Introduction
Self-awareness and self-esteem are two important concepts in personal development. They help you understand who you are and how you feel about yourself. A learner who understands these concepts can make better decisions, build confidence, and improve their life.
Self-awareness
- Self-awareness means you know and understand yourself.
- It is about understanding:
- your interests
- your likes
- your dislikes
- your strengths
- your weaknesses
- your goals
- your dreams
- your wishes
- your hopes
- your values
- your beliefs
- your skills
- Self-awareness helps you see yourself clearly.
- It helps you understand what you are good at and what you need to improve.
- It also helps you make choices that match your goals and values.
Example
- A learner may know that they enjoy helping others, dislike dishonesty, are good at speaking, but struggle with time management.
- This shows self-awareness because the learner understands their own qualities and challenges.
Self-esteem
- Self-esteem means liking yourself.
- It means feeling satisfied with your abilities and believing that you deserve to be liked and respected.
- It shows:
- how much you value yourself
- how much you like yourself
- how much you rate yourself
- how much confidence you have in yourself
- how much you believe in yourself
- Self-esteem affects how you think, behave and respond to challenges.
- A learner with healthy self-esteem usually feels worthy, capable and respected.
- A learner with low self-esteem may doubt their ability and may depend too much on approval from others.
Example
- A learner with good self-esteem may answer a question in class even when nervous because they believe their opinion matters.
- A learner with low self-esteem may stay quiet because they think their answer is not good enough.
Signs of high self-esteem
You have high self-esteem when you:
- like yourself
- accept yourself
- believe in yourself
- are confident
- can identify your strengths and weaknesses
- work at being better and stronger
- strive to improve your weaknesses
Why these concepts matter
- Self-awareness helps you know yourself.
- Self-esteem helps you value yourself.
- Together, they help you grow into a stronger and more confident person.
- They also help you make better decisions and deal with pressure from other people and society.
Important exam points
- Self-awareness is about knowing and understanding yourself.
- Self-esteem is about how much you value and believe in yourself.
- Do not confuse the two concepts.
- In tests, always explain the concept clearly and use an example if needed.
Common mistakes
- Saying self-awareness and self-esteem mean the same thing.
- Defining self-esteem as confidence only.
- Forgetting that self-awareness includes strengths, weaknesses, values, goals and beliefs.
- Giving short answers without explanation.
Practice questions
- Define self-awareness.
- Define self-esteem.
- List four things that self-awareness includes.
- Explain what self-esteem shows about a person.
- State three signs of high self-esteem.
Memo points
1. Define self-awareness.
- Self-awareness means knowing and understanding yourself.
2. Define self-esteem.
- Self-esteem means liking yourself and valuing yourself.
- It includes confidence and belief in yourself.
3. List four things that self-awareness includes.
Any four:
- interests
- likes
- dislikes
- strengths
- weaknesses
- goals
- dreams
- values
- beliefs
- skills
4. Explain what self-esteem shows about a person.
- It shows how much a person values, likes and believes in themselves.
- It also shows how confident they are.
5. State three signs of high self-esteem.
Any three:
- likes self
- accepts self
- believes in self
- is confident
- identifies strengths and weaknesses
- works at self-improvement
Quick recap
- Self-awareness = knowing yourself
- Self-esteem = valuing yourself
- High self-esteem means confidence, self-belief and self-acceptance
Economics Grade 10 | Term 1 Revision 2