Effects Of Gratitude On Self Concept

Abstract Gratitude and Happiness are important elements of Wellbeing and in Positive Psychology it has great importance. Present study will test relationship between Gratitude, Happiness and Self concept of University students. As many factors bring about change in Self concept, I would see the special effects of Gratitude and Happiness on Self Concept of University students, Especially function of Gratitude and Happiness in enhancing Positive Self Concept. Sample would be 200 university students both male and female from different private universities of Islamabad. Gratitude Questionnaire, Oxford Happiness scale and Robson Self Concept Questionnaire would be used. Appropriate statistical analysis would be used in order to get correlation

Self esteem refers to the degree to which people like accept or endorse of themselves or how much they give importance to themselves. Self esteem at all times involves a extent of assessment and people may have either a positive or a negative view of themselves. in uncertain or anxiety exciting situations self-esteem may alter rapidly. (Morse and Gergen, 1970). people who believed they had socially desirable characteristics continued in this conviction even when the experimenters tried to catch them to believe the opposite. (Miller and Ross, 1975). there are 4 major factors that influence self esteem. Argyle (2008)

The reaction of others. If people like a person, compliment him or her, look for his or her company, listen carefully and be in agreement with him or her that person likely to develop a positive self-image. If people avoid a person, neglect him or her, tell him or her things about that person that he or she don’t want to hear person develop a negative self-image.

Comparison with others. If the people a person compare him or herself with come out to be more successful, happier, richer, better looking than his or herself, that person tend to develop a negative self image but if they are less successful than him or her, self image will be positive.

Social roles. Some social roles hold status e.g. doctor, airline pilot, or premiership footballer and this promotes self-esteem. Other roles hold stigma. E.g. prisoner, mental hospital patient,

Roles aren’t just present. They also become part of personality i.e. people identity themselves with the positions they occupy, the roles they play and the groups they belong to.

Ideal Self. If there is a difference between how you see yourself e.g. yourself image and what you’d like to be e.g. your ideal self then this is likely to influence how much you value yourself. there are four chief factors which control its development. Michael Argyle (2008). ways in which others react, compare to others, social roles and identify with other people

Positive Self Concept. People with a positive self-concept showed the following characteristics (Brooks and Emmart., 1976),

 Feeling capable to handle the problem. Subjective self-understanding of the capacity to deal with problems in front of the objective.

 Feeling at a same level with others. Understanding that human beings are not born in the company of the knowledge and wealth. Knowledge and wealth gained from the procedure of learning and functioning life. Understanding the causes individuals to experience more or less to others.

 getting a compliment without embarrassment. accepting the honor, or deserves an reward against individuals on the basis of the outcome of what has been done