Who do you think you are?
How to change your self-concept for more health, confidence, and success
Who do you think you are?
Imagine we meet in a cafe and I ask you to describe yourself. You might mention qualities like kindness, creativity, or a free-spirited nature. But if I were to delve deeper and ask how you know this about yourself, what would your response be? I found myself confronted with this very question in a chat with a psychologist at my local cafe a few months ago.
Reflecting on my own answer of being open-minded and curious, memories flooded my mind — instances where I felt drawn to interact with others, moments when questions raced through my thoughts, or times when I was totally absorbed in books. Yet alongside these experiences were equally vivid memories of being so bored my eyes glazed over.
Through his unusual question, the psychologist introduced me to a topic I had never considered: the creation of self-concept.
While your life experiences shape self-concept, the crucial aspect lies in the selection and representation of these experiences in your mind. For instance, despite having numerous memories of being curious, I have an equal number of being fully disengaged. Which memories I choose to focus on and how I interpret them determine whether I label myself as a curious person.
