Self & Non-Verbal

"Wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I, wanna talk about number one, oh my me my, what I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see..." Any Toby Keith fans out there?? No, ok, moving on.

Who am I?  At a very young age, we begin to realize that we are different from others and that those differences are of importance.  We start to define the difference and determine if those concepts define who we are.  These definitions become labels that we give to ourselves - such as smart or dumb and friendly or shy.  The ideas and understanding we gain from defining ourselves is called our self-concept.

“Self-concept is the guiding factor in a person’s actions.  How a human being views oneself will determine most of his or her actions and choices in life.  Essentially a person is going to choose what he or she feels he or she is worth.” (Text pg. 41)  This then means that if we see ourselves as a theif, we will steal, if we see ourselves as a leader, we will lead, and if we see ourselves as powerful, we will display power.

As discussed in the video below, there is another thing that impacts our behavior, and who we are, and that is our non-verbals.  Amy Cuddy explains that in her experiment just 2 minutes of standing or sitting in a "power" position can impact both hormones and behavior.  Compared to those who posed as "powerless" the powerful were more confident in situations such as gambling and a stressful job interview.

In a round about way what we think impacts what we do, and what we do impacts what we think.  This circle can be both beneficial and harmful, however it also means that by changing either what we think or what we do, can change who we believe we are.