self-concept.

The beliefs and understandings through which a person represents who they are and what characteristics they have.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• academic self-concept
• development of self-concept

On the page

Academic self-concept changed as the student encountered tasks that challenged her earlier assumptions.

The study examined development of self-concept through repeated accounts of personal roles.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Singular self-concept; plural self-concepts. Also used uncountably. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation analysis, behavioral comparison, qualification. Disciplines: psychology, social behavior, character writing. Commonness: moderately common.