Self and Identity

Although each of us experiences ourselves as a singular individual, our sense of self is actually made up of three separate, yet integrated components: self-awareness, self-concept, and self-esteem.

Self-awareness can be defined in many ways, including "conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires". (Google Dictionary 2/4/19) In other words, noticing your feelings, your reactions, your thoughts, your behaviors, and more. As you are watching and observing your own actions, you are also engaging in social comparison, which is observing and assigning meaning to others' behavior and then comparing it with your own.

Self-concept is your overall perception of who you think you are. Self-concept answers the question of who am I? Your self-concept is based on the beliefs, attitudes, and values that you have about yourself. Identity and self-concept strongly intertwined.

Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. Whether you feel positively or negatively about yourself, your self-esteem influences your communication.

In addition to self-awareness, self-concept, and self-esteem, our culture is a powerful source of self. As we have previously learned, culture is an established, coherent set of beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices shared by a large group of people. In other words, culture is like a collective sense of self that is shared by a large group of people.