A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in (Counselling Psychology) in the department of psychology, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / Self-respect is defined as pride and confidence in oneself, a feeling that one is behaving with honor and dignity. The objective of the study was to find out the conceptualization of self-respect from high school learners. This study adopted a phenomenological approach to facilitate the understanding of the information gathered. The sample consisted of 10 participants: 5 males and 5 females. Participants were Grade 12 learners who were willing to participate. A self-administered questionnaire was given to the participants to fill. Results from the participants revealed that the concept self-respect means respecting yourself and others, as well as having self-confidence. Participants also mentioned that self-respect comes from home, from parents as well as friends. The study concludes with limitations of the study and recommendations for future research.