Understanding Self

The extract from theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy by Gerald Corey hereafter summarises the importance of knowing yourself “ Humans are in a constant state of transition emerging, evolving and becoming”.  Being a person implies that we are discovering and making sense of existing. We pose questions such as “who am I? Who have I been? Who can I become?”

There are at least two parts to this “self”; one, is some sort of observing self – an inner self, that is watching, and two, there is the other self that is being watched, the observed self – the objective things that you see about yourself such as you are a mother, a teacher, a coach! The first self may be experienced as closer to ’you’  and the second ‘self’ as further away.

You may also have an overall self, or an amalgam of selves that are present in you right now.  All these sub personalities are used to attend to our being in the world at different times and in different contexts.  The self is attentive to the quality and quantity of our experiences in the world and with others in the world.

There are many theories that relate to understanding the self and there are many development models for seeing how the self may navigate itself through the evolution process.

The last century has seen the development of many different strategies for bringing out the best in people with hundreds of different theories and practices in many different disciplines.

To skillfully and successfully navigate this terrain we require a more comprehensive map.  Without such a map we may identify our favorite strategy and apply it to all situations – sometimes this may be the best approach, other times it may not be appropriate.  Or we may focus on one area of our development and not even be aware of other important areas.

Providing a four-dimensional analysis and debriefing of self will inform your growth path: