MODULE 1: SELF: CORE COMPETENCY
 UNDERSTANDING OF SELF
The self is first and foremost the collection of beliefs that we hold about ourselves. What
are our important characteristics? What are we good at? What we do poorly? What kinds of
situations do we prefer or avoid?
One person may think of himself/herself academically inclined who plans to become a
professor. Another might think of himself/herself as not academically inclined but good at most
sports. A third person may think of himself/herself primarily in terms of a future goal, such as
the desire to become the biggest real estate mogul in a defined territory such as Delhi/NCR.
Thus, the set of beliefs we hold about who we are is called the self-concept.
 COMPONENTS OF SELF
The factors that contribute to the formation of self-concept are:
1. Personal vs. Social Identity
2. Working Self-Concept
3. Self-Confidence
4. Self-Image
1. Personal vs. Social Identity
One of the most fundamental principles of the social identity perspective is that
individuals can perceive themselves differently depending on where they are at a particular
moment in time, which is known as the personal-social identity continuum.
The personal identity end of this continuum refers to when we think of ourselves
primarily as individuals.
The social identity end refers to when we think of ourselves as members of specific social
groups.
Because we do not experience all aspects of our self-concept simultaneously, the aspect
of our identity which is salient at any given moment will influence how we think about
ourselves, and this, in turn, has consequences for our behavior.
When we may think of ourselves as unique individuals, our personal identities are salient
and this is likely to result in self-description that emphasizes how we are different from other
individuals.
e.g. you might describe yourself as a confident person when think of yourself at the personal
identity level, to emphasize your self-perception as having more of this attribute that other
individuals you are using as the comparative referent. Because personal identity self-description
can be thought of as intra-group in nature – involving comparisons with other individuals who
share our group membership – which group is the implicit referent used when describing the
personal self can affect the content of self-descriptions.
At the other end of the personal-social continuum, we can perceive ourselves as members
of a group, which means we emphasize the ways that we are similar to other group members.
When we think of ourselves at the social identity level, we describe ourselves in terms of the
attributes that members of our group share with each other and what differentiates our group
from other groups. That is, descriptions of the self at the social identity level as intergroup in
nature – they involve contrasts between groups
e.g. you may think of yourself in terms of your social identity as a fraternity or sorority
group member, and describe yourself as relatively athletic and self-motivated attributes that your
perceive to be shared with other members of your group, and as simultaneously differentiating
your group from other fraternities or sororities that you see as being more studious and scholarly
than your group perhaps.
2. Working Self-Concept
The aspect of the self which influences our thoughts and ongoing behavior depend in
large part on what aspect of the self concept is relevant to a particular situation. This aspect of
the self concept that is assessed for a particular situation is called the working self concept.
e.g. in a classroom situation, the academic self is likely to be the dominant determinant of
our thoughts and feelings, whereas when we are reminded about a party on Friday, the social self
may be accessed.
This working self-concept is important because it draws on not our overall self-concept
only but guides social behavior in specific situations and is, in turn, modified by what goes on in
the situation.
3. Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is the confidence one has in oneself, one’s knowledge, and one’s
abilities. It is the confidence of the type: “I can do this”. “I have the ability to do this”.
Self-confidence is the one thing that is much more important than many other abilities
and traits. If you do not have self-confidence, what you do will never become fruitful at all. The
fruits of what you do without self-confidence are lost.
Actually, confidence is to be willing to try that which scares you the most and the belief
that you can manage anything that arises.
Would you like to have more self-confidence? Actually I have not yet met a person who
replied to that question with a negative. Well, there is only one way: by doing to do it. One of the
ways you gain confidence is by trying things you are not sure you can do. Each time you achieve
something new, you boost your confidence levels a little.
Many times you are afraid of to try new things because you could fail and that wouldn’t
look good. However, trying is what is most important. If you don’t try, you have failed already.
So, you have nothing to lose by trying. Not trying means you do not even give yourself the
chance of succeeding. You stay in the safety zone of not looking silly or failing. It probably is
safer but it also gets you nowhere. So, the first step to building confidence is daring to try that
which you are not sure you will succeed at. Don’t forget to plan for your worst case scenario
before you do anything but remember that very rarely will that worst case scenario ever become
a reality.
Building confidence is also about what you should not be doing. For example, something
happens and you end up looking silly and unprofessional. Most of you will spend some time
worrying about it and thinking what you should have done instead. It is true you should learn
from your mistakes, but there’s no need to punish yourself for them. Remember, keep things in
perspective and file it now. Having tolerance and compassion for yourself is just as important as
having it for others.
4. Self-Image
Self-image is how you see yourself or how you perceive yourself.
People infer their personal qualities from observing their own behavior. That is, in the
process of observing ourselves, we see ourselves consistently preferring certain activities over
others, certain food over others, or certain people over others. From observing these regularities,
we form an image about ourselves.
You have some great skills, but unless you see yourself as having those skills, and can
make others see them as well, they will stay locked in a box, never to be acknowledged. Being
who you are, is one thing and being seen for who you are can be quite another.
 PERSONALITY
For understanding ourselves, we need to know about our personality type. But before
knowing about our personality type, we need to know what personality all about is? What do
mean by ‘personality’?
Why are some people quiet and passive, while others are loud and aggressive? Are
certain personality types better adapted than others for certain job types? Before we can answer
these questions, we need to address a more basic one: What is personality?
What is Personality?
When we talk of personality, we don’t mean that a person has charm, a positive attitude
toward life, or a smiling face. When psychologists talk of personality, they mean a dynamic
concept describing the growth and development of a person’s whole psychological system.
Rather than looking at parts of the person, personality looks at some aggregate whole that is
greater than the sum of the parts.
Defining Personality
The definition of personality we most frequently use was produced by Gordon Allport.
He said, personality is “the dynamic organization within the individual of those psycho-physical
systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment”.
For our purposes, you should think of personality as the sum total of ways in which an
individual reacts to and interacts with others.
We most often describe it in terms of the measurable traits a person exhibits.
Our personalities shape our behavior. So, if we want to better understand the behavior of
someone in an organization, it helps if we know something about his/her personality.
A psychological test is a structured technique used to generate a carefully selected sample
of behavior. This behavior sample is then used to make inferences about the psychological
attributes of the people who have been tested. Tests may measure several aspects of a person,
ranging from intelligence, abilities, and interests to aspects of one’s personality such as selfesteem and emotional stability.
A personality test measures those relatively enduring aspects of an individual which
distinguish them from other people, making them unique. At the same time, however, they
permit a comparison between individuals.
A test is based on empirical research and theoretical background. Tests are valid, reliable,
and standardized. They are characterized by uniformity, objectivity, and interpretability. They
help draw up a comprehensive behavioral profile of a person and warn management of one’s
strengths and weaknesses, which can be successfully utilized for career development and other
decisions. Mainly, there are two ways in which personality is measured”
1.
Self-report surveys
2.
Observer-ratings surveys
1.
Self-report surveys – which are completed by the individual – are the most common way
to measure personality. One concern with self-report surveys, however, is that the individual
might lie or practice impression management – that is, the person could “fake good” on the test
to create a good impression. This is especially a concern when the survey is the basis for
employment.
Another concern is accuracy. In other words, a perfectly good candidate could have just
been in a bad mood when the survey was taken.
2.
Observer-ratings surveys – have been developed to provide an independent assessment of
personality. Therefore, instead of an individual taking the survey – as in the case of self-report
surveys – perhaps a coworker could do the rating (sometimes with knowledge of the individual,
sometimes not).
Research suggests that observer-ratings surveys are a better predictor of success on the
job.
 PERSONALITY DETERMINANTS
An early debate in personality research centered on whether an individual’s personality is
a result of heredity or of environment. Was the personality predetermined at birth, or was it the
result of the individual’s interaction with his/her surroundings? Clearly, there’s no simple black
and white answer. Personality appears to be a result of both hereditary and environmental
factors. However, it might surprise you that research in personality development has tended to
better support the importance of heredity over the environment.
Heredity refers to factors determined at conception. Physical stature, facial attractiveness,
gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and biological rhythms are
generally considered to be either completely or substantially influenced by who your parents are
– that is, by their biological, physiological, and inherent psychological makeup. The heredity
approach argues that the ultimate explanation of an individual’s personality is the molecular
structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes.
Evidence demonstrates that traits such as shyness, fear, and aggression can be traced to
inherited genetic characteristics.
Researchers in many different countries have studied thousands of sets of identical twins
who were separated at birth and raised separately. If heredity played little or no part in
determining personality, you would expect to find few similarities between the separated twins.
But the researchers found a lot in common. For almost every behavioral trait, a significant part of
the variation between the twins turned out to be associated with genetic factors. For instance, one
set of twins who had been separated for 39 years and raised 45 miles apart were found to drive
the same model and color car. They chain smoked the same brand of cigarette, owned dogs with
the same name, and regularly vacationed within three blocks of each other in a beach community
1,500 miles away.
This is not to suggest that personality never changes. Over periods of time, people’s
personalities do change. Most research in this area suggests that while some aspects our
personalities do change over time, the rank orderings do not change very much. For example,
people’s scores on measures of dependability tend to increase over time. However, there are still
strong individual differences in dependability and despite the fact that most of us become more
responsible over time, people tend to change by about the same amount so that the rank order
stays roughly the same. That is, if you are more dependable than your sibling now, that is likely
to be true in 20 years, even though you both should become more dependable over time.
 PERSONALITY TRAITS
Early work on the structure of personality tried to identify and label enduring
characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior. Popular characteristics include shy,
aggressive, submissive, lazy, ambitious, loyal and timid. When someone exhibits these
characteristics in a large number of situations, we call them personality traits. Thus, personality
traits are the enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior.
The more consistent the characteristic and the more frequently a trait occurs in diverse
situations, the more important that trait is in describing the individual.
A number of early efforts tried to identify the primary traits that govern behavior.
However, the Big Five Model of Personality is the most widely accepted approach that has
become the dominant framework for identifying and classifying traits.
The Big Five Personality Model
or
Five-Factor Model of Personality
or
Big Five Model
or
Big Five (5)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A personality assessment model that taps 5 basic dimensions:
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Emotional stability
Openness to experience
An impressive body of research supports that 5 basic dimensions encompass most of the
significant variation in human personality.
The Big 5 factors are:
1. Extraversion: Captures one’s comfort level with relationships. A personality dimension
describing someone who is sociable, gregarious, and assertive.
2. Agreeableness: Refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to others. A personality
dimension that describes someone who is good natured, cooperative, and trusting.
3. Conscientiousness: Is a measure of reliability. A personality dimension that describes
someone who is responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized.
4. Emotional stability: Taps a person’s ability to withstand stress. A personality dimension
that characterizes someone as calm, self-confident, secure (positive) vs. nervous,
depressed, and insecure (negative).
5. Openness to experience: Addresses one’s range of interests and fascination with novelty.
A personality dimension that characterizes someone in terms of imagination, sensitivity,
and curiosity.
The Big Five Factors
Factor
Extraversion
High
Extraverted,
gregarious, outgoing,
active, assertive, and
high-spirited. Prefer to
be around people most
of the time.
Agreeableness
Compassionate, goodnatured, and eager to
cooperate and to avoid
conflict. Are warm and
trusting.
Conscientiousness Conscientious,
wellorganized, dependable,
and persistent. Have
high standards and
always strive to achieve
goals.
Emotional
Emotionally
stable,
stability
tend to be calm,
confident, & secure.
Openness
experience
Average
Moderate in activity
and enthusiasm. Enjoy
the company of others
but also value privacy.
Low
Introverted, reserved,
timid, & serious. Prefer
to be alone or with a
few close friends.
Generally
warm,
trusting, and agreeable,
but can sometimes be
stubborn
and
competitive.
Dependable
and
moderately
wellorganized. Generally
have clear goals, but
are able to set the work
aside.
Generally calm & able
to deal with stress, but
sometimes experience
feelings of guilt, anger,
or sadness.
to Creative, curious, & Practical but willing to
artistically
sensitive. consider new ways of
Have broad interests & doing things. Seek a
are very imaginative.
balance between the
old and the new.
Hard-headed, skeptical,
proud,
competitive,
cold, disagreeable, and
antagonistic.
Easy-going, not very
well-organized,
&
sometimes careless and
unreliable. Prefer not to
make plans.
Nervous,
anxious,
depressed, & insecure.
Down
to
earth,
practical, & traditional;
find comfort in the
familiar.
Influences of Big Five Traits
Why it is relevant?
 Better interpersonal skills
 Greater social dominance
 More emotionally expressive
Big Five Traits
Extraversion


Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Emotional
stability
Openness
experience
to








What does it affect?
 Higher performance
 Enhanced leadership
 Higher job and life
satisfaction
Better liked
 Higher performance
More
compliant
and
 Lower levels of deviant
conforming
behavior
Greater effort and persistence
 Higher performance
 Enhanced leadership
More drive and discipline
 Greater longevity
Better organized and planning
Less negative thinking and
 Higher job and life
fewer negative emotions
satisfaction
Less hyper-vigilant
 Lower stress levels
Increased learning
 Training performance
More creative
 Enhanced leadership
More flexible and autonomous
 More adaptable to change