Guidelines for improving self concept

Self Concept Interpersonal Communication Abstract How do you view yourself? How do you think others view you? These questions are central to the idea of self- concept how you perceive yourself and how you believe others perceive you impacts your thoughts and ideas your actions and reactions. Your-self concept developed over years through your social interactions with your fellow man. It is what you believe to be your strength and weaknesses. Years of self- evaluation and comparisons to your peers helped to paint the internal picture you feel describe your best.Unfortunately, some people struggle because they lack a healthy understanding of who they are. They focus on their weakness and shortcomings, projecting a negative image upon themselves they believe is seen by others, luckily, the self-concept cab be changed for the better, although improving it will not happen overnight. It involves changing how you view yourself and that requires thinking and behaving differently. Consistentl y taking the following steps that will put you on the path to building a healthy self-concept. Discussion I can recall a time when I was 16 years old.I finally became a candidate to participate n the cadet academy in Jamaica. This was a very well known academy, and gave young men an opportunity to acquire the basic training to become a part of the Jamaican Police Force. Law enforcement has always intrigued me, and I knew one day I would become a part of fighting crime. The spaces were very limited, and only the best were accepted in to this program. I finally making the cut was really a success. When my parents came home from work that day, I was delighted to tell them the good news. I was full of energy as I explained to them I would finally be able to pursue my passion as a cop.They applauded me for being accepted but then their face changed, and I was not prepared for what happened next. They told me I should not Join the program. They told me the crime rate in our neighborhood c ity of Kingston, Jamaica was very high, and that the civilians were killing police officers left and right. They said they wanted to see me be successful in life and pursue what I wanted, but now was not the time to do so. Therefore, because I respect my parents, I rationalized their thoughts with my thoughts and came to the decision that I would not go through with the cadet training.It was very hurtful but I did not want to sober my parents, nor did I want to risk my life at such a young age. It was a very hard decision to make, but I did it with hopes on possibly going to college and pursuing it in another aspect like maybe becoming an attorney. The guidelines for improving self-concept are some very good values with making life decisions. The first one says that I should â€Å"Make a commitment to Personal Growth† (wood, 2013, p. 53). If I had applied this concept, I would have gone ahead and went with my dream of becoming a cadet officer, knowing that there is â€Å"ten sion that accompanies personal growth† (Wood J. 13, p. 53). If I would have used â€Å"Knowledge to support my personal growth † I would have checked the statistics myself to see exactly how bad the crime was at the time, and also find out how many officers had been killed. If I would have â€Å"Set goals that were realistic and Fair† (Woodward, p. 55). I wouldn't have had any doubts in my mind that this was the proper move for me at the time, because it was very realistic to me And If I had â€Å"Sought of Contexts that support personal change†, I would have surrounding myself with people who were pro-law enforcement and who believed in my dream.According to Wood (2013)†Think about people whose appraisals of you will help you move toward changes you desire. † Conclusion The most important thing I learned about this paper is no to settle of something when it comes to your dream in life. Just because people do not see the same things as you, doe s not mean it is the wrong decision. It is important to be careful who you share your goals with, and trust your own decisions. In addition, surrounding yourself with like-minded people will help you to reach where you want to be in life References Wood, J. (2013). Interpersonal Communication. Boston, MA 02210. Headwords Change Learning.