SELF AWARENESS

Introduction:

Self-awareness involves being aware of different aspects of the self-including traits, behaviours,
and feelings. Essentially, it is a psychological state in which oneself becomes the focus
of attention.

Self-awareness is one of the first components of the self-concept to emerge. While self-awareness
is something that is central to who am I. Let us not confuse the concept with what you are acutely
focused on at every moment of every day. Instead, self-awareness becomes woven into the fabric
of who you are and emerges at different points depending on the situation your response to it. In
short, it also represents your personality.

People are not born completely self-aware. Research has also found that infants do have a
rudimentary sense of self-awareness. Infants possess the awareness that they are separate from
others, which is also evidenced by set pattern of behaviour. For example an infant searches for a
nipple when something brushes against his or her face. Who am I is a projective statement. This
helps him to project his self concept and contains elements of personal efficacy.

When Does Self-Awareness Emerge?

Studies have demonstrated that a more complex sense of the awareness of the self begins to
emerge at around one year of age and becomes much more developed by approximately 18
months of age.

The researchers applied a red dot to an infant's nose and then held the child in front of a mirror.
Children who recognized themselves in the mirror would reach for their own noses rather than the
reflection in the mirror, which indicated that they had at least some level of self-awareness.
Research has proved that expressing emotions involves self-awareness as well as an ability to
think about oneself in relation to other people.

How Does Self-Awareness Develop?

Researchers have proposed that an area of the brain known as the anterior cingulate
cortex located in the frontal lobe region plays an important role in developing self-awareness.
Studies have also used brain imaging to show that this region becomes activated in adults who are
self-aware. The Lewis and Brooks-Gunn experiment suggests that self-awareness begins to
emerge in children around the age of 18 months, an age that coincides with the rapid growth of
spindle cells in the anterior cingulate cortex.

However, one study found that a patient retained self-awareness even with extensive damage to
areas of the brain including the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex.

This suggests that these areas of the brain are not required for most aspects of self-awareness and
that awareness may instead arise from interactions distributed among brain networks.

Levels of Self-Awareness
So how exactly do children become aware of themselves as separate beings? Researchers suggest
that children progress through a series of levels of self-awareness between birth and
approximately age 4 or 5. Self-awareness is observed by how children respond to their own
reflection in a mirror.

Level 1: Differentiation - At this point, children start to become aware that what it
reflected in a mirror is different from what they simply perceive in the environment.

Level 2: Situation - This level of self-awareness is characterized by a growing

understanding that self-produced movements can be seen in the mirrors surface. Children are also
aware that it is their own movements they are observing.

Level 3: Identification - At this point, children recognize the image in the mirror as
themselves rather than someone else staring back at them.

Level 4: Permanence - Children can not only identify themselves reflected in a mirror,
they can also identify their own image in pictures and home movies.

Level 5: Self-consciousness or "meta" self-awareness - At this level, children are not

only aware of themselves from their own perspective, but also become aware of how they are in
the minds of others.

Types of Self-Awareness

Psychologists often break self-awareness down into two different types, either public or private.

Public Self-Awareness

This type emerges when people are aware of how they appear to others. Public self-awareness
often emerges in situations when people are at the center of attention, such as when giving a
presentation or talking to a group of friends.

This type of self-awareness often compels people to adhere to social norms. When we are aware
that we are being watched and evaluated, we often try to behave in ways that are socially
acceptable and desirable.

Public self-awareness can also lead to evaluation anxiety in which people become
distressed, anxious, or worried about how they are perceived by others.

Private Self-Awareness

This type happens when people become aware of some aspects of themselves, but only in a
private way.

For example, seeing your face in the mirror is a type of private self-awareness. Feeling your
stomach lurch when you realize you forgot to study for an important test or feeling your heart
flutter when you see someone you are attracted to are also examples of private self-awareness.
Self-Consciousness: A Heightened State of Self-Awareness

Sometimes, people can become overly self-aware and veer into what is known as self-
consciousness.

Have you ever felt like everyone was watching you, judging your actions, and waiting to see what
you will do next? This heightened state of self-awareness can leave you feeling awkward and
nervous in some instances.

In a lot of cases, these feelings of self-consciousness are only temporary and arise in situations
when we are "in the spotlight." For some people, however, excessive self-consciousness can
reflect a chronic condition such as social anxiety disorder.

People who are privately self-conscious have a higher level of private self-awareness, which can
be both a good and bad thing. These people tend to be more aware of their feelings and beliefs,
and are therefore more likely to stick to their personal values. However, they are also more likely
to suffer from negative health consequences such as increased stress and anxiety.

People who are publicly self-conscious have a higher level of public self-awareness. They tend to
think more about how other people view them and are often concerned that other people might be
judging them based on their looks or their actions. As a result, these individuals tend to stick to
group norms and try to avoid situations in which they might look bad or feel embarrassed.

Eric Berne initiated the principle within Transactional Analysis that we are all born 'OK' -- in
other words good and worthy. These are also known as 'life positions'.

You
You're OK You're not OK

I'm OK Get on with others Get rid of them

I'm not OK Get away from them Get nowhere

I'm not OK - You're OK

When I think I'm not OK but you are OK, then I am putting myself in an inferior position
with respect to you.

This position may come from being belittled as a child, perhaps from dominant parents or
maybe careless teachers or bullying peers.

People in this position have a particularly low self-esteem and will put others before them.
They may thus has a strong 'Please Others' driver.
I'm OK - You're not OK

People in this position feel themselves superior in some way to others, who are seen as
inferior and not OK. As a result, they may be contemptuous and quick to anger. Their talk
about others will be smug and supercilious, contrasting their own relative perfection with the
limitation of others.

This position is a trap into which many managers, parents and others in authority fall,
assuming that their given position makes them better and, by implication, others are not OK.

These people may also have a strong 'Be Perfect' driver, and their personal strivings makes
others seem less perfect.

I'm OK - You're OK

When I consider myself OK and also frame others as OK, then there is no position for me or
you to be inferior or superior.

This is, in many ways, the ideal position. Here, the person is comfortable with other people
and with themself. They are confident, happy and get on with other people even when there
are points of disagreement.

I'm not OK - You're not OK

This is a relatively rare position, but perhaps occurs where people unsuccessfully try to
project their bad objects onto others. As a result, they remain feeling bad whilst also perceive
others as bad.

This position could also be a result of relationships with dominant others where the other
people are viewed with a sense of betrayal and retribution. This may later get generalized
from the bullies to all others people.

Summary

Self-awareness plays a critical role in how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others
and the world. Being self-aware allows you to evaluate yourself in relation to others. For people
who have an extremely high sense of self-awareness, excessive self-consciousness can result. If
you feel that you are struggling with self-consciousness that is having a negative influence on
your life, discuss your symptoms with your doctor to learn more about what you can do to cope
with these feelings.

Understand how you frame yourself and others as being OK and note how you respond to
this. Then think about the other person and how they are framing it.

Note how some combinations work together, for example where one person has the position
of 'I'm OK/You're not OK' and the other person has 'I'm not OK/You're OK'. In such
matching positions the relationship may well be stable and both will gain some comfort of
confirmation from this.
When positions do not fit, particularly when both people are 'I'm OK/You're not OK', then
this is a recipe for conflict or confusion.

In a nutshell, we can say that self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to
recognize oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals. It also
helps to understand one’s compatibility with others.

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