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109 Self-Awareness Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Self-awareness is a crucial skill that allows us to understand ourselves, our emotions, and our behavior. It is the key to personal growth and self-improvement. Writing an essay on self-awareness can help you explore your thoughts and feelings, and gain a deeper understanding of yourself.

To help you get started, here are 109 self-awareness essay topic ideas and examples:

• The importance of self-awareness in personal development
• How self-awareness can improve your relationships
• The role of self-awareness in leadership
• Ways to develop self-awareness
• Reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses
• Recognizing your emotions and how they impact your behavior
• How self-awareness can lead to better decision-making
• The benefits of self-awareness in the workplace
• Overcoming barriers to self-awareness
• The connection between self-awareness and emotional intelligence
• Using mindfulness to increase self-awareness
• The impact of self-awareness on mental health
• How self-awareness can help you set and achieve goals
• The relationship between self-awareness and self-esteem
• Exploring your values and beliefs
• Recognizing and challenging your self-limiting beliefs
• The role of self-awareness in personal growth
• Reflecting on your past experiences and how they have shaped you
• The connection between self-awareness and authenticity
• How self-awareness can improve your communication skills
• Recognizing patterns in your behavior and thought processes
• The impact of self-awareness on self-care practices
• Using journaling as a tool for self-reflection
• The role of feedback in increasing self-awareness
• Exploring your identity and sense of self
• Understanding your triggers and how to manage them
• The connection between self-awareness and empathy
• How self-awareness can improve your conflict resolution skills
• Recognizing and managing your stress levels
• The benefits of self-awareness in decision-making
• Reflecting on your values and how they align with your actions
• The impact of self-awareness on your physical health
• Using self-awareness to enhance your creativity
• Exploring your unconscious biases and prejudices
• The connection between self-awareness and self-acceptance
• Recognizing your communication style and how it affects your relationships
• The role of self-awareness in building resilience
• How self-awareness can help you navigate change and uncertainty
• Reflecting on your goals and aspirations
• The impact of self-awareness on your self-confidence
• Using meditation as a tool for self-reflection
• Exploring your fears and insecurities
• Recognizing your values and how they guide your decisions
• The connection between self-awareness and self-discipline
• How self-awareness can improve your problem-solving skills
• Reflecting on your achievements and areas for improvement
• The role of self-awareness in building emotional resilience
• Recognizing your strengths and how to leverage them
• The benefits of self-awareness in conflict resolution
• Exploring your emotions and how to regulate them
• The connection between self-awareness and self-compassion
• How self-awareness can improve your listening skills
• Recognizing and managing your triggers
• The impact of self-awareness on your mental well-being
• Using self-awareness to cultivate gratitude and mindfulness
• Exploring your values and how they shape your identity
• Reflecting on your communication patterns and how to improve them
• The role of self-awareness in building healthy relationships
• How self-awareness can improve your self-care practices
• Recognizing and challenging your negative self-talk
• The benefits of self-awareness in personal growth and development
• Exploring your beliefs and how they influence your behavior
• The connection between self-awareness and self-regulation
• Using reflection as a tool for self-discovery
• Recognizing your strengths and weaknesses in leadership
• The impact of self-awareness on your decision-making process
• How self-awareness can lead to greater self-acceptance
• The role of self-awareness in building emotional intelligence
• Recognizing and managing your emotions in difficult situations
• The benefits of self-awareness in building resilience
• Exploring your communication style and how it affects your relationships

These self-awareness essay topic ideas and examples can help you explore different aspects of yourself and your behavior. Whether you are writing for personal reflection or for an academic assignment, writing about self-awareness can be a powerful tool for self-discovery and personal growth.

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101 Self-Awareness Examples

Self-awareness refers to the conscious knowledge of one’s own character, emotions, desires, and motivations.

It is a key component of emotional intelligence theory and, in psychology, the two concepts are often studies as co-dependent and intricately linked (Goleman, 2018; Goleman et al., 2018).

Being self-aware can refer to the ability to be conscious of both your own behaviors and how others perceive them. For example, ability to identify and name your current emotions and identify how others are reacting to your behaviors are both examples of self-awareness.

Types of Self-Awareness: The 4 Archetypes

One well-known framework for explaining and defining self-awareness is the four archetypes model . This model argues that self-awareness can be divided into two categories: internal and external (Eurich, 2017; Eurich, 2018).

• Internal self-awareness refers to understanding your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and actions. This is an inherent introspective task and an intrapersonal skill (Carden, Jones & Passmore, 2022; Duval & Silvia, 2002).
• External self-awareness refers to understanding how others perceive your thoughts and actions. In other words, it’s the ability to be aware of your situatedness within social contexts and a key interpersonal skill (Carden, Jones & Passmore, 2022).

Based on these two types of self-awareness, Eurich has presented four ‘self-awareness archetypes’. See which one you most identify with:

Each is described below:

• Introspectors: Introspectors have high internal self-awareness, meaning they are very much aware of their own emotions. However, they’re often unaware of how others perceive them (low external self-awareness). They often don’t seek out feedback from others, which can limit their self-growth and lead to plenty of blindspots (Eurich, 2018).
• Aware: The ‘aware’ archetype is the idealized model because it represents people with very high emotional intelligence. These people are both internally and externally self-aware, meaning they will both self-reflect regularly and seek out external information and feedback to help broaden their perspectives and address blindspots (Eurich, 2018).
• Seekers: Seekers don’t think much about themselves, their emotions, thoughts, or identities. They also aren’t aware of how others perceive them. As a result, they’re often frustrated by their lack of progress (especially in terms of networking and relationships) (Eurich, 2018).
• Pleasers: Pleasers tend to be more focused on and concerned about how others perceive them than their own self-perception. By focusing too much on pleasing others, they often make decisions that aren’t in their own best interests, such as by saying ‘yes’ to too many collaborations, leading them to becoming burned-out! (Eurich, 2018)

Self-Awareness Examples

1. high internal self-awareness.

High internal self-awareness involves the understanding of one’s emotions, thoughts, and values, and how they affect behavior.

Here are 26 examples:

• Recognizing when you are under stress and understanding why.
• Knowing your strengths and how to use them optimally.
• Understanding your weaknesses and working on improving them.
• Being aware of your motivating forces.
• Knowing your personal values and how they dictate your decisions.
• Realizing when you are happiest and striving to spend more time in that state.
• Understanding your key skills and leveraging them in work and life.
• Recognizing when you are overwhelmed and taking necessary action.
• Being aware of your mood swings and managing them effectively.
• Being clear about your long-term goals and what you want in life.
• Recognizing unproductive habits and actively trying to change them.
• Understanding the impact of past experiences on current behavior.
• Knowing your physical boundaries and not pushing beyond them excessively.
• Being aware of your mental boundaries and respecting them.
• Recognizing your preferred communication style and how it impacts others.
• Acknowledging your core personal beliefs and how they shape your worldview.
• Being aware of your emotional triggers and learning to control them.
• Understanding your biases and prejudices and actively addressing them.
• Recognizing when you are out of your comfort zone and how that feels.
• Identifying preferred learning styles and methods.
• Being aware of your physical reactions to certain emotions (e.g., stress, excitement).
• Understanding your personal needs and ensuring they’re met.
• Recognizing your patterns of behavior in relationships.
• Acknowledging your personal growth over time .
• Being aware of the intensity of your emotions and how they fluctuate.
• Recognizing when you are in a positive mental state and identifying what contributed to it.

High External Self-Awareness

High external self-awareness comprises the understanding of how one is perceived by others, recognizing others’ perspectives, and adapting to different interactions or situations.

Here are 25 examples:

• Actively seeking feedback from peers , friends, or family.
• Noticing how others react to your words and actions in various contexts.
• Awareness of how your behavior influences the mood and behavior of others.
• Being considerate of others’ needs while expressing your own.
• Tailoring communication style as per the audience and situation.
• Adjusting one’s behavior to align with cultural norms or social expectations.
• Understanding how your punctuality—or lack thereof—affects others.
• Recognizing how your reactions to feedback impact the feedback giver.
• Paying attention to others’ vocal tone or nonverbal cues when interacting with you.
• Monitoring how your work style meshes with or disrupts team dynamics.
• Understanding how your leadership style is received by your subordinates.
• Figuring out how your negotiation tactics are perceived by the opposite party.
• Observing how your dress and personal presentation affects professional interactions.
• Recognizing how your emotional state influences others around you.
• Comprehending how effective your persuasion methods are in changing others’ opinions.
• Adjusting conversation topics based on listeners’ interest level.
• Determining how your customer service approach impacts customers.
• Monitoring how your social media posts are received by followers.
• Understanding how different audiences perceive your public speaking style.
• Realizing how your coaching style is accepted by your mentees.
• Noticing how people respond to your jokes or sense of humor.
• Acknowledging how your level of assertiveness is reacted to in different situations.
• Recognizing if your method of conflict resolution is effective.
• Assessing if your teaching style is resonating with students, clients, or staff.
• Evaluating how helpful or meaningful your volunteering efforts are to the intended recipients.

Low Internal Self-Awareness

Low internal self-awareness denotes a lack of understanding or consciousness about one’s own emotions, thoughts, desires, and values, as well as how these influence one’s behavior.

• Ignoring feelings of stress or anxiety without investigating their cause.
• Not knowing what truly motivates or inspires you.
• Disregarding your personal strengths and weaknesses.
• Being unaware of deep-rooted personal values.
• Misreading emotions and attributing them to incorrect causes.
• Not recognizing patterns of mood swings.
• Overlooking significant past experiences that shape present behavior.
• Being ignorant about personal set goals and life expectations.
• Overlooking physical and emotional boundaries.
• Failing to recognize the effects of negative or unproductive habits.
• Not assessing personal beliefs and how they influence perceptions.
• Lack of awareness about personal communication style and its effects.
• Ignoring emotional triggers and their control.
• Neglecting to understand personal biases and prejudices.
• Not knowing which situations or experiences take you out of your comfort zone.
• Overlooking preferred learning styles and methods.
• Underestimating the intensity and range of your emotions.
• Ignoring personal needs and neglecting self-care.
• Neglecting your patterns of behavior in relationships.
• Underestimating the impact of your actions on others.
• Missing the recognition of personal growth over time.
• Being unaware of physical reactions in response to certain emotions.
• Failing to recognize the power and control of your thoughts.
• Being dismissive of the importance of reflection and introspection.
• Overlooking the potential for personal development and self-improvement.

Low External Self-Awareness

Low external self-awareness refers to a deficit in understanding how one is seen by others and how one’s behavior impacts them.

• Neglecting to seek feedback or acknowledging it when provided.
• Failing to notice reactions or feedback to one’s behavior from others.
• Being blind to the effect one’s emotional state has on people around.
• Showcasing a lack of consideration of how your actions affect others’ needs or feelings.
• Ignoring the suitability of one’s communication style for various situations and audiences.
• Overlooking how others react to your punctuality habits.
• Not recognizing how your reactions to feedback affect the person providing it.
• Disregarding others’ perspectives or failing to take them into account in decision making.
• Ignoring how your behavior or actions alter team dynamics.
• Not understanding how your leadership style affects team members’ motivation and productivity.
• Failing to notice the implications of your negotiation style on the outcome of agreements.
• Ignoring the impact of personal appearance on professional interactions.
• Overlooking how your emotional transparency affects the emotional state of others.
• Ignoring how your behavior might differ from social norms or expectations .
• Disregarding the impact of your sense of humor on others.
• Neglecting to adjust your communication methods based on signals from listeners.
• Ignoring the influence of your customer service approach on customers.
• Failing to recognize how your social media presence impacts others.
• Neglecting the effectiveness of your public speaking style on diverse audiences.
• Overlooking the effect of your coaching style on your mentees.
• Ignoring the reactions of others based on your level of assertiveness.
• Failing to recognize if conflict resolution techniques effectively resolves disputes.
• Overlooking student feedback or response to teaching methods.
• Ignoring how your actions and behaviors align with societal expectations.
• Neglecting whether your volunteering efforts are impactful to recipients.

The Benefits of Self-Awareness

The benefits of self-awareness are profound and far-reaching, profoundly impacting various aspects of life.

Some key benefits include enhanced decision-making , relationship-building, personal and professional growth, stress management, and emotional health. Each is outlined below:

• Relationships and Interpersonal Skills: Having high internal and external self-awareness means you’re tuned not just into your own actions and emotions but also those of the people around you. This can help predict and respond appropriately to others’ behaviors, needs, and emotions, strengthening and deepening your relationships.
• Personal and professional growth: By understanding your strengths, weaknesses, core values , and areas that need improvement, you can develop strategies to bolster your skills and address areas of weakness. In a professional context, this might translate to choosing projects that align with your strengths or opting for upskilling in areas where you’re not as confident.
• Stress management : Recognizing your emotional and physical reactions to stress can help you develop effective coping mechanisms. Whether it’s understanding that a walk outdoors can calm your mind or realizing that speaking about your challenges helps relieve stress, these strategies are borne out of self-awareness.
• Emotional health: Self-awareness lets you better understand and manage your own emotions, leading to improved psychological well-being. Take, for example, developing clarity about sleep patterns, foods, exercise patterns, or actions that affect your mood. This self-awareness can help you to make life decisions that can manage your emotions more effectively. Decoding your emotional responses leads to better resilience and overall emotional health.

Key Points in this Article

• There are two main types of self-awareness: internal and external.
• Internal refers to your awareness of your own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
• External refers to your awareness of how others are interpreting you, your mannerisms, and your behaviors.
• Academics have identified for self-assessment archetypes: the ‘introspectors’, ‘pleasers’, ‘aware’, and ‘seekers’.
• Self-awareness can help you improve your relationships and interpersonal skills and grow as a person and a professional.
• It can also help you manage your stress and build resilience.

Ashley, G. C., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2012). Self-awareness and the evolution of leaders: The need for a better measure of self-awareness.  Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management ,  14 (1), 2-17.

Carden, J., Jones, R. J., & Passmore, J. (2022). Defining self-awareness in the context of adult development: A systematic literature review.  Journal of Management Education ,  46 (1), 140-177. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562921990065

Duval, T. S., & Silvia, P. J. (2002). Self-awareness, probability of improvement, and the self-serving bias .  Journal of personality and social psychology ,  82 (1), 49. Doi: https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.82.1.49

Eurich, T. (2017).  Insight: Why we’re not as self-aware as we think, and how seeing ourselves clearly helps us succeed at work and in life . London: Currency.

Eurich, T. (2018). What self-awareness really is (and how to cultivate it).  Harvard Business Review ,  4 .

Goleman, D. (2018). What makes a leader?. In  Military leadership  (pp. 39-52). Routledge.

Goleman, D., Kaplan, R. S., David, S., & Eurich, T. (2018).  Self-Awareness (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series) . Harvard Business Press.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

1 thought on “101 Self-Awareness Examples”

I love this article, it summarises serveral years of research and documents on the subject into a single capsule of knowledge that is rich in depth. I believe that this can be used as a road map to the priceless treasure mine of becoming self aware.

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What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)

• Tasha Eurich

Although most people believe that they are self-aware, true self-awareness is a rare quality. In this piece, the author describes a recent large-scale investigation that shed light on some of the biggest roadblocks, myths, and truths about what self-awareness really is — and what it takes to cultivate it. Specifically, the study found that there are actually two distinct types of self-awareness, that experience and power can hinder self-awareness, and that introspection doesn’t always make you more self-aware. Understanding these key points can help leaders learn to see themselves more clearly.

It’s not just about introspection.

Self-awareness seems to have become the latest management buzzword — and for good reason. Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative . We make sounder decisions , build stronger relationships , and communicate more effectively . We’re less likely to lie, cheat, and steal . We are better workers who get more promotions . And we’re more-effective leaders with more-satisfied employees and more-profitable companies .

• TE Tasha Eurich , PhD, is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is the principal of The Eurich Group, a boutique executive development firm that helps companies — from startups to the Fortune 100 — succeed by improving the effectiveness of their leaders and teams. Her newest book, Insight , delves into the connection between self-awareness and success in the workplace.

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13 Self-Awareness Examples You See Throughout Life

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When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror?  

Recently, my family and I were at a local fun fair, and we happened to walk past the funny mirrors. You know the ones that distort your reflection and make you really tall, extra wide, or all bent and upside-down looking. I was struck by how clumsy we all look , and it was one of the few self awareness examples that really made sense to me. 

We are often not aware of how our reflections, or the imprint of us, are twisted by the world around us. To really control your reflection or self, you need to be really aware and connected to yourself, your world, and the people around you. 

But exactly what is self awareness and how do you use it to live a fuller life that is authentic to who you are? Let’s find out.

Table of Contents

What Is Self Awareness? 

To be self aware means you are fully aware of your character , what your motivations are, your desires, and how you are feeling in each moment. It’s quite a mouthful, but the simple truth is that self awareness is about knowing yourself and what you feel, think, experience, and are worthy of. 

Self awareness is the catalyst for change , and if you can’t see yourself in the mirror of life , you will never be able to straighten out your own reflection—you will keep on being bent and twisted by the world around you. 

Why Is Being Self Aware Important? 

Being self aware is the key to initiating change . When I was standing at the funny mirrors, I could decide to step out of the reflection area of one mirror into the next if I didn’t like the reflection I was seeing. But, I had to see myself before I could take action and choose what I wanted.

Without self awareness , you are sailing blindly through life, not choosing, merely falling downhill.  

Your self awareness is a bit like the onboard computer of your car—it helps you diagnose when your engine or existence is no longer idling authentically. Instead of purring through life, you are spluttering, and you don’t even know it. 

If you don’t check yourself and reclaim self awareness, you will keep struggling needlessly through life. You have the power to find your authentic self and take the necessary steps to protect your self awareness. 

Self awareness identifies where there are problems in your life . With self awareness examples, you can learn how to live your best life. 

13 Self Awareness Examples 

There are several ways in which you can practice and increase self awareness . Examples of self awareness include:  

1. Growth Mindset

Being self aware means you can see where you are not a fully grown person yet. With self awareness, you begin to see how many aspects of your life work together, and you are then better able to grow these.  

Having a growth mindset is vital for self awareness to really pay dividends on your life journey. Your self awareness allows you to use growth ideas in your own life. Like a gardener who knows which soil is right for a particular plant, you need to be self aware so you will know what growth ideals (plants) will work in your life (garden).

Action: To develop a growth mindset , you need to fully explore your life . Use and develop your self awareness by reflecting on what part of your life is still underdeveloped . Next, select a “plant” that you can cultivate here. If you are lonely, you can choose to join clubs or interest groups to meet new people.  Of course, you need to be self aware and practice self-reflection to really see where you are lacking and not just go through life in sulk mode.  

2. Discover Your Habits 

Do you do things without even knowing you do? We all do—this is called using a habit . This is great news if you don’t want to concentrate on a mundane task, like making coffee or vacuuming; but, it’s not so great if your habits are destructive or harmful to yourself or others.

When you are aware of the things you do without thinking, you are better able to own these habits , examine them, keep the good ones, and get rid of the bad ones. But how do you see a habit you don’t even know is there? You become more mindful .

Start practicing mindfulness activities like meditation , breathing , and yoga . By becoming more self aware and mindful of the things you do without thinking. Knowing what you do (especially when you don’t normally pay attention) will help you become more aware of who you are and what you do. 

Action: Begin with some mindful breathing exercises each morning, and notice how you feel with each breath. Next, pay attention to what you are doing at each moment. It may be a simple awareness that you raise your head when you breathe in or you can discover a more profound habit that you didn’t know about like blinking repeatedly when someone makes you nervous.   Write down each of the habits you discover and state whether they are good or bad or neutral. Some habits are driven by anxiety and can become destructive so you need to be aware of these, identify them, and then work on changing them.

3. Create Boundaries

We may be taught that boundaries are a bad thing, but in your own life, setting up some barriers that keep things or people in or out can make or break you. The concept of a boundary may be quite simple, but it’s the application or stepping up to defend that boundary when it’s being threatened that indicates real self awareness. 

If you have a boundary in place to keep strangers out of your physical and mental space, you need to police that boundary or it is meaningless (and worthless to your development). But the best way to enforce a boundary is to warn someone off before they cross the line. 

To do this, you need an early warning system that will sound the alarm and let you know you need to act. Your self awareness is that alarm system . 

Action: Think about the boundaries you have in your life (and the ones you need in your life). Write them down, if that helps. How would you take action to defend that boundary if it is being threatened? Write down the appropriate response that makes sense to you.  This is also a great exercise in discovering how indoctrinated you are by societal norms . Don’t let a valuable boundary go or hang back on acting when that boundary is crossed simply because of the notion of being polite or what’s accepted. Your boundaries, your rules.  

4. Your Thoughts Become Actions

It may seem like such an obvious example of self awareness, but knowing and practicing the idea of your thoughts becoming actions is easier said than done. What you think has power, especially if you are aware of those thoughts.

However, the thoughts you aren’t aware of can be even more damaging if you don’t practice your self awareness and develop a deeper sense of awareness for your mind. 

When you know your thoughts, you can take steps to help good ideas manifest and prevent poor ideas from ruining your life. Self awareness gives you the wisdom to know which thoughts are good and which are bad.

Action: When you are alone, start thinking out loud . Narrate your life, paying attention to the words that tumble from your mouth. What you say is what you’ve been thinking . The way you say things is also very revealing of your mental state .  When you are self aware, you will pick up on a negative “tone” of thoughts , and you will be better able to take action to remedy whatever is going on. If your thoughts go unnoticed , you may steer off a mental cliff without heeding the warning.

5. Discover Your Triggers

We all have triggers —emotional fuses that quickly trip when we find ourselves in a situation that we can’t accept. The result of a trigger being set off is that you may become quite irrational and act in a way that’s not in your best interest. 

The only way to head off a trigger is to see that it’s sending off warning signs. Being self aware is how you detect your emotional temperature and can sense a trigger is about to erupt. Knowing where your triggers are, what it takes to trip them, and being mindful of your response to a trigger situation can help you remain calm under pressure. 

A level-headed and calm individual is in touch with their triggers and they know what to do to remain calm and responsible. But how do you discover your triggers? It’s not like you can simply buy an instruction manual for your triggers.

Action: Reflection and introspection can build your self awareness. When you’ve come through a serious argument or challenging event, ask yourself what set you off . Try to think logically about the incident and look for evidence (not blame), so you can discover what makes you zing.  If you’re still stuck, you can ask a close friend if they’ve seen any triggers that they know sets you off. Once the triggers are identified, list the events or contributing factors that lead to the trigger snapping. Now plan what you’ll do next time the same set of events or incidents happen that triggered you. 

6. Ask Why 

Life is a mad rush , and most days you are probably barely keeping head above water with your career, social life, responsibilities, and more. The result is that you may have gone onto autopilot, and you may be stuck there . 

Instead of questioning your life and daily experiences and thoughts, you are simply soldiering on. You stopped asking why and simply accepted everything. When you no longer live your life with intent, resentment forms inside you due to a complete lack of self awareness. 

Start asking a very important question: why?  

When you begin to question life and what happens to and because of you, it will boost the development of your self awareness . Ask why you didn’t get a promotion at work. Ask why you are not unhappy to have missed out on the promotion (maybe you didn’t want it). Question life and how you should respond to it. 

Action: Remind yourself to ask why whenever you need to make a decision or take an action. Give yourself thinking time by waiting three seconds before you answer or do something. Those precious three seconds will give you enough time for your brain to kick into self awareness mode and reflect on the “why” before you do something simply to please others. 

7. Adjust Your Inner Child

Many of us didn’t have the most appropriate or perfect childhoods . As a result, we struggle with issues that affect our inner child or our sense of innocence and trust . When you go through life as an adult denying the injuries their inner child suffered , you will always battle a feeling of not being authentic and not being accepted for who you truly are. 

Self awareness helps you develop a clearer understanding of your inner child’s needs. When your inner child has adjusted to who you are now as an adult , you become more empowered to succeed. When you don’t take ownership of yourself and your subconscious self (your inner child), you will always feel like you are hiding behind a mask. 

Action: Create a safe space for your inner child to come out and feel welcomed. Your self awareness can help you communicate with your inner child and learn about yourself, acknowledging the parts of yourself you had previously ignored.  Take your inner child on a date, explore creativity, and dream about your childhood, seeing it in a rainbow hue where change is always possible .  

8. Embrace Empathy

A huge example of self awareness that we all need to develop is the ability to be empathetic to others. We can only see others authentically and have empathy with their lives when we can see ourselves clearly. 

Self awareness can create an example of living by letting you see yourself, accept yourself for who you are, and show empathy to yourself. When you see and feel yourself, you can show empathy and understanding with others. 

Action: Have a mirror conversation. Sit by a mirror, staring deeply into your own eyes. Wait patiently as your mind connects to your self awareness and your inner child. When you doubt yourself, share comfort. And when you feel foolish, assure yourself you are valued and looking at yourself in the mirror isn’t a waste of time.  Finally, share empathy with yourself. Accept your pain, experiences, and feelings. 

9. Let Go of Past Experiences and Work on Facts

If you’ve failed in the past, you know that experience can make you hide from opportunity . You doubt your abilities because the past was a flop. However, you can also live with hope and push harder for future success. 

Your self awareness is vital to letting go of a negative expectation that came from a past failure and instead focusing on who you are now and what you can do now. Knowing yourself is vital to letting go of the past and focusing on what is (not what was). 

Action: Make a list of all the past successes you’ve had. Add big or small successes, such as when you won the coloring competition at school or when you successfully changed a flat tire on your own. This is you in all the glorious ups and downs . Even mistakes were learning opportunities .  Draw the successes and failures into your awareness. Now list the current tasks and events. How will you succeed? What will you do if you fail? Self awareness guides you like a kind teacher, so listen. 

10. Ask others how they see you

We are naturally biased in favor of ourselves. We tend to believe we are good, kind, loving, or, sometimes, perfect humans. We really don’t like it when someone makes negative comments about  our personalities  and behaviors.

For instance, you may feel offended if people in your social circle say you’re arrogant, selfish, self-absorbed, abrasive, or withdrawn. Getting upset is easy if  how others see you contradict how you see yourself .

As part of increasing self-awareness, you must find out how the world sees you. Here’s what to do. Ask your friends and family members to provide honest and unbiased feedback about your personality.

Do so with an open mind and be prepared to hear positive and unflattering opinions. The feedback will help give you a more accurate image of yourself.

Getting a third-party view of yourself  helps you to be mindful of how you interact with and treat others . You may be encouraged to adjust behavior that causes conflict or prevents you from building healthy relationships. If you’re seen as a  people-pleaser , then changing that trait could prevent people from taking advantage of you.

11. Keep checking in with yourself

We experience a variety of emotions on a daily basis depending on what’s going on in our environment. Those emotions such as happiness, anger, sadness, guilt, and embarrassment often influence our behavior within ourselves and around others.

Checking in with yourself throughout the day is  one way to be mindful of the emotions you’re experiencing . Ask yourself,  ‘How am I feeling right now?”  Own the feeling instead of trying to bury or push it away. If you’re sad, say,  “I feel sad.”  Next, search your mind to figure out what’s triggering the feeling.

After identifying the trigger, brainstorm what you can do to improve your mood. The remedy might be a walk outdoors,  meditating , journaling, or listening to healing music.

Being in touch with your feelings can also  serve as a guide  on when  to do  or  not do something . Maybe you are scheduled to meet your friend but you’re not feeling enthusiastic about going. It’s okay to reschedule rather than to go and feel miserable throughout the activity.

12. Get to know your strengths and weaknesses

As you continue to discover yourself, take note of your strengths and weaknesses. These include employment skills and personal strengths, such as an ability to influence others. Maybe you’re creative, reliable, punctual, determined, a good listener, or a problem-solver.

Getting to know yourself in these areas  helps you better understand your capabilities and your limitations . The information can guide you in making good decisions or asking for help in situations that are beyond you. You’ll learn where you need to improve, grow to appreciate yourself more, and even feel a lot more confident.

Here’s a helpful exercise. Consider writing down/listing your strengths and weaknesses in a  bullet journal . Later, you can itemize thoughts, emotions, or events that cause you to give in to your weaknesses. Reflect on what you wrote and determine how you can overcome them.

Another exercise is figuring out how to harness or use your strengths in ways that don’t leave you at a disadvantage. For example, being a detail-oriented person  (employment strength)  could result in submitting projects late  (a disadvantage) .

13. Trust your intuition

Each of us has intuitive abilities or an ability   to know, understand, or discern something  without stopping to reason or having any direct evidence .

It’s almost near psychic as it extends past the rational mind and into areas of sensing and feeling.  People with high empathy , or empaths, appear to know things intuitively such as when someone is confused, upset, or hurt.

Some people trust their intuition or ‘ gut instinct’  to make decisions or decide how to interact with the world more than others do. Those decisions may go against rational or logical thinking.

How often do you rely on your natural ability to figure something out or know what’s about to happen? Do you often dismiss intuitive thoughts or revelations as nonsense? To be in tune with your intuition as you increase  internal self-awareness , start paying attention to the  information coming from your five senses .

What does it tell you to do? As long as it is safe to do, test your hunches and see if your intuition was spot on. Beyond that, embracing and trusting your intuition can  keep you out of harm’s  way or  align you with positive outcomes .

Final Thoughts on Self Awareness Examples 

There are many examples of self awareness that we can discover every day if we are just willing to open our eyes and look. For me, the revelation that I could move out of situations that made me feel strange happened when I looked at my twisted reflection in the fun fair’s mirrors. 

You can literally look at your reflection , see your life laid bare and choose to embrace self awareness… using this almost naked experience to learn and grow. Being self aware is the first step in the journey to being resilient, confident, and successful.  Part of your self awareness journey can include taking a personality test .

You may be surprised at what you discover! You can also read up on apps for mental health , which can be a tremendously helpful tool as well to help keep you centered and focused.

And if you're looking for more resources on self-awareness, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 15 Signs Someone Has a Lack of Self-Awareness
• 11 Steps to Be More Self-Aware Throughout Your Life
• 12 Self-Awareness Activities for Kids & Young Students

Unlock Your Potential: Essay About Self Awareness and Growth

Self-awareness is the foundation of personal growth and development. It is the ability to reflect on oneself, identify one’s strengths and weaknesses, and understand how one’s actions and emotions affect others. Self-awareness is a skill …

Written by: Larry Carter

Published on: August 21, 2023

Self-awareness is the foundation of personal growth and development. It is the ability to reflect on oneself, identify one’s strengths and weaknesses, and understand how one’s actions and emotions affect others. Self-awareness is a skill that can be developed and cultivated over time, and its benefits are immeasurable.

In this essay, we will explore the concept of self-awareness and its importance in unlocking an individual’s potential for success. We will discuss how self-awareness contributes to personal growth , emotional intelligence, and better relationships. We will also provide practical activities and strategies that can promote self-awareness and enhance one’s personal and professional life.

Key Takeaways:

• Self-awareness is a crucial component of personal growth and development.
• It involves reflecting on oneself, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and understanding how one’s actions and emotions affect others.
• Self-awareness can be developed and cultivated over time.
• It contributes to emotional intelligence and better relationships.
• Practical activities and strategies can promote self-awareness and enhance one’s personal and professional life.

The Power of Self Awareness

Self-awareness is a crucial component of personal growth and development. It involves having a clear understanding of one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The ability to reflect on oneself and identify strengths and weaknesses is essential for achieving success and fulfillment.

Developing self-awareness requires specific skills and techniques. One of the most critical skills is the ability to observe oneself without judgment. This means accepting one’s thoughts and feelings without labeling them as good or bad. It allows individuals to gain clarity on their emotions and thought patterns and make more conscious decisions.

Another essential skill for self-awareness is self-reflection. Taking time to reflect on one’s actions and behaviors is an effective way to identify patterns and triggers that may be hindering personal growth . Journaling, meditation, and mindfulness practices are powerful tools for self-reflection.

The Benefits of Self Awareness

Self-awareness contributes to personal growth in many ways. It enables individuals to identify their strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies to improve in areas that need work. It also enhances emotional intelligence, which helps in navigating relationships both personally and professionally.

Self-aware individuals take responsibility for their actions and decisions and are accountable for their mistakes. This mindset leads to greater self-confidence and a willingness to take risks and pursue opportunities. It also fosters a growth mindset, which is essential for continual improvement.

The Connection between Self Awareness and Personal Growth

Self-awareness is strongly linked to personal growth and development. It allows individuals to identify limiting beliefs and behaviors and reframe their mindset. This shift in thinking opens up new possibilities and opportunities for growth and development.

Individuals with high levels of self-awareness tend to have a higher sense of purpose and direction. They are more likely to set and achieve goals and take actions that align with their values and passions. This, in turn, leads to greater fulfillment and success in life .

Overall, self-awareness is a powerful tool for personal growth and development. It enables individuals to unlock their full potential and achieve success in all areas of life.

Self Awareness and Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness is a critical component of emotional intelligence, which refers to an individual’s ability to recognize and manage their emotions effectively. It involves understanding one’s own emotions and how they affect one’s behavior, thoughts, and responses to different situations.

When individuals have a high level of self-awareness, they are better equipped to manage their emotions and interpersonal relationships. They can recognize their strengths and weaknesses, which allows them to make better decisions and take appropriate actions to achieve their goals. Additionally, self-awareness allows individuals to understand how their emotions impact others, which can lead to improved communication and collaboration.

For instance, a leader with high emotional intelligence and self-awareness can communicate more effectively with their team members, understand their perspectives, and build stronger relationships. Similarly, an individual with self-awareness may be better able to manage stress and make decisions that align with their values and goals.

“Emotions are information, and self-awareness is the key to unlocking the potential of that information.” – Marc Brackett

Examples of Self Awareness

Self-awareness can manifest in different ways and impact various aspects of an individual’s life. Here are a few examples of how self-awareness has helped people achieve personal growth and success:

These examples illustrate how self-awareness can have a positive impact on an individual’s personal and professional life . By practicing self-awareness and understanding its benefits, individuals can unlock their full potential and achieve success in all areas of their lives.

Cultivating Self Awareness: Activities and Strategies

Cultivating self-awareness is not an easy process, but it is worth the effort. Here are some practical activities and strategies that individuals can use to enhance their self-awareness:

1. Journaling

Journaling is a powerful tool for self-reflection and self-discovery. It can help individuals identify patterns in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and gain insights into their values and beliefs. Set aside some time each day to jot down your thoughts and experiences, and reflect on them regularly to gain a deeper understanding of yourself.

2. Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment and paying attention to one’s thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. It can help individuals become more aware of their internal experiences and develop greater self-acceptance. Mindfulness practices can include meditation , yoga, and deep breathing exercises.

3. Self-Reflection Exercises

Self-reflection exercises can help individuals gain a deeper understanding of their values, beliefs, and goals. These exercises can include asking yourself thought-provoking questions, reflecting on past experiences, or visualizing your ideal self. The key is to be honest with yourself and approach the exercises with an open mind.

4. Seek Feedback

Asking for feedback from others can be a valuable way to gain a new perspective on oneself. It can help individuals identify blind spots and areas for improvement. However, it is important to seek feedback from people who are supportive and constructive, and to approach it with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

By engaging in these activities and strategies, individuals can cultivate greater self-awareness and unlock their full potential for personal growth and success.

Reflecting on Personal Growth Through Self Awareness

Self-awareness is a critical component of personal growth and development. Through self-reflection and introspection, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, values and beliefs, and emotions and behaviors. This awareness can help individuals make better decisions, improve relationships, and achieve their goals.

Benefits of Self Awareness

Self-awareness provides numerous benefits for individuals seeking personal growth. It can help individuals better understand their thoughts and emotions, which can lead to more effective decision-making and problem-solving. By recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, individuals can work to improve areas of weakness and capitalize on their strengths to achieve success. Additionally, self-awareness can lead to improved relationships, as individuals who understand themselves better are better able to understand and relate to others.

Cultivating Self Awareness

Cultivating self-awareness requires intentional effort and practice. There are several activities and strategies that individuals can use to enhance their self-awareness, such as journaling, mindfulness practices, self-reflection exercises, and seeking feedback from others. It’s essential to establish a regular practice of self-reflection to gain a deeper understanding of oneself and the world around them.

The Journey of Self Awareness

Self-awareness is a lifelong journey that requires continuous effort and dedication. It’s not a destination that can be reached overnight but rather an ongoing process of self-discovery. The journey of self-awareness can be challenging at times, as individuals may uncover uncomfortable truths about themselves. However, the benefits of self-awareness far outweigh any temporary discomfort, and the journey can lead to a more fulfilling and successful life.

By reflecting on personal growth through self-awareness, individuals can unlock their potential for success and fulfillment. Through intentional effort and practice, individuals can cultivate and enhance their self-awareness, leading to better decision-making, improved relationships, and personal growth. It’s time to embark on your own journey of self-discovery and self-awareness, and unlock your potential for success.

Q: What is self-awareness?

A: Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one’s own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It involves being conscious of oneself and being aware of how one’s actions and feelings impact oneself and others.

Q: Why is self-awareness important?

A: Self-awareness is important because it allows individuals to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their strengths, weaknesses, and values. It helps in making informed decisions, improving relationships, and achieving personal growth and success.

Q: How can self-awareness unlock an individual’s potential?

A: By being self-aware, individuals can identify their strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to leverage their strengths and work on areas that require improvement. This self-knowledge empowers them to set meaningful goals, make better choices, and tap into their full potential.

Q: What are some benefits of self-awareness?

A: Self-awareness brings numerous benefits, including improved self-confidence, better emotional regulation, enhanced communication skills, increased empathy, and stronger relationships. It also aids in stress management and fosters personal and professional growth.

Q: How can individuals develop their self-awareness?

A: Developing self-awareness requires intentional effort. Some strategies include practicing self-reflection, journaling, seeking feedback from others, engaging in mindfulness practices, and being open to self-discovery. It is an ongoing process that can be nurtured through continuous self-evaluation and self-improvement.

Q: Can you provide examples of self-awareness in action?

A: Certainly! Examples of self-awareness include individuals who recognize their triggers and manage their emotions effectively, those who are aware of their communication style and adapt it to different situations, and people who are mindful of their strengths and weaknesses and use that knowledge to achieve personal and professional goals.

Q: What are some activities and strategies to cultivate self-awareness?

A: There are several activities and strategies that can help cultivate self-awareness. These include keeping a journal to reflect on thoughts and emotions, practicing mindfulness to stay present in the moment, engaging in self-reflection exercises, seeking feedback from trusted individuals, and exploring personal values and beliefs.

Q: How does self-awareness relate to emotional intelligence?

A: Self-awareness is a key component of emotional intelligence. It involves recognizing and understanding one’s own emotions, as well as how those emotions impact thoughts, behaviors, and relationships. Self-awareness is the foundation for self-management and empathy, two other crucial aspects of emotional intelligence.

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What Is Self-Awareness?

Development, Types, and How to Improve

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

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Self-Consciousness

Frequently asked questions.

Self-awareness is your ability to perceive and understand the things that make you who you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. Essentially, it is a psychological state in which the self becomes the focus of  attention .

While self-awareness is central to who you are, it is not something you are acutely focused on at every moment of every day. Instead, self-awareness becomes woven into the fabric of who you are and emerges at different points depending on the situation and your personality .​

It is one of the first components of the  self-concept  to emerge. People are not born completely self-aware. Yet evidence suggests that infants do have a rudimentary sense of self-awareness.

Infants possess the awareness that they are separate beings from others, which is evidenced by behaviors such as the rooting reflex in which an infant searches for a nipple when something brushes against their face. Researchers have also found that even newborns are able to differentiate between self- and non-self touch.

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Self-Awareness Development

Studies have demonstrated that a more complex sense of self-awareness emerges around one year of age and becomes much more developed by approximately 18 months of age. Researchers Lewis and Brooks-Gunn performed studies looking at how self-awareness develops.

The researchers applied a red dot to an infant's nose and then held the child up to a mirror. Children who recognized themselves in the mirror would reach for their own noses rather than the reflection in the mirror, which indicated that they had at least some level of self-awareness.

Lewis and Brooks-Gunn found that almost no children under one year of age would reach for their own nose rather than the reflection in the mirror.

About 25% of the infants between 15 and 18 months reached for their own noses while about 70% of those between 21 and 24 months did so.

It is important to note that the Lewis and Brooks-Gunn study only indicates an infant's visual self-awareness; children might actually possess other forms of self-awareness even at this early point in life. For example, researchers Lewis, Sullivan, Stanger, and Weiss suggested that  expressing emotions  involves self-awareness as well as an ability to think about oneself in relation to other people.

Researchers have proposed that an area of the brain known as the anterior cingulate cortex located in the frontal lobe region plays an important role in developing self-awareness. Studies have also used brain imaging to show that this region becomes activated in adults who are self-aware.

The Lewis and Brooks-Gunn experiment suggests that self-awareness begins to emerge in children around the age of 18 months, an age that coincides with the rapid growth of spindle cells in the anterior cingulate cortex.

However, one study found that a patient retained self-awareness even with extensive damage to areas of the brain including the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex.

This suggests that these areas of the brain are not required for most aspects of self-awareness and that awareness may instead arise from interactions distributed among brain networks.

Levels of Self-Awareness

So how exactly do children become aware of themselves as separate beings? One major theory of self-awareness, introduced by developmental psychologist Philippe Rochat, suggests that there are five levels of self-awareness. Children progress through these stages between birth and approximately age 4 or 5:

• Differentiation : A baby begins to acknowledge their own reflection. They may detect there is something different or special about looking at their reflection.
• Situation : A baby begins to recognize their own reflection, being, and movements as separate from those around them.
• Identification : This is the stage during which a child fully knows that it is their own reflection in a mirror. They know, "This is me ."
• Permanence : They have a complete sense of themselves and can identify themselves in pictures or videos, even as their appearance changes.
• Self-consciousness : A child adapts a third-person point of view of themselves; they become aware of the idea that others perceive them in certain ways. This may result in feelings such as pride or shame.

Types of Self-Awareness

Psychologists often break self-awareness down into two different types, either public or private.

Public Self-Awareness

This type emerges when people are aware of how they appear to others. Public self-awareness typically emerges in situations when people are at the center of attention.

This type of self-awareness often compels people to adhere to social norms . When we are aware that we are being watched and evaluated, we often try to behave in ways that are socially acceptable and desirable.

Public self-awareness can also lead to evaluation anxiety in which people become distressed, anxious, or worried about how they are perceived by others.

Public Self-Awareness Examples

You may experience public self-awareness in the workplace, when you're giving a big presentation. Or, you may experience it when telling a story to a group of friends.

Private Self-Awareness

This type happens when people become aware of some aspects of themselves, but only in a private way. For example, seeing your face in the mirror is a type of private self-awareness.

Private Self-Awareness Examples

Feeling your stomach lurch when you realize you forgot to study for an important test or feeling your heart flutter when you see someone you are attracted to are also examples of private self-awareness.

How to Improve Your Self-Awareness

So how do you grow self-awareness? There are many ways you can practice being present with yourself and your emotions, which, in turn, can help improve your self-awareness.

Meditation can be an especially useful practice because you don't have to worry about changing anything—simply noticing what happens during a meditation can bring greater awareness of your thoughts and feelings.

Maybe you notice that you hold tension in your body by clenching your jaw, for instance, or that you tend to worry so much about the future that it's hard to be in the present moment. This is all valuable information that can help you get to know yourself and your tendencies.

Journaling is a practice in self-reflection that can help you notice the ways in which you tend to think and behave, and even which areas in your life you may wish to improve. It can be a therapeutic way to gain insight into your life events and relationships.

Talk Therapy

During therapy—such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—a therapist works with you to address negative thought patterns or behaviors.

By understanding the underlying cause of your negative thoughts, for instance, you're in a more advantageous position to change them and use healthy coping mechanisms instead.

Develop Your Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) go hand in hand. EQ refers to a person's ability to perceive their own emotions as well as the emotions of other people. Someone with a high EQ is able to effectively respond to emotions with empathy and compassion.

Of course, no one is perfect, and EQ is a skill like any other. But by learning to express your own emotions in a healthy way, and practicing active listening in your relationships, you're contributing to the expansion of your own self-awareness as well.

Try Our EQ Test

Our fast and free EQ test can help you determine whether or not your responses to certain situations in life indicate a high level of emotional intelligence:

Sometimes, people can become overly self-aware and veer into what is known as self-consciousness. Have you ever felt like everyone was watching you, judging your actions, and waiting to see what you will do next? This heightened state of self-awareness can leave you feeling awkward and nervous in some instances.

In a lot of cases, these feelings of self-consciousness are only temporary and arise in situations when we are "in the spotlight." For some people, however, excessive self-consciousness can reflect a chronic condition such as social anxiety disorder .

While self-awareness plays a critical role in how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others and the world, excessive self-consciousness can result in challenges such as anxiety and stress .

If you struggle with self-consciousness, discuss your symptoms with a doctor or mental health professional to learn more about what you can do to cope with these feelings.

Being self-aware is all about having an understanding of your own thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs, and actions. It means that you understand who you are, what you want, how you feel, and why you do the things that you do.

There are many different ways to think about self-awareness, but four keys that are often mentioned included mindfulness, self-compassion, reflection, and feedback.

Mindfulness allows people to become more aware of themselves in the present, while compassion allows them to do so without passing judgment on themselves. Reflection and feedback allow people to take what they have learned and improve themselves in order to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

The five elements of self-awarenesses are:

• Consciousness : This means being aware of your internal experiences, including your emotions and thoughts.
• Self-knowledge : This element is focused on your understanding of who you are, including your beliefs, values, and motivations.
• Emotional intelligence : This element is focused on the ability to understand and manage emotions.
• Self-acceptance : This aspect is centered on accepting who you are and showing yourself compassion and kindness.
• Self-reflection : This element of self-awareness involves being able to think deeply about your feelings, thoughts, and goals in order to gain an even better understanding of who you are and your place in the world.

Rochat, P. Five levels of self-awareness as they unfold early in life . Consciousness and Cognition . 2003;12(4):717-31. doi:10.1016/S1053-8100(03)00081-3

Brooks-Gunn J, Lewis M. The development of early visual self-recognition . Dev Review . 1984;4(3):215-39. doi:10.1016/S0273-2297(84)80006-4

Moeller SJ, Goldstein RZ. Impaired self-awareness in human addiction: deficient attribution of personal relevance . Trends Cogn Sci (Regul Ed). 2014;18(12):635-41. PMID: 25278368

Philippi CL, Feinstein JS, Khalsa SS, et al. Preserved self-awareness following extensive bilateral brain damage to the insula, anterior cingulate, and medial prefrontal cortices . PLoS ONE. 2012;7(8):e38413. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038413

Sutton A. Measuring the effects of self-awareness: Construction of the self-awareness outcomes questionnaire .  Eur J Psychol . 2016;12(4):645-658. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i4.1178

Xiao Q, Yue C, He W, Yu JY. The mindful self: A mindfulness-enlightened self-view .  Front Psychol . 2017;8:1752. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01752

Snyder, M. Journaling. R. Lindquist, M. Snyder, & M. F. Tracy (Eds.). In:  Complementary and alternative therapies in nursing . Springer Publishing Company; 2014.

Nakao M, Shirotsuki K, Sugaya N. Cognitive–behavioral therapy for management of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and technologies . BioPsychoSocial Med. 2021;15(1). doi:10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w

Serrat O. Understanding and developing emotional intelligence . Knowledge Solutions. 2017:329-339. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-0983-9_37

Dasilveira A, Desouza ML, Gomes WB. Self-consciousness concept and assessment in self-report measures . Front Psychol . 2015;6:930. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00930

Stein DJ. Social anxiety disorder and the psychobiology of self-consciousness .  Front Hum Neurosci . 2015;9:489. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00489

• Crisp, R. J. & Turner, R. N. Essential social psychology. London: Sage Publications; 2010.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

What Is Self-Awareness? (+5 Ways to Be More Self-Aware)

While it may not be possible to attain total objectivity about oneself (that’s a debate that has continued to rage throughout the history of philosophy), there are certainly degrees of self-awareness. It exists on a spectrum.

Although everyone has a fundamental idea of what self-awareness is, we don’t know exactly where it comes from, what its precursors are, or why some of us seem to have more or less than others.

This is where the self-awareness theory comes in, offering some potential answers to questions like these.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.

This Article Contains:

What is self-awareness theory, research on the topic, 4 proven benefits of self-awareness, 3 examples of self-awareness skills, 5 ways to increase your self-awareness, importance in counseling and coaching, meditation, mindfulness, and self-awareness, self-awareness & emotional intelligence, 4 tips for improving self-awareness in relationships, role in the workplace and leadership, self-awareness in students and children, a take-home message.

Self-awareness theory is based on the idea that you are not your thoughts, but the entity observing your thoughts; you are the thinker, separate and apart from your thoughts (Duval & Wicklund, 1972).

We can go about our day without giving our inner self any extra thought, merely thinking and feeling and acting as we will; however, we also can focus our attention on that inner self, an ability that Duval and Wicklund (1972) termed “self-evaluation.”

When we engage in self-evaluation, we can give some thought to whether we are thinking and feeling and acting as we “should” or following our standards and values. This is referred to as comparing against our standards of correctness. We do this daily, using these standards as a way to judge the rightness of our thoughts and behaviors.

Using these standards is a major component of practicing self-control, as we evaluate and determine whether we are making the right choices to achieve our goals.

This theory has been around for several decades, giving researchers plenty of time to test its soundness. The depth of knowledge on self-awareness, its correlates, and its benefits can provide us with a healthy foundation for enhancing self-awareness in ourselves and others.

According to the theory, there are two primary outcomes of comparing ourselves against our standards of correctness:

• We “pass,” or find alignment between ourselves and our standards.
• We “fail,” or find a discrepancy between ourselves and our standards (Silvia & Duval, 2001).

When we find a discrepancy between the two, we find ourselves with two choices: to work toward reducing the discrepancy or avoid it entirely.

Self-awareness theory (and subsequent research) suggests that there are a couple of different factors that influence how we choose to respond. Basically, it comes down to how we think it will turn out. If we believe there’s little chance of actually changing this discrepancy, we tend to avoid it. If we believe it’s likely that we can improve our alignment with our standards of correctness, we take action.

Our actions will also depend on how much time and effort we believe that realignment will take; the slower progress will be, the less likely we are to take on the realignment efforts, especially if the perceived discrepancy between ourselves and our standards is large (Silvia & Duval, 2001).

Essentially, this means that when faced with a significant discrepancy that will take a lot of consistent and focused work, we often simply don’t bother and stick to avoiding self-evaluation on this particular discrepancy.

Further, our level of self-awareness interacts with the likelihood of success in realigning ourselves and our standards to determine how we think about the outcome. When we are self-aware and believe there is a high chance of success, we are generally quick to attribute that success or failure to our efforts.

Conversely, when we are self-aware but believe there is a low chance of success, we tend to think that the outcome is more influenced by external factors than our efforts (Silvia & Duval, 2001). Of course, sometimes our success in realignment with our standards is driven in part by external factors, but we always have a role to play in our successes and failures.

Interestingly, we also have some control over our standards, such that we may alter our standards if we find that we don’t measure up to them (Dana, Lalwani, & Duval, 1997).

This is more likely to happen if we’re focused more on the standards than on ourselves; if we fail when we are focused on the standards more than our performance, we are more likely to blame the standards and alter them to fit our performance (Dana et al., 1997).

Although it may sound like merely shifting the blame to standards and, therefore, letting yourself off the hook for a real discrepancy, there are many situations in which the standards are overly strict. Therapists’ offices are filled with people who hold themselves to impossibly high standards, effectively giving themselves no chance of success when comparing themselves to their internal standards.

It’s clear from the research on self-awareness that it is an important factor in how we think, feel, act, and react to our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Self Awareness – TalentSprout

Now, let’s shift our attention to research on the outcomes of being self-aware.

As you might imagine, there are many benefits to practicing self-awareness :

• It can make us more proactive, boost our acceptance, and encourage positive self-development (Sutton, 2016).
• Self-awareness allows us to see things from the perspective of others, practice self-control , work creatively and productively, and experience pride in ourselves and our work as well as general self-esteem (Silvia & O’Brien, 2004).
• It leads to better decision making (Ridley, Schutz, Glanz, & Weinstein, 1992).
• It can make us better at our jobs, better communicators in the workplace, and enhance our self-confidence and job-related wellbeing (Sutton, Williams, & Allinson, 2015).

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So we know that self-awareness is good, but what does it look like? How does one practice self-awareness?

Below are three examples of someone practicing self-awareness skills:

Bob at work

Bob struggles with creating a quarterly report at work, and he frequently produces subpar results. He notices the discrepancy between his standards and performance and engages in self-evaluation to determine where it comes from and how to improve.

He asks himself what makes the task so hard for him, and he realizes that he never seems to have trouble doing the work that goes into the report, but rather, writing it up cohesively and clearly.

Bob decides to fix the discrepancy by taking a course to improve his writing ability, having a colleague review his report before submitting it, and creating a reusable template for future reports so he is sure to include all relevant information.

Monique at home

Monique is having relationship problems with her boyfriend, Luis. She thinks Luis takes her for granted and doesn’t tell her he loves her or share affection enough. They fight about this frequently.

Suddenly, she realizes that she may be contributing to the problem. She looks inward and sees that she doesn’t show Luis appreciation very often, overlooking the nice things he does around the house for her and little physical touches that show his affection.

Monique considers her thought processes when Luis misses an opportunity to make her feel loved and notes that she assumes he purposely avoids doing things that she likes. She spends time thinking and talking with Luis about how they want to show and receive love, and they begin to work on improving their relationship.

Bridget on her own

Bridget struggles with low self-esteem , which causes depressive symptoms. She doesn’t feel good enough, and she doesn’t accept opportunities that come her way because of it. She begins working with a therapist to help her build self-awareness.

The next time an opportunity comes her way, she thinks she doesn’t want to do it and initially decides to turn it down. Later, with the help of some self-awareness techniques, Bridget realizes that she is only telling herself she doesn’t want to do it because of her fear that she won’t be good enough.

Bridget reminds herself that she is good enough and redirects her thoughts to “what if I succeed?” instead of “what if I fail?” She accepts the opportunity and continues to use self-awareness and self-love to improve her chances of success.

These three stories exemplify what self-awareness can look like and what it can do for you when you tap into it. Without self-awareness, Bob would have kept turning in bad reports, Monique would have continued in an unsatisfying relationship or broken things off, and Bridget would never have taken the opportunity that helped her grow.

If you look for them, you can find these stories everywhere.

There are many ways to build and practice self-awareness, but here are some of the most effective:

1. Practice mindfulness and meditation

Mindfulness refers to being present in the moment and paying attention to yourself and your surroundings rather than getting lost in thought or ruminating or daydreaming.

Meditation is the practice of focusing your attention on one thing, such as your breath, a mantra, or a feeling, and letting your thoughts drift by instead of holding on to them.

Both practices can help you become more aware of your internal state and your reactions to things. They can also help you identify your thoughts and feelings and keep from getting so caught up in them that you lose your hold on your “self.”

2. Practice yoga

Yoga is a physical practice, but it’s just as much a mental practice. While your body is stretching and bending and flexing, your mind is learning discipline, self-acceptance , and awareness. You become more aware of your body and all the feelings that manifest, and you become more aware of your mind and the thoughts that crop up.

You can even pair yoga with mindfulness or meditation to boost your self-awareness.

3. Make time to reflect

Reflecting can be done in multiple ways (including journaling; see the next tip) and is customizable to the person reflecting, but the important thing is to go over your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to see where you met your standards, where you failed them, and where you could improve.

You can also reflect on your standards themselves to see if they are good ones for you to hold yourself to. You can try writing in a journal, talking out loud, or simply sitting quietly and thinking, whatever helps you to reflect on yourself.

The benefit of journaling is that it allows you to identify, clarify, and accept your thoughts and feelings. It helps you discover what you want, what you value, and what works for you. It can also help you find out what you don’t want, what is not important to you, and what doesn’t work for you.

Both are equally important to learn. Whether you like to write free-flowing entries, bulleted lists, or poems, writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you to become more aware and intentional.

5. Ask the people you love

It’s vital to feel we know ourselves from the inside, but external feedback helps too. Ask your family and close friends about what they think about you. Have them describe you and see what rings true with you and what surprises you.

Carefully consider what they say and think about it when you journal or otherwise reflect. Of course, don’t take any one person’s word as gospel; you need to talk to a variety of people to get a comprehensive view of yourself.

And remember that at the end of the day, it’s your self-beliefs and feelings that matter the most to you!

Self-awareness is a powerful tool that, when practiced regularly, can do more good for coachees and clients than anything else a professional can share with them. To make real, impactful, and lasting change, people need to be able to look inward and become familiar with that internal environment.

Building self-awareness should be a top priority for virtually all clients, after which the more traditional coaching and counseling work can begin. For example, you can counsel someone on their bad habits and give 1,000 ways to break their habits.

Still, if they don’t understand why they tend toward these bad habits in the first place, it’s almost a guarantee that they will either never break those habits or will quit for a while and simply pick up where they left off when things get tough.

Self-awareness is not only vital for the coachee or client; it is also important for the coach or counselor. In fact, self-awareness is prioritized as a core standard in the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs Standards (2017) for the profession, as both a requirement for counselors and a necessary skill to build in clients.

It takes a good amount of self-awareness to give competent counsel and provide actionable advice. Plus, self-awareness will help the caring counselor from getting too wrapped up in their client’s problems or seeing the issues through their own skewed lens.

To truly help someone, it’s essential to see things from their perspective, and that requires being self-aware enough to put our thoughts and feelings aside sometimes.

The link between meditation, mindfulness, and self-awareness is clear, meaning it’s no surprise that practicing the first two will naturally lead to more of the third.

When we meditate or practice mindfulness, we are paying attention to the things that can often get ignored in our busy day-to-day: the present moment and our own internal experience. Those who get to know their thought processes and patterns are more able to adapt and improve them, both by simply being aware of their processes and patterns and by giving themselves a mechanism for practicing and improving.

Indeed, a program intended to enhance self-awareness (among other things) through yoga and meditation resulted in a range of improvements, including more positive affect, less stress, greater mindfulness, enhanced resilience, and even greater job satisfaction (Trent et al., 2019).

According to the most popular theory of emotional intelligence from psychologist and author Daniel Goleman (2001), self-awareness is not only crucial for emotional intelligence; it’s one of the five components.

These five components are:

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Social skills

Other popular theories of emotional intelligence also include self-awareness as a core component, making it one of the factors that virtually all researchers and experts agree on (Goleman, 2001).

Self-awareness is a necessary building block of emotional intelligence; it is the building block upon which the rest of the components are built. One must have self-awareness to self-regulate, and social skills will be weak and of little use if you are not aware enough about when and how to use them.

If you’re looking to build your emotional intelligence, self-awareness is the first step. Make sure you have developed strong skills in self-awareness before giving the other elements your all.

Individuals do not want to be too similar or too dissimilar to others. They search for optimal distinctiveness (Brewer, 1991). Being too different and unaccepted can lead to stigmatization, prejudice, and isolation (Lynn & Snyder, 2002).

But being too similar can make you lose your sense of self. All humans have these competing needs to belong (Baumeister & Leary, 1995) yet stand out from others. People may vary in their need for uniqueness. Still, most people adjust their behaviors to set them apart when they feel too similar to others (Mengers, 2014).

In that respect, you can compare a person to an onion. Personal identities are at the core, with social identities building the different outward layers. Imagine, for example, you are traveling and asked where you are from. Answering the specific district you are from won’t relate to a person from a different continent, but telling your home country won’t differentiate you from others of the same nationality.

Other common social identities are race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or age. Given the context, people can call their social identity to action, depending on their need to belong to or differ from a group (Brewer, 1991).

Individuals can fulfill their needs simultaneously by activating social identities associated with distinct groups, resulting in greater levels of wellbeing (Mengers, 2014).

Apart from benefits for personal wellbeing and life satisfaction, societies can benefit from encouraging distinctiveness (Lynn & Snyder, 2002). Open and accepting environments allow people to assert their uniqueness, engage in their interests and pursuits and fear negative consequences less (Mengers, 2014).

To know who you are and live authentically, you must also understand what you are not. Distinctiveness is an essential tool to help differentiate you from others. Openness and approval must be encouraged to enable individuals, especially teenagers, to thrive.

If you want to be more like post-reflection Monique than pre-reflection Monique (referring to examples of self-awareness skills in action above), or if you’re going to help your clients with their relationship woes, here are some excellent tips for introducing more self-awareness within the context of a relationship:

1. Be mindful

Practice mindfulness, especially when interacting with your loved ones. Pay attention to the words they say, their tone, their body language, and their facial expressions. We often communicate far more information with the latter three than we do with our words alone. Give your loved ones your full attention.

Have regular discussions about the relationship. It’s important to keep things in perspective and ensure that nothing is falling between the cracks.

When you have regular conversations about your relationship with your loved ones, it’s much harder to avoid or ignore things that can turn into problems. It also helps you reflect on your part and come prepared to discuss your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with your loved ones.

3. Quality time

Spend quality time together and apart. This is especially important for romantic relationships, as we often find ourselves spending most or even all of our free time with our spouse or partner. However much you love and enjoy spending time with your partner, everyone needs some quality time alone.

Make sure you and your partner are both getting some quality “me” time to think about what you want, what you need, and what your goals are. This will help you keep yourself from merging too much into your partner and maintaining your independence and stability.

Then, since there will be two independent, stable, and healthy adults in the relationship, it will be even more fulfilling and satisfying to both partners when they spend quality time together.

4. Be considerate

Share your perspective and consider theirs. It’s easy to get too caught up in our own perspective on things; however, healthy relationships require that we consider others’ needs in addition to our own.

To know what our loved ones need and to deliver on those needs, we must first identify and understand them. We do this by practicing our self-awareness and sharing that awareness with our friends and family.

If you never check in with your loved ones on their views or feelings, it can cause you to drift apart and inhibit real, satisfying intimacy. Ask your loved ones for their perspective on things and share your perspective with them.

It’s easy to see how self-awareness can lead to these outcomes in the workplace, as better self-evaluation naturally leads to improving the alignment between our actions and our standards, resulting in better performance.

According to Tasha Eurich (2018), self-awareness can be divided into two categories or types: internal self-awareness and external self-awareness.

Internal self-awareness is about how well we see ourselves and our strengths, weaknesses, values, etc., while external self-awareness is understanding how others view us with those same factors (Eurich, 2018). Good managers and leaders need both to perform well in their roles.

Although you might think that more experience as a leader and greater power in one’s role lead to better self-awareness, that may not be the case. Experience can be positive or negative in terms of learning and improving the self. Even positive experiences can lead one to attribute success to themselves when it may have had more to do with the circumstances, leading to false confidence.

In fact, only 10–15% of those in Eurich’s (2018) study displayed self-awareness, although most of us believe we are self-aware.

To improve self-awareness, Eurich (2018) recommends introspection , but with a focus on asking oneself the right questions. She notes that asking “why” might not always be effective, as many of our internal processes remain shrouded in our subconscious or unconscious minds; instead, asking “what” may lead to better introspection.

For example, instead of asking, “ Why do I fail at this task so often? ” you might ask yourself, “ What are the circumstances in which I fail at this task, and what can I do to change them? ” It’s not a foolproof method, but it can aid you in improving your self-awareness and increasing your alignment with your standards on certain activities.

17 Exercises To Foster Self-Acceptance and Compassion

Help your clients develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves using these 17 Self-Compassion Exercises [PDF] that promote self-care and self-compassion.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Self-awareness isn’t just for managers and employees; it can also substantially benefit students, children, and adolescents. The same benefits that make us more productive in the workplace can make students more productive in the classroom and at home: better communication with teachers and peers, more confidence, and more satisfaction with performance can all lead to happier, healthier students.

These benefits also apply to advanced students. Increased self-awareness leads to more self-care in medical students (Saunders et al., 2007) and a better understanding of one’s strengths and capabilities along with a boost to emotional intelligence in law students (James, 2011).

In short, a little extra self-awareness can be of great benefit to anyone with the will to improve. This piece includes a description of self-awareness, an exploration of the theory of self-awareness, examples, and tips and tools you can use to boost your self-awareness. We hope you find this information helpful in increasing your self-awareness or that of your clients.

What exercises do you use to help build self-awareness ? What are some other benefits you’ve noticed? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you liked this post, head on over to our post about self-awareness books to further help you increase reflection.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free .

• Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.  Psychological Bulletin, 117(3) , 497–529.
• Brewer, M. B. (1991). The social self: On being the same and different at the same time.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17(5) , 475-482.
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2017). 2009 Standards. Retrieved from https://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2009-Standards.pdf
• Dana, E. R., Lalwani, N., & Duval, S. (1997). Objective self-awareness and focus of attention following awareness of self-standard discrepancies: Changing self or changing standards of correctness. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , 16 , 359–380.
• Duval, S., & Wicklund, R. A. (1972). A theory of objective self-awareness . Academic Press.
• Eurich, T. (2018, January 4). What self-awareness really is (and how to cultivate it). Harvard Business Review . Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it
• Goleman, D. (2001). Emotional intelligence: Issues in paradigm building. In C. Cherniss & D. Goleman (Eds.) The emotionally intelligent workplace. Jossey-Bass.
• James, C. (2011). Law student wellbeing: Benefits of promoting psychological literacy and self-awareness using mindfulness, strengths theory, and emotional intelligence. Legal Education Review , 21 (2).
• Lynn, M., & Snyder, C. R. (2002). Uniqueness seeking.  Handbook of Positive Psychology , 395-410.
• Mengers, A. A. (2014). The benefits of being yourself: An examination of authenticity, uniqueness, and well-being .
• Ridley, D. S., Schutz, P. A., Glanz, R. S., & Weinstein, C. E. (1992). Self-regulated learning: The interactive influence of metacognitive awareness and goal-setting. The Journal of Experimental Education , 60 , 293–306.
• Saunders, P. A., Tractenberg, R. E., Chaterji, R., Amri, H., Harazduk, N., Gordon, J. S., … Haramati, A. (2007). Promoting self-awareness and reflection through an experiential mind–body skills course for first-year medical students. Medical Teacher , 29 , 778–784.
• Silvia, P. J., & Duval, T. S. (2001). Objective Self-Awareness Theory: Recent progress and enduring problems. Personality and Social Psychology Review , 5 , 230–241.
• Silvia, P. J., & O’Brien, M. E. (2004). Self-awareness and constructive functioning: Revisiting “the Human Dilemma.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , 23 , 475–489.
• Sutton, A. (2016). Measuring the effects of self-awareness: Construction of the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire. Europe’s Journal of Psychology , 12 , 645–658.
• Sutton, A., Williams, H. M., & Allinson, C. W. (2015). A longitudinal, mixed-method evaluation of self-awareness training in the workplace. European Journal of Training and Development , 39 , 610–627.
• Trent, N. L., Borden, S., Miraglia, M., Pasalis, E., Dusek, J. A., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2019). Improvements in psychological and occupational wellbeing in a pragmatic controlled trial of a yoga-based program for professionals. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine , 25 , 593–605.

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Myself / Self Awareness

Self Awareness Essay Examples

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