Self-Awareness: Definition, Benefits, & How to Improve

What Is Self-Awareness?

Self-awareness refers to internal insight into personal patterns, values, aspirations, and emotional needs. Self-awareness development starts as early as 15-18 months, and people cultivate the skill with different experiences throughout their lifetimes.

Self-Awareness Vs. Self-Consciousness

Self-awareness and consciousness are similar but two very different experiences. Self-awareness is the insight into self-behaviors, thoughts, and needs and is generally neutral. Conversely, self-consciousness can result from hyper-sensitivities about flaws, characteristics, or similar aspects (i.e., someone knows they are sad but feels self-conscious about feeling sad).

Self-Awareness Theory

Psychology experts have expanded on the intersection of how our brains and bodies relate to self-understanding. In 1972, Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund developed the idea that individuals can be publicly or privately self-aware. They purported that everyone has a set of personal standards influencing how they believe they should act, think, and feel. These standards ultimately allow us to experience self-satisfaction or dissatisfaction.¹

Types of Self-Awareness

Building a sense of awareness requires both intention and effort. Self-awareness is a skill people must commit to practicing to understand themselves. Self-awareness can be private and public, with each type sometimes overlapping and connecting depending on the context and individual.²

Public Self-Awareness

Public self-awareness is a self-understanding of how others may perceive you. Humans naturally want to belong with others. We learn to engage in prosocial behaviors and adhere to typical social rituals, resulting in heightened public self-awareness. However, this insight can exacerbate low self-esteem or social anxiety when individuals hyperfocus on behaving in a specific way.

Private Self-Awareness

Private self-awareness is the ability to identify and process an internal state. The internal state is vast and includes memories, emotions, biological needs, and changing thoughts. High levels of private self-awareness coincide with introspection but can also lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues when individuals feel trapped in this state.

Levels of Self-Awareness

Self-awareness emerges during toddlerhood and continues expanding and deepening with age. By elementary school, children develop an understanding of third-person views and that others view them in specific ways. This awareness deepens in complexity during the adult years.

Below are the stages of self-awareness:

• Differentiation: This is the first level of self-awareness often seen in babies who recognize their own reflection in the mirror.
• Situation: This refers to when a baby identifies their reflection and bodily movements as their own and separate from others.
• Identification: Identification refers to a baby seeing their reflection and understanding “that’s me” instead of anyone else.
• Permanence: Permanence refers to a perception of self, allowing individuals to recognize who they are in reflections, videos, and pictures (even if their appearance is different).
• Self-consciousness: Self-consciousness refers to having emotions about self-awareness, sometimes resulting in guilt, pride, or embarrassment.

Why Is Self-Awareness Important?

The importance of self-awareness is far-reaching, encompassing our abilities to understand our values, boundaries, and preferences. Research suggests self-awareness encourages us to choose paths and goals aligned with our values, thus increasing the likelihood of life satisfaction and happiness.³

Benefits of Self-Awareness

Many self-awareness benefits allow you to orient how you want to live. For example, self-awareness in communication can help you enjoy more meaningful, fulfilling relationships. Self-awareness also provides insight into unwanted habits and opportunities for personal growth.

Below are the benefits of self-awareness:^4,5,6

• Decreased stress
• Increased happiness
• Improved emotional regulation
• Increased self-confidence
• Enhanced ability to see from other perspectives
• Boosted creativity
• Improved decision-making skills
• Better communication skills
• Increased life satisfaction

9 Tips on How to Become More Self-Aware

Learning to improve self-awareness often begins with self-reflection and introspection.

Spending time in nature, practicing mindfulness, meditating, and journaling can assist you as you develop a sense of both subjective and objective understanding.

Below are nine tips for becoming self-aware:

1. Spend Time in Nature

Research suggests that spending time in nature is beneficial, helping reduce anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health issues. Improving our mental well-being allows us to focus on ourselves, offering the necessary energy and time to understand our values and take steps to become self-aware.

2. Practice Mindfulness

People with high levels of self-awareness tend to be more mindful, meaning they stay present with their thoughts and feelings. The desire to distract yourself can be tempting but also takes away opportunities to develop self-awareness. Practice mindfulness by noticing how you experience feelings throughout the day.

3. Start a Meditation Routine

Meditation is applied mindfulness that allows you to focus on your breath and bodily sensations. Meditation encourages you to neutralize various thoughts as they arise, allowing them to pass without judgment. Many people find that meditation provides a deeper clarity that can transcend into more self-awareness.

4. Try Yoga

Yoga is another form of applied mindfulness that focuses on the mind-body connection. A yoga practice can strengthen self-awareness as you move your body, allowing you to slow down and focus on each movement.

5. Keep a Daily Journal

Journaling allows individuals to record their positive experiences, goals, and hopes without judgment. A journal provides a way to visualize your true intentions and beliefs so you can reflect on how your actions align with your values.

6. Ask for External Opinions

Objective self-awareness is impossible because we are all products of our own perspectives and biases. However, asking people their thoughts and feelings about you can help in developing self-awareness. Aim to ask for specific feedback with questions such as, “What would you say is my greatest strength?”

7. Take Time to Reflect Daily

Gaining self-awareness is a moment-by-moment process, and people who value this skill prioritize time for reflection. Consider thinking about what you did well, what you want to improve, and any lessons you learned about yourself at the end of each day. You can also track these insights in a journal.

8. Seek Professional Support

Building a roadmap with a therapist can be helpful if you want to practice self-awareness. In therapy, you can learn more about issues blocking self-awareness and how to use your self-awareness to improve overall well-being.

9. Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

More self-awareness can naturally lend itself to greater emotional self-awareness. Emotional self-awareness entails many facets, such as identifying emotions, recognizing how they feel in your body, and accepting current emotional states. You can then draw themes about how you use emotions to guide your decisions.

Final Thoughts

Self-awareness is vital for our core identities, allowing us to make healthy choices based on our innate values and morals. Consider reaching out for professional support if you struggle with self-awareness. A therapist can help you better understand yourself and your goals.