Understanding Who You Truly Are: The Five Elements of Self-Concept

Elmen Lamprecht
Nov 25
5 min read

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” – Carl Jung

To truly know yourself is to embark on a journey that reaches far beneath surface identity. Self-awareness, as we’ve previously explored, begins with untangling your past and illuminating your various self-concepts. But to deepen this understanding, we must now examine the raw materials from which those self-concepts are formed.

This journey is not about labelling who you are, but about discerning the forces that have shaped you. The process is one of self-integration—a synthesis of layered influences that must be seen, acknowledged, and harmonized to live with Intent.

Below, we explore the five foundational elements of self-concept—each offering insight into your inner architecture and unlocking clarity on the path toward self-congruence.

Smiling woman touches a mirror with both hands. Text overlays: self-discovery journey message and website URL (www.beresolute.life).

Element 1: Personality – The Engine of Disposition

Personality is the foundation of how we navigate life—how we think, relate, feel, and act. Yet, despite the pop-culture appeal of quick personality tests, true insight comes only through deliberate inquiry into validated psychological models.

Frameworks like the Big Five Factors, DISC, Enneagram, and brain hemisphere dominance theories provide structured ways to understand our behavioural tendencies. These models reveal that personality traits exist on a continuum, not in black-and-white categories.

You may be both goal-driven and people-oriented. You may enjoy solitude while also thriving in certain social settings. You may be structured in some domains of life and spontaneous in others. Personality is not a rigid label—it is a fluid matrix of preferences, biases, and learned adaptations.

In The Daily Life of Resolute Beings, we devote entire chapters to unpacking personality from a nuanced, practical perspective. Understanding your personality is not just self-knowledge—it is self-strategy.

Element 2: Racial and Cultural Identity – The Scripts of Belonging

Our race and culture do more than shape what we eat, wear, or celebrate. They script the norms, values, and behavioural expectations that often operate far beneath the surface of our awareness. Culture teaches us what is “normal,” what is “sacred,” and—often implicitly—what is “shameful.”

Having lived in South Africa, a place defined by linguistic, racial, and cultural diversity, I’ve witnessed the intricate dance between identity and belonging. In a single day, one might interact with multiple languages, value systems, and worldviews. In such an environment, one's self-concept is inevitably impacted by racial heritage, ancestral history, and community dynamics.

Many of us live at the intersection of multiple cultural identities—sometimes harmoniously, sometimes in conflict. Our Real-Self might reflect one cultural lineage, while our Projected-Self adapts to another for the sake of acceptance. These tensions can lead to profound inner dissonance.

To grow in self-awareness, reflect on your primary cultural influences. Identify the dominant culture you were raised in, and also the subcultures you inhabit—whether geographic, social, or ideological. Acknowledge the values you’ve inherited, adopted, or rejected.

Element 3: Family Influence – The Blueprint of Early Identity

Our earliest concept of self is formed in the ecosystem of our family. Whether your upbringing was shaped by a nuclear family, extended relatives, adoptive parents, or surrogate guardians, the household you grew up in functioned as your first subculture.

Families, like nations, have rules—spoken and unspoken. They have rituals, secrets, taboos, and emotional economies. These dynamics imprint deeply, often becoming our default settings until consciously reprogrammed.

You may have unconsciously inherited your father’s risk-aversion, your mother’s perfectionism, your grandmother’s storytelling voice. These absorbed traits create the scaffolding of your Known-Self, even as your Real-Self seeks to break free or reinterpret them.

To know yourself, you must revisit these familial influences—not with blame or nostalgia, but with awareness. Your family of origin is not your identity, but it is the soil from which it grew.

Element 4: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation – The Truth of Embodiment

Few aspects of identity are as emotionally charged, socially policed, and personally significant as gender and sexuality. And yet, to understand who you are, you must courageously explore these dimensions—not just in biological or psychological terms, but as deeply personal truths.

Your biological sex (male, female, intersex) provides the physical template through which society often categorizes you. This in turn shapes the Perceived-Self—how others treat you, what is expected of you, and what behaviours are encouraged or punished.

Beyond biology lies gender identity—the internal sense of being male, female, both, neither, or somewhere in between. This is where the Real-Self often challenges societal scripts. In cultures with rigid gender expectations, discovering a non-conforming identity can create painful discrepancies between the Real, Projected, and Perceived-Selves.

Similarly, sexual orientation—the direction of your romantic and sexual attraction—plays a powerful role in adult identity formation. It influences your relationships, community, and, in some cases, the degree of societal support or stigma you receive.

For many, this terrain is fraught. Accepting a gender or sexual identity that diverges from cultural norms can take years, and the cost of projecting a false identity to avoid social rejection is high.

(Note: The terms “alternative” or “incompatible” are used here to reflect societal perceptions, not the ethos of a Resolute Life. We believe that each person’s identity is valid, sacred, and worthy of expression.)

In the journey of self-awareness, accepting your gender and sexual identity—whatever it may be—is often a threshold moment of liberation. But awareness alone is not enough. Integration across your various self-concepts is where healing and empowerment begin.

Element 5: Strengths and Weaknesses – The Truths We Carry

Your self-concept is continually shaped by what you excel at and what you struggle with. These strengths and weaknesses are not simply factual—they are emotionally charged. They form the architecture of your self-talk and your perceived worth.

You may tell yourself: “I’m creative,” “I’m attractive,” “I’m terrible with numbers,” “I don’t do well in groups.” These aren’t just observations—they are narratives. And like all narratives, they can inspire, distort, or limit.

Even physical traits—such as being unusually tall or short—can alter how we are treated and how we treat ourselves. Abilities, disabilities, talents, and gaps all contribute to how our Known-Self and Perceived-Self evolve.

Last words

Understanding who we are requires introspection and exploration across these five foundational elements. Each contributes uniquely to our self-concept, offering insights into our identities that evolve over time. By embracing the complexities of our personalities, cultural backgrounds, family influences, gender identities, and personal strengths, we foster a deeper appreciation for the intricacies that make us individuals. This ongoing journey of self-awareness empowers us to authentically navigate the world while continuously refining our understanding of who we really are. This comprehensive exploration of self-concepts not only enriches personal growth but also fosters empathy and understanding towards others' journeys of self-discovery in our diverse global community.

If you found this blog valuable, please forward it to someone in your network who will also benefit from its message. Life is amazing but hard, and we all can benefit from sharing knowledge and wisdom that can help us life a Resolute Life.

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“The Daily Life of Resolute Beings” integrates philosophical insights with practical advice, encouraging readers to adopt a mindset of abundance, purposeful resource management and meaningful connectedness in pursuit of their goals. Order your book at any of the following online bookstores: