The Structural Dimensions Of Self-Concept

Self-concept refers to a theory that an individual upholds towards own attitude, behaviour and thoughts which forms a sense of identity and defines the objective self (Epstein, 1973). While past research focused on the structural dimensions of self-concept, contending that self-concept is relatively stable, recent theories consider both structural and temporal dimensions, stating that self-concept is a persistent core of one’s self-identity, but also responds and interacts with social interactions and one’s life experiences (Hemo, 1992). For instance, social comparison is associated with the formation of one’s self-concept and self-esteem also influences previously established self-concepts (Morse & Gergen, 1970). Furthermore, studies have

Social comparison aids self-concept development as people form accurate perceptions about their attitudes, abilities and opinions through comparison with others, especially when objective benchmarks are not available and others serve as the main source for information. Comparison targets include those that individuals interact with, see on the media or anyone else significant to them. However, the most meaningful comparison occurs with people perceived as similar them. To illustrate, independence is an abstract concept which cannot be measured based on rigid marking schemes as those in the academic settings. Hence, I compared myself to my peers, who were viewed as similar to me, sharing the same age group and education background. I perceived myself as independent when I could manage my personal life relatively successfully, living away from home and earning part of my living expenses. Besides comparing with others to evaluate one’s ability, Festinger also suggested that people engage in social comparison to identify characteristics that distinguish them from others, by focusing on the unique features of self as compared to others. I realized that I am conscientious when I compared the way I approached tasks to my peers and siblings. Noticing that I am more organized and vigilant at work

Self-esteem of participants who engaged in upward social comparison on social networking sites (SNS) by comparing with superior others was threatened, as they felt inadequate and had negative evaluations of the self. To exemplify, my self-esteem deteriorated when I compared myself to my siblings who have already graduated from university and are already earning their living, being fully responsible for their life. I felt incapable, still having to rely on my parents to fund my studies. Nevertheless, upward social comparison may motivate people to improve by providing information to improve reduce discrepancies between their and the role model’s performance (Festinger, 1954). Despite suffering from the temporary drop in self-esteem, I gained motivation to start working as a freelancer to start earning my living expenses as a first step to attain financial independence. Besides, my self-esteem suffered when I compared my social abilities to others. Having a reserved personality, I struggled in social situations, and find it hard to make new friends, as compared to others who can handle social situations easily and interact with various people without problem. Such comparison made me feel inferior and less competent in social skills, hence harming my self-esteem. In contrary to upward social comparison, downward social comparison where people compare themselves