What is Self-Concept, and how is it different from Self-Esteem?

Before plunging into a discussion on high vs. low self-esteem or how to build self-esteem, let’s clear up some confusing terminology. Have you heard of the term “self-concept?” You may ask, “Why is it important?” or “How does it differ from self-esteem?” The answers are easier than you might think...

Self-concept is the set of beliefs and/or images we have about ourselves. According to educational psychology, self-concept is broken down into four components: physical, academic, social, and transpersonal.

1. Our physical self-concept relates to that which is concrete: what we look like, our sex, height, weight, etc.; what college we attend, what kind of clothes we wear; what kind of car we drive; what kind of home we live in; and so forth. The physical aspect of self-concept is about how we define ourselves versus how society defines us.
2. Our academic self-concept relates to how well we do in school or how well we learn generally (how well we do overall, i.e. GPA) and specifically (how well we do in math, science, language arts, social science, etc.)
3. Our social self-concept describes how we relate to other people.
4. Our transpersonal self-concept describes how we relate to the supernatural or unknowns.

To summarize, self-concept is what we know about ourselves, and self-esteem is how we feel about what we know.