Chapter 1 Understanding Yourself

Vocabulary… Heredity Environment Cultural heritage Ethnic group Personality Character Empathy Self-concept Self-esteem

What is heredity? Heredity is the sum of all the traits passed on through genes from parents to children. Heredity causes both similarities and differences in people.

Inherited Traits Your skin, hair, and eye color are inherited traits, as are your facial features, body build, and height. Mental and physical abilities are also inherited. You have little, if any, control over your inherited traits.

Your Environment Your environment is made up of everything that surrounds you. As an infant you had little control over your environment. As your growing older, you are gaining more control. In the future, you will probably be able to control the environment in which you will live.

Psychological and Personal You have two different types of environments Psychological and Personal Both types strongly influence your personal development.

Psychological Environment It is composed of attitudes expressed by people around you. Includes: Feelings and beliefs of your family members, teachers, classmates, and friends. These people influence the attitudes you have. You partially control your psychological environment through your choice of friends.

Physical Environment Is composed of objects around you. One main factor would be where you live… Farm, city, small town… depending on where you grew up everyone experienced different environments. You had little control while with your parents but will be able to choose where you want to live later in life.

Your Environments Both psychological and physical- influence the way you look, think, and act. As you learn more about your environments, you can understand yourself better.

Cultural Heritage Cultural heritage is made up of the learned behaviors, beliefs, and languages that are passed from generation to generation.

Who helps you to learn about your cultural heritage??? Your family, immediate and extended. Their guidelines and beliefs become part of your heritage. The food you eat, the holidays you celebrate, and the traditions you observe are part of your culture.

All Americans are part of an ethnic group…. An ethnic group is a group of people who share a common racial and/or cultural characteristics such as national origin, language, religion, and traditions.

Examples of ethnic groups… Native Americans European Americans Asian Americans African Americans Hispanics Caucasians

Importance of ethnic groups Ethnic groups help to maintain a culturally healthy society. The blending of all these cultures makes American culture truly unique. Understanding your cultural makes you appreciate it and to appreciate other cultures around you.

Your Personality Personality is the total of all the behavioral qualities and traits that make up an individual. Includes the way you feel, the way you speak, the way you think, the way you dress, and the way you relate to others. Your personality is a combination of all the traits that make you unique.

Traits Traits are qualities that make you different from other people. What are some examples of traits?? Cheerful, cooperative, easy-going Lazy, moody, grumpy

Character Development Character refers to inner traits, such as conscience, moral strength, and social attitudes. It is the inner you… the force that guides your conduct and behavior toward acceptable standards of right and wrong.

Character Traits Caring- a trait that describes people who are kind to others. Caring people are friendly to everyone not just their friends Empathy- means they understand how others feel even when their own personal feelings may differ. They also show sympathy. They know to give a hug when others are hurting.

Continued… Fairness- the ability to be honest and impartial. Impartial- to act in an objective, unbiased way. Those who are fair show no prejudice towards others opinions, ideas, or ways of doing things. Respect- to hold in high regard. Trustworthiness- means you can be relied upon. Example: a friend tells you a secret, and you do not tell anyone else. Responsibility- means being accountable for your actions and obligations. Whether you like it or not your accountable for them.

Self-Concept Self-concept is your own view of yourself. This started at an early age and it was largely influenced by people around you and the way you interpreted their behaviors toward you.

Positive and Negative When people show approval of you and the things you did, you received a positive message such as, “ People like what I do.” Positive feelings like this develop a positive self-concept. With positive self-concept you will see yourself as a worthwhile person.

Positive and Negative When people showed disapproval, you received a negative warning. You may have felt a sense of personal rejection. Every person receives positive and negative messages, it lies within the individual to measure his or hers self-worth.

Improving Self-Concept Liking yourself and feeling good about yourself allows your personality to grow and develop even more. Be realistic about your expectations of yourself Remember no one is perfect Look for balance in your life Develop your talents and abilities If your part of a group, take on a task that will give you an opportunity to learn a new skill.

Improving Self-Concept Look for positive relationships with others Surround yourself with positive people who will support you. Spend time doing activities you enjoy Learn to be enjoy being alone and doing activities that only you might enjoy. Develop a sense of humor Learn to laugh at yourself

What is self-esteem Self-esteem is the sense of worth you attach to yourself, it’s a word describe a positive self-concept. Taking pride in your work and your accomplishments shows a positive self-esteem. It is a personal statement you make to yourself that describes your self-worth. You are a worthy person. If you feel you are worthwhile person, it will show in your relationships with others. If you accept yourself you are more likely to accept others.

Having self-esteem does not mean that everything you do will be successful. It does help you to maintain a realistic view of your successes and failures. You will be more likely to try harder to reach your goals and fulfill your responsibilities if you have self-esteem