Your self-concept is your overall attitude about yourself. Self-concept is also called self-esteem and self-image. Self-concept can be thought of as being on a continuum from positive to negative, or high to low. If your beliefs and feelings about yourself are positive, you tend to have a high self-concept. Your personality is based, in part, on your self-concept.

Your self-concept includes perceptions about several aspects of yourself. You can have a positive self-concept and still want to change some things about yourself. Your thoughts and feelings about yourself have greater influence in determining your self-concept than does your behavior.

You develop your self-concept over the years through the messages you receive about yourself from others. Your present self-concept has been strongly influenced by the way others have treated you—the attitudes and expectations others have had of you (Pygmalion effect).