Self-perception is given by the way in which an individual perceives himself.
Although the term self-perception does not appear in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), it is possible to discover its meaning by analyzing the two words that make it up: self and perception .
Auto- is a compositional element that alludes to one's own . The idea of perception , meanwhile, refers to capturing something through the senses or understanding it .
What is self-perception
From these definitions, we can know what self-perception is. This is what the human being 's ability to perceive himself is called.
Thanks to self-perception, an individual understands their emotions, their mood and their emotional situation . The notion is linked to others that have to do with the recognition or assessment of one's own issues, such as self-concept , self-esteem and self-image .
Self-perception is considered a human capacity.
self-esteem
Self-esteem , a concept used very frequently in everyday speech, refers to the value that each person assigns to themselves, that is, to the assessment they make of themselves in reference to others: I am worth less, the same or more that this or that individual . At either extreme, it goes without saying, it is dangerous, since it contributes to a distortion of one's own image and this affects relationships.
Self-perception is more specific, because it is produced or renewed with each act, with each attitude, while self-esteem is a kind of global qualification. Despite their differences, both concepts are closely linked, for better and worse . If our self-esteem is too high, our self-perception probably pushes us to consider our actions favorably, beyond their true consequences on our environment, and vice versa.
For this reason, it is not so easy to shape self-esteem but it is easy to shape self-perception, since it is a job that we can carry out little by little, step by step. To do this, we must strive to bring to consciousness each situation we experience, break it down and find those points that we should change .
Self-perception and subjectivity
Living beings tend to act almost automatically once we learn and internalize issues such as language, different actions and activities: we do not stop to think about our intonation when greeting our neighbors, or our technique when brushing our teeth. teeth, and that is why self-perception is not always so accurate. "I greet him well, I don't know, in a normal way, right?" It is a typical response to a reproach for lack of sympathy when saying good morning, for example; but perhaps if the interlocutor consciously reviewed his forms, he would discover that his intonation is not very cheerful.
As a complement to this analysis, we must put into practice the challenge of changing those things that seem immovable, to become more sociable beings. It is important to keep in mind that the result of self-perception is subjective . What someone perceives about themselves may be distorted with respect to reality .
Self-perception influences how a person subjectively interprets certain aspects of their personality that come into play in the relationships they establish with others. By extension, self-perception affects the integration of each person into society .
Bem's theory
The American psychologist Daryl Bem is responsible for the development of the theory of self-perception . According to this professional, human beings study their behavior to discover what leads them to act in a certain way. Thus they can select attitudes that they then apply in analogous situations that arise in the future .
For Bem , self-perception allows subjects to learn from their actions and modify their personality based on that learning. That is why personality is shaped by action and not the other way around.