ABSTRACT
The concept of the self has had a checkered history in psychology. In their discussions of human development and social interaction, early psychologists and sociologists—such as William James, Charles Horton Cooley, and George Herbert Mead—placed a great deal of emphasis on the individual’s self. However, the concept of the self was virtually banished from mainline behavioral science during the heyday of behaviorism. The self-concept consists of the set of beliefs that a person holds about him- or herself. The self-concept has been compared to a person’s “theory” about what he or she is like. Few psychological constructs have spread so widely into everyday usage as self-esteem. Self-esteem refers to a person’s evaluation of him- or herself. The self-concept is like a theory in the sense that people use it to interpret their experiences. The self-concept influences people’s behavior primarily through the phenomenal self.
