self concept fundamentals

• Self-concept is an individual’s view of self, a complex mixture of unconscious and conscious thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions.
• Self-concept, or how a person thinks about oneself, directly affects self-esteem, or how one feels about oneself.
• Nurses need to differentiate between self-concept and self-esteem so they can correctly and completely assess patients and develop an individualized plan of care based on the patient’s needs.
• Nurses care for patients who face a variety of health problems that threaten their self-concept and self-esteem.
• The loss of bodily function, decline in activity tolerance, and difficulty in managing a chronic illness are examples of situations that change a patient’s self-concept.
• As a nurse, you will help patients adjust to alterations in self-concept and support components of self-concept to promote successful coping and positive health outcomes.
• The development and maintenance of self-concept and self-esteem begin at a young age and continue across the life span with a general tendency for boys to report higher self-esteem than girls.
• Parents and other primary caregivers influence the development of a child’s self-concept and self-esteem.
• Individuals learn and internalize cultural influences on self-concept and self-esteem in childhood and adolescence.
• There is a significant amount of emphasis on fostering a school-age child’s self-concept.
• The stroke was unexpected and sudden.
• He and his wife, Meredith, are terrified.
• Self-concept stressors in older adults include health problems, declining socioeconomic status, spousal loss or bereavement, loss of social support, and decline in achievement experiences following retirement.
• Mr. Taylor did not know that he had hypertension because he had not been getting annual checkups.
• He has no clear role within the family, his body image has been drastically altered, his sexual health has suffered, and his self-esteem has never been lower.
• His body image has dramatically changed from that of a man of strength to that of a helpless individual.
• Mr. Taylor worries about being a burden to his family.
• He says, “My family would be better off if I were dead.”
• What is your priority nursing intervention to ensure Mr. Taylor’s safety?
• His self-concept has changed from that of a strong laborer, one who did his own plumbing and car repairs, to a man who must completely rely on others.
• Mr. Taylor’s identity is not clear to him anymore.
• Building Competency in Safety: You are caring for Paul Taylor, a 69-year-old man, who suffered a debilitating stroke.
• Young children tend to rate themselves higher than they rate other children, suggesting that their view of themselves is positively inflated.
• Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (1 to 3 Years) involves beginning to communicate likes and dislikes, increasing independence in thoughts and actions, and appreciating body appearance and function.
• Generativity versus Self-Absorption (Mid-40s to Mid-60s) involves being able to accept changes in appearance and physical endurance, reassessing life goals, showing contentment with aging, and being interested in providing a legacy for the next generation.
• Intimacy versus Isolation (Mid-20s to Mid-40s) involves having stable, positive feelings about self, experiencing successful role transitions and increased responsibilities, and being interested in providing a legacy for the next generation.
• Industry versus Inferiority (6 to 12 Years) involves incorporating feedback from peers and teachers, increasing self-esteem with new skill mastery, being aware of strengths and limitations, and being aware of one's body changes and maturation.
• Initiative versus Guilt (3 to 6 Years) involves identifying with a gender, enhancing self-awareness, increasing language skills, including identification of feelings, and incorporating feedback from peers and teachers.
• Trust versus Mistrust (Birth to 1 Year) involves developing trust following consistency in caregiving and nurturing interactions, distinguishing self from environment, and developing autonomy.
• Ego Integrity versus Despair (Late 60s to Death) involves feeling positive about life and its meaning, being interested in providing a legacy for the next generation, and being interested in providing a legacy for the next generation.
• Identity versus Role Confusion (12 to 20 Years) involves accepting body changes/maturation, examining attitudes, values, and beliefs, establishing goals for the future, and feeling positive about an expanded sense of self.
• Adolescence is a particularly critical time when many variables, including school, family, and friends, affect self-concept and self-esteem.
• The adolescent experience can adversely affect self-esteem, often more strongly for girls than for boys.
• Some adolescent girls are more sensitive about their appearance and how others view them.
• For some economically disadvantaged youth, safe sex behaviors are not always valued, and pregnancy is an affirmation of ethnic identity.
• Individuals with high self-esteem are generally more resilient and better able to cope with demands and stressors than those with low self-esteem.
• Role overload involves having more roles or responsibilities within a role than are manageable.
• Perceived inability to meet parental expectations, harsh criticism, inconsistent discipline, and unresolved sibling rivalry reduce the level of self-worth of children.
• Role performance stressors occur throughout life as a person undergoes numerous role changes.
• Situational transitions such as the death or departure of parents, spouses, children, or close friends, or changes in employment, can lead to role conflict, role ambiguity, role strain, or role overload.