The Self-Concept Of Babies And Children

1083 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The influence of social media on body image

Self-concept as defined on PsycCentral is:
“The manner in which one perceives oneself. The Self-Concept is derived from several factors including: certain personality traits, how you look, your personal values and life goals, and your place or role in life. The Self-Concept is the way babies and children start to understand the social world in relation to themselves. Relationships with relatives and friends/mentors influence the developmental process heavily. In childhood the Self-Concept tends to be tied to concrete or physical things like looks, items and skill levels. As the child grows, they learn about things like intrinsic (inner) characteristics and psychological differences due to the fact that they now have a larger network of peers …show more content…

Children given praise for accomplishments are prone to a more positive self-concept. Throughout life individuals are looking for feedback and support from others to shape the way they view themselves. Peer acceptance to adolescents is just as important as breathing to them. Nowadays teens are spending hours creating profiles projecting an idealized image. Taking selfie after selfie mimicking poses of their favorite celebrity trying to get the “perfect” picture to post online. Scroll through images, stalking profiles comparing themselves to others. Hindering their self-image by comparing their appearance to the air brushed, photo shopped versions of models that are what society deems to define beauty. Social media is drowning teens with the pressure to conform to society’s version of beauty. Sites such as Instagram and Facebook are not only being used as a way of communication but as a way to gage an individual’s worth or self-image. Teens are posting pictures with the intention of gaining “likes”. As if the amount of “likes” a picture on social media receives is connected to an individual’s self-worth somehow making that individual more relevant, prettier, or more successful than others. Today’s generation revolves around social media thus forging the desire for teens to conform to society’s definition of beauty resorting in self-destructing behaviors. On Simply Psychology Saul McLeod defines …show more content…

Today’s youth is so invested in what is “trending” today that they are losing their own identity. With all of the “how to” tutorials for hair, make-up, and nail designs all teenage girls are becoming exact replicas of whatever the latest trend is. It is becoming a cult. No longer are children trying to be unique they are all conforming to life size Barbie dolls of the hippest celebrity at that moment. Teens influenced by these images and desire for the perfect body are succumbing to depression, eating disorders and developing unhealthy standards at an age where these things should not be relevant. Chapter 7 Social Thinking and Social Influence in the text Adjust: Applying Psychology to Life defines these actions as Normative Influence. It states: “People often conform or comply because they are afraid of being criticized or rejected. Normative influence operates when people conform to social norms for fear of negative social consequences.” (Weiten/Hammer/Dunn, 2014) In almost every high school in the county you can find examples of students affected by normative influence. No child wants to be the outcast in school. With the epidemic of bullying in high schools many students are demonstrating normative influence. Some children reduce their risk of being bullied by dressing or acting in ways that make it easier for them to fit in. Children

Show More
Related

  • Peggy Orenstein's 'Just Between You, Me, And My 622 Bff'

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    I feel as though more and more teens of this generation are using social media in order to seek approval of attention of others. Since they are expected to use social media in a way to create an online audience, they post pictures of themselves and activities so that they can get a “yes” or “no” response from their audience. If someone posts a picture online and someone who is considered a “friend” makes a positive comment on the photo, then they have received approval of their actions. If someone makes a negative remark on the photo, then they have received disapproval. She uses various examples of how young adults use social media to create a persona of themselves, such as when girls post sexualized pictures of themselves and create avatars of themselves (Orenstein, 448). This means that how they are seen online will affect how they act in real life. When Orenstein says that “the self, becomes a brand”, she means that young adults have to act in a way that is perceived to be socially acceptable by their peers, and the image of how everyone sees you. So many people today use social media, and the biggest one that is being used is Facebook. Profile pictures, albums, and statuses are things that gets posted up for anyone to comment, like, or dislike. Your “friends” on

    Read More

  • 'Gimme Shelter: Agnes Apple' Bailey

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Carl Rogers (1959) self concept has three different components: The view you have of yourself (Self image); How much value you place on yourself (Self esteem or self-worth); What you wish you were really like (Ideal self). These ideas of self concept do not necessary have to reflect the reality of what is to be known as truth to the outside observer. Such as in the case of those who struggle with anorexia. Though they may appear to the observer as being extremely underweight through the eyes of the observed they find themselves to be overweight. This is believed to be related to concept of self image. Baumeister (1999) provides the following self concept definition: "the individual's belief about himself or herself, including the person's attributes and who and what the self

    Read More

  • Media And Social Media, Adolescents, And The Media

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    Research shows “that regular readers of fashion and beauty magazines in early adolescence are more likely to suffer from a distorted body image during their teenage years” (“Children, Adolescents and the Media”), when they read beauty magazines they read articles and tips of how to look better and they try to them all to look and feel better about themselves. Research shows that “more than three-quarters of girls repot that television influenced their body image” (Mascarelli). Social media influences how we act and what we do Amanda Swartz once stated “Social media and mass media influence the way we react and interact with our world and potentially influence the perception of our own body image” (Mulliniks). In today’s worlds there are more ways to access websites to promote body image as a positive thing, “On the internet, there are now more than 100 pro anorexia websites that not only encourage disordered eating but offer specific advice on purging, severely restricting calories intake, and exercising excessively” (“Children, Adolescents and the Media”). It’s not a bad thing to eat healthy and work out to be fit and healthy but it’s another thing to eat less and work out excessively. Teens always compare themselves to others, either their peers, models and celebrities, “People are on Facebook or Instagram and they’re constantly comparing themselves to other people” (Mulliniks). Also reality television shows, show only the glamorous about what is happening, like “when teen moms become celebrities, the message to avoid teen pregnancy is lost” (Kroll). When teens watch shows like Teen Mom they don’t see the entire negative about becoming pregnant as a teen they see that the teen mom got famous and is on the show. Social media, media, magazines, and TV give teen’s unrealistical facts about body image, pregnancy and

    Read More

  • Instagram Selfies: Annotated Bibliography

    2072 Words  | 5 Pages

    Additionally, Instagram is also a contributing factor because in a journal article by Maria Lally (2015) focuses on the influence of Instagram selfies. Lally describes Instagram as “a way of life. They want to document everything and want to look perfect while doing so (Lally 2015).” She suggests that a lot of these public figures on Instagram makes their life including their appearance look presentable so they can get a high following mass and numerous of likes on their photo. It sets a standard that an individual must look a certain way in order to obtain all that and if they cannot, others will not notice them. It affects some in a negative way leading them to feel low self esteem and want to lean towards cosmetic surgery to enhance their

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Class Divided

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    Self-concept is who you think you are and the relatively stable set of perceptions you hold of your self, not only the physical features but also including emotional states, talents, likes, values, roles.

    Read More

  • Narcissism In Daring Greatly By Brene Brown

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, our culture demands us to be perfect, thin, powerful, successful, smart, extraordinary, but when people begin to try achieving them, we start labeling them as narcissists. The problem is that it is impossible for anyone to please everyone. Brown defines narcissism as simply a “fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose” (22). Before giving out labels, it is wise to practice asking ourselves questions to clear the intentions and reasons of someone’s behavior. For example, teenagers posting pictures of themselves online to gain some attention reveals that the culture has taught them that they are as lovable as the number of likes and comments they get on social media. Negative feedback roots into negative thinking about vulnerability and causes them to shut themselves down and never show their real selves again. Encouraging others to believe that they are perfect as themselves, will plant a positive attitude in them and push them to pursue their goals and visions to fulfill their dream of a happy

    Read More

  • Tyra Banks: America's Next Top Model

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    “According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, about 70 percent of girls grades five through 12 said magazine images influence their ideals of a perfect body, a fact that’s plain to see in the online world of teenage ‘thinspiration’” (Krupnick 1). This quote explains that girls in grades five to 12 are more likely to have a lower self esteem because of the idea of a perfect body beinging spread through social media. Models enjoy sharing their work with their fans their instagram and twitter accounts, which isn’t wrong. However, sometimes the pictures they post are exposed subtly, this causes for the pictures to get under someone's skin before they notice. These models, like Kylie and Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, are idealized but billions of people and have millions of followers on social media but all they do is post pictures of them living the luxury life that everyone watches. These posts could either help influence teens to work harder or cause them to try to achieve what they want in a harmful way. Having weight and height limits will lower the self esteem of others because they put out an image that most people think they must look

    Read More

  • Social Media Has a Negative Effect on Body Image and Self Esteem

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social media has become one of the most popular sources of communication for the upcoming generation. For young people growing up in today’s society, social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have provided pictures and news that have become the first thing that their eyes see in the morning and the last thing that they see before bed. These pictures have provided unrealistic standards as to what is considered beautiful in today’s society. As young people refer to these images as a form of comparison, it has created harmful circumstances. These influences on the lives of young people have forced them to take extreme measures and in some cases, has been the cause of death. Social media in today’s society has proven to have a negative impact on the way young people, specifically females, view their bodies. Unrealistic beauty standards, dangerous comparisons and disorders have all been a result to the increase in social media and the impact that it has on the lives of young people.

    Read More

  • Too Much Praise Is Good For Children

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A new study from The Ohio State University suggests that constant- and perhaps undue- praise for our kids’ tiniest accomplishments, or non-accomplishments, may have unintended side-effect of creating an over-inflated ego” (Walton). Studies have shown that excessive praise makes kids have an “over-inflated ego”. To continue, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA people who were given a lack of praise did not have any of these narcissistic characteristics (Alfano). To continue, the good intentions of parents and teachers could be leading kids to having some of the most annoying characteristics.

    Read More

  • The Self-Concept And Role Of Yoga In Understanding The Self

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    Self concept is not inherent. It is shaped and reshaped by the people around us, the people who influence us directly or indirectly. Self concept of a child depends upon the description provided to him by these people e.g. parents, teachers, peers etc. it may be correct or incorrect as it is formed by the people, how they see the child e.g. if the family members tell the child constantly that he / she is lazy, the child starts to see himself/ herself as lazy. However due to the subjective opinion of family members it may not be correct

    Read More

  • Self Concept Through Interpersonal Communication

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to understand how one perceives situations and how they can determine the way one communicates; we first must understand the value of self-concept. Self is easily defined; it is one's beliefs, attitudes, feelings and values. It is who one is and what one stands for. Self-concept, is a relevantly stable set of perceptions and emotional states. It is the way one sees and understands oneself, and contributes to how one perceives oneself and perceives situations. One's self-concept may alter their perception, and either enhance or impede one's communication effectiveness. The way one sees oneself can influence the way they see their social surroundings. Only after one become aware of oneself can they be aware of their physical and social surroundings, which will allow one to perceive situations and people with a truer idea and create a more positive outcome.

    Read More

  • Psychosocial Development in Middle Childhood

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    In middle childhood, the child’s self-concept becomes more pessimistic and logical. They become more aware of what other’s think of them, and so they become aware of, and internalize, the stereotypes that follow minority groups (Berger K. S., 2010, p.285-286). Self-concept in middle childhood also becomes more dependent on others, especially in their peer group. They begin to compare themselves and their talents to others, an action called social comparison. Social comparison can, ideally, help a child value themselves in a way that is realistic and leaves their overly unrealistic self-concept behind.... ...

    Read More

  • Interpersonal Relationships in the Workplace

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    Self-concept can be described as how a person views themselves. There is a variety of factors that impact a person’s self-concept but the biggest impact comes from self-esteem. Self-esteem is much like self-concept the only difference is the addition of emotions. For example say an individual likes a brand they are aware that they enjoy the brand so that’s self-concept. Self-esteem on the other hand, if nobody else in the workplace likes the brand programme individual likes that could have a negative effect on a person’s self-esteem and therefore effect a person’s self-concept. In the workplace self-concept is of the uttermost importance when estab...

    Read More

  • Influences Of Social Media

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to K. Nola Mokeyane, a professional writer who wants to pursue graduate studies in social work, “It's no secret that media has had an increasingly negative impact on the way teenage girls measure their personal image and beauty standards”. Social media such as Instagram, are mainly based on pictures of oneself and others. According to Joan Stern, an ABC news technology editor, there are about 150 million users on Instagram, this social app that is mainly based on followers, comments and likes on a picture. Instagram allows people to share their every moment through pictures and small captions, its like an ongoing documentary of ones life. This social app allows one to share and manipulate their photo through ‘filters’. This would give the impression that each and every user on instagram is judged based on their pictu...

    Read More

  • Self-Concept

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Self-Concept is a complicated process of gaining self-awareness. It consists of mental images an individual has of oneself: physical appearance, health, accomplishments, skills, social talents, roles, intellectual traits, and emotional states and more –all make up our self-concept.

    Read More

More about The Self-Concept Of Babies And Children

Open Document