SELF-CONCEPT

[noun]

(also called self-construction, self-identity or self-perspective); a multi-dimensional construct that refers to an individual’s perception of “self” in relation to any number of characteristics, such as gender roles and sexuality, racial and cultural identity, etc. Each of these characteristics is a research domain within the larger spectrum of self-concept although no characteristics exist in isolation as one’s self-concept is a collection of beliefs about oneself. While closely related with self-concept clarity (which “refers to the extent to which self-knowledge is clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stable”), it presupposes but is distinguishable from self-awareness, which is simply an individual’s awareness of their self. It is also more general than self-esteem, which is the purely evaluative element of the self-concept.

[Billy Nuñez]