SELF-CONCEPT

How you see

yourself

Your thoughts

about yourself

Your beliefs about

yourself

How you feel about yourself

What you feel of others’

thoughts of you

What you value

Self-knowledge

Other General

influences, values, beliefs

MoneyBudget

Possessions

Friends Relationships

HealthBody and

Mind Fitness

School Work

College

Self-imageLooks and

Style

Your Self

Concept

The importance of self-concept as a shield that protects from positive

and exploitive influences

• Why are we more dependent on what others think and say when we don’t appreciate or respect ourselves?

• What internal and external forces help us appreciate ourselves more?

Discuss strategies for strengthening self-concept

• Be a friend to yourself. Take care of your body and mind. Learn to accept the parts of yourself you don’t like.

• Set and work toward personal goals; reward yourself when a goal is achieved.

• Choose friends who support you.• Guard against negative self-talk; practise self-

encouragement.• Let others know what you need.• Care for other people in a way you would like them to

care for you.• Get help for dealing with deep feelings of negativity or

worthlessness (e.g., in the case of troubled or abusive family life).

Activity: Creating your personal ChartsINTERESTS, APTITUDES, and SKILLS

Category In School Out of School

Art It’s okay

Marks are average

Like doing perspective

Design t-shirts

Make posters

Like doodling

Music Like playing the flute

Learning to read music is interesting

Performing is exciting

Listen to it all the time

Go to concerts

Buy CDs of my favourite musicians

Sports Like phys. Ed.

Am on intramural teams

Swim a lot

Am on a hockey team

Play baseball

Technology Use the computer as much as I can

Use the internet

Like making things out of wood

Program the VCR

Use the computer

Fix bicycles

VALUES & ATTITUDESCategory Activity Beliefs

Friends Group work is fun

Talk a lot in class

Talk on the phone

Friends should be:

Honest, Supportive

Dependable, Fun

Helping Others Read to younger kids

Help kids with special needs

Helping younger kids makes me feel good about myself

Homeless people need our help

Family/Culture Eat together

Keep up my cultural traditions

My family means a lot to me

Eating together keeps the family together

Family traditions are important

Health/Fitness Am very active

Like being outside

Love food

Eating good is healthy

Playing sports is good exercise

Staying at home when you’re sick stops germs from spreading

Attitudes Work hard in school

Am friendly

Am optimistic

Doing well in school is important

Helping others is good

Being positive makes everything easier

Self-Evaluation Questionnaire

• Complete the questionnaire individually and honestly.

Journal Statement Starters

I can show people what I like and who I am by…

I am important and I need to let people know that by…

• Tape black bristol board to the wall. Place an overhead projector facing the wall, so the light shines on the black paper.

• Trace each other’s silhouette on the black paper using the light shining on the wall.

• Cut out the silhouettes.

• Glue phrases or pictures from magazines to the silhouette that depict your likes, dislikes, talents, interests, challenges, and attributes.

• Trace a border (approx. an inch thick) around your silhouette and be sure to keep this border clear of any writing or pictures.

• After you have created your collage, you must share and explain your creation.

• Following this activity you will be completing a “Self Silhouette” Evaluation.

Self SilhouetteEvaluation

1. What are some of your likes, dislikes, talents, and challenges?

2. Which of your talents do you think is most important to you? Why?

3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Why?

4. What did you discover about yourself that you hadn’t realized before?

5. Name three classmates and something you discovered about each of them that you didn’t know before.