P1- Discuss factors which may affect the development of self- esteem.
This essay will be discussing factors which may affect the development of self- esteem. The main topics that will be looked at are, the growth promoting climate, the looking glass self, self-actualisation, ego identity and constructing of self. .
Carl Rogers’ person-centred approach to change and understanding personality and human relationships is focused on demonstrating the conditions required for enabling a growth-promoting climate and the tendency, creativity and empowerment of people to achieve their highest potential. The approach provides the conditions for a growth-promoting climate, a relationship that enables people to discover the capacity to use it for growth and change, it is a relationship that doesn’t position itself from a perspective of “how can I treat or cure, fix or change this person?”, instead from a place of “how can I provide a relationship which this person may use for their own individual growth?”.
(PCA York’s 2006)
The looking-glass self is a social psychological concept, created by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902, stating that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. The term refers to people shaping their self-concepts based on their understanding of how others perceive them. Cooley clarified that society is an interweaving and inter-working of mental selves.
There are three main components of the looking-glass self which are: We imagine how we must appear to others, we imagine and react to what we feel their judgment of that appearance must be and we develop our self through the judgments of others.
(Boundless.com 2012)
Self- actualisation is the motivation to realize one's own maximum potential and possibilities. It is considered to be the master motive or the only real motive, all other motives being its various forms (Business Dictionary 2015).
Self-actualization represents a concept derived from Humanistic psychological theory and, specifically, from the theory created by Abraham Maslow. Self-actualization, according to Maslow, represents growth of an individual toward fulfilment of the highest needs; those for meaning in life, in particular.
Maslow’s hierarchy is described as follows: Physiological needs, such as needs for food, sleep and air. Safety or the needs for security and protection, especially those that emerge from social or political instability. Belonging and love including, the needs of deficiency and selfish taking instead of giving, and unselfish love that is based upon growth rather than deficiency. Needs for self-esteem, self-respect, and healthy, positive feelings derived from admiration. And “being” needs concerning creative self-growth, engendered from fulfilment of potential and meaning in life.
One of the main elements of Erikson's psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. According to Erikson, our ego identity is constantly changing due to new experiences and information we acquire in our daily interactions with others. As we face each new stage of development, we face a new challenge that can help further develop or hinder the development of identity. Ego identity is the sense of identity that provides individuals with the ability to experience their sense of who they are, and also act on that sense, in a way that has continuity and sameness. The most influential theorist in this area, Erikson (1968) described ego identity as a means for continuity of the person. Erikson viewed ego identity as serving to protect individuals in the face of change produced by sudden changes of personal or situational factors.
(Become self-aware 2014)
A social identity is the portion of an individual's self-concept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group. Social identity theory proposes that, when acting in groups, we define ourselves in terms of our group membership and seek to have our group valued positively relative to other groups. So if we define ourselves in terms of our nationality (e.g., as American, Australian or British), we want our country to look good compared to other countries.
(Chegg 2015)#

One's self-concept may also be referred as self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self-structure, it is a collection of beliefs about oneself that includes elements such as academic performance gender roles and sexuality, as well as racial identity. The term self-concept is a general term used to refer to how someone thinks about, evaluates or perceives themselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself.