The Development of Identity and Self-Concept

Abstract

Self-concept and identity are reliant on a strong sense of self-worth. The stronger the
foundation on which children base their perceptions, assumptions and beliefs of themselves, the
better equipped they are to participate in a civil society (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Among the
many factors impacting the development of self-concept, the social, biological and cultural
contexts appear to have the greatest influence. The purpose of this paper is to present, in broad
terms, such influences and possible implications for counseling practice.

The Development of Identity and Self-Concept

Self-concept, self-regulation and self-esteem are considered to all be aspects related to the
self, and they make up the self-system. Self-concept is complex, multidimensional and strongly
influenced by the relationships a child establishes during his early childhood and adolescence
years (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Although the self-system begins to develop in earliest
infancy, it is not until middle childhood and early adolescence that the concepts of identity and
self-concept begin to take shape and form. This is due to the fact that knowledge of the self is
directly determined by the level of cognitive development a child reaches (Broderick & Blewitt,
2015). Hence the construction of self-concept resembles the construction of a house, starting
with raw materials scattered everywhere, and as the child grows and matures, he/she is able to
organize and integrate the elements into a meaningful whole (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

As a multidimensional concept, the construct of self-concept is closely intertwined with self-
esteem, and its structure is multilayered, combining multiple domains, such as academic and
nonacademic, which are further divided into different categories, e.g., physical competence,
physical appearance, peer and parent relationships (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Depending on
the level of competence in each of these domains and how important they are to each child/
adolescent, a global self-esteem concept emerges. In other words, the better a child/adolescent
performs in a domain of individual importance, the more his/her level of self-esteem increases,
which in turn leads to more positive life outcomes, better emotion regulation, more satisfying
relationships and less health problems (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

Factors that impact self-concept and identity

Social factors
Middle childhood through early adolescence is a period when social interactions with peers
are among the most important factors that impact the development of self-concept, self-esteem
and identity. It is at this age when children observe how well they perform in comparison with
their peers and how they evaluate their own abilities and accomplishments (Broderick & Blewitt,
2015). Children’s social experiences, especially “co-operative” relations (Psaltis, Duveen &
Perret-Clermont, 2009, p. 294) where children engage in egalitarian exchanges of ideas, express
personal thoughts, consider the position of others and defend their own point of view lead to a
positive self-concept, cognitive development and constructive communication.
Family context and parental involvement are also vital in the development of the self-
concept. Caring, responsive parenting combined with an authoritative parenting style where
parents pay close attention to how they communicate, express their love and attention, encourage
and support children to take on challenges, foster autonomy, enforce rules and standards and
demand that children behave according to their level of maturity are shown to lead to positive
development of self-concept, high self-esteem and greater capacity for self-regulation (Broderick
& Blewitt, 2015).

Biological Factors
Children’s self-concept and identity are dictated in part by biological factors. Aspects like
innate strengths and weaknesses, physical appearance and intellectual abilities have an impact on
how children perceive themselves, how they interact with others, the type of relationships they
enter into and the peer groups they select or get accepted by. For instance, children’s natural
temperament and personal characteristics influence how they will experience any given situation
(Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Some are more easy-going and take stressful circumstance well,
while others may have difficulty in dealing with challenges. As a result, they may perceive
themselves as incompetent, inadequate or unable to measure up to others, which may lead to
wrong beliefs about oneself and thus a negative self-concept.

Intellectual abilities and disabilities, such as learning disabilities, contribute as well to how
children develop their self-concept and identity. Research shows that children with learning
disabilities (LD) have difficulties with peer social functioning, tend to have higher rates of social
isolation and are often rejected by peers without LD (Estell et.al., 2008). Although children with
LD do form friendships and become members of peer groups, they tend to associate with peers
similar to themselves, and, at times, with peers who display high levels of aggression and
antisocial behavior, affiliations which are less than optimal for positive [self-concept]
development (Estell et.al., 2008).

Cultural Factors
Due to the fact that the construction of self-concept is a social process, the culture where
children are born and raised will shape how they develop their self-concept and identity. As a
result, children in one culture will grow to have a different “self” than children in another
culture, because the judgements, beliefs, values and expectations that parents, teachers and peers
hold and practice are unique to each cultural context (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). For instance,
although there are shared values and beliefs across cultures, children reared in an individualistic
culture, especially in the Westerns societies, such as United States, grow to value autonomy and
self-reliance, with emphasis on personal opinions, ideas and experiences, whereas children from
collectivist cultures in Eastern societies, e.g., China, are raised to value relatedness to others,
loyalty to family, perspective-taking and putting group’s needs above their own (Broderick &
Blewitt, 2015). At the same time however, it is important to note that there are cultural
differences within countries, regions, and groups, as well as within individuals and families from
the same group.

Implications for future practice

As stated above, self-concept is used interchangeabley with self-esteem, and self-esteem is
directly linked to mental health (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). As such, it is paramount that
counselors are aware of the multiple factors that influence the development of self-concept and
identity and that they are cognizant of appropriate ways to effectively deal with issues stemming
from low self-esteem. Identifying low-esteem “as if” it were the cause for mental health
problems, counselors may direct their interventions to change affect in children (Broderick &
Blewitt, 2015). It is hoped that by helping children gain more confidence in themselves and how
they feel about themselves, they will perform better socially and academically, their mental
health will improve, and their overall self-concept will improve, thus leading to more positive
life outcomes.

References

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping
professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Estell, D. B., Jones, M. H., Pearl, R., Van Acker, R., Farmer, T. W., & Rodkin, P. C. (2008).
Peer groups, popularity, and social preference. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(1),
5–14. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Psaltis, C., Duveen, G., & Perret-Clermont, A.-N. (2009). The social and the psychological:
Structure and context in intellectual development. Human Development, 52(5), 291–312.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.