What Is a Self-Schema?

Your beliefs about yourself can influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

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Updated on December 03, 2023

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The term schema refers to the cognitive structures we have to describe various categories of knowledge about the world. Like with many other things, we also hold schemas about ourselves. In psychology, these are known as self-schemas.

We all have ideas and beliefs about other people but we also hold the same sort of impressions about ourselves. These self-schemata impact our thoughts and behaviors.

At a Glance

Self-schemas are beliefs we hold about ourselves and how we will feel or act in certain situations. Everyone's self-schemas are different and just one portion of our self-concept. They're formed by our experiences and relationships with others.

Self-schemas are important because they influence our behaviors. The more we believe that a self-schema applies to us, the better we will perform on that dimension.

Additionally, if we develop a negative or unhealthy self-schema, it can be changed. So, if you want to change these self-beliefs, making them more positive, it is possible.

The Meaning of Self-Schema

Self-schema are categories of knowledge that reflect how we expect ourselves to think, feel, and act in particular settings or situations. Each of these beliefs includes our overall perceptions of ourselves ("outgoing," "shy," "talkative"), as well as our knowledge of past experiences in similar situations.

Self-Schema Definition

The American Psychological Association defines self-schema as a cognitive framework of beliefs and information about the self that guides and influences a person's perceptions and attention.

As an example, if you have to give a speech, your self-schema might be that you are shy in situations where you have to speak in public. Because you have an overall belief about your personality, as well as past experiences talking in public situations, you probably have a fairly good idea of how you will feel, think, and act in this situation.

When people are very high or extreme in a certain area, they are described as being self-schematic in that dimension.

For example, a person who believes they are a "people person" and not remotely timid would be considered self-schematic in that area. If a person does not hold a schema for a particular dimension, they are said to be aschematic.

Self-Schema Examples

Among other things, people can hold self-schemas about behaviors, personality traits, physical characteristics, and interests. Examples of behavioral self-schemas include:

"I'm assertive."
"I'm quiet."
"I avoid conflict."

Examples of self-schemas involving personality traits are:

"I'm shy."
"I'm friendly."
"I'm compassionate."

Physical characteristic self-schemas might include:

"I'm pretty."
"I'm overweight."
"I'm tall."

Self-schemas relating to interests would be:

"I love sports."
"I like art."
"I enjoy music."

How Self-Schemas Work

There are a few key characteristics of self-schemas. Here are three to consider.

Self-Schemas Are Individualized

Each person has very different self-schemas influenced heavily by past experiences, relationships, upbringing, society, and culture. Who we are, and our self-perceptions are strongly affected by how we are raised, how we interact with others, and the impressions and feedback we receive from societal situations.

As you might have already noticed, most of these self-schemas involve bipolar dimensions, such as:

Loud versus quiet
Mean versus kind
Shy versus outgoing
Active versus passive

People often think of them as either/or traits, but most actually exist as a continuum, with each person lying somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

Self-Schemas Form Our Self-Concept

All our various self-schemas combine and interact to form our self-concept. Our self-concepts tend to be highly complex, which is not surprising since we learn about and analyze ourselves probably more than anything else.

As we go through life and gain new knowledge and experiences, we are constantly adding to or even reconfiguring our existing self-schemas and self-concepts.

Self-Schema vs. Self-Concept

Self-schema and self-concept are related but different concepts:

Self-concept refers to our image of ourselves or who we believe we are.
Self-schemas are subsets of our self-concept related to various cognitive aspects.

Self-Schemas About Our Future Selves

In addition to holding self-schemas about our current selves, some experts have suggested that we also have self-schemas about our future selves. These reflect how we think we will turn out in the coming years, which might include both positive and negative ideas about our future selves.

How Self-Schemas Form

There are a number of important factors that play a role in the formation of self-schema. Early childhood relationships, social relationships, and life experiences are a few key factors.

Early Childhood Experiences

Our initial self-schemata begins to form in early childhood based on feedback from parents and caregivers. The more involved or interested our parents are, the more positive our self-schema, while low levels of involvement by parents is associated with a negative self-schema.

Social Relationships

Psychologists suggest that our self-schemas arise from our social relationships. As you live your life, you meet new people and become part of new social groups. The feedback you receive from others plays a part in modifying your sense of self.

Life Experiences

Self-schemas are also shaped by the various roles we play throughout life. Our experiences as friends, siblings, parents, coworkers, and in other roles influence how we think and feel about ourselves and how we act in particular situations.

Can You Change Negative Self-Schema?

Fortunately, if you develop a negative or unhealthy self-schema, it can be changed. For instance, research indicates that after engaging in expressive writing, women with a history of childhood sexual abuse were able to change their sexual self-schemas.

How Self-Schemas Influence Behavior

So we know that we have self-schemas about how we think, feel, and act. But how much do these ideas really influence how we behave?

In one older study, participants who rated themselves as self-schematic for independence or dependence were faster at classifying words associated with those traits as self-descriptive. For example, people who saw themselves as "independents" were quicker to identify with independence-themed words than aschematics who, in turn, were quicker than dependents.

Researchers have found that if you believe you are self-schematic on a particular dimension, you are more likely to perform well in that area.

How to Determine Your Self-Schemas

One of the easiest ways to get a better idea of your own self-schemas is to answer the question "Who am I?" Imagine that you are providing these answers only to yourself and not to another person.

Write down 15 different things that answer this question as they occur to you without spending a lot of time thinking about how logical or important they are. Once you are done, you should have a fairly good representation of some of your central self-schemas.

So what can you do if your self-schemas are negative or unhelpful? There are a number of strategies that can help you change and overcome negative or harmful self-beliefs. A few tactics that can help include:

Cognitive reframing: Focus on identifying and actively changing negative self-beliefs to ones that are more positive or neutral
Positive self-talk: When you find yourself saying or thinking negative things about yourself, focus on changing that internal monologue to something more helpful
Positive affirmations: Positive statements can help you feel more capable and less negative about yourself
Journaling: Writing down your feelings in a journal so you can spot patterns and actively work to change those self-beliefs can be a helpful exercise
Therapy: If negative self-schemas are holding you back or contributing to psychological distress, talking to a mental health professional can be beneficial. Many different types of therapy may help you adopt a more positive outlook on your

What This Means For You

Your self-schemas reveal how you feel about yourself, and they can have a major impact on your behavior. It can be helpful to spend some time figuring out what your self-schema are, and then looking for ways to improve negative or unhelpful self-schema.

Strategies that may help you overcome negative self-beliefs include using positive self-talk, practicing self-care, changing negative thoughts, and using positive affirmations. If you are still struggling with negative self-schema, talking to a mental health professional can be helpful.