Self-awareness - what it is, its structure and methods of development

What is self-awareness

Self-awareness
is a person’s understanding of the essence of his own personality, awareness of his place in society and the whole picture of the world. This is the vision and analysis of personal emotions, feelings and motives of behavior.

The peculiarity of self-awareness is that a person figuratively bifurcates:

• on the one hand, he is an object of knowledge for himself;
• on the other hand, consciousness acts as a subject for studying an object.

With the help of self-awareness, we see our emotions, feelings and needs, understand the motivation for our actions and what role we play in society. We recognize ourselves as a separate unit, a personality, but at the same time, embedded in the surrounding objective world.

A person can say about himself: “I am Evgeny Ivanov, I am 47 years old, I am a mechanic. I have parents, a wife and two children. My needs for a roof over my head and food are satisfied. I have friends with whom I spend time fishing and satisfy my need for communication. But I also want to have a car and play tennis, and now I’m working to achieve these goals.”

Of course, the description presented is very primitive, but it reflects the essence of the self-awareness of a person who understands his characteristic features and characteristics that distinguish him from other people.

Forms

Personal knowledge about oneself is a person’s system of ideas about himself, his mental and physical states. There are several forms of self-awareness.

According to the typology of V.V. Mironov forms of self-awareness are:

1. Well-being. This is a person’s awareness of his body and its place, participation in the world.
2. Self-identification. A person's identification with a social or cultural group.
3. Personal knowledge about yourself. A person recognizes himself as someone similar to other people, but at the same time different from them. Along with this comes awareness of freedom of action and responsibility for them. Against this background, self-control and self-esteem come into play.

Sometimes these forms are called levels of human self-awareness. The first form is the lowest level, the third is the highest.

In addition to forms, it is customary in psychology to distinguish types or types of self-awareness:

1. Public or social. This is a complex of collective beliefs and ideas about society during a certain period of time.
2. Private. This is a person's awareness of certain aspects of himself. For example, when a subject looks in a mirror and sees his own face.
3. Moral. This is a system of moral images and ideals to which a person strives.

All types are closely related to each other.

Personal self-awareness in psychology

The concept of self-awareness is so complex and multifaceted that in psychology there is still no single concept of its understanding. Synonyms for the word are: “I am a self,” “I am a concept,” “self-identity.”

The basics of the concept were formulated by S.L. Rubinstein, who pointed out the possibility of self-awareness to understand oneself, the personal environment and the existing structure of relationships with people.

According to S.V. Vygotsky, self-consciousness is formed in a person by the end of adolescence. He connects this process with the ability to reflect (think, ponder), which is formed by the age of seven.

According to the theory of V.S. Merlin's understanding of himself consists of the following components:

• Distinctive features from other subjects and objects.
• Understanding your own emotions, having self-esteem.
• Awareness of oneself as a subject of activity.

Psychologists have identified the following criteria for self-awareness:

1. Isolation of the individual from the environment (material and social).
2. Understanding the ability to control oneself – actions and thoughts.
3. Trying on the visible qualities of other people.
4. The ability to see your needs and the deep motives of your actions.
5. Awareness of one’s own character traits and personality traits, both existing and desired.

In addition, within the framework of self-awareness in psychology, such a factor as attitude towards other people is highlighted; it can also be different.

The egocentric layer assumes that the individual forms an attitude towards others in accordance with their attitude towards themselves. That is, if they love me, then I love, if they respect me, then I will respect.

The group-centric stage of relationships is based on the principle: “If a person belongs to a certain group, then he is correct.” It is assumed that the person himself belongs to this same group.

A prosocial approach ensures understanding of the value of any person and acceptance of him with all his shortcomings.

At the highest, estoholic level, other people are considered as part of the spiritual world, humanity and patience are positioned in relation to any individual.

Structure and functions of self-awareness

Regarding the structure of the concept in psychology, there is also no single approach; several alternatives are considered.

Thus, in the works of V.S. Mukhina’s self-awareness includes: identification of a person with his own property and physical body, gender, self-esteem and claims to evaluation by society.

V.S. Merlin sees the structure of the concept somewhat differently and includes in it:

• Understanding personal mental characteristics.
• Awareness of the “I” as an active subject.
• Recognition of personal identity.
• Assessing one’s own mental qualities from the point of view of moral and ethical rules.

V.V. Stolin defines the following parts of self-understanding: self-esteem, the created image of oneself (body, emotions, feelings), the conflicting essence of one’s “I”.

Summarizing the existing concepts, the structure of self-knowledge can be represented as follows:

1. educational part

   – a person’s awareness of all aspects of his own personality;

2. self-esteem

   – a person’s attitude to his characteristics, both physical and spiritual, emotional;

3. self-regulation

   – a person’s ability, based on knowledge about himself, to control, regulate and correct his behavior and actions.

In addition to different periods of life, the structure of self-understanding also includes:

• "I" today
  . This is an idea of ​​one’s personality at the current moment in time, an awareness of one’s position in reality. We evaluate existing social roles: what kind of worker, husband, father, etc. am I. If the ideal image and the real one do not coincide, experiences may arise.
• "I" is desired
  . These are a person’s ideas about the ideal image to which he strives. This component includes: needs, dreams and desires. It is this “I” that is the main motivator for productive activity.
• “ I” is previous, including an assessment of oneself in the past
  . If a person has had unpleasant or painful experiences early in life, this may hinder the fulfillment of needs in the future.

All of the listed components of self-awareness are interconnected and influence each other.

Functions

The most important function of self-awareness is self-regulation

. Since we have fully identified ourselves, realized resources (positive and negative characteristics, potential, opportunities), understand needs and desires, he can act towards creating his ideal image.

When a person is mistaken about his own needs or inadequately assesses available opportunities, he will not receive satisfaction from his activities. Either he will rush in the wrong direction, or he will not have enough strength and potential to fulfill his desire. In both cases, disappointments and the occurrence of frustrations (strong experiences due to unfulfilled hopes and expectations) are inevitable.

Self-regulation will save a person from pointlessly wasting energy and time on unnecessary goals.

The next function is self-understanding

- This is the formation of individuality. Personality is always unique, each of us is unique. Only we ourselves know what feelings we experience, how we react to difficulties and obstacles, our pain is only our pain.

We have the right to our own perception of life, personal opinion and want to be responsible for our actions. Individuality and uniqueness must be defended throughout life.

Among the main functions are the definition of personal boundaries, self-defense

. We learn to structure our behavior in such a way that we experience less toxic influence from others. Extraordinary individuals are often ostracized (persecuted) in society. Unusual abilities and appearance, one’s own view of things, different from the generally accepted one, often make a person a “black sheep” that his brothers try to peck. A conscious sense of peace and self-confidence allows you to build a strong line of defense.

For example, if a person loves his body, he will not pursue imposed standards of beauty, if he considers it immoral to do mean things, he will not make a career by “setting up” his colleagues, even if this is accepted in the team, etc.

There is such a technique in psychology. If you are confident that you are right and live according to the principles you have developed, then in the event of attacks, imagine yourself as a rubber ball that no one can pinch. It is better to lose a toxic environment than to lose yourself.

THE CONCEPT OF SELF-ESTEEM AND ITS TYPES

Our ability to understand our complex mental world helps us exist in society, solve life's problems and interact with people. Everyone, knowing about their positive and negative qualities, can emphasize their strengths and reduce their shortcomings, thus predicting and regulating their behavior. It also allows a person to more consciously analyze other people, their qualities and properties.

In the individuality of a person, basic properties are distinguished - his self-esteem, temperament, character, and human abilities. These are the basic properties, which are a combination of her innate, as well as traits acquired in the process of socialization and upbringing. These basic properties form a certain style of behavior and activity of the individual.

First, we need to define the concept of “self-esteem.” Self-esteem is an individual’s assessment of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people. A person, as is known, becomes a personality in the process of communication and joint activity. He is involved in the process of general activity and there he obtains important guidelines for his behavior and development. A person constantly compares his behavior with the behavior of others, observes their reactions, tries to find out their requirements and opinions on this matter. Knowing the qualities of other people, a person tries to develop his own assessment. A person compares himself with others, assuming that they are not indifferent to their own personal qualities. Thus, a person always has a reference group with which he is considered. He draws his values ​​from her, makes her ideals and interests his own. However, comparing oneself with other people is not the only source of self-esteem. Also important is the comparison of different versions of the self-image, as well as the subjective significance of various aspects of the self-image.

In the process of communication, a person constantly compares himself with a certain standard and, depending on the results of this comparison, gives himself an assessment. In the same situation, people with different self-esteem will behave completely differently, take different actions, and thereby influence the development of events differently.

In modern psychology, there are three types of self-esteem:

• Overpriced;
• Understated;
• Normal.

With inflated self-esteem, a person develops an idealized idea of ​​his personality and his value to others. He does not want to admit his own mistakes, laziness, lack of knowledge, incorrect behavior, and often becomes tough, aggressive, and quarrelsome. Inflated self-esteem leads to the fact that a person tends to overestimate himself in situations that do not provide a reason for this. As a result, he often encounters opposition from others who reject his claims, becomes embittered, displays suspicion, suspiciousness or deliberate arrogance, aggression, and in the end may lose the necessary interpersonal contacts and become withdrawn1 (A.V. Petrovsky, 1986).

Diametrically opposite is the behavior of a person with low self-esteem. The following factors most often contribute to its occurrence: appearance or weight, mental health, socioeconomic status, peer pressure, and genetic factors. This can lead to the appearance of an inferiority complex - a set of emotional and psychological feelings of a person, expressed in a feeling of one’s own inferiority and an irrational belief in the superiority of everyone around oneself. It also leads to persistent self-doubt, refusal of initiative, indifference, self-blame and anxiety. Because of this, most people develop depression, which in especially severe cases can be followed by suicide.

Normal self-esteem is expressed in a sober attitude towards successes and failures, approval and disapproval. A person with adequate self-esteem trusts his own judgment and does not feel guilty when others do not like it. He also puts himself on an equal footing with others, without underestimating or overstating his importance.

To characterize a person’s position, it is not enough to know only his self-esteem. Another important aspect is the expected assessment - the assessment that, in the opinion of the subject himself, he deserves in a given group.

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of the rating system as a regulator of group relationships. The results showed that a significant increase in personal self-esteem is associated with a decrease in the expected assessment indicator. A person becomes convinced in practice that the real attitude of others towards him and the expected assessment do not coincide, so he stops expecting a high assessment. It also became known that an increase in the assessment that a person gives to others leads to an increase in the real assessment from others. One of the assumptions is that a person’s high assessment of his group is due to the fact that the individual easily makes contact with its members, shares its interests and respects its values. A sense of collectivism can be detected. The team, in turn, seems to return this high self-esteem to him, multiplied.

Three indicators - self-esteem, expected assessment and assessment of the group by the individual - are part of the personality structure, and regardless of a person’s desire, he is forced to reckon with these indicators of his well-being in a given group, the success or failure of his achievements, and his position in relation to himself and others. At its core, this mechanism is a mechanism of social contacts, orientations and values ​​transferred inside the human personality. A person checks his data before interacting with another person. This check occurs unconsciously, and the person changes his behavior, trying to adapt to the readings of this indicator.

Forms and levels of human self-awareness

Self-awareness manifests itself in four forms, let's look at each of them.

Self-knowledge

This concept means identifying oneself among other people and the world around us, recognizing personal qualities, the physical body, and potential.

Self-awareness comes through:

• Self-observation of the results of one’s activities, the results of communication with the environment and analysis of the compliance of the results with accepted standards.
• Understanding the assessments of other people about their personality and actions, their attitudes.
• Analysis of your feelings, emotions and needs, and their transformations.

The result of self-knowledge is the formation of a system of ideas about oneself.

Self-control

A person has the opportunity, after analyzing his essence and behavior, to correct them. Any actions and psychological states can be changed if, in the opinion of the person himself, they contradict his attitudes, do not give the desired results, or come into conflict with the outside world.

Self-esteem

Self-esteem expresses the degree to which a person accepts his qualities, characteristics and characteristics. The perception itself reveals the level of love and respect for oneself.

Adequate self-esteem characterizes a self-confident person, capable of making decisions and purposeful actions. When low, we see a person dependent on the opinions of others, with a pronounced sense of guilt and a lot of complexes. An overestimation of personal qualities reveals a person who is self-confident, arrogant, and does not accept any criticism.

To achieve life goals, self-esteem should be developed to a normal level; in psychology there are many exercises to increase the degree of self-love.

Self-acceptance

This form of self-awareness involves:

• Accepting yourself as a unique individual, without unjustified criticism and self-deprecation.
• Self-respect.

Self-esteem comes from achieving goals and satisfying aspirations. A person sets records in sports, quits smoking, finishes writing a novel - his self-esteem increases, which has a good effect on self-esteem.

In addition to forms, psychology considers 4 levels of self-perception:

• Sensual
  . This is the lowest level at which one’s psychological characteristics, experiences, and physiological processes are understood. This is the stage of self-identification.
• Figurative and personal
  . Gives recognition of oneself as a subject of active activity. Self-actualization occurs, maintaining the identity of “I”.
• Analytical (otherwise reflexive)
  . A person analyzes and clarifies his thoughts and actions, observes the manifestation of emotions in critical states, analyzes committed mistakes and failures, and draws conclusions.
• Active
  . Based on the results and experience of the first three stages, self-regulation, motivation, correction of behavioral structures and self-control occur. This is a stage of personal change based on self-knowledge.

Going through all four levels of self-awareness indicates the maturity of the individual; getting stuck on one of them requires further development.

Forms of self-awareness

Psychologists have found that human self-awareness has 4 different forms, manifested as follows:

Self-knowledge includes knowledge of one's personal qualities, physical abilities and contributes to the development of self-identity among other people. Self-knowledge includes the following processes:

1. Observation of one’s own actions, deeds, decisions, and spoken words.
2. Observing the emotions and behavior of people around you after your own actions and phrases spoken.
3. Awareness of how others evaluate and perceive us.
4. Analysis of your emotions, feelings, actions, desires, needs.

The main goal of self-knowledge is to form a complete understanding of one’s own spiritual world, capabilities, abilities, and talents.

Self-control is the acquisition of information about one’s own existence, desires, and needs. People can control and correct their own behavior, choose the right decision, and study their perfect moral actions. A person has the power to change his own activities, rebuild his beliefs, get rid of negative and obsessive thoughts, statements, and actions that contradict adequate attitudes.

Self-esteem is the main indicator of the perception of one’s own qualities and capabilities. A person with high self-esteem is able to make rational decisions and act purposefully. With low self-esteem, people have to constantly listen to other people's opinions and live their lives with a set of stereotypes and a feeling of guilt. Inflated self-esteem leads a person to ignore other people’s opinions and deteriorate relationships with other people.

Self-acceptance allows you to accept your own person as an individual and learn to respect yourself. A person, regardless of his own qualities, abilities, talents, knowledge, perceives himself and his inner world fully. In this case, the person has no criticism of himself, shortcomings and mistakes made. He has maximum confidence in his own abilities and capabilities. To do this, you regularly work on your thoughts, actions, sensations, and emotions.

How self-awareness is formed

The process of developing self-awareness is accurately described in the works of V.S. Mukhina in correlation with the development of the child’s psyche.

At the first stage, a person’s idea of ​​his name is formed. First, he hears it from the lips of his parents and begins to identify himself accordingly. Thanks to the name, the child realizes himself as a person, an individual. Then the surname and patronymic are added, and the specification intensifies.

In the early school period, the name may change, other interpretations and nicknames of comrades appear. In youth, many come up with other names for themselves, associating their personality with them. During this period, there are cases of changing your passport data.

The next need for self-awareness is ideas about the body, formed first through the attitude of the close environment (parents, grandparents), and then using the traditions and cultural orientations existing in the family.

The need for recognition also occurs in early childhood. The baby learns what is good and bad, what is allowed and what is not allowed. Encouraging good deeds and good behavior leads to the desire to perform approved actions.

If demands for recognition are not satisfied by adults, the child develops negative qualities - lies, aggression, lack of self-confidence, and complexes appear.

During puberty, a teenager develops a gender identity. Of course, whether a child is a boy or a girl is determined by the age of three; a little later, stereotypes of male or female behavior appear.

In the process of self-understanding, a person develops an idea of ​​social space, i.e. conditions in which growth and development occurs:

• style and lifestyle;
• cultural and ethical values;
• moral standards;
• attitude towards religion, etc.

In adolescence, a person strives to master the widest possible social space (from a group of comrades in the yard to the sphere of politics). During this same period, reflection on the inner world deepens in order to understand one’s needs and place in society.

The main signs of the development of self-awareness are: the presence of a holistic idea of ​​oneself, self-respect, self-acceptance, awareness of love, discovery of the inner world.

Developing Self Awareness

Self-awareness appears in a child in early infancy, and by adolescence it is fully formed. However, this does not mean that you do not need to engage in self-perception throughout your life.

Changes occur in the objective world and subjective characteristics. These changes require observation and self-knowledge.

The first step is to analyze the current external and internal situations and re-recognize yourself and your attitude to changes. For example, with age, the body begins to age and our attitude towards it, formed in early periods, will also change. On the one hand, it is required to take greater care of physical health, on the other hand, to be able to accept age-related changes without unnecessary worries, with dignity.

It is also important to bring self-esteem to an adequate (normal) state. Throughout life, the level of love and self-respect may change due to external reasons or the attitude of loved ones. You cannot allow circumstances to sow doubts about your self-confidence.

And lastly, it is necessary to promptly adjust needs and actions according to life changes. It is impossible to stop at knowing about yourself; taking the same actions that do not lead to success is not constructive. Therefore, the process of self-awareness is permanent and ends only after the physical death of a person.

INTRODUCTION

This essay is devoted to the study of personality self-esteem.

The purpose of the work is to study the self-awareness of the individual and the formation of his self-esteem.

The topic I have chosen is quite relevant in its modern form. We constantly hear about courses that help people gain self-confidence and get rid of shyness and low self-esteem. And people willingly sign up for such courses. The service is in considerable demand.

Indeed, with the modern pace of life, one can trace a trend toward an increase in mental illness in people. More and more often, a person’s problem is not his physical health, but his mental health.

Self-esteem is important because a person’s relationships with the people around him, demands on himself and attitude towards his successes and failures depend on it. It is this that influences human activity and development.

Self-esteem is one of the key aspects of our psyche.

The objectives of this essay are:

• Study the structure of the image of “I”;
• Study self-esteem and its types;
• Consider the process of forming self-esteem in a person;
• Summarize the results obtained and draw conclusions.

What is self-awareness

Self-awareness is a certain attitude of a person towards himself, awareness of himself, his place, interests, experiences, behavior and others. This is not a given, but a result of development.

The source of the development of self-awareness is the generalization of a person’s knowledge about other people, comparison of their experiences with one’s own (life, professional, love). The more self-awareness develops, the more his inner world opens to a person.

Self-concept is the result of a person’s self-awareness, that is, a person’s theory about himself. Moreover, the self-concept can take more private forms, for example, being professional.

The structure of self-awareness

Self-awareness includes three elements.

Cognitive (self-understanding)

It is characterized as a person’s idea of ​​his abilities, appearance, temperament, and so on. That is, we are talking about self-knowledge as an element of self-awareness.

Emotional-evaluative (self-attitude)

It assumes an adequate assessment of one’s characteristics, that is, self-love (self-acceptance), self-respect, self-criticism, self-esteem, self-control and more.

Behavioral or volitional (self-regulation)

It is expressed in the desire to be understood and accepted by society, to gain respect from others, and to acquire a certain status.

Self-actualization

Self-actualization is not so much part of the structure of self-consciousness as inextricably linked with it. It can be characterized as a person’s desire to maximize the identification and development of personal characteristics and capabilities. This is the need for constant self-improvement and disclosure of one's potential.

Self-esteem

Self-esteem allows a person to evaluate his own strengths, characteristics and regulate behavior in accordance with the results. Self-esteem can be adequate, underestimated or overestimated. The last two types have a destructive effect on the personality and lead to internal conflicts. Self-esteem at any age is influenced by external assessment, the only difference is the strength of this influence.

Level of aspiration

This is the desired level of self-esteem, that is, it is closely related to the previous component and the ideal self (more on this in the next paragraph). The level of aspirations determines the possible level of achievement of an individual and the development of his abilities. Expressed in the difficulty of the goal of the activity.

SELF-ESTEEM AND LEVEL OF PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS

Self-esteem has a close connection with the level of a person’s aspirations. The level of aspiration is the desired level of self-esteem of an individual, manifested in the degree of difficulty of the goal that a person sets for himself.

When a person can freely choose the difficulty of his next action, his desire for increased self-esteem creates a conflict between two tendencies. On the one hand, he strives to increase his aspirations in order to experience maximum success, but on the other hand, he needs to lower his aspirations in order to avoid failure. In case of success, the level of aspirations, as a rule, increases, the individual is ready to solve more difficult problems; in case of failure, accordingly, the level of aspirations decreases.

A person usually maintains the level of his aspirations between a task that is too difficult and a task that is too easy, so that he can maintain his self-esteem at the desired level.

In addition to anticipating failure or success, the level of aspiration is also formed by taking into account past successes and failures.

One of the foreign studies showed that among the subjects there are those who, in the event of a risk, are more concerned not with achieving success, but with avoiding failure. Therefore, when faced with a choice, they choose either the most difficult task, because failure in this case will be justified by the difficulty of the task, or the easiest one, because the element of risk will be minimal. In this case, pride will not be hurt and there will be no deformation of the image of “I”.

A person's self-awareness, using self-esteem, reacts to the ratio of his aspirations and real achievements. Back at the beginning of the 20th century. American psychologist W. James expressed the idea that the most important component of a person’s “I” image is self-esteem - “belief in one’s own strengths and capabilities. It is not specifically associated with any area, and expresses as much an assessment as a person’s general attitude towards himself. Self-respect is self-acceptance, self-love2 (I.V. Dubrovina, 1999). Self-esteem is also a correlation between success and aspirations:

As you know, when the numerator increases or the denominator decreases, the fraction increases. Therefore, to maintain self-esteem, a person needs to either increase his efforts and achieve success, or reduce his level of aspirations.

Naturally, proper upbringing orients a person towards the first way to increase self-esteem. But sometimes people choose the second path, and then we can talk about passive psychological protection of their “I-image”.

Psychological protection of the “I-image” is a special regulatory system used by the individual to eliminate psychological discomfort and experiences that threaten the “I-image” and maintain it at the desired level.

The structure of the self-concept

At the same time, if we consider the product of self-consciousness - images of the Self, we can distinguish:

• I am real (as I am now);
• I am ideal (what I can become in accordance with my capabilities);
• I am fantastic (what I could become if it were possible).

The contradiction between the ideal self and the real self can serve as both an impetus for self-development and cause personality disharmony. It is worth noting that self-awareness is a dynamic structure. She is prone to changes and transformations of self-images.

In some theories there is a broader classification of self-images. Stands out:

• I am real;
• I am the ideal;
• Self-potential;
• I am personal;
• I-activity (professional, non-professional).

In other works, for example, Sh. Samuel, you can find the concept:

• I-bodily;
• I-real (present, actual);
• Self-dynamic;
• I-fantastic;
• I-probable;
• I-idealized;
• I-represented;
• I-ideal;
• Future (possible) self.

I am corporeal

Each person has a sense of his own body, which may differ from what is shown in the mirror. This refers to signals sent to the brain about the location of body parts, their shape and length. Within the framework of the I-bodily, we can additionally distinguish:

• real perception in terms of subjective functionality;
• internal factors caused by personal experiences or difficult situations;
• social factors, that is, environmental reactions and the interpretation of these reactions by the individual;
• the ideal body image as a result of the combination of all factors, comparison and a person’s perception of his body.

Real Me

The totality of a person’s ideas about himself at a given moment in time (as he seems to himself). However, this idea does not necessarily correspond to objective reality. The present self provides flexibility in reactions in response to changing environmental conditions. It allows you to choose personal goals, behavioral strategies, claims, and more.

Self-dynamic

Reflects the personality’s ideas about it, but in projection, that is, about what a person wants to become (goal). Depends on a person’s social status, opportunities and successes. The dynamic self is prone to changes, which are influenced by the successes and failures of the individual, identification with significant and ideal (in the person’s mind) people, ideas about desired roles and status.

I'm fantastic

Essentially, these are a person’s dreams, ideas about what he would be like if everything were possible. As a rule, this component exists only until adolescence, and as a person grows older, it begins to actively collapse.

I'm perfect

A person’s ideas about what he should become, based on the learned norms and values ​​of society. Depends on the moral development of the individual, moral maturity and socialization. It is formed in the process of a person’s identification with people (heroes) whom he admires.

If the ideal self does not transform into the dynamic, and then into the present, then, most likely, it will disintegrate completely. This is dangerous with disappointment and frustration.

I am possible (future)

A person's ideas about what he can become. Most often it differs from the ideal self. It is formed on the basis of a person’s real position, real status, opportunities and role.

Idealized self

A person’s ideas about what he would like to be right now, how he would like to see himself. This is an incoming component that depends on the specific situation.

Self-represented

Images created and exhibited by a person specifically for display in order to hide undesirable (negative in his opinion) traits, qualities of the present self. The represented self plays the role of protection and adaptation.

Most often, the imagined Self is close to the ideal Self, but if these components differ and do not come close, then problems arise in a person’s relationships, and later the person is subject to disappointment and frustration. A sign of such inconsistency and incipient frustration is embarrassment.

I'm fake

It represents a distorted “I-real”, that is, self-deception of the individual. With frequent reproduction of false but desirable personality traits:

• afraid of negative self-esteem;
• expects negative attitude from outside;
• incapable of actions that nurture self-respect.

From the false self, many protective mechanisms of the personality are activated, which ultimately acquire a pathological character. All self-knowledge is distorted, and then the knowledge and perception of interpersonal relationships.

Developing Self Awareness

The essence of developing self-awareness can be described through 3 components:

• The dynamics of how a person separates himself from his environment. Moreover, both as an organism, and as an individual, and as a person, and as an individual.
• The second component of the development of self-awareness is a change in self-control, that is, the ability to influence one’s activities. As a person grows and develops, a transition occurs from control of physiological reactions to control of consciousness.
• The third component is self-acceptance, the ability to adequately and differentiatedly assess one’s characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

The formation of self-awareness begins with a person’s identification of himself with the world and other people, and ends with autonomy, that is, highlighting his individuality, distinctive features and accepting them.

• A child from 3 to 8 months actively learns about his body; at 7-8 months, attention switches to studying the immediate and distant surroundings. These are the first elements of developing self-awareness.
• The desire for autonomy gradually increases, which is reflected in behavior. But along with independence comes responsibility. In the second year of life, the child already acts as a subject of activity. He can act out of situation.
• A little later, the baby can be called an object and subject of self-knowledge. By the age of 3, a child is already familiar with his body and its characteristics, and has conscious emotions from which standards are formed.
• Preschool children are characterized by subordination of motives and awareness of themselves as the subject of relationships. By the age of 6, the social self is formed, which is manifested by a differentiated assessment, the desire to follow external standards and models or internal beliefs.
• At primary school age, the active development of the social self occurs.
• Adolescence is characterized by the desire to understand one’s individuality, but at the same time personal and social identity, that is, to determine similarity with other people or a group. By the end of adolescence, the orientation of the personality is formed.
• Youth is characterized by the development of will, self-control, and the construction of life plans. There comes greater independence and objectivity in judgment, along with this - a strong need for self-realization.
• Adulthood and old age are characterized by the implementation of plans and evaluation of results, the search for integrity. Personal growth also occurs through crises (age-related, individual).

Thus, the peak of development of self-awareness occurs in adolescence and young adulthood. D. Marcia identified 4 possible options for the formation of self-awareness:

1. A foregone conclusion. An individual’s acceptance of responsibilities appropriate to gender and age, without going through a crisis of choice, that is, parents or other people decided for him. As a result of this, a person suffers from low self-esteem, but is not anxious and is attentive to the advice of other people.
2. Diffusion. This style of identity, that is, self-awareness, is characterized by fragmentation as the desire to try everything without having a life plan, motives and goals. As a rule, this is typical for those who are afraid of becoming an outcast and do not want to take responsibility.
3. Moratorium. This category includes active people searching for themselves. They are always at the center of decision making, their every action is highly emotionally charged.
4. Identity itself. This is the highest stage of development. Individuals who have achieved it have made a choice, accepted responsibility for their own lives, strive to live and follow their convictions.

Self-awareness in ontogenesis

In the previous paragraph, I already touched upon the connection between human development as a person and as an individual. In this part of the article I want to structure and summarize the development of self-awareness in combination with growing up.

Rudimentary self-awareness

Formed before the age of one year. Characterized by the child’s discovery of his Self.

Allopsychic self-awareness

Formed in 2-3 years. It is manifested by the child’s awareness of himself as an actor and the separation of his actions from the actions of other people.

Somatopsychic self-awareness

Formed by age 7. The child can independently evaluate himself, owns his body and undergoes bodily identification.

Autopsychic self-awareness

Adolescence and adolescence. It is assumed that by the age of 17, the formation of social and moral attitudes and self-awareness is completed. In the future, it does not develop, but changes.

Mistakes in the development of self-awareness

If the crisis is not resolved correctly, then identification will be inadequate. We can distinguish the following variants of the abnormal development of self-awareness, which affect the individual and his relationships with the world:

1. Avoidance of close interpersonal relationships.
2. Fear of change and growing up, inadequate understanding of time, blurring of its boundaries.
3. Wasting your own potential, productive and creative abilities. Inability to activate internal resources and concentrate on one activity.
4. Refusal of self-determination and self-knowledge, selection of negative role models.

Separately, I would like to consider the option of developing an unfavorable self-concept, which is characterized by personal uncertainty, fear of rejection, and low self-esteem. This type of self-awareness is dangerous in the following ways:

• low self-esteem, which is reflected by social degradation, failure, aggressiveness, crime and asociality;
• reaction of adaptation in difficult situations, which is dangerous with the risk of being drawn into asocial groups and being influenced from outside;
• inadequate perception, which is reflected both in a person’s analysis of his actions or appearance, and in the analysis of external situations.

Other disorders in the development of self-awareness include:

• underdevelopment of self-awareness, that is, dependence on other people;
• distorted self-image;
• egocentrism (a distorted view of one’s role in the world);
• pathologies (mental disorders and diseases).

Self-awareness and personality development

A newly born person does not yet have self-awareness. Its development takes a long time. However, the beginnings and inclination towards self-awareness are observed from infancy.

The development of self-awareness occurs in the following stages:

1. The first stage occurs before the age of one year, when the child gradually begins to separate himself from the world around him. At first, he does not separate himself, he perceives someone else’s mood as his own, someone else’s actions as his own. However, as the child begins to actively interact with surrounding objects, control his arms and legs, and even more so demonstrates his first speech skills, then he gradually realizes that he and the world around him are not always identical.
2. At the second stage, which takes from 1 to 3 years, the spiritual development of the child occurs. He gradually learns to coordinate his impulses to action over time, when it is not always possible to do everything at once.
3. In the third stage, which takes from 3 to 7 years, self-awareness develops smoothly. Here the child begins to try his own independence, to oppose himself to others. This naturally leads to a number of conflicts. Now the child is aware of himself and does not talk about himself in the third person.
4. At the fourth stage, which takes from 7 to 12 years, no significant leaps or crises are observed. Self-awareness changes depending on the emergence of new social conditions of life - school.
5. At the fifth stage, which is celebrated at the age of 12-14, the child again shows interest in his own personality and his role in society. Now he is again trying to oppose himself to adults (parents and teachers).
6. At the sixth stage, which is celebrated at the age of 14-18, each child begins to grow up. Here he tries to understand and know himself, to find his place in this world. He receives a lot of information about himself, gets to know himself, tries his strength, contacts the outside world and tries to find a place in which he will be comfortable.

Functions of self-awareness

The main function is to make the motives and results of actions accessible to the individual, to allow him to evaluate himself. Self-awareness ensures conscious adaptation of the individual to the environment.

Other features include:

• ensuring internal consistency (sometimes self-awareness may not even allow some external factors into the inner world if they do not correspond to something from the Self);
• interpretation of individual experience, that is, the nature of the perception of the situation (self-awareness and self-concept explain why two people can see the same situation differently, that is, the self-concept not only interprets our behavior, but also “explains” to us the meaning of behavior other people);
• defining expectations, that is, what should happen (closely related to acceptance and non-acceptance, as well as vision of the situation).

Having understood the essence and structure of self-awareness, as well as its functions, you can easily understand and notice how different and unique each person is. “I expected one thing, but got another,” “I wanted the best, but it turned out as always,” “I didn’t mean it,” “I know that I’ll look like a fool again,” “Come on, he wasn’t flirting. I’m sure that I can’t please anyone” - all these are games of self-awareness and its 3 main functions.

InterpretationTranslation Self-awareness b>Self-awareness is the consciousness of a subject of himself in contrast to the other - other subjects and the world in general; This is a person’s awareness of his social status and his vital needs, thoughts, feelings, motives, instincts, experiences, actions.

In psychology

In psychology, self-awareness

is understood as a mental phenomenon, a person’s awareness of himself as a subject of activity, as a result of which a person’s ideas about himself are formed into a mental “Image-I”.

S. L. Rubinshtein Fundamentals of general psychology. M., 1946.

Developing Self Awareness

Self-awareness is not an initial given inherent in man, but a product of development. However, the beginnings of consciousness of identity appear already in an infant, when he begins to distinguish between sensations caused by external objects and sensations caused by his own body, the consciousness of “I” - from about three years old, when the child begins to correctly use personal pronouns. Awareness of one's mental qualities and self-esteem acquire the greatest importance in adolescence and young adulthood. But since all these components are interconnected, the enrichment of one of them inevitably modifies the entire system.

Stages

(or stages) of development of self-awareness:

• The discovery of the “I” occurs at the age of 1 year.
• By the 2nd 3rd years a person begins to separate the result of his actions from the actions of others and clearly understands himself as an actor.
• By the age of 7, the ability to evaluate oneself (self-esteem) is formed.
• Adolescence and adolescence is a stage of active self-knowledge, searching for oneself and one’s own style. The period of formation of social and moral assessments is coming to an end.

The formation of self-awareness is influenced by:

• Evaluations of others and status in the peer group.
• Correlation between “Real Self” and “Ideal Self.”
• Assessing the results of your activities.

Components of Self-Awareness

Components of self-awareness according to V. S. Merlin:

• consciousness of one's identity;
• consciousness of one’s own “I” as an active, active principle;
• awareness of one’s mental properties and qualities;
• a certain system of social and moral self-esteem.

All these elements are related to each other functionally and genetically, but they are not formed at the same time.

Functions of self-awareness

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Self-awareness

- the subject’s consciousness of himself in contrast to others - other subjects and the world in general; This is a person’s consciousness of his interaction with the objective world and the subjective world (psyche), his vital needs, thoughts, feelings, motives, instincts, experiences, actions.

Self-esteem as a component of self-awareness; its structure and manifestations

Amounts of accumulated aggressive energy Read more: Specifics of manifestations of aggressiveness and self-esteem in adolescence

1.2 Self-esteem as a component of self-awareness; its structure and manifestations

The significant difference between man as a species and animals is his ability to reason and think abstractly, reflect on his past, critically assessing it and think about the future, developing and implementing plans and programs designed for it. All this taken together is connected with the sphere of human consciousness.[9]

Consciousness is the highest form of development and manifestation of the human psyche. Consciousness carries out the mental construction of actions, control and management of human behavior, determines his ability to be aware of what is happening in himself and the world around him. Content-wise, consciousness includes the totality of knowledge about the world and about oneself. The latter is interpreted as self-awareness.

Self-awareness is a person’s awareness of his qualities, abilities, capabilities, knowledge, interests, ideals, motives of behavior, a holistic assessment of himself as a feeling and thinking being, as an actor.[10]

When studying the phenomenon of self-awareness, three main aspects are distinguished (Appendix No. 4)[11]:

1. interdependence of consciousness and self-awareness;

2. mechanisms of self-awareness;

3. functions of self-awareness.

Self-awareness involves awareness of one’s “I” in all the diversity of individual characteristics, separating oneself from the surrounding world and imagining oneself in comparison with other people.

In psychological science, the following definition has been adopted: “The set of mental processes through which an individual recognizes himself as a subject of activity is called self-consciousness, and his ideas about himself are formed into a certain “image of “I”.”[12]

“The image of “I” is not just an individual’s idea or concept of himself, but a social attitude, the individual’s attitude towards himself. Therefore, in the image of “I” three components can be distinguished:

1) cognitive (cognitive) – self-knowledge, self-awareness;

2) emotional – evaluative – value attitude towards oneself;

3) behavioral – features of behavior regulation.

As already mentioned, the image of “I” is not a static, but an extremely dynamic formation of the personality. The image of “I” can arise as an idea of ​​oneself at the moment of the experience itself, usually designated in psychology as the real “I”. This “I” changes all the time, for example, the “I” before the competition and after the competition, the “I” before the exam and after the exam will be different. At the same time, the image of “I” is the ideal “I” of the subject, i.e. what he should become in order to meet social norms and the expectations of others. This is what a person strives for, what he wants to become in the future. The existence of a fantastic “I” is also possible. In this case, a person looks at himself through the prism of his own desires, without taking into account his real capabilities. Usually the fantastic “I” is accompanied by the words “if”, which means what the subject would like to become if it were possible for him.

All “I” coexist in a person at the same time. And if one of the “I”s prevails over the others, this may affect his personality. Thus, if the predominance of fantastic ideas about oneself in the personality structure is not accompanied by actions that would contribute to the realization of the desired, disorganization of a person’s activity and self-awareness occurs. A boy who is bullied by everyone can dream of being strong and punishing his offenders. But if these dreams are not supported by sports, the situation can ultimately severely traumatize him due to another discrepancy between what is desired and what is actually done.

The degree of correctness of the image of “I” is clarified by studying one of its most important aspects - the self-esteem of the individual, i.e. a person’s assessment of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people. This is the most significant and most studied aspect of a person’s self-awareness in psychology. Self-esteem is an indispensable companion of our “I”. It manifests itself not so much in what a person thinks or says about himself, but in his attitude towards the achievements of others. With the help of self-esteem, the behavior of an individual is regulated.

Self-esteem is a complex personal formation and refers to the fundamental properties of a person. It reflects what a person learns about himself from others, and his own activity aimed at understanding his actions and personal qualities. A person’s attitude towards himself is the most recent formation in the system of his worldview. But, despite this (or perhaps precisely because of this), self-esteem has a particularly important place in the structure of personality. Self-esteem is associated with one of the central needs of a person - the need for self-affirmation, which is determined by the ratio of its actual achievements to what a person aspires to, what goals he sets for himself - the level of aspirations. In his practical activities, a person usually strives to achieve results that are consistent with his self-esteem and contribute to its strengthening and normalization. Significant changes in self-esteem appear when achievements are associated by the subject of activity with the presence or absence of the necessary abilities.

Consequently, the functions of self-esteem and self-respect in the mental life of an individual are that they act as internal conditions for the regulation of human behavior and activity. Thanks to the inclusion of self-esteem in the structure of motivation for activity, a person constantly correlates his capabilities and mental resources with the goals and means of activity. [13]

In accordance with a person’s habitual holistic perception of the unity of his feelings, mind and will, manifestations of self-esteem can be presented in emotional, cognitive and volitional forms. At the socio-psychological level, the behavioral form of self-esteem is distinguished. At the same time, self-esteem as part of self-awareness allows you to carry out not only the function of self-regulation of behavior, but also two others: psychological protection and cognitive (cognitive) function.

Self-esteem is not something given, inherent in the individual. The formation of self-esteem itself occurs in the process of activity and interpersonal interaction. Society greatly influences the formation of an individual’s self-esteem. Having become stable, self-esteem changes with great difficulty, but you can change it by changing the attitude of others. Therefore, the formation of optimal self-esteem depends heavily on the fairness of the assessment of all these people. Adequate assessment of oneself in a situation of interaction with other people is one of the main indicators of socio-psychological adaptation. If self-esteem is deformed, then this is already a sufficient condition for social maladjustment. [14]

Self-esteem develops through the gradual immersion (internalization) of external assessments expressing family requirements into a person’s requirements for himself. As self-esteem is formed and strengthened, the ability to assert and defend one’s position in life increases. The process by which a person gets used to acting in a certain social environment and in accordance with the norms of a given society, masters morality, has many aspects and continues throughout life. But the most sensitive stages in the formation of personality and its socialization are adolescence and young adulthood. Adolescence is the final stage of primary socialization. The main institutions of socialization are, first of all, the family and school, respectively, parents, peers and teachers. [15]

The leading motive during the formation of self-esteem is the desire to establish oneself in a group of peers, to gain authority, respect and the attention of comrades. At the same time, those who value themselves highly also make high demands in communication, trying to meet them, since they consider it beneath their dignity to be in a bad position in the team. It is typical for a young person to strive to maintain a status in the group that supports his increased self-esteem.

The knowledge accumulated by a person about himself, as well as the global self-esteem formed on the basis of such knowledge, makes it possible to form a multidimensional formation, which is called the self-concept and forms the core of personality. Self-concept is a more or less conscious, experienced as a unique system of a person’s ideas about himself, on the basis of which he builds interaction with other people, regulates his behavior and activities. At the same time, the self-concept represents a set of descriptive ideas about oneself, and self-esteem involves an evaluative component. For example, a person’s awareness that he is sanguine by temperament is part of his self-concept, but this property is not considered in an evaluative way.

In addition, they distinguish between actual (what has already been achieved) and potential (what is capable of) self-esteem. Potential self-esteem is often called the level of aspiration. A person can evaluate himself adequately or inadequately (overestimate or underestimate his successes and achievements). Self-esteem can be high and low, and vary in the degree of stability, independence, and criticality. The instability of general self-esteem may stem from the fact that the private assessments that form it are at different levels of stability and adequacy. In addition, they can interact with each other in different ways: be consistent, mutually complement each other, or contradictory and conflicting.

There are current and personal self-esteem [16]:

Current self-esteem is a person’s assessment of his actions and actions. Such self-esteem is fundamental for a person’s self-regulation of his activities and behavior. Having carried out self-monitoring of his actions and actions, and then, having established their acceptability and desirability, the degree of success, a person makes corrections of these actions and actions in accordance with self-esteem, that is, he carries out self-regulation of his activities and behavior.

Personal self-esteem is a person’s attitude towards his abilities, capabilities, personal qualities, as well as his appearance. Personal self-esteem helps determine the level of self-satisfaction based on a quantitative assessment of this level.

Self-esteem can be underestimated, overestimated, adequate and inadequate. In the same situation, people with different self-esteem will behave completely differently, take different actions, and thereby influence the development of events differently.

Based on inflated self-esteem, a person develops an idealized idea of ​​his personality, his value to others. He does not want to admit his own mistakes, laziness, lack of knowledge, incorrect behavior, and often becomes tough, aggressive, and quarrelsome.

Obviously low self-esteem leads to self-doubt, timidity, shyness, and the inability to realize one’s inclinations and abilities. Such people usually set lower goals for themselves than those they could achieve, exaggerate the significance of failures, are in dire need of support from others, and are too critical of themselves. A person with low self-esteem is very vulnerable. All this leads to the emergence of an inferiority complex and is reflected in his appearance - he looks away, frowns, and is unsmiling.

The reasons for such self-esteem may be hidden in overly domineering, caring or indulgent parental upbringing, which will be programmed in the person’s subconscious from an early age, giving rise to a feeling of inferiority, and this, in turn, forms the basis for low self-esteem.

Low self-esteem comes in many forms. These are complaints and accusations, the search for the culprit, the need for attention and approval, which, as it were, compensates in the eyes of such a person for a sense of self-denial, self-esteem. Depression, divorce (many of them are the result of low self-esteem of one or both partners).

Adequate self-esteem by a person of his abilities and capabilities usually ensures an appropriate level of aspirations, a sober attitude towards successes and failures, approval and disapproval. Such a person is more energetic, active and optimistic. Hence the conclusion: you need to strive to develop adequate self-esteem based on self-knowledge.

Forming and developing positive self-esteem is the foundation on which all life should be built. By allowing negative thought patterns to dominate our lives, we form the habit of expecting negative factors.

Inadequate self-esteem indicates a person’s biased assessment of himself; his opinion about himself differs from the opinions of others about him. A distinction is made between inadequate overestimated self-esteem - overestimation of oneself by the subject and inadequate low self-esteem - underestimation of oneself by the subject.

You can improve your life only when we ourselves, and not chance, program our subconscious and thinking. So, the formation of positive self-esteem is the main life goal for each of us.

According to the work carried out by the above researchers, we can conclude: self-esteem is the central link of voluntary self-regulation, determines the direction and level of a person’s activity, his attitude to the world, to people, to himself; acts as an important determinant of all forms and types of activities and social behavior of a person (human behavior in society).

It performs regulatory and protective functions, influencing the development of the individual, her activities, behavior and her relationships with other people. Reflecting the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with oneself, the level of self-esteem, self-esteem creates the basis for the perception of one’s own success or failure, the achievement of goals of a certain level, that is, the level of a person’s aspirations.

People with adequate or high self-esteem are more optimistic than those with low self-esteem; They successfully solve the tasks that confront them because they feel confident in their own abilities. Such people are less susceptible to stress and anxiety, and perceive the world around them and themselves favorably.

True self-esteem gives a person moral satisfaction and supports his human dignity.

The foundations of self-perception are laid in childhood and can influence the entire course of life.

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In psychology

In psychology, self-awareness

is understood as a mental phenomenon, a person’s consciousness of himself as a subject of activity, as a result of which a person’s ideas about himself are formed into a mental “Image-I”.

Rubinshtein S. L.

Fundamentals of general psychology. - M., 1946.

Developing Self Awareness

Main article: Development of self-awareness
Self-awareness is not an initial given inherent in man, but a product of development. However, the beginnings of consciousness of identity appear already in an infant, when he begins to distinguish between sensations caused by external objects and sensations caused by his own body, the consciousness of “I” - from about three years old, when the child begins to correctly use personal pronouns. Awareness of one's mental qualities and self-esteem acquire the greatest importance in adolescence and young adulthood. But since all these components are interconnected, the enrichment of one of them inevitably modifies the entire system.

Stages

(or stages) of development of self-awareness:

• The discovery of the “I” occurs at the age of 1 year.
• By the age of two or three, a person begins to separate the results of his actions from the actions of others and clearly recognizes himself as a doer.
• By the age of seven, the ability to evaluate oneself (self-esteem) is formed.
• Adolescence and adolescence is a stage of active self-knowledge, searching for oneself and one’s own style. The period of formation of social and moral assessments is coming to an end.

The formation of self-awareness is influenced by:

• Evaluations of others and status in the peer group.
• Correlation between “Real Self” and “Ideal Self.”
• Assessing the results of your activities.

Components of Self-Awareness

Components of self-awareness according to V. S. Merlin:

• consciousness of one's identity;
• consciousness of one’s own “I” as an active, active principle;
• consciousness of one's mental properties and qualities;
• a certain system of social and moral self-esteem.

All these elements are related to each other functionally and genetically, but they are not formed at the same time.

Functions of self-awareness

IMAGE "I"

In adolescence and adolescence, the desire for self-knowledge and self-education increases, that is, awareness of one’s place in life and oneself as a subject of relationships with others. Associated with this is the formation of self-awareness. An image of one’s own “I” is formed. “The image of “I” is a relatively stable, more or less conscious system of an individual’s ideas about himself, on the basis of which he relates to himself and builds his interaction with other people” (Topic 8. “I-concept”’) . A person can treat himself in the same way as he treats other people: love or hate, respect or despise, understand or not understand. The image of “I” acts as an attitude towards oneself. The "I" concept includes three components:

• Cognitive component – ​​idea of ​​one’s abilities, appearance, social significance, character, etc.;
• Emotional-evaluative component - self-respect, self-criticism, selfishness, self-deprecation, love for others, etc.;
• The behavioral (volitional) component is the desire to be understood, to win the sympathy and respect of comrades and teachers, to increase one’s status, or the desire to remain unnoticed, to evade evaluation and criticism, to hide one’s shortcomings, etc.

Psychology records not one, but several “I” images in a person, replacing each other depending on the situation of social interaction. In K. Rogers' theory, the “I” concept includes not only a person’s perception of himself as he is, but also as he wants to be. There are two forms of the “I” concept – real and ideal.

The real “I” concept is a momentary idea of ​​oneself. It may not be realistic and, quite likely, will change to the opposite after some time. The ideal “I” concept is what a person should become in order to meet social norms and the expectations of others. It acts as a kind of guideline for the self-development of the individual. Some also highlight the fantasy self—the kind of person one would like to become if it were possible. The significance of this image is especially great in adolescence, when a person needs to make plans for the future, and without fantasies that take on the nature of dreams, this is impossible.

The degree of adequacy of the “I-image” is determined by studying one of its most important aspects—personal self-esteem.