A child develops their self concept during their childhood. Childhood can be a difficult time for many children as they learn about the world around them. Certain key factors can play a role in developing the child’s self concept. How that child is loved by the main care givers helps to build the child’s awareness about themselves and the world they live in. If a child is loved when they are young then they will develop a good self esteem and their self concept will be improved.
If a child is respected and given praise then their self worth will improve. However if a child receives a lot of negativity such as, blaming, name calling and criticism then that child’s self worth will not be good. When a child is labeled with words such as, “naughty child” then their self worth becomes damaged and they start to believe that they are naughty. Since the child believes in their self concept that they are naughty they start to behave in this way.
Praise can improve a child’s self worth and the way that they think of themselves. When a child gets positive reinforcement, not only will they have a greater sense of worth they will also behave better. Appreciation and love will build a child’s self esteem. Merely speaking words of praise will not help a child. A child needs to know what they have done right. When the child learns what is right they can behave in the appropriate way in the future.
Every child needs a certain level of care in order to have their basic needs met. A child needs to receive a real relationship with an adult and have set ground rules and discipline. If a young person is to progress and develop then certain key elements in their care need to be met. A young person needs to have a certain level of responsibility so that they can grow and learn. When a child has been damaged through neglect or other abuse in their life, they need a warm loving environment where they can heal. Care needs to be structured and based around the needs of the child. When the child’s self concept is damaged from an early age it can cause problems later on in life.
When a child is developing they build their self concept. The self concept determines how a person thinks of themselves and the type of person that they are. That is why it is so important that a child is receiving the support they need and not receiving constant criticism. If a child receives only negativity they will not class themselves as worthy individuals and might develop a personality disorder or other mental health problem later in life. A child relies on others to help build their self worth which is a part of their self concept. A child relies on an individual to be congruent, real and reliable.
If a child has a disability and is treated differently to others they may come to view themselves as different. However if a child with a disability is treated like everyone else then they will not think of themselves as different. This is true for people of a certain religion, culture and other factors that might lead to them being treated differently. It is important that a child is treated just like every other child is and parents, teachers and other main care givers must treat each child the same.
