Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-1
CHAPTER 2
Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human
Relations
Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, students will be able to:
1. Define self-concept.
3. Describe the real and ideal selves.
5. Define self-esteem.
7. Distinguish among different types of self-esteem.
8. Explain the origins of your self-esteem.
Key Terms
Compensating: The use of a strength to make up for a real or perceived weakness.
Conditional positive regard: Acceptance of individuals as worthy only when they
behave in a certain way.
External locus of control: This occurs in people who feel they have no control of the
events in their lives.
Higher self–esteem: Occurs when people have healthy feelings about themselves and are
therefore more likely to succeed in personal goals and career goals.
Ideal self: The way one would like to be or plans to become.
Lower self–esteem: Occurs when individuals are unable to see themselves as capable,
sufficient, or worthy.
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-2
Lower self–worth: Occurs when an individual believes himself or herself to have little
value to offer the world.
Mentor: A person who acts as a guide or teacher for another, leading that person through
experiences.
Pathological critic: A negative inner voice that attacks people and judges their worth
negatively.
Positive self–talk: A popular method of building self-esteem by thinking and speaking
positively about oneself.
Real self: The way one really is when nobody is around to approve or disapprove.
Self–esteem: The regard in which an individual holds himself or herself.
Self–fulfilling prophecy: Tendency for a prediction to actually occur once it is believed;
for example, a victim believes that prejudice against him or her is true, and then fulfills it.
Self–image: The way one honestly feels about oneself.
Self–respect: Positive self-image with high self-esteem.
Unconditional positive regard: The acceptance of individuals as worthy and valuable
regardless of their behavior.
Lecture Outline
I. What Is Self-Concept?
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-3
II. The Four Parts of the Self-Concept
A. Ideal Self
Everyone has some notion of what he or she would like to become. For some people,
B. Looking-Glass Self
The looking-glass self is the self that a person assumes others see when they look at
him or her. It is also affected by one’s view of reality. Some people assume that others
think well of them much more than is true, while many more tend to assume the
opposite. For most people, the looking-glass self is much more negative than it
deserves to be.
C. Self-Image
One’s self-image is the way he or she truly feel about himself or herself. It can be
programmed by one’s day-to-day behavior and by the things one says to oneself or
others.
D. Real Self
The real self is a person as he or she really is, when nobody is around to approve or
III. Focusing on the Real and Ideal Selves
Carl Rogers, a well-known psychologist, developed ideas about the self-concept in the
mid to late 1900s that are still in use today. He believed that people get little bits of
information all the time about their real selves from their experiences in the world.
Rogers believed that in order to have a healthy self-concept, people need to work on
making the ideal and real selves much closer. This can be done by paying more attention
to messages about one’s real self, adjusting one’s ideal self to fit the reality, and working
up to a more realistic and attainable ideal.
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-4
IV. Pleasing Yourself and Pleasing Others
Many people derive purpose from pleasing others. Having a healthy self-concept means
not allowing oneself to give in to other people’s opinions. A crucial factor to a healthy
self-concept and self-esteem is balancing one’s needs with others. When one’s self-
concept is set and stable at a comfortable level, one will find that knowing and taking
care of the “real you” will be quite possible without threatening others.
V. What Is Self-Esteem?
Self-concept is closely tied to self-esteem. Self-esteem can be defined as the extent to
which an individual believes him- or herself to be capable, sufficient, and worthy. Self-
esteem is usually described as high or low. But the reality is that one’s self-esteem falls
along a scale, from high to moderate to low. Higher self-esteem is healthy self-esteem.
Most people who always need to tell about their accomplishments are actually
compensating in some way for low self-esteem. Another form of compensating is when
people focus on a single strength (such as good looks, mental ability, or athletic skills) to
make up for their overall bad feelings about themselves. These feelings are also called
lower self-worth. No matter how hard most people work at exercising those special
VI. Self-Esteem and Work Performance
Business success depends greatly on one’s level of self-esteem. Psychological research
finds that people with lower self-esteem are more likely to experience anxiety,
depression, irritability, aggression, feelings of resentment and alienation, unhappiness,
insomnia, and other problems. Lower self-esteem is also associated with low job
satisfaction and has even been linked to a higher likelihood of unemployment. People
with lower self-esteem often work with little enthusiasm or commitment. In contrast,
when an employee feels positive about his or her ability to compete and make a
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
VII. Types of Self-Esteem
Currently, researchers describe two different types of self-esteem:
• Feelings, either positive or negative, about self-worth.
• Confidence in the ability to deal with problems when they happen, often called self-
efficacy.
VIII. Origins of Self-Esteem
Self-esteem starts to develop in early childhood from messages one receives from parents
and others around. According to psychologist Carl Rogers, the sense of self is a guiding
principle that structures the personality. Though inborn, the sense of self is shaped by
many outside forces. In young children, self-esteem is just a reflection of the esteem that
parents and others have for the child; it develops as children react to the ways that
important people treat them. During childhood, parents are the most important people
among those shaping self-esteem.
When parents and other important people show a person unconditional positive regard,
or accept him or her no matter what his or her behavior may be at the moment, then he or
she is likely to develop a healthy self-esteem. When parents show conditional positive
Review Questions
1. What are the differences among self-concept, self-respect, and self-efficacy? Provide
an example of each.
2-6
2. You are certain that your co-workers see you as a cranky, reclusive hermit. Actually,
they think of you as a shy person who is quiet but nice to be around. How can this
difference between self-concept and others’ opinions exist side by side regarding the
same person? Explain, using concepts from this chapter.
Answer: Self-concept is the way an individual pictures him- or herself to be; this
view of the individual is the foundation of all his or her thoughts about him- or
3. Imagine yourself back in the third grade. Your teacher is yelling at you for breaking
the chalk while writing on the chalkboard: “Look at what you’ve done! You’re such
a bad student! Go back to your seat!” If you could explain the work of Carl Rogers to
your teacher using this example, what would you say?
Answer: Carl Rogers had developed the idea that a person’s ideal self comes from
the messages he or she receives from his or her parents and people around about
what he or she should be like. The ideal self may be quite far apart from the real self,
4. Do you ever find yourself compensating for a weakness you feel you have? For what
behaviors are you compensating? Do you notice when other people compensate?
Describe.
Answer: Students’ answers will vary. Compensating is a psychological defense
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-7
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Most people who always need to tell about their accomplishments are actually
compensating in some way for low self-esteem. Another form of compensating is
when people focus on a single strength (such as good looks, mental ability, or
athletic skills) to make up for their overall bad feelings about themselves. These
feelings are also called lower self-worth.
5. What specific skill or area of your self-concept needs work? Think of some examples
of positive self-talk you could use to boost your self-esteem in this area.
6. Which would you rather have in your current job or profession, a mentor or a role
model? Why? If you were mentoring a new employee in your field, what kinds of
things would you say and do?
Answer: Students’ answers will vary. A mentor is a person who acts as a guide or
7. Two employees who are learning a new accounting system are talking about it. “It’s
no use,” says the first. “Management is always dumping these new things on me that
I can’t learn.” The second one replies, “We can learn this; it will just take a little
practice. Come on, let’s try it.” According to Rotter, which employee has an internal
locus of control, and which employee has an external locus of control? How will this
likely affect each one’s ability to learn the new system?
Answer: Julian Rotter, an influential psychologist, describes the locus of control as
the perceived center of control over the events in people’s lives. People with an
8. You are waiting for your appointment for an important job interview. A voice inside
you shouts, “You’re so stupid, lazy, and ugly! You’ll never get this job!” Who is this
voice? Why is it sending you these messages? What will you do to stop it?
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-8
Answer: Students’ answers will vary. According to Adler the main motivation for
everything people do, including efforts toward a successful career, is to get away
Critical Thinking Questions
9. Is an internal locus of control good to have in all situations? Can you think of a
situation in which it would not be helpful to feel in complete control of your life? For
example, when something truly terrible happens, such as a natural disaster or other
tragedy, are you really in control of events? If you are not in control of events, what
are you in control of in such a situation?
10. Some people say that when they were children, their parents lacked confidence in
them and treated them with conditional (instead of unconditional) positive regard—
and this treatment, rather than reducing their self-esteem, challenged them to work
harder and succeed. Do you agree that such treatment, then, might be good instead of
damaging to people’s developing self-esteem? Explain.
11. As you might already be aware, some educators, politicians, and others in leadership
positions have carried the self-esteem issue to extremes—far beyond what this
chapter teaches. Some examples are removing any real competition from children so
their self-esteem won’t be threatened, praising people when they deserve anything
but praise, and withholding discipline because any discipline might damage the
child’s fragile ego. Comment on this aspect of self-esteem awareness.
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-9
Case Studies
Case Study 2.1: Stage Fright
Julio Garcia experiences mortifying fear on the thought of being asked to give an oral
presentation. When he was told to give two 15-minute long presentations, Julio’s
apprehension aggravates, resulting in sleepless nights and horrifying images of insult and
defamation. When Julio finally meets the company counselor, she offers helpful
suggestions and tips to help Julio tide over his fear. Acting upon these, Julio delivers a
positive presentation which increases his confidence.
Questions
1. Let’s say that you were Julio’s counselor. What additional advice would you give
him? Why?
Suggested Answer: Students’ opinions may vary. The counselor may suggest the
following steps towards developing a higher self-esteem to help Julio overcome his
problem:
• Learn to accept yourself.
• Develop an internal locus of control.
2. Explain the role self-esteem played in this case.
3. If you get stage fright, what steps do you take to minimize its effects?
Chapter 02 – Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Human Relations
2-10
Case Study 2.2: Jill, Self-Esteem, and the Job Search
Jill’s dissatisfaction with her job as a customer service representative was affecting her
self-esteem. Although encouraged by friends, she never took up a career in advertising
despite her keen interest as she had negative thoughts about her abilities. When Anita,
one of Jill’s best friends, warns her against redundancy in her job and strongly suggests
her to use her creative talents in advertising, Jill experiences a new optimism. Within a
month, Jill lands a job in an agency with a higher pay, but more importantly, a strong
motivation to succeed.
Questions
1. Discuss the relationship of Anita’s little “pep talk” and the self-fulfilling prophecy.
Suggested Answer: Students’ opinions may vary. Some may say that Anita’s little
pep talk helped Jill overcome her low self esteem, and rejuvenated her to search for a
2. What was the source of the negative thoughts Jill had been fighting?
3. What steps does Jill need to take to make this new reality a permanent part of her
life?