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Children’s Self-Concept of their Well-Being in Rawalpindi and Islamabad: Actor’s Perspectives of Identity and Existence

Author

Listed:
  • Makhtoom Ahmed

    (Baluchistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences)

  • Muhammad Zaman

    (Quaid-i-Azam University)

Abstract

Psychological investigations of the self-concept of children constitute a significant body of knowledge. This study focuses on self-concept from a sociological perspective, viewing self-concept as a social construct instead of a psychological construct. Drawing data from qualitative in-depth interviews with 30 children aged 8 to 12, the article asserts that children describe their self-concept within their cultural context. Focusing on the Pakistani context, we demonstrate the cultural embeddedness of self-concept by showing that children describe their social identity with reference to specific ideas of traditional gender roles and with reference to religious and national identifications which are formally valued in Pakistan. The importance of acting as moral agents who consider it obligatory to undertake domestic roles, perform well at school and support their family members in the future is also emphasized. We argue that there are multiple domains of self-concept, within which children represent themselves in a specific cultural context.

Suggested Citation

  • Makhtoom Ahmed & Muhammad Zaman, 2019. "Children’s Self-Concept of their Well-Being in Rawalpindi and Islamabad: Actor’s Perspectives of Identity and Existence," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(2), pages 501-523, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:chinre:v:12:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s12187-018-9552-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s12187-018-9552-5
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yuki Ninomiya & Mariko Matsumoto & Asuka Nomura & Lauri Kemppinen & Dandii Odgerel & Soili Keskinen & Esko Keskinen & Nergui Oyuntungalag & Hiroko Tsuboi & Nobuko Suzuki & Chie Hatagaki & Yutaka Fukui, 2021. "A Cross-Cultural Study of Happiness in Japanese, Finnish, and Mongolian Children: Analysis of the Sentence Completion Test," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 871-896, April.
    2. Makhtoom Ahmed & Imran Sabir & Muhammad Zaman, 2022. "Children’s Perceptions of their Safety and Agency in Pakistan," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(3), pages 959-987, June.
    3. Jennifer Fane & Colin MacDougall & Jessie Jovanovic & Gerry Redmond & Lisa Gibbs, 2020. "Preschool Aged Children’s Accounts of their Own Wellbeing: are Current Wellbeing Indicators Applicable to Young Children?," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(6), pages 1893-1920, December.

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