DOES MEDIA INSPIRES REALITY? UNDERSTANDING THE SELF-CONCEPT AMONG EARLY ADULT READERS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT BOOKS
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Abstract
Self-concept is a fundamental and personal psychological notion that every young adult possesses. There are several elements that influence the formation of a self-concept. Culture, gender, and media consumption are just a few examples. However, the impact of media (books, games, films, music, etc.) on a particular individual mental processes is yet largely unexplored. More so in Indonesia. Researcher chose self-improvement or self-help books from among the numerous sorts of literature. Stress, self-confidence, relationships, self-development, and identity are a few of the subjects that are regularly brought up in self-improvement books. Topics like this tend to emerge as inner ideas among individuals in their early adulthood. The purpose of this study is to explore the thought process that young adult readers of self-improvement books go through and how these thought process influenced their self-concept development. Purposive sampling was used to choose research participants. Three young adults who were readers of the self-improvement book were recruited as the study's participants. Data processing for the study involves Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method. In-depth interviews with subjects and interview observations were all used to collect research data. The study found that reading self-improvement books with a focus on self-identity is an inspirational experience for young adults through modeling mechanism. Given the shortage of research on this subject, this study helps to provide innovative knowledge and understanding. Further research regarding individual self-concept and how it interacts with media consumption is hoped to be conducted in the future.
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