Key Terms: self-awareness, will, prefrontal cortex, self-conscious, self-image, pride, shame, insecurity, body image, core belief, pride, shameless, sin, false (ideal) self, persona, theatre, true self, internal splitting, id, subconscious, ego, superego, (explicit, implicit) memory, reason, will, implicit (muscle), explicit (episodic), narrative depiction of reality, first-person narrator, personality, Big Five, psychopathic traits, neural plasticity, reason, will, akrasia, grace

Learning Targets: 

  1. Define Self-Awareness and Its Development. Learners will be able to explain what self-awareness is, describe its neurological basis (including the role of the prefrontal cortex), and outline how self-awareness develops from infancy through early childhood, including milestones such as mirror recognition and early social judgments.

  2. Distinguish Between Public and Private Self-Awareness. Learners will differentiate between public (external) and private (internal) self-awareness, analyze how each influences behavior, self-image, and feelings such as pride or shame, and discuss the impact of societal expectations and personal attitudes on self-perception.

  3. Identify and Analyze the Concepts of True Self and False Self. Learners will identify the psychological concepts of the true self and false self, explain how personas and social roles shape self-presentation, and evaluate the effects of internal fragmentation, self-alienation, and the influence of shame on authentic identity.

  4. Explain the Role of Memory and Autobiography in Self-Discovery. Learners will distinguish between implicit and explicit memory, describe how autobiographical narrative shapes personal identity, and assess the challenges of self-deception and unreliable narration in understanding one’s own story.

  5. Demonstrate Understanding of Personal Change and Growth. Learners will explain the concept of neural plasticity and its role in personal change, discuss the interplay of memory, reason, and will in self-improvement, and reflect on the challenges of akrasia (“weakness of will”) and the role of grace in overcoming habits and living more authentically.

Self-Awareness PDF