Whether one is working with clients in a clinic or students in school, it is useful to have a psychological framework within which behavioral observations and diagnostic considerations can be integrated and understood. One such approach begins with the assumption that each person has: (1) a self (a sense of personal existence); (2) a self-concept (an idea of personal identity); (3) a certain level of self-esteem (feelings of personal worth); and (4) an ego (one's personal gauge of psychological and emotional strength). In assessing positive and negative ego resolution, the behaviors under consideration can be examined in terms of appropriateness for the situation and the person's age, intensity of the behavior, and duration of the behavior. Awareness of clients' strengths and weaknesses in the self's development can facilitate the counselor's diagnostic efforts by helping him/her to recognize psychosocial stages where negative ego qualities are most dominant and plan treatment with these needs in mind. Individuals may need counseling treatment to understand the self-as-object (physical, social, emotional, and intellectual attributes) and the self-as-doer (perceiving, performing, thinking, and remembering functions). Diagnosis of self-concept strengths and weaknesses are useful in designing effective treatment programs and counseling approaches. (ABL)