Handbook of Self-Concept: Developmental, Social, and Clinical Considerations

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Handbook of Self-Concept

"If we could see ourselves as others see us, we would vanish on the spot." ―E. M. Cioran

It is one of the most intimate of realities and the slipperiest of abstractions. For Sartre it was a double negative and for B. F. Skinner, a set of learned responses. Among exponents of artificial intelligence it is the Oz at the end of the rainbow, while for Voltaire it was an unavoidable pathology. And, ever since William James first identified consciousness of self as a discrete psychological phenomenon, more than a century ago, it has been the source of intense speculation and debate among psychologists.

In the past twenty years alone, over 11,000 studies have been conducted on various aspects of self-concept. Much progress has been made, and a general consensus has been reached about many of its aspects, yet, many fundamental questions remain unanswered, such as: What exactly do we mean when we say "self"? Is self-concept an aspect of a broader cognitive self-system, or is it best defined in behavioral terms? How valuable is self-concept to clinical practice? What roles do age, race, gender, and sociocultural variables play in self-concept?

Bringing together contributions from leading researchers and clinicians from a broad range of psychological disciplines, this book provides answers to these and other important questions concerning self-concept. It explores all theoretical and applied aspects of self-concept, offering a balanced synthesis of the vast body of information on the subject that has accumulated since the 1970s. Chapters address each of the six primary self-concept domains (competence, social, affect, academic, family, and physical) with an emphasis on the clinical significance of each. In the chapter on clinical assessment, existing self-concept scales are subjected to in-depth quantitative and qualitative review, and readers are provided with standardized tables for organizing the principal characteristics reviewed and comparing individual test results. In the concluding chapter, Dr. Bracken describes the clinical applications of a multidimensional, context-dependent model that facilitates the synthesis of information across instruments (including more than 70 psychoeducational tests and scales provided in an appendix) and informants.

Providing practical answers to many of the most important questions about self-concept, Handbook of Self-Concept is essential reading for personality psychologists as well as researchers and educators in developmental, clinical, and social psychology.

BRUCE A. BRACKEN, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Tennessee. He received his doctorate in educational psychology and a master's degree in school psychology from the University of Georgia. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Assessment Psychology, and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Bracken is the author of many well known assessment scales, including the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale, the Assessment of Interpersonal Relations, the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT), the Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Diagnostic Scale, the Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Screening Forms, and the Spanish Bracken Basic Concept Scale. He is co-founder and editor of Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment and sits on the editorial boards of School Psychology International, Canadian Journal of School Psychology, Assessment in Rehabilitation and Exceptionality, and Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. He is also the author or coauthor of more than one hundred professional books, articles, and reviews.