased age, amount of pressure, competition and communication, it has become a full-time job understanding self-concept. As these 4 categories are all very closely related, it seems that even a small bump in one category can create a mountain in another area. How do we keep our self-concept so well balanced? what is the best way to stay balanced? or maybe we should stop caring what others think?

I understand there may be bigger things in life than self-concept but as someone who has problems with keeping their self-concept in constant balance, it would make a scalable difference in my life and how I manage my real, ought and ideal self in the future.

Daniels, R. (2004). Nursing Fundamentals: Caring & Clinical Decision Making. Delmar Learning. Retrieved from: http://www.delmarlearning.com/companions/index.asp?isbn=0766838366