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How to Boost Your Self-Awareness
Here's why knowing yourself is so important—plus, how to
improve it
By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Updated on May 09, 2024
Reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS
Self-awareness is your ability to perceive and understand the things that make you who
you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and
thoughts. Essentially, it is a psychological state in which the self becomes the focus
of attention.
While self-awareness is central to your identity, it is not something you are acutely
focused on at every moment of every day. Instead, self-awareness becomes woven into
the fabric of who you are and emerges at different points depending on the situation and
your personality.
At a Glance
While we might not think about it all the time, self-awareness is critical to our
understand of our selves and our relationship with the world. This understanding
starts to form early in life, and become increasingly important as we grow older and
begin to gain greater insights into our own thoughts, feelings, sensations, and
behavior patterns. Keep reading to learn more about what experts have learned
about how self-awareness develops, the different forms it can take, and what you
can do to gain deeper insights into who you are as an individual.
How Does Self-Awareness Develop?
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Self-awareness is one of the first components of the self-concept to emerge. People are
not born completely self-aware. Yet evidence suggests that infants do have a rudimentary
sense of self-awareness.
Infants are aware that they are separate from others, as evidenced by behaviors such as
the rooting reflex, in which an infant searches for a nipple when something brushes
against their face. Researchers have also found that even newborns can differentiate
between self- and non-self touch.
Studies have demonstrated that a more complex sense of self-awareness emerges
around one year of age and becomes much more developed by approximately 18 months
of age.
Self-Awareness and the Mirror Recognition Task
One way that research can measure self-awareness is by using what is known as a mirror
self-recognition task. In a classic conducted by researchers Lewis and Brooks-Gunn, the
researchers utilized this task to examine how self-awareness develops.
The researchers applied a red dot to an infant's nose and held the child to a mirror.
Children who recognized themselves in the mirror would reach for their own noses rather
than the reflection in the mirror, which indicated that they had at least some level of self-
awareness.
Lewis and Brooks-Gunn found that almost no children under one year would reach for
their own noses rather than the reflection in the mirror.
About 25% of the infants between 15 and 18 months reached for their own noses
while about 70% of those between 21 and 24 months did so. This suggests that
children exhibit self-awareness and self-recognition at 15 months and have a fully
developed sense of mirror recognition by 24 months.
It is important to note that the Lewis and Brooks-Gunn study only indicates an infant's
visual self-awareness; children might actually possess other forms of self-awareness
even at this early point in life. For example, researchers have also suggested
that expressing emotions involves self-awareness and an ability to think about oneself in
relation to other people.
Self-Awareness and the Brain
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Researchers have proposed that an area of the brain known as the anterior cingulate
cortex located in the frontal lobe region plays an important role in developing self-
awareness. Studies have also used brain imaging to show that this region becomes
activated in adults who are self-aware.
The Lewis and Brooks-Gunn experiment suggests that self-awareness begins to emerge
in children around the age of 18 months, an age that coincides with the rapid growth of
spindle cells in the anterior cingulate cortex.
However, one study found that a patient retained self-awareness even with extensive
damage to areas of the brain including the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex.
This suggests that these areas of the brain are not required for most aspects of self-
awareness and that awareness may instead arise from interactions distributed
among brain networks.
Levels of Self-Awareness
So how exactly do children become aware of themselves as separate beings? One major
theory of self-awareness, introduced by developmental psychologist Philippe Rochat,
suggests that there are five levels of self-awareness. Children progress through these
stages between birth and approximately age 4 or 5:
Differentiation: A baby begins to acknowledge their own reflection. They may
detect there is something different or special about looking at their reflection.
Situation: A baby begins to recognize their own reflection, being, and movements
as separate from those around them.
Identification: This is the stage during which a child fully knows that it is their own
reflection in a mirror. They know, "This is me."
Permanence: They have a complete sense of themselves and can identify
themselves in pictures or videos, even as their appearance changes.
Self-consciousness: A child adapts a third-person point of view of themselves; they
become aware of the idea that others perceive them in certain ways. This may result
in feelings such as pride or shame.
Types of Self-Awareness
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Self-awareness also takes different forms that can emerge in different situations and
settings. Psychologists often break self-awareness down into two different types, either
public or private.
Public Self-Awareness
This type emerges when people are aware of how they appear to others. Public self-
awareness typically emerges in situations when people are at the center of attention.
This type of self-awareness often compels people to adhere to social norms. When we
are aware that we are being watched and evaluated, we often try to behave in socially
acceptable and desirable ways.
Public self-awareness can also lead to evaluation anxiety in which people become
distressed, anxious, or worried about how they are perceived by others. Performance
anxiety and social anxiety are two examples of how public self-awareness can sometimes
lead to worry and distress about how other evaluate us.
Public Self-Awareness Examples
You may experience public self-awareness in the workplace, such as when you're
giving an important presentation or when telling a story to a group of friends.
Because you are the focus of attention, you become more acutely aware of how
others might perceive you.
Private Self-Awareness
This type happens when people become aware of some aspects of themselves, but only
in a private way. For example, seeing your face in the mirror is a type of private self-
awareness.
Certain strategies can help you build a greater sense of private self-awareness. For
example, journaling, meditating, and practicing mindfulness can help you become more
aware of your inner thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
Private Self-Awareness Examples
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Feeling your stomach lurch when you realize you forgot to study for an important test
or feeling your heart flutter when you see someone you are attracted to are also
examples of private self-awareness.
Why Is Self-Awareness Important?
Self-awareness is important because it allows you to reflect on aspects of yourself. As you
understand your abilities and tendencies, your self-awareness also allows you to think
about how you interact with others and the world around you.
Self-aware people are able to manage their behaviors and adapt to situations. They can
accurately evaluate what the situation requires and then modify their actions accordingly.
This can be vital in many areas of life, including your relationships and work. It can also
factor in when it comes to personal development. As you become more aware of your
strengths and weaknesses, you can take steps to capitalize on the things you are good at
and explore ways to improve the areas where you might struggle.
How to Improve Your Self-Awareness
So how do you grow self-awareness? There are many ways you can practice being
present with yourself and your emotions, which, in turn, can help improve your self-
awareness.
Meditation
Meditation can be an especially useful practice because you don't have to worry about
changing anything—simply noticing what happens during a meditation can bring greater
awareness of your thoughts and feelings.
Maybe you notice that you hold tension in your body by clenching your jaw, for instance,
or that you tend to worry so much about the future that it's hard to be in the present
moment. This is all valuable information that can help you get to know yourself and your
tendencies.
Journaling
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Journaling is a practice of self-reflection that can help you notice how you think and
behave and even which areas in your life you may wish to improve. It can be a
therapeutic way to gain insight into your life events and relationships.
Talk Therapy
During therapy—such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—a therapist works with you
to address negative thought patterns or behaviors.
By understanding the underlying cause of your negative thoughts, for instance, you're in a
more advantageous position to change them and use healthy coping mechanisms
instead.
Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) go hand in hand. EQ refers to a person's
ability to perceive their own emotions and those of others. Someone with a high EQ can
effectively respond to emotions with empathy and compassion.
Of course, no one is perfect, and EQ is a skill like any other. But by learning to express
your emotions in a healthy way and practicing active listening in your relationships, you're
contributing to the expansion of your self-awareness as well.
Try Our EQ Test
Our fast and free EQ test can help you determine whether or not your responses to
certain situations in life indicate a high level of emotional intelligence:
When Self-Awareness Leads to Self-
Consciousness
Sometimes, people can become overly self-aware and veer into what is known as self-
consciousness. Have you ever felt like everyone was watching you, judging your actions,
and waiting to see what you will do next? This heightened state of self-awareness can
leave you feeling awkward and nervous in some instances.
In many cases, these feelings of self-consciousness are only temporary and arise when
we are "in the spotlight." For some people, however, excessive self-consciousness can
reflect a chronic condition such as social anxiety disorder.
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While self-awareness plays a critical role in how we understand ourselves and how
we relate to others and the world, excessive self-consciousness can result in
challenges such as anxiety and stress.
If you struggle with self-consciousness, discuss your symptoms with a doctor or mental
health professional to learn more about what you can do to cope with these feelings.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does it mean to have self-awareness?
Being self-aware is all about having an understanding of your own thoughts,
feelings, values, beliefs, and actions. It means that you understand who you
are, what you want, how you feel, and why you do the things that you do.
What are the four keys to self-awareness?
There are many different ways to think about self-awareness, but four keys that
are often mentioned included mindfulness, self-compassion, reflection, and
feedback.
Mindfulness allows people to become more aware of themselves in the
present, while compassion allows them to do so without passing judgment on
themselves. Reflection and feedback allow people to take what they have
learned and improve themselves in order to achieve their goals and reach their
full potential.
What are the five elements of self-awareness?
The five elements of self-awarenesses are:
Consciousness: This means being aware of your internal experiences,
including your emotions and thoughts.
Self-knowledge: This element is focused on your understanding of who
you are, including your beliefs, values, and motivations.
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Emotional intelligence: This element is focused on the ability to
understand and manage emotions.
Self-acceptance: This aspect is centered on accepting who you are and
showing yourself compassion and kindness.
Self-reflection: This element of self-awareness involves being able to
think deeply about your feelings, thoughts, and goals in order to gain an
even better understanding of who you are and your place in the world.
12 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within
our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content
accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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