Improving Self Concept

Of Beliefs , Self-concept , and the Power of the Mind : A Reflection

From a cognitive standpoint , one guideline for improving my self-concept is the ability to change my beliefs . This point asserts that there are deeply embedded thoughts in my unconscious which have been brought about by my past experiences . Possibly , the negative experiences have been harbored in my unconscious and have had repercussions on the way I perceive myself . I realized that I have to be able to analyze what underlies my negative self-concept . Upon carrying this out , I had very meaningful

insights and thought that the bottom line are the feelings of fear , hatred of oneself , angst , and grief , among others . As the feeling and the belief of not being adequate becomes reinforced through my experiences , it becomes more difficult to change , and all the more I become convinced that I am just good enough . In all of these thoughts I have to learn to observe and to validate where all of these are coming from . Yet another step is for me is to be able to set a target or a goal . I have to live believing that I can change myself for the better if only I can change the way I perceive myself . This is an act of the will , and I have to have the firm conviction of wanting to change - this is a very potent step of the process . The next definitive step of cognitively changing my self-concept is being able to release my old erroneous beliefs about my self-concept . This guideline may be carried out in a ritualistic manner for instance , I can write down these beliefs on a piece of and burn them . This `physical ' release of the belief is more powerful and may cause the healing process to be undertaken more expeditiously

Having explained these principles , I realized a time when I wanted to change my belief that I do not deserve to be romantically involved with anyone . Throughout my life , I have avoided most opportunities of people who wanted to get close to me in this way . Now that I have discovered the power of changing cognitions , I believe that this has been rooted in the way that my parents brought me up . Growing in a very sheltered environment and following very stringent rules , I have been strongly reprimanded by my parents whenever I made mistakes . I felt this more strongly with my father who was a disciplinarian . I have failed in trying to change myself because the belief had a long , and deeply rooted cause . Having known these principles , I decide to finally rid myself of this belief by first addressing the problem at its root - in my belief system . First , I have to observe how I react to social contexts related to this belief . Moreover , I will also reflect about the causes of this cognitive schema , and then try to logically change this . I will reaffirm myself systematically by telling myself phrases such as You deserved to...