Self-Concept: The Complete Guide to Self-Ideal, Self-Image and Self-Esteem (Brian Tracy and the Research)

Your self-concept is the collection of beliefs you hold about yourself, the answer to the question “Who am I?” Brian Tracy taught that it has three parts: your self-ideal (who you want to be), your self-image (how you see yourself) and your self-esteem (how much you like yourself).

Psychological concept and personal development framework · Themes: identity, self-esteem, confidence, self-image

Last updated: 13 November 2026

Written by Saj Ali

Reading time: about 9 minutes

How we wrote this guide: this guide was written by Saj Ali. It draws on Brian Tracy’s _The Psychology of Achievement_ (1984) and _Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life_ (2003), Maxwell Maltz’s _Psycho-Cybernetics_ (1960), and psychological research on self-concept, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Every research claim links to its source.

Self-concept in brief

• What it is. Your beliefs about yourself: the answer to “Who am I?”
• Tracy’s three parts. Self-ideal, self-image and self-esteem.
• The core idea. You tend to act in line with how you see yourself.
• What research shows. Specific self-beliefs, such as academic self-concept and self-efficacy, predict performance better than global self-esteem.
• Pairs well with. Affirmations and visualisation.

Contents

1. What Is the Self-Concept?
2. Brian Tracy’s Three Parts of the Self-Concept
3. Maxwell Maltz and the Self-Image
4. What the Research Says
5. How to Improve Your Self-Concept: Step by Step
6. A Worked Example
7. Common Mistakes
8. Frequently Asked Questions
9. Key Takeaways
10. Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
11. Sources

What Is the Self-Concept?

In psychology, the self-concept is “a collection of beliefs about oneself”, which “embodies the answer to the question ‘Who am I?’” (Wikipedia). It differs from self-esteem: self-concept is descriptive (“I am a fast runner”), while self-esteem is evaluative (“I feel good about being a fast runner”) (Wikipedia).

The self-concept also includes ideas about who you might become, would like to become or fear becoming, which psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius called “possible selves” (Markus & Nurius, 1986). These may act as incentives for behaviour (Wikipedia).

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow helped popularise the idea in the West. Rogers believed that everyone strives to reach an “ideal self” (Wikipedia).

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Brian Tracy’s Three Parts of the Self-Concept

Tracy built his programme The Psychology of Achievement around the self-concept, which he said “is made up of three fundamental ingredients” (Tracy, 1984).

1. The self-ideal

“Every one of us has numerous pictures, feelings and thoughts of the ideal person we would most like to be. It’s usually a composite of all the people we have admired” (Tracy, 1984). We continually adjust our behaviour to become more like that ideal.

2. The self-image

“It is the way we see and think about ourselves; it’s our ‘inner mirror.’ We tend to walk, talk, sit, act, think, and relate to other people in a manner consistent with this self-image or inner mirror. If we wish to change our external performance, we have to change this inner picture” (Tracy, 1984). In Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life he added that “you always perform on the outside consistent with the picture you have of yourself on the inside” (Tracy, 2003).

3. Self-esteem

Self-esteem “is the root of self-concept and the core of human personality” (Tracy, 1984). “Your self-esteem is best defined as how much you like yourself… Your self-esteem is the ‘reactor core’ of your personality. It is the energy source that determines your levels of confidence and enthusiasm” (Tracy, 2003).

His tools for change

Tracy recommended affirmations, especially “I like myself” (affirmations), mental pictures of yourself performing well (visualisation) and a “positive reference group of achievement-oriented individuals” (Tracy, 1984). He also asked readers whether they understood “the difference between self-liking and arrogance” (Tracy, 1984).

In selling, he applied the idea to income, describing a “self-concept level of income” (Tracy, 2004); see our sales psychology guide. Read more in our Brian Tracy article.

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Maxwell Maltz and the Self-Image

Tracy’s self-image idea follows Maxwell Maltz, the American plastic surgeon who wrote Psycho-Cybernetics (1960) (Wikipedia). Tracy named Maltz among the “great practical thinkers on success” who influenced him (Tracy, 2003).

Maltz noticed that some of his patients’ expectations were not satisfied by surgery. He came to believe that a person’s inner picture of themselves mattered more, and that “a person’s outer success can never rise above the one visualized internally”, as Wikipedia summarises his view (Wikipedia). The book combined Prescott Lecky’s theories of self-concept with Norbert Wiener’s cybernetics: Maltz described the mind as a goal-seeking “mechanism” that corrects its course until it reaches its target (Wikipedia).

Our Psycho-Cybernetics guide covers his method in detail, and our Maxwell Maltz page tells his story.

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What the Research Says

Global self-esteem: less powerful than once thought

A major 2003 review led by Roy Baumeister found that “the modest correlations between self-esteem and school performance do not indicate that high self-esteem leads to good performance”. Efforts to boost pupils’ self-esteem “have not been shown to improve academic performance and may sometimes be counterproductive”. One important exception: high self-esteem “facilitates persistence after failure” (Baumeister et al., 2003).

Specific self-concepts matter more

Herbert Marsh and Rhonda Craven argued that the answer lies in being specific. Academic achievement “is substantially related to academic self-concept, but nearly unrelated to self-esteem”. Their research found that prior academic self-concept and achievement each have positive effects on later self-concept and achievement, reinforcing each other (Marsh & Craven, 2006).

Self-efficacy

Albert Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy, the belief that you can carry out a specific task, is a strong predictor of effort and persistence (Bandura, 1977). This is close to Tracy’s idea of a separate self-concept for each area of life, such as prospecting, public speaking or sport (Tracy, 2004).

Affirmations and the self-concept

Repeating positive self-statements can backfire for people with low self-esteem (Wood, Perunovic & Lee, 2009). Writing about your core values has stronger support (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). See our affirmations guide.

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How to Improve Your Self-Concept: Step by Step

The research suggests a practical approach: work on specific self-beliefs, and build them through action as well as words.

1. Describe your self-ideal. Write down the qualities of three people you admire. What do they have in common?
2. Describe your current self-image in one area that matters, such as work, health or relationships.
3. Find the gap. Which one quality from your self-ideal would make the biggest difference?
4. Act as if. Choose one specific situation each day in which you behave as the person with that quality would.
5. Build evidence. Small successes build self-efficacy. Start with steps you can achieve.
6. Picture yourself succeeding before important events.
7. Use believable affirmations, or write about your values.
8. Choose your company. Spend time with people who are working towards goals of their own.
9. Review your progress weekly. Note what you did that matched your self-ideal.

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A Worked Example

Sam, a junior lawyer, admires calm, well-prepared senior colleagues. He sees himself as someone who “goes blank” in meetings.

After two months, he sees himself as someone who contributes. His self-image has changed because his behaviour did.

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Common Mistakes

• Trying to change your self-image with words alone. Behaviour and evidence change self-beliefs more reliably.
• Focusing on global self-esteem. Work on specific areas instead.
• Comparing yourself with others. Your self-ideal is a guide, not a stick to beat yourself with.
• Mistaking self-liking for arrogance. Tracy drew this distinction himself.
• Expecting quick change. Self-concepts are often resistant to change, and shift gradually.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the self-concept?

The self-concept is the collection of beliefs you hold about yourself, the answer to the question “Who am I?”

What are the three parts of the self-concept?

Brian Tracy described three: the self-ideal (the person you would most like to be), the self-image (how you see yourself) and self-esteem (how much you like yourself).

What is the difference between self-concept and self-esteem?

Self-concept is descriptive, for example “I am a fast runner”. Self-esteem is evaluative, for example “I feel good about being a fast runner”.

Can you change your self-concept?

Yes, though it often changes slowly. Research suggests building specific self-beliefs through small successes, which in turn improve performance.

Does high self-esteem lead to success?

A major review found little evidence that raising self-esteem improves performance, though high self-esteem helps people persist after failure. Specific self-beliefs, such as self-efficacy, are better predictors.

Who was Maxwell Maltz?

An American plastic surgeon who wrote Psycho-Cybernetics (1960), which argued that people act in line with their self-image. Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins drew on his ideas.

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Key Takeaways

• Your self-concept is the collection of beliefs you hold about yourself.
• Brian Tracy described three parts: self-ideal, self-image and self-esteem.
• His self-image idea follows Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics.
• Specific self-beliefs predict performance better than global self-esteem.
• Change your self-concept through small actions and evidence, not words alone.

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Explore More on Self Help Supermarket

Use these pages alongside this one:

• Psycho-Cybernetics – Maxwell Maltz’s method for changing your self-image
• Affirmations – how to use them well
• Visualisation – picture yourself succeeding
• Maxwell Maltz – the surgeon who wrote Psycho-Cybernetics
• Self-Esteem – more ways to build a healthy self-image
• Self-Confidence – build confidence step by step
• Self-Compassion – a kinder way to see yourself
• Brian Tracy: His Life, Philosophy, Techniques and Legacy – the full system
• Browse all self-help techniques – compare every method on Self Help Supermarket.

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Sources

1. Tracy, B. The Psychology of Achievement. Nightingale-Conant, 1984. Course workbook accompanying the audio programme.
2. Tracy, B. Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: How to Unlock Your Full Potential for Success and Achievement. Wiley, 2003. Internet Archive record. https://archive.org/details/changeyourthinki0000trac
3. Tracy, B. The Psychology of Selling. Thomas Nelson, 2004. Library of Congress contents record. https://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip053/2004026834.html
4. Self Help Supermarket. “Brian Tracy (1944–2026): His Life, Philosophy, Techniques and Legacy”. https://www.selfhelpsupermarket.com/brian-tracy-tribute/
5. Wikipedia. “Self-concept”, accessed 13 November 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-concept
6. Wikipedia. “Psycho-Cybernetics”, accessed 13 November 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho-Cybernetics
7. Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–969. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.41.9.954
8. Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4(1), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.01431
9. Marsh, H. W., & Craven, R. G. (2006). Reciprocal effects of self-concept and performance from a multidimensional perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(2), 133–163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00010.x
10. Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
11. Wood, J. V., Perunovic, W. Q. E., & Lee, J. W. (2009). Positive self-statements: Power for some, peril for others. Psychological Science, 20(7), 860–866. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02370.x
12. Cohen, G. L., & Sherman, D. K. (2014). The psychology of change: Self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 333–371. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115137