The language of self-image and self-concept

We live in a society where plastic surgery is available for cosmetic reasons. Who could deny any individual the possibility of improving their physical appearance when it means so much to them? Images of almost impossible physical perfection (or at least the appearance of it) are constantly promoted in the popular media. There is a profound effect on a person’s image of themselves by linking physical ‘perfection’ with acceptance, success, and power which can lead to the following:

■ striving for the illusion of physical perfection;

■ real fear of those who appear different, or are made to feel inadequate, that they will be socially isolated and marginalized because of some physical or mental characteristics;

■ influence on professional practice and research to pursue strategies and lines of enquiry that will normalize rather than recognize uniqueness, creative individuality and diversity;

■ a common assumption or message that the problem for a child or young person lies entirely within that individual and not in the way the social environment around them is organized.

This context has a profound effect on the way in which we build up (and feel about) our physical image of ourselves and it is vital to understand the impact of this culture on disabled people generally and on the pupils and students who require learning support. It is important to understand that the way a child feels about themselves will be a result of others’ behavior and language.

An important part of our understanding of ourselves as individuals arises from the way in which others see us and this continues from the moment we are born until we die. According to Maslow (1962), there are five sources of self-concept development:

1. Body image, in realizing and understanding the physical self as a distinct object.

2. Language, through the ability to conceptualize and verbalize about self and others.

3. Academic, in terms of success and failure in the education system.

4. Feedback from the environment, particularly from significant others, gives a person information on how the individual stands as regards his or her feelings, opinions and values.

5. Child-rearing practices also have a long-lasting impact on developing self-confidence, self-direction and general attitudes towards oneself.

A constructed measure of this is called self-esteem. Self-esteem is understood as a measure of the feeling we have about ourself and the platform from which we launch ourselves at life. It is a crucial factor in our functioning as a social animal and in enabling us to make the most of the living and learning experiences that life has to offer. Sadly, there are many parts of our culture which undermine an individual’s self-esteem and these are not limited to an accepted view of disabled or non-disabled. We still accept the most outrageous and apparently perfect physical and gender stereotypes paraded day after day in our media (television, magazines, newspapers) and in advertising. It changes our appreciation of ourselves and of each other as real, though imperfect, human beings and has an impact on the way in which disabled students see themselves.