EUTHENICS : FINALS ELEMENTS OF THE SELF-CONCEPT MODEL

• Mental Health Physical self: This refers to how individuals perceive their
physical appearance and bodily attributes. It includes
Importance of Understanding self-concept - it impacts your perceptions of attractiveness, fitness, and health.
mental health and overall well-being and influences your
ability to navigate life's challenges. A positive self-concept may Social self: This encompasses the roles and relationships
empower you to embrace your uniqueness, build self- individuals have with others. It includes how one sees their
confidence, and give you the resilience to overcome adversity. place in social groups, their roles within those groups, and
their social skills.
SELF-CONCEPT refers to the organized yet dynamic system of
beliefs, attitudes, and opinions that a person holds to be true Personal self: This includes one’s personality traits, such as
about their own existence. being introverted or extroverted, and personal attributes like
intelligence, creativity, and temperament.
Cognitive and affective representation of one’s identity and the
answer to the question, “Who am I?” Self-concept includes Academic/Professional self: This pertains to self-perceptions
various dimensions such as personal attributes, roles, goals, related to academic abilities and professional competencies. It
values, and social identities. includes how one views their success and potential in
educational and career settings.
DEVELOPMENT AND INFLUENCES ON SELF-CONCEPT
Emotional self: This involves one’s awareness and regulation of
- complex process that begins in early childhood and their emotions. It includes self-perceptions regarding
continues throughout life. It is influenced by various factors emotional stability, sensitivity, and resilience.
including social interactions, experiences, and cultural
contexts. Temporal self: This refers to how individuals view their past,
present, and future selves. It includes reflections on personal
1. Early childhood: The initial stages of self-concept growth, life goals, and future aspirations.
development occur in early childhood. Children begin to
recognize themselves as separate entities and develop a basic EXAMPLES OF SELF-CONCEPT
sense of identity. This is often marked by milestones such as
recognizing themselves in a mirror. Physical: A person who sees themselves as physically fit and
attractive may have a strong positive physical self-concept.
2. Family and social interactions: Family plays a critical role in They may regularly engage in physical activities and feel
shaping self-concept. Parenting styles, feedback, and familial confident in their appearance. Conversely, someone who
relationships contribute significantly to how children perceive perceives themselves as overweight or unattractive may have
themselves. Positive reinforcement and supportive parenting a negative physical self-concept, potentially leading to lower
typically foster a healthy self-concept. self-esteem and avoidance of social situations where their
appearance might be judged.
3. Peers and social groups: As children grow, peer interactions
become increasingly important. Friendships, group Social: An individual who perceives themselves as a good
memberships, and social comparisons play a pivotal role in friend and a valued group member may have a positive social
shaping self-concept. Acceptance and rejection by peers can self-concept. They likely enjoy social interactions and feel
significantly influence one’s self-perception. confident in their ability to build and maintain relationships.
On the other hand, someone who feels socially awkward or
4. Cultural and societal influences: Cultural norms and societal believes they are not well-liked might have a negative social
values also shape self-concept. Different cultures emphasize self-concept, which could lead to social anxiety and isolation.
different aspects of identity, such as individuality in Western
cultures versus collectivism in Eastern cultures. Media and Academic: A student who sees themselves as intelligent and
societal expectations further mold self-perception by providing capable may have a strong academic self-concept. They likely
models and ideals to which individuals compare themselves. feel confident in their abilities to succeed academically and
may be motivated to pursue challenging academic goals.
5. Personal experiences and achievements: Life experiences, Conversely, a student who views themselves as poor at math
achievements, and failures contribute to the ongoing or struggling academically may have a negative academic self-
development of self-concept. Success can enhance self- concept, which could affect their motivation and performance
perception, while failures may lead to a more negative self- in school.
view.
Personal: An individual who perceives themselves as kind, lack of achievement can negatively impact the
compassionate, and empathetic may have a positive personal academic/professional and personal components of self-
self-concept. They likely feel good about their personality traits concept.
and are confident in their interactions with others. Conversely,
someone who views themselves as selfish or unkind may have IMPACT ON EMOTIONAL SELF-CONCEPT - Depression
a negative personal self-concept, which could affect their significantly affects emotional regulation and stability.
relationships and self-esteem. Individuals with depression may perceive themselves as
emotionally weak or overly sensitive, negatively impacting
Emotional: A person who believes they are emotionally their emotional self-concept. The persistent negative mood
resilient and capable of handling stress may have a strong and difficulty experiencing positive emotions can also
emotional self-concept. They likely feel confident in their contribute to a more negative overall self-view.
ability to manage their emotions and cope with challenges.
Conversely, someone who perceives themselves as Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is particularly effective in
emotionally unstable or overly sensitive may have a negative helping individuals recognize and challenge negative thoughts,
emotional self-concept, which could impact their mental thereby improving their self-concept. Interpersonal therapy
health and well-being. (IPT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), can
help individuals build a more positive and realistic self-
CAN DEPRESSION IMPACT MY SELF-CONCEPT? concept.

DEPRESSION CAN ALTER YOUR SELF-PERCEPTION IN SEVERAL EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI)

WAYS:
Emotions are subjective reactions to situations that are a key
NEGATIVE SELF-PERCEPTION part of personal growth.

Depression often leads to a pervasive sense of worthlessness Emotional development is the process of learning to
and inadequacy. Individuals may view themselves in an recognize, express, understand, and manage emotions. It's a
excessively negative light, believing they are failures or complex process that starts at birth and continues into
fundamentally flawed. This negative self-perception can affect adulthood.
all dimensions of self-concept, including physical, social,
academic, personal, and emotional aspects. Aspects of emotional development:

DECREASED SELF-ESTEEM - Self-esteem is typically reduced in Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, use, and
individuals with depression. They may struggle with feelings of manage your own emotions, as well as understand and
low self-worth and lack of confidence in their abilities and influence the emotions of others. It's also known as emotional
qualities. This diminished self-esteem can further reinforce quotient (EQ). EI is a psychological concept that can be
negative beliefs about oneself, creating a vicious cycle of self- measured through assessments.
deprecation.
FIVE KEY ELEMENTS TO EI:
DISTORTED THINKING PATTERNS - Depression is often
accompanied by cognitive distortions, such as black-and-white self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and
thinking, overgeneralization, and catastrophizing. These
distorted thinking patterns can lead individuals to interpret
social skills. Robert Plutchik
their experiences and attributes in an excessively negative
manner. For example, a person might view a failure as
Emotions are multi-dimensional, or having various intensities
reflecting their overall incompetence, negatively impacting
and so there are Eight Basic Emotions identified as: (Institute
their self-concept.
of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow
(Current Biology)
SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL AND ISOLATION - Depression frequently
causes individuals to withdraw from social interactions and
activities they once enjoyed. This social withdrawal can lead to • Adoration
a diminished social self-concept, as individuals may feel • ecstasy
disconnected from others and perceive themselves as • anticipation
unworthy of relationships or social engagement. • rage
• disgust
REDUCED MOTIVATION AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS - Depression • grief
often results in decreased motivation and energy, making it • surprise
challenging for individuals to pursue and achieve goals. This • fear
Four basic emotions: Attraction

• Happy FACTORS THAT CAN INFLUENCE ATTRACTION INCLUDE:

• Sad
• Afraid or Surprised Physical attractiveness: a primary factor in romantic attraction.
• Angry or Disgust.
Proximity: Physical or functional proximity can influence who
Paul Ekman we develop relationships with.

Six basic emotions: Similarity: can influence who we develop relationships with.

• Happiness Reciprocity: can influence who we develop relationships with.

• Sadness
• Anger Neurotransmitters: dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin,
• Surprise are involved in attraction.
• Afraid
• Disgust * HOW ARE ATTACHMENTS DEVELOPED?

In psychology, emotional variability is the tendency to move - through consistent, warm, and sensitive interactions with a
between different emotions, and can be measured along two baby, especially when they are distressed, sick, or upset. The
dimensions: bond between a caregiver and an infant usually forms before
the end of the first year of life.
Pleasantness: Fluctuating between pleasant and unpleasant
emotions Some phases of attachment development:

Energy: Fluctuating between feeling energetic and exhausted Indiscriminately orienting - The baby responds to signals from
the environment, especially human signals like voices.
Flexibility: The ability to switch between a range of emotions
for the moment Orienting and signaling to specific people - The baby develops
a preference for one or more caregivers, usually first by smell
Personal Relationship - close connections between people that and then by sight.
are formed by emotional bonds and interactions. These bonds
can grow from and be strengthened by shared experiences. Attachment proper - The infant actively seeks proximity to and
follows their attachment figure.
ATTACHMENT AND ATTRACTION ARE BOTH IMPORTANT
FACTORS IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: Goal-corrected partnership - The infant can imagine their
caregiver's plans and perceptions and adapt their own plans
Attachment - The bond between a child and their primary and activities to match.
caregiver, which is formed in early childhood and has a long-
term impact on the child's development. Factors that can Attachment styles can be categorized as secure, anxious-
influence attachment include: resistant, avoidant, or disorganized. The quality of a child's
attachment with their caregiver can impact many areas of
Opportunity for attachment: Children who don't have a development, including:
primary caregiver may not develop the trust needed to form
an attachment. Social competence, Self-regulation, Willingness to take on
challenges, and Less aggressive behavior
Quality caregiving: When caregivers respond quickly and
consistently, children learn to depend on them, which is a HOW ARE ATTACHMENTS DEVELOPED IN PERSONAL
foundation for attachment. DEVELOPMENT?

Early attachment: A child's early attachment with their parents Attachment refers to a relationship bond between a child or
or caregiver shapes their attachment style. Attachment young person and their primary caregiver. This bond is formed
development can also kick into gear again when a person has in the early years and has a long-term impact on a child's
their first romantic relationship. sense of self, development, growth and future relationships
with others.
WHAT DRIVES ATTRACTION? Internalization is when people accept a belief or behavior and
agree both publicly and privately.
A number of factors can drive attraction, including brain
chemistry, physical appearance, and shared interests: Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard described two
psychological needs that lead humans to conform to the
• Brain chemistry - When you're attracted to someone, expectations of others. These include our need:
your brain releases chemicals like dopamine,
norepinephrine, and serotonin, which can create TO BE RIGHT (INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE) and
feelings of pleasure and excitement. The
hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, and ventral OUR NEED TO BE LIKED (NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE).
tegmental area are brain regions that activate when
you're attracted to someone. INFORMATIONAL INFLUENCE (or social proof) - an influence to
• Hormones - Testosterone and estrogen drive lust, accept information from another as evidence about reality.
while oxytocin and vasopressin mediate attachment. Informational influence comes into play when people are
• Physical appearance - Some say that red is a primal uncertain, either from stimuli being intrinsically ambiguous or
color associated with health and fertility and that because of social disagreement.
people may find people wearing red more attractive.
• Shared interests - People are often attracted to NORMATIVE INFLUENCE - an influence to conform to the
others who share their interests, such as music, positive expectations of others. In terms of Kelman's typology,
books, or politics. normative influence leads to public compliance, whereas
informational influence leads to private acceptance
Other factors that can affect attraction include proximity,
familiarity, similarity, and reciprocity UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT

GOLEMAN’S SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE CONFLICT is a process in which one party perceives that
another party has taken or will take actions that are
Social Intelligence, as explored by Daniel Goleman - ability to incompatible with one’s interests. It refers to some form of
accurately "read" other people and our social context, and act friction, disagreement, or discord arising within a group when
accordingly. It has profound consequences for external success the beliefs or actions of one or more members of the group
and improves physical and mental health. are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more
members of another group.
Goleman proposes that social intelligence comprises OF:
NATURE OF CONFLICT:
SOCIAL AWARENESS: empathy, attunement, empathic
accuracy, and social cognition 1. Conflict is a Process

SOCIAL FACILITY: synchrony, self-presentation, influence, and Conflict occurs in layers. First layer is always misunderstanding.
concern The other layers are differences of values, differences of
viewpoint, differences of interest, and interpersonal
SOCIAL INFLUENCE comprises how individuals adjust their differences. It is also called a process because it begins with
behavior to meet the demands of a social environment. It one party perceiving the other to oppose or negatively affect
takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, its interests and ends with competing, collaborating,
peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales, and compromising or avoiding.
marketing. Typically, social influence results from a specific
action, command, or request, but people also alter their 2. Conflict is Inevitable
attitudes and behaviors in response to what they perceive
others might do or think. Conflict exists everywhere. No two persons are the same.
Hence, they may have individual differences. And the
In 1958, Harvard psychologist Herbert Kelman identified differences may be because of values or otherwise, lead to
THREE BROAD VARIETIES OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE. conflict. Although inevitable, conflict can be minimized,
diverted and/or resolved. Conflict develops because we are
Compliance is when people appear to agree with others but dealing with people’s lives, jobs, children, pride, self-concept,
keep their dissenting opinions private ego and sense of mission. Conflict is inevitable and often good,
for example, good teams always go through a “form, storm,
Identification is when people are influenced by someone who norm and perform” period.
is liked and respected, such as a famous celebrity.
3. Conflict is a Normal Part of Life Intergroup Conflict happens between two or more groups or
departments within the organization. This type of conflict can
Individuals, groups, and organizations have unlimited needs be caused by differences in goals, values, or resources.
and different values but limited resources. Thus, this
incompatibility is bound to lead to conflicts. The conflict is not Types Of Conflict:
a problem, but if it is poorly managed then it becomes a
problem. RELATIONSHIP CONFLICT - personal perspective and can arise
when one person behaves in a negative manner or another
4. Perception person has a skewed perception due to things like stereotypes
and rumors. The relationship between people is affected
It must be perceived by the parties to it, otherwise it does not negatively, and in the workplace, performance is eroded due
exist. In interpersonal interaction, perception is more to poor team cohesion.
important than reality. What we perceive and think affects our
behaviour, attitudes, and communication. VALUE CONFLICT - two people or groups have dissenting views
on moral values– that basic understanding of what is naturally
5. Opposition right or wrong. Relationship and value conflicts are the most
subjective conflict types, because they are based totally on
One party to the conflict must be perceiving or doing what someone “feels” about a person or situation.
something the other party does not like or want.
INTEREST CONFLICT - one person’s desired outcome conflicts
6. Interdependence and Interaction with another person or group’s interests. Typically, this occurs
when one person believes that another person’s desires if
enacted, will prevent his or her own interests from being met.
There must be some kind of real or perceived interdependence.
This type of conflict can be experienced when two people who
Without interdependence, there can be no interaction.
have a relationship conflict are required by a team manager to
Conflict occurs only when some kind of interaction takes place.
work as a part of a team.
7. Everyone is inflicted with Conflict
CONFLICT CAN HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS, INCLUDING:
Conflict may occur within an individual, between two or more
Improved problem solving: Positive conflict can help people
individuals, groups or between organizations.
solve problems and make better decisions.
8. Conflict is Multidimensional
Clarified issues: Conflict can help people understand issues
more clearly.
It comes into different ways in accordance with the degree of
seriousness and capacity. At times, it may improve even a
Increased involvement: Positive conflict can increase people's
difficult situation.
commitment and involvement.
LEVELS OF CONFLICT:
Better understanding: Conflict can help people understand
each other's perspectives.
Intrapersonal Conflict refers to a conflict within one person.
This type of conflict is a product of an individual’s mind, heart,
Increased creativity: Conflict can lead to more creative ideas.
values, and preferences. It can happen if an individual is torn
between two competing desires, like doing something or not
doing something. Improved communication: Conflict can lead to better
communication and teamwork.
Interpersonal Conflict might arise between two or more
individuals within the organization. This type of conflict can be Increased trust: Conflict can help people build trust with each
caused by differences in personality, communication styles, or other.
work habits.
Group cohesiveness: Productive conflict can lead to group
Intragroup Conflict occurs within a group or team. This type of cohesiveness and consensus.
conflict can arise due to differences in opinions, goals, or work
processes. Personal growth: Conflict can help people develop their self-
identities and grow.
In the workplace, positive conflict can be helpful in a number of 5 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES TO RESOLVE
ways, such as: DISAGREEMENTS:

Highlighting ineffective workflows and Encouraging more 1. Compromising: This approach gives each person some, but
diversity. not all, of what they want. It’s commonly referred to as a
“lose-lose” approach because neither party achieves the
SOME WAYS TO RESOLVE CONFLICT INCLUDE: entirety of their personal goals. A compromise might ease
tension among team members because each person’s desires
• Talking directly to the person you have a problem are partially fulfilled. However, it often doesn’t offer the most
with effective solution for meeting company goals. This style can be
• Choosing a good time to talk appropriate when each party’s goals are similar in importance.
• Planning ahead
• Avoiding blaming or name-calling 2. Competing: Essentially, the competing style of conflict
• Giving information management involves fulfilling the needs of one party to the
exclusion of others. You pick a side or solution and don’t
• Listening actively
budge. This approach requires assertive managers comfortable
being with unhappy participants. It’s most appropriate for
5 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES TO RESOLVE WORKPLACE
situations in which rapid, decisive action is needed to keep a
CHALLENGES:
project on track. Be careful with this one, as using a competing
conflict management style may harm morale.
Disparate work styles: Some employees might be most
productive in a quiet setting, while others work more
3. Accommodating: This is the opposite of the competing style
efficiently in a noisy, social environment. Put those two groups
mentioned above. The accommodating style fulfills the needs
together and see the tension bubble to the surface. Other
of others at the expense of your own needs and goals. This
aspects of work styles, such as process and communication
approach can help preserve relationships with particularly
preferences, can heighten the potential for conflict.
demanding employees and is often used to facilitate future
team cooperation.
Opposing goals: Employees who don’t share the same
business and personal goals often find themselves at odds as
4. Avoiding: This is the “kick the can down the road” strategy.
they compete over resources, priority, and even budget.
Employing this means that you’re avoiding the conflict without
supporting your own needs or those of your employees.
Personal values: While prioritizations and decisions are usually Avoidance is typically not an effective strategy except in cases
made for a company’s best interests, the personal values involving trivial disputes that are not likely to compromise
employees bring to their work can also shape workplace company goals.
actions. Because people’s values are deeply rooted, value-
based conflict can be particularly challenging to resolve.
5. Collaborating: The collaboration style involves working with
involved parties to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution. This
“win-win” approach can improve morale and reduce tension
by emphasizing the value of each employee’s viewpoint.
Collaboration can take considerable time and effort to reach
effective solutions, but it’s known to foster innovation and
produce the best long-term results.