Question

Please comment on the ideas of the imaginary audience or personal fable and then think self-understanding and self-concept. How do these ideas help to form our self-esteem or do they?

Answer 1

The ideas of imaginary audience and personal fable are constructs of adolescent egocentrisms which includes a thought pattern that makes the adolescent the center of attention. The term "Imaginary audience", itself suggests that there is an imaginary or non-realistic individual/group of spectators, who are always observing and judging the adolescent. For example, an adolescent girl may feel that everybody around her is concentrating on the pimple that she has on her cheek, and they might also be judging her appearance. Similarly, the concept of "personal fable", indicates a false concept that "nobody understands them (adolescents)". For example, when the same girl approaches to her mother for help and is consoled by mother, she is more likely to have a feeling that her mother does not understands her. Both imaginary audience and person fable give rise to inferiority complex among individual and makes them more conscious beings, it provides them with a sense of individuality and uniqueness with respect to thoughts, feelings and experience. As it always believed that both adaptation and adjustment go hand-in-hand during the process of development, in this process adolescents learn to identify their strengths and weaknesses through critically analyzing not only there own behavior but also of others around them. Constant feeling of being judged and non-understood, makes them adjust to their complexes on their own and have a clear understanding about themselves, and develop self-concept. Self-concept is the value judgment one makes about oneself, as a result of self-analysis and experiences on a variety of occasions.

If these complexes are adjusted skillfully the individual with support from others ,the self concept is positive (that is, the person has good attitude in general about himself/herself and realizes his/her strengths and weaknesses), this in turn would lead to form positive self-esteem. Through positive self-esteem individual develops confidence in one's own ability, the individual develops a faith in his/her potential and capacities to solve any given problem.

However, if the self concept formed is negative in nature. It leads to the problem of low self-esteem with negativity, low confidence, self doubt and self-critical attitude. Therefore, both imaginary audience and personal fable are important in healthy development of self.