What is Self-Image?
What is Self-Image?
Self-image (or self-concept) is the foundation of personality. It summarises the beliefs a person holds about their own abilities, potentialities and limitations.
It is the basis of people's habitual emotional state, which drives all behaviours and therefore external results.
Self-Image Shapes Behaviour
Everything we do is an expression of our self-image: the way we dress, the way we speak, the jobs we apply for, and the ones we don't.
Our self-concept places limits on our behaviours, often self-imposed.
People rarely behave in ways that contradict their self-image; when they do, they feel fake, perform badly, and quickly return to behaviours that correspond to their self-image.
Origin of the Self-Image
When babies are born, they know practically nothing; all they know is how to suckle and startle at loud noises, or being dropped.
Children very quickly start to assemble a self-concept to describe themselves to themselves.
It is formed from information given to them by parents, siblings, friends, teachers, relatives, and media, including books and films and their own decisions, often made at a very young age.
These decisions then crystallize into firm beliefs. For example, failing at a math problem might lead a child to think, "I'm no good at maths." This belief can crystallize into a conviction, shaping their motivations and actions for life, avoiding math and never developing the skills, thereby living as a non-mathematician, fully convinced that's "just the way I am".
Subconscious Beliefs Asserting Themselves
Beliefs can be classified into two different types: conscious and subconscious. You are aware of your conscious beliefs, like your views on the current government or the existence of God. However, many beliefs are subconscious.
Mental Habits
Just as we have physical habits, like tying shoelaces in the same way every day, we have mental habits that we repeat daily without ever consciously thinking about them.
Bad Habits
Some of our thinking habits are bad because they limit our self-concept, imposing unnecessary restrictions on what we allow ourselves to believe we are capable of.
These are self-imposed limitations, not genetically mediated, and they do not truly represent our potential. They are, instead, expressions of our false beliefs about what we can and cannot do.
Reframe
To improve our emotional state and perform better in all areas, we need to gain a proper perspective on our potentialities and identify and eliminate the subconscious limitations we have imposed on ourselves.
Take the Brakes Off
If we can take the brakes off our personality, we will be able to actualise our full potential, which is our ultimate aim.
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Further Reading in Personal Development
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How to Improve Yourself
If you want to be successful and achieve your life goals, you must look to your personal development. Do not be content with what you already know, improve your knowledge, your self belief and ability to get on with other people.
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What is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking involves making reasoned judgements. Don't accept all arguments and conclusions at face value. Instead develop an inquiring mentality, rational thinking and make logical connections between ideas, before making your conclusions.
Read Article > -
How to take criticism
We all make mistakes, but most of us probably don't take criticism well. Being able to use negative feedback constructively, is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself. We must also learn to give proper constructive criticism to others.
Read Article > -
Learn From Your Mistakes
Criticism is good for you. Don't get upset when you receive negative feedback, instead use the criticism to make adaptive changes. Learn from your failures and you will be on track to succeed.
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Return to work job interview skills
Return to work job interview skills People often say: "You shouldn't judge others" and "You can't judge a book by its cover" But the truth is the just the opposite. You must judge others (ie you must judge whether to do business with them or not). They must judge you...
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