Self knowledge is a very important aspect in human life. It is the ability of an individual to know his or her mental state, his or her likes, dislikes desires and even beliefs. It is also said to have something to do with the knowledge of one’s character, identity and thoughts. On the other hand, self regulation also known as self control is the ability of an individual to control or regulate his or her behavioral ways, desires and emotions so as to achieve a reward. Both of these aspects work hand in hand.
Social Psychology: Self Discovery
The scientific study of how people influence, co-exist, think about and relate with one another is known as Social Psychology. Self knowledge is the ability of a person has in knowing his or her mental state, his or her likes and dislikes, his or her desires and beliefs. It is also said to have something to do with the knowledge of one’s character, identity and thoughts. On the other hand, self regulation also known as self control is the ability of an individual to control or regulate his or her behavioral ways, desires and emotions so as to achieve a reward.
Sources
There are various sources of self knowledge; some of the sources of my self- knowledge include; one of them is self enhancement. This is when one feels the need to be positive in order to gain high self esteem. From this, people have a tendency to feel some self worth. If an individual has no self worth then they feel miserable.
Another source of my self-knowledge is accuracy. This is the need for one really feels need to find out the truth or reality about them whether good or bad. Like any other person I find important to know whether I am a good or bad person. This helps me feel good about myself if I am told I am good hence giving me a great sense of self worth. By knowing about myself, I am able to set goals and achieve them. When I know I am successful I get the urge to do even better in order to be more successful. This is all due to the fact that I know what I am good and bad at making me know which path to take in order to succeed.
Finally another source of my self-knowledge is being consistent. This is when I only take in the information that is true about me. This helps me protect what I believe about myself. By this I am able to shun whatever negative things people say about me that are contrary to my beliefs making me feel positive about myself and makes me be consistent in my decision making and the way I do my things.
In my life, there are certain motives and factors that lead to my self-regulation or self control. One them is self-assessment. Now this is the ability an individual has to evaluate his or her intentions or acts. This helps me be aware of who I really am enabling me to regulate my behavior in case I act otherwise. Another motive is self-verification as it knows my identity; that I really am. By having this motivation, I am able to maintain my identity no matter where I am without losing who I really am no matter the circumstances. I am able to regulate myself no matter the circumstance.
Lastly, self-improvement is another form of motivation that leads me to regulate myself. Every human being has a need to succeed and improve their status in life. This helps me improve the negative things I know about myself and make them better and use the positive to succeed.
“Social Comparison Theory” Roy, states that, there is a natural drive in all individuals to know how people or the outside of themselves in order to evaluate their self opinions and abilities to do something. As a student, I do look into what teachers and other students think or say about me in order to regulate my actions. This helps me improve in my grades; change my attitude towards certain subjects in order to succeed. If my fellow students tell me about myself, I am able to do well to them without losing my self- identity. In summary, it is important to know who we really are from other people so that we can improve and succeed in life.