The mysterious path to yourself

Problem: Everyone struggles with the questions "Who am I?" or "How am I supposed to be?" The journey of self-discovery is enduring and challenging.

Basic concept: personal identity

- Styles

- Preference

- Beliefs

- Activities

- Characteristics

("Psychology: How to build personal identity", For Dummies)

Tools to untangle identity: self-reflection, or a more fancy way to put it, introspection

Questions for audience: Have you ever wondered why people make you fill out survey about a program, what have you learned, how has the program affected you and such? If you are a high school senior like me, have you ever asked why colleges want you to show your strengths and thoughts about certain events? If you are looking for a job, do you get questions about your abilities and thoughts frequently and then ruminating over why they ask such questions?

It is to test your ability to reflect on your own actions, your talents, your past and present, your relationship, your strengths and weaknesses. In short, all of those above trigger self reflection in you in order to see how much you know yourself and then how well you can express that awareness.

A mechanism of self-reflection: the pyramid of self-reflection

(Diagram based on "Scaling the pyramid of self reflection: a model and an assignment for the preparation of inclusive leaders" by Angela Webster-Smith)

The base is always the heart because it's represents most closely and inclusively your identity. It also catalyze so or holds an account for other factors. Thus, I recommend going from top to bottom of the pyramid.

1. Character

- What adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

- What adjectives would your family or friends use to describe you?

2. Habits

- What do you often do and what do they say about you?

3. Actions

- What would you do in certain situation and why? What do they show about you?

Example of how actions are used to classify people: The American Voter study used the reason behind voters' vote to evaluate their characters (Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry, 204-205).

4. Words

- How would you characterize your style of writing/ speaking? (Sarcastic, light-hearted, serious, etc.)

5. Attitude

- What is your attitude towards life?

6. Emotion

- How do you feel in certain situations? Why do you feel that way? What does it say about you?

7. Thought

- What do you think? Why? What does your thought/ decision reflect?

8. Heart

The heart is the big picture. All other points we have touched so far build a ladder to the locked door of heart. To see your heart, yourself inside, you have to answer this question.

- What do you believe in? (In life, in various issues) What does those beliefs say about you?

Conclusion: If you have gone through this assessment and still feel lost, it is OK. Your identity would also be built through time and experience, so as you go on, do work and grow, you will be able to find yourself more easily. Just remember to have a frequent meeting with yourself.

References:

 Cash, Adam. "Psychology: How to Build Your Personal Identity." For Dummies. Dummies.biz, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

 Edwards, George C., Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. "Public Opinion." Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy. New York: Longman, 2009. 204-05. Print.

Webster-Smith, Angela. "Scaling the Pyramid of Self Reflection: A Model and an Assignment for the Preparation of Inclusive Leaders." International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation 6.1 (2011): n. pag. ERIC. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.