The mental image we have of ourselves is called self-concept. It encompasses our sentiments and thoughts about who we are, what we can do, and how others see us. The way people think and feel about themselves, their perceptions of other people, their perspectives on social conventions, and even the language they use to interact with others are all influenced by their self-concept.
In this article, we’ll go through five different ways that self-concept influences communication.
Self-Concept
In the context of communication, our point of view will have a direct impact on how we see the potential. You may have been commended for some of your strengths and talents and chastised for doing something badly at different times in your life. With age, you gain self-awareness and experience the things you know as an individual. If someone tells you that you aren’t good at speaking loudly, you need to alter. You may improve your performance by gaining experience and taking business communication courses as a mentor at work, as well as reading renowned business communication books. Your personality and how you expressed it was thought to be inherited.
Self-Concept in Five Dimensions
Many modern personality psychologists believe that there are five essential dimensions to personality, dubbed the “Big 5” personality traits. Extraversion (sometimes called extroversion), agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism are the five broad personality qualities outlined by the theory. The “big five” personality qualities are broad categories of personality characteristics. While there is a substantial amount of data that supports the five factor model of personality, researchers aren’t always in agreement on the specific names for each dimension.
Openness
Characteristics like inventiveness and insight are present in this trait. People that score well on this attribute also have a diverse set of interests. They are curious about the world and other people, and they are ready to learn new things and participate in new activities. People with a high level of this attribute are more daring and inventive. People that score low on this feature tend to be more traditional and may have difficulty thinking abstractly.
Conscientiousness
High degrees of thinking, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors are all common characteristics of this dimension. People that are highly conscientious are usually well-organized and detail-oriented. They think ahead, consider how their actions influence others and keep track of deadlines.
Extroversion
Excitability, friendliness, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high levels of emotional expressiveness are all characteristics of extroversion (or extroversion). People with a high level of extroversion are gregarious and thrive in social circumstances. People with low extroversion (or introversion) are more restrained in social situations and have less energy to exert. Introverts frequently require a period of solitude and silence to “recharge” after attending social activities.
Agreeableness
Trust, benevolence, friendliness, affection, and other prosocial actions are included in this personality characteristic. People with a high level of agreeableness are more cooperative, whereas those with a low level of agreeableness are more competitive and even manipulative.
Neuroticism
Sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability are all characteristics of neuroticism. Mood fluctuations, anxiety, impatience, and sorrow are common in those who score high on this attribute. Those who score low on this attribute are more emotionally stable and resilient.
Always keep in mind that conduct is the result of a complex interaction between a person’s fundamental personality and environmental factors. The scenario in which a person finds himself or herself has a significant impact on how he or she reacts. People’s responses, on the other hand, are usually congruent with their underlying personality features. These dimensions cover a wide range of personality traits. Many people have these clusters of qualities, according to research. Individuals who are gregarious, for example, are likely to be talkative. These characteristics, however, do not usually occur together. Each person’s personality is complicated and unique, and they may exhibit behaviors that span several of these characteristics.
Self-Esteem And Self-Image
Self-respect and self-worth are the two components of your self-concept. The way one sees and describes himself to others is referred to as self-image. Self-esteem is the belief in oneself as an equal and self-sufficient individual. Having a healthy sense of self-worth is critical throughout a period of failure. It will be much easier for you to become a competent communicator if you consider yourself as someone who is capable of acquiring new abilities and developing as time goes on. Your capacity to speak and express yourself successfully is influenced by your self-image, whether it is favorable or negative.
When it comes to communication, the way we interact with others is influenced by our thoughts and feelings. We transmit our feelings about ourselves to those around us through our actions, looks, language use, and nonverbal communication behaviors, including posture and voice tone.
When It Comes to Self-Esteem, Where Does It Come from?
Parents, Teachers, And Others Are All Involved
How we feel about ourselves is influenced by the people in our lives. We feel good about ourselves when people focus on what we have going for us. We learn to accept ourselves when they are patient with us when we make mistakes. We feel loved when we have friends with whom we get along. It’s difficult to feel good about oneself if grownups criticize more than they praise. Bullying and cruel taunting by siblings or classmates can also harm a person’s self-esteem. Harsh remarks can linger with you and become ingrained in your self-perception. Fortunately, this does not have to be the case.
You Have a Voice in Your Head
How you feel about yourself is heavily influenced by what you say to yourself. Self-esteem is harmed when you think, “I’m such a loser” or “I’ll never make friends.” There are numerous perspectives on the same issues. “This time, I didn’t win — but maybe next time.” “Perhaps I’ll be able to make some buddies.” That voice has a more upbeat tone to it. It makes you feel better. And it’s possible that it’s correct. The voice in our heads is sometimes based on unpleasant remarks spoken by others.
Or on the horrible times, we’ve had. Sometimes the voice is simply ourselves berating ourselves.
We can, however, adjust the voice in our heads.
We can improve our self-esteem by learning to think positively about ourselves.
I Am Learning New Skills
When we learn to read, add, draw, or build, we feel happy. Play a sport, learn a musical instrument, write an essay, or ride a bike.
Clean the car and set the table. Help a friend and take the dog for a stroll. Every new item you learn and do gives you an opportunity to feel good about yourself. Take a step back and consider what you’re capable of. Allow yourself to be content with it. But we can be too harsh on ourselves at times. We refuse to acknowledge that what we are doing is adequate. We miss out on the opportunity to create self-esteem if we believe, “It’s not really any good,” “It’s not perfect,” or “I can’t do it well enough.”
Efficacy in Oneself
Self-Efficacy relates to people’s assessments of their capacity to do a task in a certain situation. Self-efficacy evaluations influence our self-esteem, which affects our self-concept, as shown in “Relationship between Self-Efficacy, Self-Esteem, and Self-Concept.” Pedro delivered an excellent first college speech.
During a meeting with his professor, Pedro expresses his confidence in his ability to deliver the next speech and believes he will do well. Pedro has a high level of self-efficacy when it comes to public speaking, according to this skill-based assessment. If he gives a good speech, the compliments from his classmates and professor will boost his self-efficacy and cause him to have a positive opinion of his speaking abilities, which will boost his self-esteem. Pedro is likely to think of himself as a good public speaker by the end of the semester, and this may become an essential element of his self-concept. It’s vital to remember that our self-perception influences how we interact, behave, and perceive other things throughout these points of connection.
Pedro’s improved self-efficacy may give him more confidence in his delivery, which will almost certainly lead to favorable feedback that confirms his self-perception. He might start to think more favorably of his professor since they both enjoy public speaking, and he might start to notice other people’s speaking abilities more during class presentations and public lectures.
Over time, he may begin to consider changing his major to communication or exploring job alternatives that include public speaking, which would further integrate his self-concept of being “a good public speaker.” These links, as you can see, can create powerful positive or negative cycles. While we have some control over some aspects of this process, much of it is shaped by the individuals in charge.
Our sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem are influenced by the vocal and nonverbal feedback we receive from others. Positive feedback, as demonstrated by Pedro’s example, can boost our self-efficacy, making us more likely to complete a comparable activity in the future. Negative feedback, of course, can lead to a drop in self-efficacy and a loss of interest in returning to the activity. People modify their expectations about their talents in general based on input from others. Positive feedback tends to enhance people’s expectations for themselves, while negative feedback tends to lower them, affecting actions and perpetuating the cycle. Additional cycles may arise when feedback from others differs from how we see ourselves, affecting self-esteem and self-concept.
Shapes of Self-Concept Norms of Conduct
“The rules of appropriate conduct for a given social group or society that are widely shared and enforced by the members of that group,” according to the definition of social norms. Social conventions differ from one culture to the next.
They can be influenced by one’s self-perception, such as whether they see themselves as a leader among their classmates in high school vs. someone who does not regard themselves as an authority figure on campus in college.
Language And Self-Concept
The way we communicate with others is also influenced by our self-concept. In daily communication, such as emails or reports, a college student who is more inclined to focus on their future aspirations might employ formal language. Another person, on the other hand, may not be as concerned with precise language while conversing informally, yet maybe. If you’re interested in learning more about self-concept and how it influences communication, there’s a wealth of information available online. Communication is influenced by one’s self-concept in a variety of ways.
What Effect Does Self-Concept Have on Communication?
It influences how people think and feel about themselves, their views on social standards, how they see others, and even how they communicate with others. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy is a type of self-fulfilling prophecy that occurs when others support you; it affects how you see yourself and your potential. Teachers, on the other hand, may discourage students who are viewed as lacking potential. After the epic character Pygmalion, this occurrence was dubbed the “Pygmalion effect.”People do poorly when they are encouraged. As a result, students struggle academically. According to Rosenthal, the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which someone acts in ways that mirror the expectations of others, is not wholly new or developed.
Failure and Self-Esteem
We become less confident in our talents when we fail. Self-esteem requires a strong belief in oneself as an equal, independent human with a strong desire to learn new abilities and grow as they progress through life. As a result, it’s critical that you keep an optimistic attitude and don’t become too discouraged if you fail during this stage. If you’re unhappy with yourself, the first thing you should do is spend some time alone or with close friends or family.
Self-Portrait Through the Looking Glass
For an insight into our identity, the looking-glass self is an indicator of how we feel about other people and how others see, treat, and interact with us. As communicators, we must balance constructive feedback from others with constructive self-affirmation in order to develop a sense of self. You judged your thinking the same way you judged other people, and the results were tallied. When we talked to other individuals, we put a special emphasis on parents, supervisors, and those who control me. We are human beings, and we evaluate ourselves just as much as others do, as well as each other.
More on the Self-Portrait Through the Looking Glass
The self-portrait as seen through a looking glass is a metaphor for how we build our sense of self. In 1902, Cooley coined the term to explain how children learn about themselves through their relationships with others, particularly their parents and instructors. The word derives from children’s activities in which they pretend to be someone else while staring into a mirror that reflects their image.
Having a Good Time
The sense of empowerment and enthusiasm that comes with optimistic self-belief is contagious. Positive thoughts, it is claimed, enable us to improve our lives by drawing more chances, people, and things that we enjoy into them. When you’re downcast or depressed, on the other hand, seeing the bright side of life can be difficult because your mind is concentrated on the negative.
Conclusion
A mental representation of one’s self is called a self-concept. Past events and attitudes about oneself, as well as how others view you, can all impact it. People are more willing to talk openly with others if they feel good about themselves; this openness leads to better communication (and, therefore, understanding). If you’re satisfied with your current level of success or confident in your abilities, there’s no need to improve.
