Self-Awareness: Development, Types, and How to Improve

Self-awareness is the ability to perceive and comprehend the factors that define you as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. Essentially, it is a psychological state where the self becomes the focus of attention.

Although self-awareness is integral to who you are, it's not something you're constantly aware of. Instead, it becomes ingrained in your identity and manifests at various points depending on the situation and your personality.​

Development of Self-Awareness

Infants possess a rudimentary sense of self-awareness, evidenced by behaviors like the rooting reflex, where they search for a nipple when something touches their face. Research indicates that newborns can distinguish between self- and non-self touch.

A more developed sense of self-awareness emerges around one year of age, becoming more pronounced by approximately 18 months. Studies by Lewis and Brooks-Gunn demonstrated this using a red dot on an infant's nose and a mirror. Most children between 21 and 24 months reached for their own noses, recognizing their reflection.

However, visual self-awareness doesn't necessarily indicate other forms of self-awareness, such as expressing emotions. Researchers suggest that the anterior cingulate cortex in the frontal lobe region plays a role in self-awareness, as studies show its activation in self-aware adults.

Levels of Self-Awareness

According to developmental psychologist Philippe Rochat, children progress through five levels of self-awareness between birth and approximately age 4 or 5:

1. Differentiation: Recognizing their own reflection as different or special.

2. Situation: Distinguishing their own reflection, being, and movements from those around them.

3. Identification: Fully understanding that the reflection in a mirror is their own.

4. Permanence: Having a complete sense of self, identifying themselves in pictures or videos, even as their appearance changes.

5. Self-consciousness: Adapting a third-person perspective of themselves, becoming aware of how others perceive them, leading to feelings like pride or shame.

Types of Self-Awareness

Psychologists categorize self-awareness into two types: public and private.

Public Self-Awareness:

• Awareness of how you appear to others.
• Usually emerges when you're the center of attention.
• Encourages adherence to social norms.
• May lead to evaluation anxiety, worrying about how others perceive you.

Private Self-Awareness:

• Awareness of aspects of yourself in a private way.
• Feeling your stomach lurch when you forget to study for a test or your heart flutter when you see someone you're attracted to are examples of private self-awareness.

Improving Self-Awareness

1. Meditation: Simply noticing what happens during meditation can bring greater awareness of your thoughts and feelings.

2. Journaling: Reflecting on your thoughts, behaviors, and areas you may want to improve can provide valuable insight.

3. Talk Therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can address negative thought patterns or behaviors, helping you understand their underlying causes and develop healthier coping mechanisms.

4. Emotional Intelligence (EQ): EQ is the ability to perceive your own and others' emotions, allowing you to respond with empathy and compassion. Developing EQ contributes to self-awareness.

Self-Consciousness

Excessive self-awareness can lead to self-consciousness, where you feel like everyone is watching and judging you. This can be temporary or, in some cases, reflect a chronic condition like social anxiety disorder. If excessive self-consciousness is causing challenges, discuss it with a doctor or mental health professional.