What is self concept? How is it different from self esteem? Is it your responsibility as a parent to help shape your child’s self concept?
In this episode, I’m talking all about self concept - what it is, why it matters and how it forms.
What Is Self Concept?
Self concept is a collection of thoughts you think about yourself. It’s different from self-esteem because esteem is more how you feel about yourself.
How Does Self Concept Form?
Children inherit their self-concept from parents, grandparents, teachers and other adults. They compare themselves to their siblings and create thoughts about themselves based on how they relate to their siblings. They also absorb ideas from our culture - what it means to be a girl or a boy, how bodies should look, ideas of what success looks like, etc.
Your Role as a Parent
As a parent, we have control over some of the factors that influence our kids, like the communities we live in or what social media influences we allow.
But there are also many influences that are outside our control, and some of these don’t align with what we want our kids to think and feel about themselves and others.
It’s your child’s job to find the pieces of their self-concept, choosing which thoughts to keep and which to throw away.
What can you do as a parent to guide them in the process?
- Share your values with your kids, have conversations with them.
- Practice thinking positive thoughts about your kids - things that you really want them to believe about themselves.
- Speak those positive beliefs out loud to them - over and over again.
Your collection of thoughts about your child is the story they inherit. The more lovely and compelling it is, the more likely those are the thoughts they will pick up.
Believing that your kids are OK exactly as they are and believing that they are lovable, acceptable, and that they belong in society - even if they present in ways that go against social norms - has a HUGE impact on how kids think about themselves.
Listen to the full podcast episode for specific examples and some of my favorite tools to help you along the way.
You’ll Learn:
- The 3 parts that make up a person’s self concept
- My favorite exercise for thinking positive thoughts about your kids
- How to “trick” your kids into thinking amazing things about themselves
When a kid feels good and has a positive self concept, they are much more likely to reach their academic potential.
That’s why I teach my clients how to emotionally coach their kids and help their kids develop a kick-ass self concept that has nothing to do with their external performance and everything to do with the collection of thoughts they have about themselves.
Join one of my coaching programs now and find out exactly how to support your kid’s self concept. https://www.calmmamacoaching.com/programs
Free Resources:
Get your copy of the Stop Yelling Cheat Sheet at https://www.calmmamacoaching.com/stopyelling.
In this free guide you’ll discover:
✨ A simple tool to stop yelling once you’ve started (This one thing will get you calm.)
✨ 40 things to do instead of yelling. (You only need to pick one!)
✨ Exactly why you yell. (And how to stop yourself from starting.)
✨A script to say to your kids when you yell. (So they don't follow you around!)
Want to connect?
