The self, and it’s becoming.

Self-concept is an idea we have of who we are. What we are physically, emotionally spiritually plus many other aspects contribute to this idea that we have of ourselves. Self-concept is who we are as a whole.

A girl looking at herself in the mirror

Self-perception is a part of the self-concept. Self-perception is, asking our self that how do we see ourselves. What do we imagine ourselves to be? The image that we have of our self and why do we have it in that specific way, is a self-perception. Self-perception relates to how we form a judgement of ourselves, and how do we make sense of it. It includes how we interpret our thoughts, behaviours and feelings. Say if you consider yourself to be a person with a positive outlook towards life, you will look at problems and try to find solutions to them, whereas if you think of yourself as a pessimist, you will not be able to look out for solution. This is also why a positive self-image is important. If you have a positive self-image, it is most likely that you will be able to take things positively, and letting things go will become simple as well. We can only make a change in our self-perception when we try to understand it and question it. Like if you see yourself to be timid? Why? Is it because you have been looked over a lot of times, or you are small in physic? Or if you perceive yourself to be humble, is it because when you were vulnerable or aggressive, someone was kind and humble to you and that changed you as a person, and as a result to that you, yourself became kind and humble. When we answer the question of why do we imagine ourselves to be in certain way, changing it or making peace with it, working on or around it becomes possible.

We form this concept of the self, based on prior experiences, self-assessment and observations of ourselves and the world around us and as we go on with our life, this perception of us keeps changing. Often our self-concept is limited to what we know of the world, and the more we get to know, the more our own image of ourselves keeps changing. The image of the self is not constant, which means that we are going ahead, that our image, our perception of this self is changing with time. Changing of self-perception, striving for better is moving forward in life, it is progress.

And we shouldn’t be fixated on one concept and or perception of ourselves. We should let it unfold, let it unravel and let it take its own twists and turns, to truly become what is supposed to be. To truly become one fine, a wonder of human being that we were always supposed to become.

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Arya Kulkarni

Arya Kulkarni

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