HE-171
Encouraging Positive Self-Concepts in Children
by Judith A. Myers-Walls, Extension Specialist, Human Development
and Karen R. Hinkley and William H. Reid, Graduate Students,
Child Development and Family Studies
Both Sue and Lou eagerly waited for Mrs. Johnson to return their spelling tests. Both had studied hard and hoped to make good grades.
When Sue saw her grade, a smile came across her face. “Wow!” she thought to herself, “I only missed four words! I did pretty well!”
When Mrs. Johnson gave Lou his test back, he stared at his grade and then looked down at the floor in disappointment. “Oh, no!” he thought. “I’ll never do good in school Mrs. Johnson must think I’m really stupid. I sure feel dumb!” Lou had missed four words.
Both Bill and Will wanted to get dates to go to the school party. Each carefully thought about who to take before making the telephone call to ask her out.
When Bill called Lil, she told him she was glad he had asked her but she already had a date for the party. After concluding his conversation, Bill thought, “Oh, well. Next time I will call earlier. Maybe I'll just go to the party by myself.”
When Will’s phone call ended without him getting a date, he thought, “Who would want to go out with me? She must think I’m a real creep! I’ll never get a date. I guess I’ll just stay home by myself and miss all the fun.” It seems that Lil had told him that she already had a date for the party, but that she was glad he had asked.
Have you ever wondered why two children can respond so differently to the same situation? Why does one student feel good about a test score and another feel discouraged about a test score that is exactly the same? What makes one boy able to respond positively to a reasonable explanation for not getting a date while another boy almost crumbles at what he thinks is rejection?

You may already be aware of the answer to these questions. All of us may be familiar with this personal characteristic but not realize the important role that it plays in our lives. It influences how we like ourselves, how we deal with others, and even the goals we set for ourselves in life.
What is this thing that can have such a great impact on our lives? It is called self-concept.
What is Self-Concept?
All of us, including children, have a mental picture of ourselves. We see ourselves as short or tall, a leader or a follower, a doughnut or a hole. This picture we have of ourselves is called our self-concept.

Every person can be thought of as having an overall or general self-concept as well as more specific self-concepts, for example, regarding athletic, career, academic, or artistic ability. Thus, even though children may have an overall positive self-concept, they may have a less positive self-concept when it comes to their ability in school. In addition, children who may feel good about their ability in their class-work, may feel awkward or self-conscious when they participate in sports activities.
Cooperative Extension Service • Purdue University • West Lafayette, Indiana

A multi-state publication co-sponsored by the Extension Services of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin, in cooperation with the NCR Educational Materials Project.