Transcript Healthy Self-Concept

The 4 “Selves”
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Physical Self
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Attractiveness
How healthy we are
How fit we are
Are we generally good at sports and physical
exercise.
Intellectual Self
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How good we are at academic work, art, music
etc.
The 4 “Selves”
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Emotional Self
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Understanding our own feelings
Understanding others feelings
How you get on with people
How good you are at getting on with and concentrating
on work.
Social Self
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Relationships with member of your own families
Relationships with friends and colleagues.
Healthy Self-Concept
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A healthy self-concept is Flexible!
We are NEVER the same person:
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Wake up happy but grumpy by lunch.
Fascinated by conversation one minute, bored the
next.
Alertness becomes fatigue.
Because we change over time, to keep a
realistic picture of ourselves…our SELFCONCEPT MUST CHANGE!
Self-Concept Resists Change
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When confronted with facts that contradict
the mental picture we hold…our tendency is
to reject the facts and cling to the outmoded
self-perception.
Many times we will hold onto these outdated
self-perception views…even when the new
image is more favorable.
Self-Concept Resists Change
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This causes people to deny themselves a
happier life by living with these outdated
images.
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On the other hand, if you hold an
unrealistically favorable picture of yourself,
you won’t see the real need for change.
Self-Concept Resists Change
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2 options when information contradicts their
self perception:
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1. Accept the new data and change accordingly.
2. Keep the original view and refute the new
information.
Tendency is to opt for option #2 by
discounting the information and rationalizing
OR attack the person who shared it.
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This often leads to increased hard feelings and
weakened relationships.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and
Communication
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Self-Concept is a powerful force that does two
things:
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1. Determines how you see yourself in the present.
2. Influences your future behavior and that of others.
Such occurrences are called Self-Fulfilling
Prophecies.
A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy occurs when a person’s
expectation of an event makes the outcome more
likely to occur than would otherwise have been true.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and
Communication
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For Example,
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Expected to get nervous and botch an
interview…and do.
Anticipation of a good/bad time at an event and
your expectation was met.
A teacher or boss explains something to you
saying you won’t get it at first…and you don’t.
A friend says prior to meeting someone for the
first time that “you won’t like them” and you don’t.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and
Communication
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There are two types of Self-Fulfilling
Prophecies:
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1. When YOUR expectations influence your
behavior. Much like the examples before. Tell
yourself it’s a bad day…and it’s a bad day.
2. Expectations of one person governs another’s
actions. For example…
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and
Communication
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Rosenthal/Jacobson study in Pygmalion in
the Classroom:
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20% of an elementary school were reported to
their teachers as showing unusual potential for
growth. The names were drawn out of a hat,
basically. 8 months later these students showed
significantly greater gains in IQ than the others
who were NOT singled out.
So the teachers expectations impacted the
performance.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and
Communication
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This is an important force in interpersonal
communication.
It doesn’t explain all behavior and the “power
of positive thinking” is an oversimplification.
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It will not allow you to do well in an interview for a
position for which you are clearly NOT qualified.
It won’t allow you to draw an Ace in a card game
when you need it.
There are people that you will never like or enjoy,
regardless of your state of mind.