MIT-WPU

School Of Education

Topic - Understanding Self

Presented By -

Bharati Saikrupa
Ph.D Student
 Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lecture, You will be able to

1. Understand the concept of Self
2. Understand the importance of Knowing Self (Self
Awareness)
3. Identify Strengths and Weakness as a Teacher
4. Know different soft skills needed for a Teacher
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” ~ Aristotle

Learning to know yourself is a long journey.

It consists of delving into your past and reflecting on how your life has evolved.
The choices and decisions you have made, and what affected you to make those decisions.
It means knowing and reflecting on the traits of your character and personality.
Living your life to the fullest cannot happen unless you know yourself and the position
you deserve, or more appropriately, what you can achieve. Your character and values you
have, your passions and fears, your strengths and weaknesses.
We have to know first our values and what we have to offer.
It is a process that involves understanding and breaking down your defects which do not
represent who you actually are, and recognizing who you want to be in order to fulfill
your destiny.
It means to recognize your values and skills, but without closing your eyes on your flaws.
Knowing, accepting, and loving yourself is more important than trying to please the world
and seeking their love and approval.
Jiddu Krishnamurti once wrote, “If you begin to understand what you are without trying
to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.” The root of all change starts
with self-understanding. If you don’t understand yourself, your efforts will be lost, and
spent on things that are actually not under you control.
Self-exploration can increase our self-awareness, which is the ability to self-evaluate and
recognize how we take up space. Self-awareness can allow us to deepen our understanding
of our emotional triggers, sensitivities, and best self-care practices. This can lead to
stronger emotional regulation and greater empathy.
What is Self Awareness ?
According to Wikipedia, self-awareness is the experience of one's individuality.
It is the conscious knowledge of your traits, behaviour, feelings, emotions, and
thoughts. To understand yourself is to become aware of your capabilities,
preference, interests, personal values, and expertise.
Self-awareness is your ability to perceive and understand the things that make
you who you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values,
beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. Essentially, it is a psychological state in which
the self becomes the focus of attention.
When you understand yourself, the attention is on yourself. While this
is the case, self-awareness doesn't mean you check in on yourself every
moment. When done successfully, the concept of understanding
yourself becomes an integral part of you. As you go about your
everyday activities, it emerges to influence your decision in different
situations.
For example, your personality can influence the type of job you choose. As an introvert, you are
likely to avoid positions that involve being in a crowd or going to many events. Also, self-
understanding will influence your choice of friends and places you visit.
In addition, when you study and understand yourself, you can identify your strengths and
weaknesses and build your life around them. Notably, self-knowledge will teach you to
understand others and relate with them appropriately.
But what exactly goes into a person's self-concept?

There are a few major psychologists known as humanistic psychologists who

contributed to the development of self-concept. Humanistic psychology
focuses on the positives of mental health, the ability of the individual to
grow, and one's strengths and qualities. The components that contribute to
self-concept have been debated by various philosophers and are manifold.
The development of the self helps the individual understand who the self was
in the past, who the self is in the present, and who the self will be in the
future.
Abraham Maslow was a humanist psychologist who focused his ideas of the self-concept on stages that
lead to self-actualization, which is exemplified by his graphic triangle of Hierarchy of Needs.

He lists many stages starting at the bottom of the triangle that an individual must complete before
escalating to reach the final stage of self-actualization at the top of the triangle.

The Hierarchy of Needs listed from the bottom are physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging
needs, esteem needs, and, finally at the top, self-actualization.

Self-actualization, according to Maslow, is the highest potential a person can attain by being completely
accepting and in agreement with the self and the surroundings.

So, in short, an individual will live at his or her highest self when he or she accepts the self, others, and the
surrounding world.
Carl Rogers, believes that the self-concept has three parts: self-image, self-esteem or self-worth, and the ideal self.
● Self-image is the picture of the self in the mind. This self will define the individual
self as intelligent, ugly, fat, or beautiful. One might say "I am intelligent," or "I am
fat."
● Self-esteem is how an individual feels about the self and the achievements, abilities,
and self-worth. An individual may feel pride, despair, or shame. One might say, 'I am
good at playing video games," or "I never do anything right."
● The ideal self is the self that one wishes to create based on experiences, societal
expectations and any role models the self may have. When the real self is not close to
the ideal-self, the individual becomes dissatisfied and disgruntled. Then the
individual sees the self as a failure. Roger's overall belief is that all humans are born
with the innate desire to become the best self a human can be. He believed that the
behavior of an individual is based on the way the individual perceives their situation.
Another perspective on the self-concept focuses on six dimensions. These six dimensions are an integral part of the
development of self-concept. The belief that all humans develop self in the space between self and interaction with
society are examined in each dimension. The six dimensions of self-concept are as follow:
 Private-Self
The private-self is composed of three main personas: the actual, the ideal and the ideal-
social self.

Actual Self
The actual self (also often called “real self”, “basic self” or simply, “self”) is the person
we believe we truly are. The actual self describes the perception we have of our true
selves. We all know who we are, what we stand for, our morals, our desires and what we
enjoy. We all are aware what makes us feel like ourselves. This is what the actual-self is.
Desired Self

In our minds we often have an image or projection of an individual we would like to or

aspire to be.

This is the ideal-self (also called “desired” self or “idealized” self).

Very often we purchase things or undergo an immense expense simply to live for a brief
moment our ideal-self. Perhaps traveling is a great example of it.
Ideal Self

In our thoughts we also have an idea of how we would like others to see us. This is the
ideal-social self (also often named “desired social self”). This is an important type of self
from an marketing perspective, as a great deal of our consumption behaviors and choice
for brands are based on what brands can communicate to others about ourselves. After all,
brands also have personalities.
 Public Self

Different to the private-self, the public-self refers to our perceptions of how others perceive us. And it has
three types: the social-self, situational-self and extended–self.

Social Self
The social-self (described also as the “looking glass self” or “presenting self”) represents the image
we believe others have of us. Which, obviously, is sometimes very different from our actual-self.So
our perceptions of social-self is important because we often use it to moderate our behaviors.
For example, if we think our social-self image is not very positive or professional, we may
dress differently, mention important topics and keep our voices low in work environments
or when meeting the parents of our partners for the first time. This way, we hope to
influence positively our social-self.
Situational Self

The situational-self is the persona we portray in specific situations, and as some authors
claim, it is the result of a variety of self-images that one has.

For example, are we who we are during carnival? I am certainly not. During carnival I
dance to songs I would never dance otherwise, I talk to strangers more naturally, I dress
weird costumes and potentially .
Extended Self

The extended-self represents the way that impressions are made about me based on my
material possessions.

Imagine for a minute that someone you do know could enter your bedroom. Simply by
looking at the material possessions you have (e.g. pictures on the walls, books, style of
furniture, clothes), what could they know about you? The material things we posses can
communicate a great deal of who we are.
Significance or Importance Of Knowing Yourself :

1. Despite your quirks, flaws, and insecurities, you learn self-love and acceptance. Once
you do, you can walk through the world with more confidence and care less about what
people think.

2. You can change your personality flaws and improve on your weaknesses. You are
empowered to become who you want to be. This will help you become a better, more
well-rounded person.

3. You’ll have more emotional intelligence, which is key to knowing others. You’ll be
more conscious of your own emotions and feelings, making it easier to understand another
person's point of view.
4. You'll be more confident. Self-doubt disappears when you know and accept yourself,
and others won't influence you as easily. It'll be easier to stand your ground.

5. You’ll forge better relationships. It’s easier to share yourself when you know yourself.
You’ll also know what kind of people you get along with, so you can find your
community.

6. You’ll be less stressed. Self-awareness will help you make decisions that are better for
you. And when this happens, you become less stressed about what people think or whether
you made the right choice.
7. You’ll break patterns of disappointment. You'll find repetitive behaviors that lead to
poor outcomes when you look inward. Once you name them, you can break them.

8. You’ll be happier. Expressing who you are, loud and proud, will help you improve your
well-being.

9. You'll feel more alive. Being who you truly are will give you energy, make you excited
about life, and make all your experiences feel richer.
10. You'll have more self-worth. Why is self-worth important? Because it helps you avoid
compromising your core values and beliefs. Valuing yourself also teaches others to respect
you.

11. You'll understand your values. We can’t understate the importance of knowing your
values. They will help you make decisions aligned with who you are and what you care
about.

12. You'll find purpose in life. Knowing purpose in life will give you a clear idea of where
you should go and what you should do.
Self Development
Development is a process, method and act of developing. Self means one person
(separate from others); body. Therefore, self development is a process to make
oneself better in the future.
Self development is a strategy to develop one’s self awareness, talents, potentials,
skills and abilities.
Purpose of this process is to create a better person and their quality of life.
Self development is the key to creating a better life, because it is important to always
try to improve, change and develop himself.
Self development on each individual might be different because the values of life
quality and the needs among them are different as well.
H.W - Discuss how you can
achieve these objectives
Characteristics Of Self Development
1.Self -Awareness
2.Motivation
3.Resilience
4.Open-Mindedness
5.Goal setting
6.Adaptability
7.Proactive mindset
8.Discipline
9.Self Discipline
10.Continuous Learning
References:
1.https://www.scribd.com/document/296465065/1-Self-Concept
2.https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/7353/1/Unit-1.pdf
3.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317832980_Know_Thy_Selves_Learning_to_Under
stand_Oneself_Increases_the_Ability_to_Understand_Others
4.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/self-understanding-and-self-concept.html#:~:text=Knowing
%20the%20self%20is%20the,interact%20with%20who%20they%20are
.
5.https://www.mindtools.com/awe5sru/developing-self-awareness
6.https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/lepy102.pdf
7.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260283449_Self-development
THANK YOU