Self-handicapping behaviors are actions people take to handicap their own performances in order to build an excuse for anticipated failures. These times of purposely setting up for failure are to the end of preserving self-esteem in the individual; it is a self-protective measure.

High-self monitors, despite their natural way of behaving, are more likely to alter behavior in accordance to their immediate surroundings. That is, instead of acting whichever way they normally do or prefer, they will look for cues in their environment for how they should behave. Low-self monitors consistently act the same way regardless of the situation.

Abramson's theory examines three dimensions of attributing control of an event:

Internal vs External - am I in control, or is someone/something else?

Specific vs Global - is this true of just this one situation, or more generally?

Stable vs Unstable - will things be like this forever, or is there potential for change?

Depressed people will most likely have a stable and global external locus of control, believing themselves powerless in all aspects of their lives, and unable to ever seize control of their own lives.

As defined by the APA, a person's gender identity refers to “one’s sense of oneself as male, female, or transgender”, and determines the pronouns (he/she/ze) that they prefer. "Sex" refers to physical sex characteristics. Sexual orientation refers to one's preference in terms of sexual partners. Gender role refers to societally conditioned roles played by individuals in their society or community (usually based on traditional gender norms).

The "sense of self" is an essential term in both social psychology and sociology. It is best defined as a dynamic concept that embodies the way a person thinks about themselves, their beliefs, traits, and relationship with the world. Many people choose to define themselves in different ways. One person's sense of self may depend on their responsibilities in the world, such as being a mother, daughter, or performing some service to society. Another may strictly define themselves to their own inner thoughts and narrative. No matter which way one chooses to define oneself, it is inevitably dynamic as you change and grow from experience.

According to Carl Rogers’ theory of what makes up our sense of self, a person's self image is a composite of how we view our physical and personal traits. Some people may have an unhealthy self-image (i.e. people who believe that they are overweight when they are not and resort to self-starvation). Some others have an inflated self-image that may not correspond with reality (e.g. they see themselves as more intelligent, attractive, etc).

Carl Rogers' conception of the ideal self is defined as the ideal person we'd like to be and work on cultivating as we get older. This is linked to the process of self-actualization, the process of doing concrete actions that correspond with who we would like to be—our ideal selves. Carl Rogers proposes we are "self-actualized" human beings when our ideal self and actions match up.

The term “sense of self” can be used in many different ways across the theoretical spectrum. Freud would refer to it as one's psyche: the thoughts and beliefs that one has about themselves.

According to Carl Rogers, incongruity occurs when one's self-image and ideal self do not match up. In other words, the traits that we consider ourselves to possess may not match up with who we truly want to be. These could be traits within our control, such as intelligence, physical fitness, etc., or not, such as a health condition or our physical appearance. In order to deal with the negative feelings they experience due to incongruence, people will either use defense mechanisms (i.e. denial or repression) or tackle it in a proactive manner.

Adolescents are more concerned with their self-understanding than children. Erik Erikson described this period of development as "identity versus role confusion." Adolescence is the period during which we establish our identity; children do not yet think about such complex issues. Following adolescence, adults carry the identity established and continue to re-evaluate their standing and role with respect to their self-understanding.