Well, happy to talk on about it!
... I'm not entirely sure I understand. Uh... It's basically how we view ourselves in regards to other people?
That's my belief. Those four factors are from a study in 2008. It is my belief, based on that study, that the group is the defining factor for MOST people. Even cases in which they define themselves as AGAINST a group, they are basing who they are on a group.
I mean.. sure, those are all things, but I'm not entirely sure what they have to do with me...
Well, so the theory goes, anyone with a self-concept has these things 'understood', even if its not at a conscious level (I'm not sure how many people go out and try and find out the net worth of their neighbours, for example). They don't necessarily have to be correct, just have to be believed to be correct.
The first one is certainly a thing that influences my emotional state - I guess that would factor into self esteem? Not sure how it is related to self-image or ideal self...
Well, to give an example: Person A has a crush on Person B. Person B rejects Person A, saying that Person A is ugly. In this simplified example, Person A takes this comment to heart and develops a warped view of herself as ugly, regardless of actual appearance. This is the SELF-IMAGE. The IDEAL SELF is now, then, a beautiful version of Person A (as Person A sees it). Because of the lack of CONGRUENCE (a fancy word meaning the similarity between SELF-IMAGE and IDEAL SELF), Person A suffers from LOWERED SELF ESTEEM.
That's the basic theory for this part.
That second question is one the psychs always ask and I end up freaking out because I don't know how to give them the answer they want. It would be like asking me my opinion on the moral value of the color blue. (Though it's not as bad as asking what others think, which is literally impossible)
Well, with this one (as with all of these) it is best not to think about the question /too/ much. How you answer the question is just as important as the answer itself. It is hard to do, yes, but them's the breaks.
I guess I can see the third one playing a role in all of those, and is the only that even feels related to who I am or how I think of myself, to me. I imagine it's a bit inappropriate to simply limit it to employment though - and it's certainly not something that's temporally static or exclusive since we all fill multiple social roles all the time.
Yup, that's pretty much it. It's not just employment, but what you do outside of that. If you're a mother, or father, or a charity worker in your spare time, or lead a hobby group, or whatever.
And as for the last... yeah, i don't really have a group. And even when I did have groups, I never really identified with them, anymore than I identify with my apartment building. A group is just a place to live for me, I guess? Like here at bay12... It's sort of a home made up of people. But while I can see how that would /influence/ my self, I'm not sure how it is supposed to define it?
Think about when you ask a person who he supports in the sport of choice for your area. That's about the best I can think of an example this late at night for me