minäkuvaa

Minäkuva, often translated as self-image, is the mental picture a person holds of themselves. It includes beliefs about personality traits, physical appearance, abilities, and values. As a component of the broader self-concept, min-äkuva interacts with self-esteem, which concerns the affective evaluation of one’s worth. While self-concept refers to what a person thinks about themselves, self-image describes how that knowledge is represented and experienced in daily life. Researchers distinguish explicit self-image, which is consciously held and reported, from implicit self-image, which can influence behavior without conscious awareness.

Development of min-äkuva begins in childhood and evolves through adolescence as individuals receive feedback from family, peers, and social roles, and as cultural norms shape identity. Life events, successes and failures, relationships, health, and education can alter one’s self-image over time. The concept is studied across psychology, education, and health sciences, with measurements ranging from self-report questionnaires to qualitative interviews. In research, efforts aim to capture different facets of self-image, including physical, social, academic, and moral dimensions, while acknowledging the limitations of self-perception and response biases.

In contemporary contexts, online environments influence min-äkuva through curated presentation and feedback, a phenomenon often described as online self-presentation or social comparison. A coherent, realistic self-image is associated with better well-being and resilience, whereas persistent distortion or negative self-image can be linked to anxiety, depression, and reduced functioning. See also self-concept, self-esteem, body image, and identity.