​The 5 Differences Between Self-concept And Self-esteem

The concepts of self-esteem and self-concept serve to refer to the way in which we construct an idea of ​​ourselves and how we relate to it, but the truth is that they can often be confused with each other.

It is important to be clear about the differences that exist between the two to know how we think of ourselves.

The main differences between self-esteem and self-concept

In a way, Self-esteem and self-concept are theoretical constructs that help us understand how our mind works, how we see ourselves and how the opinions of others influence the idea we have of our own identity. This means that they are not “pieces” that can be located in one place in our brain, components that are easy to recognize and isolate from the rest of the mental phenomena that take place in our mind, but rather they are useful labels within that very complex sea that is the human psyche. .

However, that does not mean that it is not important to distinguish between these concepts. In fact, if we confuse them, we run the risk of not understanding many things; For example, it would lead us to believe that seeing oneself in a certain way (overweight, tall, pale, etc.) indicates that this image of one’s own identity is inevitably seen as something negative or positive, only because socially there are more valued attributes. What others.

Below you can see the basic points that serve to distinguish self-esteem from self-concept

1. One is cognitive, the other is emotional

Self-concept is, basically, the set of ideas and beliefs that constitute the mental image of what we are according to ourselves. Therefore, it is a network of information that can be expressed more or less textually through statements about oneself: “I am moody”, “I am shy”, “I am not good at speaking in front of many people”, etc.

Self-esteem, on the other hand, is the emotional component that is linked to self-concept, and therefore cannot be dissected in words, because it is something totally subjective.

2. One can be expressed in words, the other cannot

This difference between self-esteem and self-concept is derived from the previous one. Our self-concept (or, rather, part of it) can be communicated to third parties while the same does not happen with self-esteem.

When we talk about those things about ourselves that make us feel bad (whether they are more or less real and accurate or not), we are actually talking about our self-concept, because self-esteem cannot be reduced to words. However, our interlocutor will gather the information that we give him about the self-concept and from there he will imagine the self-esteem that is associated with it. However, this task will consist of actively recreating the other person’s self-esteem, not recognizing it in the verbal information that arrives.

3. They appeal to different types of memory

Self-esteem is a basically emotional response to the idea we have of ourselves, which means that it is related to a type of implicit memory: emotional memory. This type of memory is especially related to two parts of the brain: the hippocampus and the amygdala.

Self-concept, however, is associated with a different type of memory: declarative memory, which is more related to the hippocampus and the associative cortex areas that are distributed throughout the cerebral cortex. It is made up of a series of concepts that we have learned to associate with the idea of ​​”I”, and that can contain all kinds of concepts: from joy or aggressiveness to the name of certain philosophers or the idea of ​​certain animals that we identify with. we. Of course, certain concepts will be more related to the core of our self-concept, while others will be part of its periphery.

4. One has a moral component, the other does not

Self-esteem is the way we judge ourselves, and therefore It depends on the similarity we perceive between our self-concept and the image we have created of the “ideal self.”

Therefore, while self-concept is free from value judgments, self-esteem is based on the fundamental value judgment about what one is worth: it depends on the extent to which we believe we are close to “the good”, and therefore Therefore, it traces a path for us that will tell us if we are getting closer or further away from what we should be.

5. One is easier to change than the other

Being part of emotional memory, self-esteem can be very difficult to change since it does not obey the criteria of logic, in the same way that phobias, which also depend on emotional memory, make us fear stimuli and situations that based on reason should not make us afraid.

Self-concept, although it is related to self-esteem and therefore its changes correspond in part to its changes, is somewhat easier to change, because it can be modified directly through cognitive restructuring: if we stop to think about the way In the way we see ourselves, it is very easy for us to detect inconsistencies and parts that fail, and to replace them with more viable beliefs and ideas when it comes to explaining who we are.

For example, if we believe that we are markedly shy but then we realize that on past occasions we have come to appear very confident and confident when giving talks in front of many people at an exhibition on a topic that we are passionate about, it is easy for us to start thinking that our shyness is something more moderate and circumstantial. However, This does not have to translate into improved self-esteem or at least not immediately.

It may be that on future occasions we remember that we are not so shy after all and, therefore, we do not behave so shyly, which would make others give more importance to our presence and, then, our self-esteem could improve , by seeing true changes in the real world that tell us the value we can have.

A very blurred border

Although there are differences between self-concept and self-esteem, it must be clear that both are theoretical constructs of psychology, which They help us understand how we think and how we act, but they do not describe clearly distinguishable elements of reality

In reality, both occur together; Like practically all mental processes and subjective phenomena that we experience, they are the result of a loop system of parts of the brain that function at incredible speed and that are constantly interacting with our environment, coordinating with each other. This means that, at least in human beings, there can be no self-concept without self-esteem, and vice versa.