On the other hand, it is one's ability to reflect on their actions and thoughts. Self-awareness can define an individual's essence and set boundaries. Also, it can determine their relationships externally on the one hand and internally on the other. Descartes asserts that these connections shape our thoughts, which Hegel refers to as the spirit.
Self-awareness is the vessel of thoughts
In the seventeenth century, Descartes came up with an unquestionable definition of the term self-awareness as he reached the final conclusion that skepticism is the highest form of doubt. These findings served as the cornerstones of his famous saying, "I think, therefore I am."
This powerful statement formed the basis of philosophy. It defines the soul as an embedded part of the self that is beyond the human body. It also defined man as an entity distinguished by the process of thinking. This distinguished feature is what Descartes later referred to as awareness. In other words, self-awareness.
The pros and cons of self-awareness
Generally, self-awareness is perceived as a positive quality that a person has. For instance, when having small talk with someone, self-awareness can alert you that things are getting boring or that you're talking too loud.
Some people, however, believe that our first impressions of others do not matter as much to us as they do to them.
Psychologists at Toronto University conducted two studies, asking volunteers to have small talk with a stranger and then, next, to have multiple conversations with a friend or a co-worker. As a result, volunteers who knew how to impress others were happier in these encounters than those with a high level of self-awareness. They felt less impressed or excited when they realized that they had failed to make a good impression.
This is consistent with previous studies indicating that people prefer to reflect their ideal image of themselves. However, their awareness that people are judging their flaws drives them to withdraw into themselves.
Psychologists view our awareness of other people's impressions of us and how we react to them as a double-edged sword. Being aware of other people's impressions of us is not always helpful. However, self-awareness carries greater benefits for others since it forces us to modify our words and behavior based on people's reactions to us. In fact, it doesn't necessarily guarantee that we will be more socially active.
The pros of self-awareness
Similar to any other concept, self-awareness has some positive traits. It is most common in short-term emotional relationships. A survey was conducted on two types of relationships: one lasting two years and the other lasting two decades.
One finding of this survey is that those who spent two years together were less satisfied with having a relationship with a partner with a high level of self-awareness, unlike partners in relationships lasting two decades or more, who were satisfied with partners with a high level of self-awareness.
This leads us to the conclusion that people with high levels of self-awareness have trouble forming relationships with others. Hence, they have limited connections; however, when in a relationship, it lasts longer.
Getting to know someone with a high level of self-awareness would be challenging in the short term. But in the long term, the relationship may last longer. At the beginning of any relationship, people tend to look at things excessively positively. However, over time, these illusions vanish, and people show their desire to be appreciated for who they really are.
How to enhance your self-awareness?
1. Read
Reading is considered one of the most beneficial skills in various fields because of its great impact on people's ways of thinking and behavior. Also, it helps enhance their focus, look deeper into things, and understand their motives.
Reading also helps people indulge in their fantasy world, allows them to take a deeper look into things, expands their self-awareness, makes them open-minded to modern ideas, and helps them develop their personalities and skills.
It takes a long time to reap the fruits of reading. However, it will turn you upside down, as you will be able to deal with and analyze difficulties. For this, stop procrastinating and start reading for at least half an hour a week.
2. Write your diaries
As we mentioned previously, self-awareness is gained through understanding our desires and motives, analyzing them in order to deal with them appropriately, and investing them for our own good. It's important to identify your feelings and reduce their negative effects without ignoring or suppressing them. This can be done by writing your feelings down.
Writing down your feelings will help you relax and perceive things that bother you as they are. By doing so, you will become emotionally detached from those negative feelings.
3. Embrace your weaknesses
Naturally, every one of us hides his deficiencies out of pride. However, this shouldn't lead us to believe that our weaknesses represent who we are. In addition, one shouldn't allow them to reduce their self-esteem or overlook their advantages.
It is crucial for a person to move away from self-loathing. Rather, they must accept their flaws and consider them an integral part of human nature. As a result, one must focus on modifying and reforming themselves instead of pointlessly focusing on their negative aspects.
4. Avoid blaming others
One must refrain from blaming others or refusing to take responsibility for his actions. Some people tend to blame others for their own mistakes.
5. Be aware of other people's impressions
Asking your close friends to give you feedback about your overall personality is crucial to improving your level of self-awareness. When responding to such inquiries, kindness must also be taken into consideration. Consider other people's opinions, but refrain from using them as a standard by which to judge your own performance. This, in turn, helps you understand your personality more deeply.
What are the layers of self-awareness?
Psychologists have likened self-awareness to an onion in terms of layers that range from the periphery to the center. Just as our tears flow when we cut onions, each of these layers requires a lot of effort and time to reach the center of self-awareness. We can't bypass any layer, as each layer is a part of the journey. If you try to skip some layers, you will end up feeling confused and lost. Let's take a look at these layers:
- The first layer is our initial awareness of our feelings, ideas, interests, and identity.
- The second layer represents our search beyond the motives that led us to feel this way in order to deal with and process them.
- The third layer is the deepest and hardest one that can't be reached by everyone. It consists of our values and ethical, social, and practical standards, through which we make judgments and decisions, such as, What's the difference between failure and success? What's our life's highest value? These are crucial questions that need to be answered.
This last level is difficult for the average person to reach because it requires great effort and sincere intent, as it represents the standards that determine our outlook or our dealings with all existential issues. If what we go through, offer, or do is pointless or of no higher value, then this will reflect negatively on us.
In conclusion
Usually, people avoid answering deep philosophical questions in an attempt to reach the root of their pain and try to cure it. It takes a lot of knowledge, effort, and will, as it is similar to re-breaking your bone and realigning it to the anatomically correct position. It is a very painful process, but it results in great pain relief in the long run and leads to a better practical, psychological, and professional life.
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