The Texas Standard, Volume [40], Number [1], January-February 1966 Page: 4

                                
Building A Better Self Concept
By Dr. Kenneth Maroney and John L. Fulbright, Jr.
For as a man thinketh in his heart
so is he (2). The wise man, Solomon,
who made this statement may not have
been a psychologist or psychiatrist but
this is one of the most profound and
true statements that has been formu-
lated. Its implication, though quoted
over two thousand years ago, has tre-
mendous significance for the education
of minorities today.
Concepts are learned. While one is
acquiring drives and learning values
that have a relationship to situations
in the social milieu, one is also form-
ing a conception of himself. Every at-
titude involves a dichotomy, the en-
vironmental situation toward which it
is directed, and the effect of that situa-
tion upon the person. Values, or at-
titudes, therefore, involve neither the
situation or person alone, but a "per-
ceptual field" which has a meaningful
relationship between the two. Because
experiences are frequent and may be
intense, one learns or forms attitudes
about himself that may be either true
or false. The learned anticipation that
one will accept or be accepted in cer-
tain circumstances, or that one will re-
ject or be rejected, is called the self
concept or as Rogers (3, p. 501) states,
the self structure "is, then, the organ-
ized picture, existing in awareness
either as figure or ground, of the self
and the self-in-relationship, together
with the positive or negative values
which are associated with those quali-
ties and relationships, as they are per-
ceived as existing in the past, present,
or future." In general, the environ-
mental press of the American color-
caste systems tends to develop concep-
tions of self in Negro children and
youth which result in defeatist be-
havior as far as academic and political
development are concerned.
The tendency of the minority group
to accept or reject others, therefore,
could originate from the learned self
concept. When an attitude of inferority
is in the process of formation, a per-
son is learning to react with anxiety
to social criticism, competition, and
authority. Probably the first reaction is
*Dr. Kenneth Maroney is dean of the University
of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas. John L.
Fulbright, Jr., is counselor at New Waverly Job
Corps, New Waverly, Texas, and was formerly
a faculty member at Solomon Coles High, Cor-
pus Christi, Texas.
one of withdrawal, but later, as a per-
son matures, he develops more decep-
tive defense. Eventually a fixed re-
sponse of adjustment evolves and the
endless unfounded rationalizations go
on and on and on.
Unfortunately, these concepts are
created before the child enters school.
His environment, in many instances,
has caused an unfavorable or inferior
attitude toward himself. Little inci-
dents such as "you're the most terrible
boy I know" or "you're just a bad boy"
or "you're just like your daddy, no
good!" can have a tremendous import
on the very young. In addition, mem-
bers of the minority groups are almost
certain to be taunted and given nick-
names. Kvaraceus et al., (1) observed
that lower class minority youth are
subjected daily to psychological injury
above and beyond that which their
ecoonmic standing merits. Such injury
extends to minority youth of all social
classes. Job discrimination, housing seg-
regation, the existence of all-Negro
schools, persistent interpersonal tension
with other ethnic groups, and many
other such events constantly remind
the member of the minority group
that he is diferent and that the differ-
ence implies inferiority.
Counselors often counsel with chil-
dren who possess false attitudes toward
themselves. Children with superior
ability who do not believe they can
do well in their studies, boys who
can shoot fifty per cent of their basket-
ball shots and yet believe they will
fail in college, are common examples
of students who have low self concepts.
Fortunately, since the self concept is
learned, it can be modified. This is
part of the task for education. Many
educators believe that the school has
already encompassed more than its re-
sponsibility, and in spreading its ef-
forts too widely is self defeating in
its avowed purpose—that of educating
the whole child.
A general assumption is that schools,
which tend to serve as part of this
defeating press, can instead serve to
strengthen the self-concept of minority
youth, with a consequent strengthen-
ing of the student's performance as
citizens.
It is very necessary that the self con-
cept of minority youth be strengthen-
ed. Unless prompt action is taken, the
usefullness of some races will be lost
or submerged. A prominent problem
is the degeneration of pride on the
part of some minority groups and if
this problem is not given consideration,
many persons now and later will suf-
fer.
The following are suggestions offer-
ed to teachers and counselors for the
betterment of all concerned:
1. Make a sincere and honest effort
to accept all persons regardless of race.
2. Provide the students with a frame-
work for understanding the world as
they see it, and with the skills to
locate and utilize the knowledge that
is available for dealing with that
world.
3. Begin in pre-primer, and no later
than first grade, impressing upon
children their personal worth.
4. Give children examples, whenever
possible, of outstanding personal con-
tributions from members of their race.
5. Start with the child where he is,
not from where you would like him
to be.
6. As near as possible, make your
school a favorable home away from
home.
7. Provide counseling by profession-
al counselors. After all, this is the
most important aspect of the guidance
process.
8. Make a concentrated effotr to im-
prove those professional organizations
in which you hold membership. These
organizations furnish leadership.
9. Be the type of person with which
children can identify. They need strong
ego-ideals.
It appears to the writers, that many
mistakes have been made by counselors
and teachers who work with minority
groups. Generations have passed these
mistakes along to other generations.
Remember, "Learn from the mistakes
of others—you can't possibly live long
enough to make them all yourself."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Kvaraceus, William C. et al., Negro
Self-Concept: Implications for School
and Citizenship, New York, McGraw-
Hill, 1965.
2. Proverbs 23:7
3. Rogers, C. R., Client-Centered Ther-
apy; Its Current Practice, Implica-
tions, and Theory, Boston, Houghton,
1951.
TEXAS STANDARD