Self-Awareness

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“Self-Image” Development

• A Journey, an evolving process

• Was I born this way?

• Many say self-image is acquired – a combination of all of our experiences

• Who am I?

• Discussion:

– What significant experiences can you recall that have had an impact on your self-image?

– How do we “filter” some of the experiences (put-downs, etc.) to preserve our self-image?

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Significant Others• Significant

others impact our perception of ourselves

• Self-fulfilling prophecy

• Social comparison as a means of gaining self-knowledge

• Self-concept is important to a healthy self-esteem

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• Discussion:– Who has been a significant person in

your life? – In what way has that person

influenced you?– How much control do we have over

our self-concept?– Can we control the influence others

have on us?

Personality Development

• Who am I? (Freud)– Id– Ego– Superego

• Inferiority complex (Adler)

• Psychosocial Development (Erikson)

• A life-long process

• Discussion:– What are your general

reactions to the various theories of personality development?

– Do you agree or disagree with any of the theorists? In what ways?

– Do you identify with any of the stages of psychosocial development? In what ways?

Trait Theory

• Traits are the words we use to describe ourselves and others

• The “Big Five” (OCEAN)

• Self-Theory (Rogers)

• Search for Meaning (Frankl)

• Self-Worth (Satir)

• Discussion:– What are your reactions

to the “self-accepting person” description in your text?

– Can you think of ways you learned your self-worth?

– How can we use Satir’s recommendations to change and grow to improve our sense of self-worth?

Thoughts + Environment = Personality?

• You can monitor thoughts and choose your environment to impact your sense of self-worth

• Think positively!

• Discussion:– How can you

begin to use positive “self-talk” in your life?

– What do you “tell” yourself? How do you think this “self-talk” (whether intentional or not) impacts your sense of self-worth?

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Cognitive and Social Learning Theories

• How do we learn?• Cognitive

processes (learning)

• Social learning processes (observing others and modeling behavior)

• Reciprocal Determinism

• Discussion:– Which of the cognitive

variables presented in the text do you identify with?

– Can you think of a time that you have witnessed “reciprocal determinism” in your life? How does this influence our relationships with others?

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Reciprocal Determinism

Cognitivefactors

Behavioral factors

Environmental factors

The Self

• The nature of the self: self-awareness differentiates humans from other primates

• Finding your real self

• Self-esteem

• Discussion:– Take some time to

think about where your “personal self-image” came from? Break into small groups to share and find common themes.

– Review list of high & low self-esteem traits presented in the text. Can you relate to any of these? If so, which?

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Individualism vs. Collectivism• Impacted by

culture• Focus on self vs.

focus on “greater good of community”

• Discussion:– What are benefits

of individualistic cultures? Collectivist cultures?

– What can we learn from each?

– How do these concepts impact self-esteem?

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Self-Esteem

• Low self esteem may impact quality of life and can lead to depression

• The tendency to evaluate our own behavior as worthwhile is called self-serving bias

• Knowing traits of having a high self-esteem does not mean we will have it

• Discussion:– What are your general

reactions to the strategies presented in the text in an effort to improve self-esteem? Which might you be likely to try? Which would you not try? Explain.

– Take a few moments to write out an “action plan” as to how you will commit to trying at least one or two of the recommendations.

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The Real Journey

• Growth and change is a journey, not a destination – this process takes time!

• Building self-esteem requires a life-long commitment to practices that nurture self and promote self-worth

• Discussion:– How do you see the “six

principles and daily practices” presented in the text for building self-esteem active in your life?

– How can you integrate the principles and practices that are currently not a part of your journey?

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