Self-Concept and its Components for Developing Research in Positive Psychology: An Integrative Model

Abstract

The study aimed to reduce researchers’ suffering from the abundance and diversity of psychological and educational research that deals with self-concept and its components. The challenge with starting from different theoretical frameworks is that this reflects negatively on the results and variables associated with each component. There are also many self-components, combined with the synonymy of some names, that confuse researchers and place research in the cycle of stereotyping and repetition. Therefore, presenting a graphical form that includes a description of the self-concept components and clarifies the relationships between them and their role in the structure of the human self contributes to solving this problem. In the theoretical framework, the theoretical concepts of the components were reviewed, and the method for developing integrated models that aim to transfer self-concept research in psychology from the level of description to the level of analysis was explained by taking advantage of the huge number of empirical studies on the self. A questionnaire consisting of four dimensions, including 40 items, was applied to a sample of 12 psychology experts. The results indicated that the self-concept serves as a basis for an integrated model of the self-components. The spatial analogy method was used in developing the model inputs, processes, and outputs. The sub-components that are closest in relationship to the self-concept are self-image, self-esteem, and the ideal self in the operations stage. The next closest variables are self-regulation, self-affirmation, self-actualization, and self-compassion. The model explains each in detail, and a set of recommendations and proposals were produced. KEYWORDS single entry static models, self regulation, self efficacy, educational psychology, psychology experts, self esteem