Lesson 1: Concept: Self-image (2 hours

1.1 Lesson 1: Concept: Self-image (2 hours)

1.1.1 What are my personal positive traits and how do they influence my relationship with myself, my family and friends?

According to the dictionary personality is “everything that give someone a unique character”. The dictionary described character as “all the traits which make a person different from other people”.

Your personal traits are the traits that make you unique and different from other people. They are the traits that makes you YOU; the person you are. Your positive personal traits are traits which attract other people to you. It is, for example, your friendliness, patience and your willingness to help others.

Your personal traits firstly influence the relationship you have with yourself. It will influence and form your self-image. If you have a positive personality and feel good about yourself it will also have a positive effect on your self-image and the relationship you have with yourself. You will be able to accept your faults and shortcomings and be able to handle and process them in a positive way.

Your relationships with your family and friends are also influenced by your positive personal traits. If your family and friends experience you as positive they will also have a positive attitude towards you. Your positivity can also contribute towards a positive influence on them and improve their self-image. How you see yourself reflects towards other people and they react upon it.

DEFINE

Self-image: It is the picture which you see of yourself. Personal traits: They are your traits that define you from other people. It is how you are. Potential: It is what you can achieve. Your potential lies in what you believe about yourself. Self-respect: It is when you see yourself as important enough so that you won’t be placed in a situation which will belittle yourself or affect your dignity, honour or integrity. Diversity: It means differences, like differences between cultures.

1.1.2 Personal interests, skills and potential

Personal interests are things you take an interest in, like your hobby. It can be anything that you take an interest in. It is something you like doing and which makes you happy when you do it.

We discussed skills during Grade 6. It is everything you are good at. It is important for you to know how to combine your interests and skills to one day achieve your full potential. It can also help you to make the right career choice in future.

If we look at a person’s skills and potential, there are at least six types of people.

1. We call a person who likes to read and write a persuasive person. The persuasive person has the following traits:  They always want to be in charge.  They like it more to speak than to listen.  They can run their own business and have a special interest in sales.  They can convey their ideas well to other people and is very convincing.

2. The intellectual type of person is good at problem solving. They have the following traits:  They have an interest in Mathematics and Science.  They like to find solutions to problems and can solve complex problems.  They are good data analysts and are eager to learn.

3. The practical person likes doing practical work and likes objects rather than ideas. They have the following traits:  They usually work outdoors and can mend things.  They have very good co-ordination and can use tools productively.  They are usually very adventurous.

4. The artistic person falls under the creative type. They are usually persons that:  Can create new things.  Think originally and develop new ideas.  They express themselves in any creative way – through music, writing, painting or other art forms.  They like working independently.

5. Spontaneous people are very social and like working with people. They have the following traits:  They are not shy to express themselves verbally.  They have good relationships with other people and quickly make new friends.  They are usually good orators and reasoners.

6. People who like to work with figures are adaptable people. Their traits include:  They have set routines.  They like to know exactly what is expected from them in situations.  They are perfectionists.  They like aspects that have to do with finances.

If you study the different kinds of people you will recognise yourself at one group or even more. Therefore your potential is achieved if you combine your interests and skills in a positive way.

CORE CONTENT

You will remember from previous grades that the words self-image mean it is the picture of how you see yourself. There are lots of things that can influence your self-image:  Your appearance – how you look.  Your academic achievements.  The love and support from your friends and family.  Your sport achievements.  The clothes you wear and the music you listen to.

It is healthy and to your advantage to have a positive self-image. However, it is normal to not always feel good about yourself. There are many strategies you can follow to improve your own self-image and those of others. However, it is important to firstly find out more about yourself so that you can develop the right strategies.

1.1.3 Strategies to improve your self-image by positive actions: self-respect

We all have a problem with our self-image at one stage or another. It seldom happens that someone is always satisfied with him- or herself. Therefore we often rely on family and friends to improve and build your self-image.

It is important to know how you really feel about yourself and how you see yourself before you can make improvements.

Answer the questions underneath for yourself and identify areas where your self-image is bad. 1. How do you feel about your appearance? How do you look at yourself? 2. How do you feel about the friends you have? Do they have a positive or negative impact on your self-image? 3. Do you feel better about yourself if you participate in activities that you enjoy, for example cycling? 4. Do you like school and do you like the academic work you are doing? 5. Do the clothes you wear make you feel better about yourself?

As soon as you have identified specific areas you can have a look at strategies to improve them. It is important that you respect yourself at all times. Self-respect is one of the key aspects of a healthy self-image. You must never belittle yourself. You must learn to accept your shortcomings and work at them in a positive way to improve or change them. As soon as you improve your self-image you will also have more self-respect.

Examples of strategies to improve your self-image: Body Eat healthy food Exercise regularly Avoid bad habits like smoking Relax regularly Friends Choose friends with the same values and norms Surround yourself with friends with positive attitudes Avoid people that manipulate you to make the wrong choices Choose friends with the same interests Activities Do activities that are uplifting Do activities you enjoy and which make you feel good about yourself Do activities which improve your general health Avoid any activity which may have a negative impact on yourself School/academics Always give your best Use your talents to the best of your ability Set yourself realistic aims so that you don’t get disheartened Clothing/music Choose your clothes so that you always keep your self-respect Keep your uniqueness by the choice of your clothes Wear that which make you feel comfortable Choose your music so that it influences you positively

1.1.4 Strategies to improve others’ self-image by positive actions: respect for others and respect for diversity

Respect for another person contributes to a positive influence towards self-image.

What is respect?

It is when you handle another person, no matter his of her culture, race, religion or gender, in such a way that the person doesn’t feel inferior. You therefore consider the person’s personality and interests.

Which positive actions can influence a person’s self-image in a positive way? 1. Always support the person even if you don’t always agree. 2. Respect and accept the person for who he or she is. 3. Respect the person’s opinion and disagree with the person in a respectful manner. 4. Healthy handling of conflict in conflict situations. 5. Attentively listen to the other person’s opinion.

Which negative actions influence a person’s self-image? 1. You criticise the person’s opinion and personality. 2. You bully a person and break him/her down. 3. You think you are also right and don’t give the person the opportunity to give their side of the story. 4. You discriminate against the person on the grounds of culture, language, religion or race.

One of the aspects that is very important in our daily lives is conflict. We all come into contact with it. The way we handle conflict can influence yourself and the other person positively or negatively.

When does conflict develop?

It is when people think differently about something and have different ideas and opinions. There are mainly three ways in which we handle conflict.

Mediation

(Positive) 1. Each person gives his/her point of view. 2. Persons don’t shout at each other. 3. Each person listens attentively to the other person and recognises their opinion. 4. Persons respect each other’s feelings, culture and traditions. 5. The conflict is solved in a healthy way.

Denial

(Negative) 1. The person gets angry but doesn’t talk about it. 2. The other person is sometimes not even aware of the conflict. 3. The other person doesn’t understand the reason for the conflict. 4. The conflict is not solved.

Confrontation

(Negative) 1. Don’t respect each other’s opinions. 2. Attack each other verbally or physically. 3. Don’t have respect for other cultures, traditions and personalities. 4. There is no agreement and the conflict is not solved.

Do you see your own conflict handling above?

FOR THE CURIOUS

When does a lack of respect become bullying?

Do further research about the topic. Use media like magazines, newspapers, the Internet and TV.

Then answer the following questions in your book. This doesn’t count for marks but is just to broaden your knowledge about the topic. 1. What is bullying? 2. Why does someone become a bully? 3. How do you handle a bully?