For ages, psychologists have been studying the self. Anytime we think about who we are, we engage in a very special thought process. After all, who knows us better than ourselves?

This course serves as a quick introduction to the psychology of the self. You'll learn four major components about this fascinating field of study:

1. The Self-Concept: How do we come to understand who we are, what our traits are, what our skills are, etc.? This section looks at what it means to have a "self-concept" and how it develops.
2. Self-Esteem: We've all heard of self-esteem, but psychologists spend countless hours understanding what it is, including components of self-esteem that you've never considered before.
3. Self-Motives: Let's face it: we can be defensive. If someone says something negative about us, we feel compelled to refute it. This section looks at all the ways people are motivated to think about themselves in particular ways and what they do to ensure they maintain a particular self-concept.

In this series of lectures, you'll learn from a trained social psychologist and come to understand the essentials of the psychology of self. With quiz questions that reinforce your learning and examples that connect the research to your own life, this course is designed to help you quickly master this information. So enroll now and start learning about this fascinating field of social psychology!

**Please note that this is one part of the full "Learn Social Psychology" course. If you want to learn about the psychology of the self, and you're not ready to take the plunge for the full social psychology course, this is a great place to start!