Page 111 - DCOM102_DMGT101_PRINCIPLES_AND_PRACTICES_OF_MANAGEMENT

Unit 6: Management by Objectives and Styles of Management

a direct consequence of children’s emerging cognitive skills and their social relationships with Notes
both family and peers.

Notes Most models and descriptions of the self involve elements of self-perceptions;
however, most are unclear as to what aspects of the self the individual holds perceptions
of. One of the earliest theorists writing on the nature of the self was William James (1890).
He saw the self as consisting of whatever the individual views as belonging to himself or
herself, which includes a material, a social, and a spiritual self. The perceptions of the
material self are those of one’s own body, family, and possessions.
The development of self-awareness does not occur in all-or-none fashion, which would enable
us to assume that up to this point, the child does not possess it but beyond this point, he does.

The process of self discovery is actively going on at least as long as the child is developing or
discovering new potentialities and in a healthy person, the discovery of self, continues as long
as he lives.

6.8.1 Hierarchy of Self-concepts

The organisation of the different self-concept acquired from a wide variety of experience is
hierarchical. Each new self-concept is interrelated with those that have already been formed and
exerts others that are formed later.

The Primary or First Self-concept

It is shaped up by the social experiences the person has in his home during his early years. The
frequency and quality of the child’s relationship with family members will determine how
important role they play in the formation of his primary self-concept. The primary or first self-
concept is shaped by the social experiences the person has in the home during the early years.
The primary self-concept in hierarchy is thus a “mirror image” or social self-concept.

Secondary Self-concept

Just about the time the child becomes mature enough to evaluate himself in relation to others,
i.e., at the age of 5 to 6 years, in one way, he would express his ability to imagine how he would
like to be and this is the beginning of ideal self-concept. The ideal self-concept is influenced by
the concept formed earlier. A highly unrealistic ideal self-concept will increase a person’s
dissatisfaction with his mirror images and basic self-concept.

6.8.2 Pattern of Development

The pattern of development from one person to another is fairly predicable. It can be understood
as:

Physical and Psychological Self-concept

Physical self-concept is usually acquired before psychological self-concepts.

The child has an image of his physical characteristics before he is aware of his abilities, disabilities,
needs and aspirations etc. Emotions also play a very important role in the development of
psychological self-concept.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 103