Self-Awareness and Personal Development

Introduction

Human beings and animals are two kinds of creatures that live together in the world. The most common difference between them is:

Animals that were born with the developed skills and talents they need could provide what they need to survive their lives perfectly. They can find enough food, protect themselves against their enemies. For example, first,  a gazelle can run as fast as its mother not to be caught by a cheetah. Second, animals such as birds, spiders, ants, bees can build their homes even though they are not acknowledged, trained or educated after they were born. They are created well-talented to build how their homes should be or how they can protect themselves from their enemies. Even sometimes animals inspire human beings.  

However, human beings are born perfectly with all necessary organs to live but cannot provide any requirements they need to survive, except crying and sucking their mothers’ breasts. They should both learn and develop their skills and talents. It takes a long time. This situation burdens parents not only feeding their children well enough but also providing opportunities to develop their abilities, talents, and skills up to getting their consciousness. After getting consciousness, at home parents’ support and at school teachers supports still should continue to develop their abilities.

Self-awareness is a kind of personal focus on what kind of skills and talent we have. In early ages, it is mostly related to physical activities and appearance. In further ages, it also includes social, emotional, and intellectual potentials.

It can be said that self-awareness is very important throughout all levels of our life to be more successful, struggling with problems, challenging some specific issues, etc. So, we need to spend more effort on developing self-awareness. It can be learned and improved every second of our life.

Measuring

There is a quote from scientist Lord Kelvin, “if you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.” It is actually used for positive sciences. How can it be adapted to social sciences?  The difficulty is how to measure it because of subjectivity in social sciences. Scientifically, if you buy something from a market, you can measure it, by kg. If you measure how long you walked, you can measure it by meters, etc. For example, after not seeing your friend for a long time, he says that you look fatter, you can prove the reality scientifically. Then, you can take steps towards what you need to do to be better.

Nevertheless, in social science, measuring psychological emotions, feelings, and abilities are very difficult because of subjectivity. For example, if your friend says that you are more patient,  more helpful, or more responsible, it is not easy and possible to measure or prove it scientifically. There is no concrete result. It is not objective. Since your other friend could say you are getting angry more quickly, not helpful, etc. Everybody says their own perception and observation and compares you subjectively to your previous actions and reactions. Sometimes, people compare others with themselves and then make their decisions about you.

Measuring personal emotions, feelings and abilities not only helps self-awareness but also performing the requirements of personal development.  

In this respect, most classification could be a solution to measure in social sciences. Classification of self-evaluation and others’ evaluations based on social and emotional characteristics could be helpful to measure in social sciences.

Internalizing

Internalizing is the first step for improvement. To know the details of something or getting enough information does not mean that it is internalized. Being internalized means that it is reflected in behavior as your own behavior. Since the behavior practiced in real life is the result of our emotional and intellectual properties. It needs to be reached to internalized self-awareness in order to live a satisfying life.

Being internalized self-awareness means:

• To be proud of what you have and to live in peace with your strengths and weaknesses,
• To announce and able to share with others your strengths and weaknesses with self-confidence, without being ashamed.
• To be respectful of others’ strengths and weaknesses.
• To be aware of how to compensate weaknesses patiently.

The product or the result of internalized self-awareness is reflected as well-being, satisfaction and behavioral self-confidence in social life. If somebody has been supplied emotional and social support cognitively during his childhood and adulthood and if he has internalized self-awareness, then it is not expected from him to be abusive for others. However, it is expected to be in good relations, improved communication, positive thoughts for others, commenting positively on the events faced with. These make people happy and productive.

Parents, in schools, teachers and other staff are responsible people that not only help get students’ self-awareness by creating a suitable atmosphere for the students but also for being patient during internalizing the process intellectually and emotionally.

Personal development

It is a known reality that the differences between animals and human beings are that animals were born well-developed abilities and skills but the human being born with potential abilities and skills to be developed by their volition and intelligence which are developed by time too. Intelligence is given to think and find better and right for themselves and volition is given to manage themselves in the right direction. Both of them are used to develop the abilities and skills when consciousness and intellectual level developed well enough.

In this respect, although human beings are responsible to develop their abilities, skills, and strengths, parents and teachers are responsible partners in this area. First, parents should provide the necessary environment and opportunities for children to understand and discover what kind of strengths they have.

Second, teachers should create an atmosphere in or out of a class where students with peers could perform their potentials. This social context will help students to develop their abilities and skills. These social atmospheres also provide students to share their social and emotional feelings with others that cause students’ happiness and well-being.

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