SELF AWARENESS AND SELF ESTEEM

PRESENTED BY :BABASAB PATIL

What is Self Awareness ?

Self-awareness refers to the capacity to become the object of ones own attention. It occurs when an organism focuses not on the external environment, but on the internal milieu; It becomes a reflective observer, processing self-information.

The organism becomes aware that it is

awake and actually experiencing specific mental events, emitting behaviors, and possessing unique characteristics.

SELF AWARENESS
Self Awareness can be defined as the ability to perceive ones own
existence, including ones own traits, feelings and behaviors. It is a personal understanding of the ones own identity. It is the basis for many other human traits, such as accountability and consciousness. Self Awareness is empowering because it can reveal where the

performance problems are and indicate what can be done to improve

performance

Cont
Self Awareness is the foundation for personal change. Once an individual is aware of himself, one can better manage ones behavior and function effectively. Ability to assess ones personality, behaviors & skills accurately by
Observing ones own thoughts, behaviors, skills, Comparing observations to an external source (e.g., a standard or another person)

Why become self aware?

To improve performance. To develop intrapersonal skills
To manage yourself by setting appropriate goals, choose appropriate careers, manage stress

To accept your tendencies of behaving, thinking & feeling

because 30% of personality is genetic To develop interpersonal skills Understand differences between you and others Understand why others react to you the way they do Adapt your communication behaviors to others reactions

It is important to answer the question Who is a self aware person?

A self aware person is one who: Is aware of ones strength and limitations: one knows what he can do well and what he is not good at. Has a clear idea of ones priorities: one knows what is important

for him and does not waste his time going after things he doesnt
believe in. Is aware of differences in attitudes, values and beliefs are the primary causes of conflicts.

Cont..
One is aware of his fears and anxieties and the defenses he usually employs to protect his sanity.

One has relatively stable and strong self image and is not unduly
perturbed by what others say about oneself.

Personal development through Self Awareness

It helps managers identify gaps in their management skills, which promotes 1. skill development. :It also helps managers find situations in which they will be most effective, 2. assists with intuitive decision making 3. and aids stress management and 4. motivation of oneself and others

Skill development
Improvement projects should normally begin with an assessment of the gap between the current situation and desired future situation. Having accurate sense of who you are helps you decide what you should do to improve. Often, self-awareness will reveal a skills gap that you want work on.

KNOWING YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS

Self-awareness helps you exploit your strengths and cope with your weakness. For instance, if you are someone who is good at

seeing the big picture that surrounds decisions, but not as

good at focusing on the details, you might want to consult colleagues and subordinates that are more detailed- oriented when making major decisions. Co- operation between big- picture oriented decisions makers

and detailed- oriented decision makers can produce high quality

decisions.

Developing intuitive decision making skills

Leaders with well developed emotional self awareness are more effective intuitive decision makers. In complex situations, intuitive decision makers process large amounts of sometimes unstructured and ambiguous data, and they choose a course of action based on a gut feeling or a sense of whats best.

This type of decision making is becoming more important for

managers as the rate of change and the levels of uncertainty and complexity in their competitive environments increase. Managers who are highly emotionally self aware are better able to read their gut feeling and use them to guide decisions

Stress Management
Jobs that dont suit your personality to give you more stress than jobs that are more well-matched. This is not to say that you

should never take a job that conflicts with your personality.

However, be aware that you will need to work extra hard to develop the skills for that job, and there are jobs that would be less stressful for you.

Motivation
Self awareness is empowering because it can reveal where the
performance problems are and indicate what can be done to improve performance. In addition awareness of your psychological needs can increase your motivation by helping you understand and seek out the rewards that really desire such as a sense of

accomplishment, additional responsibility, an opportunity to help

others, or a flexible work schedule.

Assumptions of Self Awareness

There are certain basic assumptions about Self Awareness whose understanding is essential. 1. It is a self responsibility. 2. It involves internalizing, i.e. perceiving self behavior to have certain outcomes. 3. It is a continuous learning process. Therefore, constant reappraisal and analysis is a must. Sometimes, it is not just learning; it is also

learning how to learn. Thus, learning becomes part and parcel of

ones behavioral repertoire.

WHAT IS SELF ESTEEM

Self Esteem or Self Worth is defined as a persons self image at an
emotional level circumventing reason and logic. View of oneself positively; approval of oneself, judging oneself as significant, capable, worthy, believe that one has desirable traits.

Cont
Self esteem is an aspect of Emotional Stability
Emotional Stability=Calm, Angry, anxious, worried,
guilt-ridden, nervous.

Nature of low Self Esteem

People with low self esteem often rely on how they are doing in the present to determine how they feel about themselves.

They need positive external experiences to counteract the negative

feelings and thoughts that constantly plague them. Even then, the good feeling can be temporary.

Nature Of Healthy Self Esteemed People

People with healthy self esteem are able to assess oneself accurately(know oneself) and still be able to accept and to value

oneself unconditionally. This means being able to realistically

acknowledge ones strength and limitations ( which is part of being human) and at the same time accepting oneself as worthy

and worthwhile without conditions or reservations.

Causes For Healthy Self Esteem

The origins of self esteem can be traced back to ones childhood, from where it develops and plays a part in adult life.

Childhood experiences that include being praised, being listened to,

being spoken to respectfully, getting attention and hugs, experiencing success in sports or school and having trustworthy friends lead to healthy self esteem.

Causes For low Self Esteem

Childhood experiences that include being yelled at, or beaten, being ignored, ridiculed or teased, being expected to be

perfect all the time, experiencing failures in sports or school

and being harshly criticized lead to low self esteem. People with low self esteem were often given messages that failed experiences (losing a game, getting a poor grade, etc) were failures of their whole self.

Facets of low self esteem

Most of us have an image of what low esteem looks like, but is not always so easy to recognize. Here are three common faces that low self esteem may wear: 1. Impostor 2. Rebel 3. Loser

Impostor
The impostor: pretends to be happy and successful, but is really terrified of failure. Lives with the constant fear that she or he will found out. Needs continuous success to maintain the mask of positive self esteem, which may lead to problems with perfectionism, competition and burnout

The Rebel
He acts against the opinions or good will of others- especially people who are important or powerful- dont matter. Lives with constant anger about not feeling good enough. Continuously needs to prove that others judgment and criticisms dont hurt, which may lead to problems like blaming

others excessively, breaking rules and laws, or fighting

authority.

The loser
He acts as helpless and unable to cope with the world and waits for someone to come to the rescue. Uses self pity or indifferences as a guard against fear of taking responsibility for changing his or her life. Looks constantly to others for guidance which can lead to such

problems as lacking assertiveness skills, under- achievement,

and excessive reliance on others in relationship.

Consequences of low self esteem

It have a devasting consequences: it can create anxiety, stress, loneliness and increased likelihood for

depression.
It can cause problems with friendships and relationships. It can seriously impair academic and job performance. It can lead to underachievement and increased vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse.

Measures To Overcome Low Self Esteem

There are three steps one can take to begin to change ones self esteem: 1. Rebut the inner critic: 2. Practice self nurturing 3. Get help from others

Step 1: Rebut the inner critic

The first important step in improving self esteem is to begin to
challenge the negative messages of the critical inner voice. For eg: as a student one says; I failed the class test. I dont understand anything in class. Im such an idiot. Who am I fooling ? I shouldnt be taking this course. Im

stupid and I dont belong in college.

One needs to rebut the critic by saying; I did poorly on this one test, but Ive done O.K on all the assignments. There are some things here that I dont understand as well as I thought I did, but I can do the material- Ive done fine in other classes that were just as tough.

Step: 2 Practice Self Nurturing

Since ones self esteem is in part due to how others have treated us in the past, the second step to more healthy self esteem is to begin to treat oneself as a worthwhile person. Start to challenge past negative experiences or messages by nurturing and caring for oneself in

ways that show that one is valuable,

competent, deserving and lovable.

 There are several components to self nurturing: Practice self basic things. Plan fun & relaxing things for yourself

Reward yourself for your accomplishments

Remind yourself of your strengths & achievements. Forgive yourself when you dont do all youd hoped

Step 3: Get Help From Others

Getting help from others is often the most important step one

can take to improve his or her self esteem, but it can also be
the most difficult. People with low self esteem often dont ask for help because one feels one doesnt deserve it.

But since low self esteem is often caused by how other people
treated you in the past, you may need the help of other people in the present to challenge the critical message that come from negative past experiences.

Cont..

Here are some ways to get help from others: Ask for support from friends Get help from teachers & other helpers.

Talk to a therapists or counselor.