Self-Concept

Self-concept has been defined by Lindgren and Harvey (1982) as a component of the total field that an individual perceives as part of his or her identity. Specifically, the authors state that self-concept refers to:

. . . aspects of the self that are perceived as being consistently expressive of it and its nature over time. (p. 537)

With respect to self-concept, it may be noted that a good deal of research supports the idea that one's concept of self is not inherent at birth but rather is developed on the basis of a child's experiences (e.g. Fischer, 1980; Harter, 1983; Lewis & Brooks-Gunn, 1979). Humanistic theory has attempted to delineate this development. For example, Gordon Allport (1961) has formulated a theory which states that several aspects of selfhood are developed by humans in correspondence with their experiences.

The first stage in the development of self-concept as delineated by Allport emerges from the experience of recurrent muscular sensation which lends itself to the development of a sense of bodily self. After this, experiences attendant to learning language provide the child with his first or rudimentary concept of self-esteem. By the age of six, Allport feels that the child's experiences have been sufficient for him or her to have developed an early concept of self that

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er than by survey or interview). The issues attendant to non-reactive methods concern subjects' right to privacy and informed consent. The problematic aspects attendant to each issue are succinctly delineated by Webb, Campbell, Schwartz, Sechrest & Grove (1981) who note: There is, first, the issue of privacy which is likely to become problematic because for so many unobtrusive measures the very measurement procedures employed are meant to evade the awareness of the person and, hence, threaten to jeopardize private concerns. The second issue is informed consent from those participating as subjects..., an issue arising out of the inherent nature of many nonreactive measures since they are meant to be carried out without awareness or even cooperation of the research subject. (p.145) According to the American Psychological Association (1982), the freedom to participate or to decline participation in any research is basic, as is the freedom to withdraw from any study. However, the need of the researcher to sometimes keep his or her methods covert is also important. For example, in many psychological studies, it becomes likely that if subjects were given enough information to understand the research, they would alter their beha
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Approximate Word count = 3940
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page)

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