The Centrality of Academic Self-Concept to Motivation and Learning

The construct of self-concept lies at the core of the positive psychology revolution. Historically, as one of the cornerstone constructs in the social sciences, the approach to self-concept has been adapted to focus on how healthy individuals can thrive in life. In this chapter we differentiate between the historical unidimensional perspective of self-concept (centered on selfesteem) and the evolving multifaceted models discriminating between different aspects of self (such as specific academic, social, physical, and emotional components).