THOUGHTS AND COMMENTARY
A Book Excerpt From
The Road to Neuroplasticity and Change to Heal Trauma, Improve Cognitive Capacity and Maximize Performance
ABOUT THE BOOK
Anatomy of the Self
PART 2
See Also:
Thoughts and Awareness of Self
Anatomy Of the Self: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Glossary
Your Memory Holds the Secrets
The Power of Positive Thought - Neuroplasticity
Practice Positive Self Affirmations Thoughts, Perceptions and Delusions Complexity of Human Emotion
Thoughts and Awareness of Self
Anatomy Of the Self: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Glossary
Your Memory Holds the Secrets
The Power of Positive Thought - Neuroplasticity
Practice Positive Self Affirmations Thoughts, Perceptions and Delusions Complexity of Human Emotion
Self Concept
Our self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self-structure) is a collection of beliefs about ourselves. Self-concept answers the question "Who am I?"
Our self-concept is made up of our past, present, and future selves. Self-concept is different than self-awareness. Self awareness refers to the extent to which self-knowledge is defined, consistent, and applicable to one's attitudes and dispositions. Self-concept also differs from self-esteem. Self-concept is a cognitive component of our self (“I am a fast runner"), while self-esteem evaluates and opines (“I feel good about being a fast runner").
Self-concept is made up of our self-schemas, and interacts with self-esteem, self-knowledge, and the social self to form the whole. It includes the past, present, and future selves, where future selves (or possible selves) represent our ideas of what we might become, what we would like to become, or what we are afraid of becoming. Possible selves may function as incentives for certain behavior.
The perception people have about their past or future selves relates to their perception of their current selves. The temporal self-appraisal theory theorizes that we have a tendency to maintain a positive self-evaluation by distancing ourselves from our negative self and focusing on our positive one. In addition, we have a tendency to perceive the past self less favorably. For example thinking “I'm better than I used to be.” And perceiving the future self more positively. For example “I will be better than I am now.”
Theories include:
Theory of 3 Spiritual Selves
This 3 level model of the Self consists of 3 distinct selves or dimensions of consciousness:
The Subconscious Self – this self is the driving force for our emotional sensitivity, our memory, our will to survive, and our habits. The Subconscious Self (aka 'Basic Self' or 'Lower Self') is closely connected to pieces of our physical body like our energy and functions, and is the source of our natural, basic, and instinctual drives, desires, senses, and feelings. The Subconscious Self is also known as our ‘Inner Child’ because the qualities and motives of this consciousness closely resemble the characteristics of a child. Childhood conditioning drives our subconscious, habitual beliefs, attitudes and behaviors to help in coping, self-protection and self-preservation. If our conditioning is negative we see what’s known as the ‘wounded’ inner child, where negative beliefs become part of the subconscious. This breeds negativity, fear and other distortions. Positive childhood conditioning breeds a secure playful inner child, and that creates positive energy and behavioral patterns.
The Conscious Self – The Conscious Self serves as our center for reason and will. This is where we determine choices, make decisions and execute actions. A person’s ego-personality is subconsciously controlled by the instinctual coping strategies of the Subconscious, until they are awakened to the power of conscious and responsible choice. These choices are logical and rational opposed to emotional. For example you may think before making a choice “If I choose this, what will be the effect on me or on others?”The Conscious Self (aka the ‘Aware Ego’ or ‘Healthy Adult’) is the driver of conscious, active, and positive choice for every moment. With personal responsibility, the Conscious Self provides direction, manages and cares for your body and mind. The Conscious Self skillfully guides, teaches and reassures our Subconscious Self like a parent. It helps it to understand life (reality) objectively, while allowing the Subconscious Self to express its own unique qualities. It is a balance of body, reason, feelings and intuition. The ego recognizes that there is a higher and more powerful reality acting as an influence in our lives and it begins to consciously choose to actively direct attention to this Higher Self. The ego can then be referred to as the Conscious Self.
The Higher Self - Our Higher Self (aka ‘True Self’, ‘or ‘Spiritual Self’) connects with our higher, spiritual consciousness, and drives our potential for producing soulful qualities like unconditional love, acceptance, compassion, wisdom, altruism, joy, creativity and empowerment. Through spiritual consciousness the Higher Self has the ability to coordinate all levels of the self into an effective “whole.” It seeks the highest good for you and through you good for others. The Higher Self has empathy for the Conscious Self and Subconscious Self, but works in a state of neutrality– it gently guides and supports without interfering. The Conscious Self makes its own decisions and choices and learns the lessons it needs. We can then adapt to and then grow and thrive in our environment.
The Ego / Conscious Self is like the boss and it’s empowered and motivated by the differing qualities of the employees - the Subconscious Self or the Higher Self. The ego is transformed into the Conscious Self ONLY when it has awakened to to the power of choice and surrendered to the greater power of the Higher Self. It places value and concern on those things that are positive and spiritual in nature. Due to our old distorted beliefs or habits and reactions, this metamorphosis is usually gradual yet progressive one. It takes time, effort, self-discipline and perseverence. It is normal, however, that after the Ego is awakened to choice it will switch back and forth between itself and the Conscious Self, is subject to old conditioned fears or habit patterns of the Subconscious Self.
A useful metaphor for the 3 levels of the self:
The Subconscious Self and Higher Self may be seen as like two opposing forces fighting for control of the Conscious Self. In order to live the life that we really want, one of harmony and balance, we need to consciously align our ego to the guidance and wisdom of the Higher Self.
The 3 Layers of Personality
From personality psychologist Brian Little in his book Me, Myself, and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being:
Think of our personality like those Russian wooden dolls that fit inside each other.
Harmony is not easy with these three and there will be arguments, conflict and war. The biogenic tendency is assertive and may conflict with cultural norms that allow us to blend in with those around us. But if that same biogenic feature were allowed freedom in an environment that nurtured individuality then, there would be no conflict. If you’re biogenically disagreeable, however, you might embarrass your family or be ostracized. If this is the case you are best advised to use the college years or your midlife crisis to get out in the world and away from the norms that tried to dictate your conformity.
It is important that people not feel defined by biogenics or sociogenics so they are encouraged to explore their “idiogenics.” This is where you adapt yourself to your environment without changing yourself. You may go from extroversion to introversion or you hide your “big city ideas” behind a mask when you go home to the Midwest for the holidays. Little said in an interview that declaring you’re an introvert can be self-limiting: If that’s your predetermined script for every situation then you pass up opportunities for things that are really important to you. For example Little is a gifted teacher, so he performs with the extrovert mask while he’s lecturing but in order to care for his biogenic, introversive nature, he hides before each lecture in the bathroom so he can calm down. This is an example of how our personalities aren’t a collection of traits and your personality isn’t limited to a certain “type”: Everyone has passions, backgrounds, and genetic traits that come together to form your unique identity. As Little says, “You’re like some other people and no other person.”
Our self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self-structure) is a collection of beliefs about ourselves. Self-concept answers the question "Who am I?"
Our self-concept is made up of our past, present, and future selves. Self-concept is different than self-awareness. Self awareness refers to the extent to which self-knowledge is defined, consistent, and applicable to one's attitudes and dispositions. Self-concept also differs from self-esteem. Self-concept is a cognitive component of our self (“I am a fast runner"), while self-esteem evaluates and opines (“I feel good about being a fast runner").
Self-concept is made up of our self-schemas, and interacts with self-esteem, self-knowledge, and the social self to form the whole. It includes the past, present, and future selves, where future selves (or possible selves) represent our ideas of what we might become, what we would like to become, or what we are afraid of becoming. Possible selves may function as incentives for certain behavior.
The perception people have about their past or future selves relates to their perception of their current selves. The temporal self-appraisal theory theorizes that we have a tendency to maintain a positive self-evaluation by distancing ourselves from our negative self and focusing on our positive one. In addition, we have a tendency to perceive the past self less favorably. For example thinking “I'm better than I used to be.” And perceiving the future self more positively. For example “I will be better than I am now.”
Theories include:
- Psychologically healthy people actively move away from roles created by expectations of others and instead look within themselves for validation.
- Neuroticpeople have self-concepts that do not match experiences. “They are afraid to accept their own experiences as valid, so they distort them, either to protect themselves or to win approval from others."
- The self-categorization theorydeveloped by John Turnerstates that the self-concept consists of at least two levels - a personal identity and a social one.
- Our self-evaluation relies on self-perceptions and how others perceive them.
- Self-concept can alternate rapidly between the personal and social identity.
- Children and teens begin integrating social identity into their own self-concept in elementary school by determining their position among peers.
- By age 5, acceptance from others significantly affects children's self-concept which affects their behavior and academic success.
Theory of 3 Spiritual Selves
This 3 level model of the Self consists of 3 distinct selves or dimensions of consciousness:
The Subconscious Self – this self is the driving force for our emotional sensitivity, our memory, our will to survive, and our habits. The Subconscious Self (aka 'Basic Self' or 'Lower Self') is closely connected to pieces of our physical body like our energy and functions, and is the source of our natural, basic, and instinctual drives, desires, senses, and feelings. The Subconscious Self is also known as our ‘Inner Child’ because the qualities and motives of this consciousness closely resemble the characteristics of a child. Childhood conditioning drives our subconscious, habitual beliefs, attitudes and behaviors to help in coping, self-protection and self-preservation. If our conditioning is negative we see what’s known as the ‘wounded’ inner child, where negative beliefs become part of the subconscious. This breeds negativity, fear and other distortions. Positive childhood conditioning breeds a secure playful inner child, and that creates positive energy and behavioral patterns.
The Conscious Self – The Conscious Self serves as our center for reason and will. This is where we determine choices, make decisions and execute actions. A person’s ego-personality is subconsciously controlled by the instinctual coping strategies of the Subconscious, until they are awakened to the power of conscious and responsible choice. These choices are logical and rational opposed to emotional. For example you may think before making a choice “If I choose this, what will be the effect on me or on others?”The Conscious Self (aka the ‘Aware Ego’ or ‘Healthy Adult’) is the driver of conscious, active, and positive choice for every moment. With personal responsibility, the Conscious Self provides direction, manages and cares for your body and mind. The Conscious Self skillfully guides, teaches and reassures our Subconscious Self like a parent. It helps it to understand life (reality) objectively, while allowing the Subconscious Self to express its own unique qualities. It is a balance of body, reason, feelings and intuition. The ego recognizes that there is a higher and more powerful reality acting as an influence in our lives and it begins to consciously choose to actively direct attention to this Higher Self. The ego can then be referred to as the Conscious Self.
The Higher Self - Our Higher Self (aka ‘True Self’, ‘or ‘Spiritual Self’) connects with our higher, spiritual consciousness, and drives our potential for producing soulful qualities like unconditional love, acceptance, compassion, wisdom, altruism, joy, creativity and empowerment. Through spiritual consciousness the Higher Self has the ability to coordinate all levels of the self into an effective “whole.” It seeks the highest good for you and through you good for others. The Higher Self has empathy for the Conscious Self and Subconscious Self, but works in a state of neutrality– it gently guides and supports without interfering. The Conscious Self makes its own decisions and choices and learns the lessons it needs. We can then adapt to and then grow and thrive in our environment.
The Ego / Conscious Self is like the boss and it’s empowered and motivated by the differing qualities of the employees - the Subconscious Self or the Higher Self. The ego is transformed into the Conscious Self ONLY when it has awakened to to the power of choice and surrendered to the greater power of the Higher Self. It places value and concern on those things that are positive and spiritual in nature. Due to our old distorted beliefs or habits and reactions, this metamorphosis is usually gradual yet progressive one. It takes time, effort, self-discipline and perseverence. It is normal, however, that after the Ego is awakened to choice it will switch back and forth between itself and the Conscious Self, is subject to old conditioned fears or habit patterns of the Subconscious Self.
A useful metaphor for the 3 levels of the self:
- the Conscious Self is the conductor of an orchestra
- the Subconscious Self is the orchestra itself,
- the Higher Self is the creative spark that creates the music conducted.
The Subconscious Self and Higher Self may be seen as like two opposing forces fighting for control of the Conscious Self. In order to live the life that we really want, one of harmony and balance, we need to consciously align our ego to the guidance and wisdom of the Higher Self.
The 3 Layers of Personality
From personality psychologist Brian Little in his book Me, Myself, and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being:
Think of our personality like those Russian wooden dolls that fit inside each other.
- The first layer of our personality is “biogenic,” or what your biological genes dispose you to.
- The second is the “sociogenic,” or what your environment teaches you through family.
- The third is the “idiogenic,” or the passions that you consciously choose to be really important to you and your behavior is organized around.
Harmony is not easy with these three and there will be arguments, conflict and war. The biogenic tendency is assertive and may conflict with cultural norms that allow us to blend in with those around us. But if that same biogenic feature were allowed freedom in an environment that nurtured individuality then, there would be no conflict. If you’re biogenically disagreeable, however, you might embarrass your family or be ostracized. If this is the case you are best advised to use the college years or your midlife crisis to get out in the world and away from the norms that tried to dictate your conformity.
It is important that people not feel defined by biogenics or sociogenics so they are encouraged to explore their “idiogenics.” This is where you adapt yourself to your environment without changing yourself. You may go from extroversion to introversion or you hide your “big city ideas” behind a mask when you go home to the Midwest for the holidays. Little said in an interview that declaring you’re an introvert can be self-limiting: If that’s your predetermined script for every situation then you pass up opportunities for things that are really important to you. For example Little is a gifted teacher, so he performs with the extrovert mask while he’s lecturing but in order to care for his biogenic, introversive nature, he hides before each lecture in the bathroom so he can calm down. This is an example of how our personalities aren’t a collection of traits and your personality isn’t limited to a certain “type”: Everyone has passions, backgrounds, and genetic traits that come together to form your unique identity. As Little says, “You’re like some other people and no other person.”
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View Me on Twitter @kairosoflife
See Creativity Chaos - a Creativity Blog by Kai
About | Reprints & Copyrights | Home
© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry
VIEW FULL SITE DIRECTORY