As people, we tend to have a certain perception of ourselves, making the concept of viewing oneself common between all human beings, which is known in social psychology as “self-image”.
Definition of “Self-Image”
“The idea one has of their abilities, appearance, and personality” is how the Oxford Dictionary defines self-image, and how most people interpret that term (“Self-Image | Definition of Self-Image by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Self-Image”, 2021). Despite the definition being true to an extent, self-image is quite more complicated than those few simple words.
Self-image is a “self-construct” related to the self-concept theory, which is the person’s comprehensive view of who they are biologically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and in any other aspect that makes them themself. Self-image has a similar meaning, which is how a person sees themself from both the inside and the outside, though that image does not necessarily match with reality (“What is Self-Concept Theory? A Psychologist Explains. [2019 Update]”, 2021).
There are three elemental components that shape a person’s self-perception (self-image): the way they perceive/think of themself; the way they interpret others’ perceptions of them; and who they want/aim to be – their ideal self.
That said, one’s self-image goes much deeper than that, and it can be divided into five dimensions (“What is Self-Image and How Do We Improve it? Definition + Quotes”, 2021):
1) Physical Dimension
How the person views and evaluates their physical body (i.e., their height, weight, skin and eyes color, etc.).
2) Psychological Dimension
They are subjective aspects of oneself, established by one’s own self-description. In other words, they are specific features or characteristics of an individual’s personality (“Personality Trait | Definition of Personality Trait by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Personality Trait”, 2021).
3) Intellectual Dimension
How a person evaluates their intelligence/mental capacity. To clarify, it is whether they believe they have high, average, or low intelligence.
4) Abilities Dimension
How a person rates their social and practical abilities. For social abilities, for example, whether they are sociable, unsociable, or somewhere in between.
5) Standards Dimension
How a person assesses their values and code of ethics. These principles can be based on religion, culture, or any other external factor.
Researchers differ on how these aspects are structured – some believe they are entirely based on society’s impact on the individual, some think that they are the direct product of one’s actions, whereas others suspect it is a combination of both (“Looking-Glass Self – IResearchNet”, 2021).
To add to that, a person’s self-image is also affected by their social roles, which are objective features of oneself such as one’s position in their surrounding society (i.e., a student, parent, partner, sports player, etc.). They play a role in forming a slight idea of who that individual is to themself and to others, as well as give an insight of society’s expectations of said person in different situations (“Self-Concept”, 2021).
Effect of Self-Image on Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the overall discernment of how an individual views and feels about themself. In simpler words, it is how much a person appreciates and likes themself (“Why Self-Esteem Is Important for Success”, 2021).
There are many factors that affect one’s self-esteem, one of which is their self-image. To explain, if someone has a favorable self-image, that will positively reflect on their self-esteem. For example, when a person views themselves as confident and emotionally stable (positive self-image), they are presumably to become confident and emotionally stable (positive self-esteem). This consequently affects their life, as, for instance, they would be inclined and encouraged to try new things and can manage relatively well under pressure, and vice versa – if a person constantly doubts themself and negatively compares themself to others (adverse self-image), they are likely to underestimate themself and would be reluctant to trying new things (“Self-Concept, Self-Image and Self-Esteem | Health & Social Care | tutor2u”, 2021).
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/what-is-self-esteem-2795868_FINAL-1d12e4b54f20465ab8dfd7350b614fee.png)
Source: (“Why Self-Esteem Is Important for Success”, 2021)
The ‘Looking-Glass Self’
The looking-glass self is a sociological-psychological concept invented by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902. It discusses the formation of one’s self and their selfhood through their social interactions in society, and shows that people play an active role in how they are viewed by society (Siljanovska & Stojcevska, 2018). The theory compares social interaction to a mirror; people measure their self-worth based on how their surrounding society judges them, hence questioning the implication that self-concept and self-image are built on their own. Instead, they form within social settings, making society and individuals inseparable parts of the same experience (“Perception Is Reality: The Looking-Glass Self | Lesley University”, 2021).
There are three core assumptions that make up the hypothesis of the looking-glass self:
– How an individual believes they look like to others (self-image).
– How an individual imagines other people judge the appearance they think they show.
– Self-evaluation and self-image form based on that judgment (self-esteem).
To further explain -with reference to figure 3-, a person tends to form a belief on how they appear to other individuals, and when meeting those individuals, they start picturing how they judge the appearance that they believe they look like. Subsequently, the person begins to analyze others’ evaluation; if it is praise, their self-image is improved, otherwise, if it is critique, their self-image is aggravated.
The ‘looking-glass self’ is a somewhat controversial theory for a couple of reasons. For starters, it assumes that people generally have an adequate idea of how other people view them, which, according to research, most of the time these suppositions tend to be inaccurate, and some researchers argue that it is the other way around (i.e., people think others perceive them the way they perceive themselves.) Moreover, the other reason to why this theory is contentious is that other self-perception concepts suggest contrasting interpretations to the process of forming self-views; one theory (the self-perception theory) claims that a person’s self-view is solely based on their own behavior, rather than how they imagine others see them (“Looking-Glass Self – IResearchNet”, 2021).
Dealing With A Negative Self-Image
With 7.8 billion people being the current world’s population (“2020 World Population Data Sheet Shows Older Populations Growing, Total Fertility Rates Declining – Population Reference Bureau”, 2021), it is almost impossible to obtain a one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with a destructive self-image. That being said, there are a few “guidelines” or steps to follow in order to help improve an adverse self-perception.
To begin with, it is crucial that a person is self-aware and can recognize why the aforementioned negative self-image was formed in the first place. In addition to that, writing down the reasons behind the negative thoughts in a journal or on an online blog could be helpful (“Raising low self-esteem”, 2021).
With self-awareness comes the next stage–being judgement-free with oneself. When it comes to bettering the self, it is important to forgive and accept it as well as give it space to make mistakes and grow from them, instead of having them destroy one’s self-esteem.
Moreover, self-compassion is one of the fundamentals of having a propitious self-image (“10 ways to overcome low self-esteem”, 2021). There are multiple ways to be compassionate towards the self, two of which are practicing self-forgiveness and embracing challenges rather than avoiding them (“5 Steps to Develop Self-Compassion & Overcome Your Inner Critic”, 2021).
Lastly, though certainly not least, an individual could write down all their of favorable qualities; if they struggle to do so on their own (since it can be fairly strenuous to acknowledge one’s perks, especially with a low self-esteem), they could ask a trustworthy loved one for assistance, which could be in the form of positive affirmations or merely listing their good qualities for them (“Positive Self-Image: How to Improve Self- and Body-Image”, 2021).
Speaking of getting external aid, regularly going to a therapist can immensely help with low self-esteem and negative self-image. A therapist is someone who is specialized in treating any psychological problem, including-but not limited to-issues with self-perception. Regardless of the stage the person struggling with their self-image is at (i.e., whether they are completely unaware of the reason(s), or know them but do not know how to overcome them), a psychologist is likely to guide them into developing a better and healthier self-image (“Therapy for Self Esteem, Therapist for Self Esteem Issues”, 2021).
Conclusion
It can be concluded that a human’s identity is far more complex than social sciences and words could ever elucidate. The more time passes by, the more the human mind evolves; the further the human experiences expand, the harder it gets to point down how exactly the self-image, self-esteem, and self-concept of a person are formed. Nonetheless, that does not necessarily mean that there are no answers to the question of how a person shapes their self-view–it only leaves room for people to discover more as time moves forward. Though this research may not have included all the know-abouts of the human self-image, it illustrated a glimpse of what the self-image is, how it differs from and affects self-esteem, and the theory of the looking-glass self and its role in forming the self-image-along with various methods of coping with negative self-image.
Works Cited
Articles in Scholarly Journals
Siljanovska, L., & Stojcevska, S. (2018). A Critical Analysis of Interpersonal Communication in Modern Times of the Concept “ Looking Glass Self (1902) ” By Charles Horton Cooley, SEEU Review, 13(1), 62-74. doi: https://doi.org/10.2478/seeur-2018-0007
Electronic Sources
Self-Image | Definition of Self-Image by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Self-Image. Lexico Dictionaries | English. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.lexico.com/definition/self-image.
What is Self-Image and How Do We Improve it? Definition + Quotes. PositivePsychology.com. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://positivepsychology.com/self-image/#:~:text=Random%20House%20Dictionary%20defines%20self,image%20one%20has%20of%20oneself.%E2%80%9D&text=These%20self%2Dimages%20can%20be,of%20their%20capabilities%20and%20ideas.%E2%80%9D.
What is Self-Concept Theory? A Psychologist Explains. [2019 Update]. PositivePsychology.com. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://positivepsychology.com/self-concept/.
Simplypsychology.org. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-concept.html.
Personality Trait | Definition of Personality Trait by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Personality Trait. Lexico Dictionaries | English. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.lexico.com/definition/personality_trait.
Why Self-Esteem Is Important for Success. Verywell Mind. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-esteem-2795868#:~:text=In%20psychology%2C%20the%20term%20self,you%20appreciate%20and%20like%20yourself.&text=Self%2Desteem%20often%20seen%20as,to%20be%20stable%20and%20enduring.
Self-Concept, Self-Image and Self-Esteem | Health & Social Care | tutor2u. tutor2u. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.tutor2u.net/hsc/reference/self-concept-self-image-and-self-esteem.
Perception Is Reality: The Looking-Glass Self | Lesley University. Lesley.edu. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://lesley.edu/article/perception-is-reality-the-looking-glass-self.
Looking-Glass Self – IResearchNet. Psychology. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/self/looking-glass-self/.
2020 World Population Data Sheet Shows Older Populations Growing, Total Fertility Rates Declining – Population Reference Bureau. Prb.org. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.prb.org/2020-world-population-data-sheet/#:~:text=The%20world%20population%20is%20projected,as%20in%20the%20United%20States.
Raising low self-esteem. nhs.uk. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/raising-low-self-esteem/.
10 ways to overcome low self-esteem. Psychologies. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.psychologies.co.uk/10-ways-overcome-low-self-esteem.
Positive Self-Image: How to Improve Self- and Body-Image. Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/12942-fostering-a-positive-self-image.
Therapy for Self Esteem, Therapist for Self Esteem Issues. Goodtherapy.org. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/self-esteem.
5 Steps to Develop Self-Compassion & Overcome Your Inner Critic. PositivePsychology.com. (2021). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from https://positivepsychology.com/self-compassion-5-steps/.