Sense of self refers to individual’s personality and identity. Majority of people possess vital ways of looking at themselves as well as creatively thinking. The individual, therefore, must consider his or her sense of self before looking into a variety of senses. The roles that we find fundamental to ourselves add to a sense of self. These roles may attribute to how individuals behave and associate with others. We can also combine occupation, affiliation, social relationships and spiritual with sense of self to bring up a clear picture of the meaning of sense of self. In simpler terms, sense of self implies to individuality. Other attributes such as salient ones also imply to self-sense. For instance, children will often feel themselves. Some researchers term self-love as sense of one’s self. When and individual regards himself or herself as better or best in doing something, he has a sense of self (Seidler, and Victor 23).The essay seeks to elaborate truths about sense of self, importance and how images of race, gender, and sexuality affect sense of self.
Truths about Sense of Self
People often possess different forms of senses of self. Some develop very sharp senses such as regarding that he or she is the best in doing something. Other people have little senses of self as compare to the above the latter described. To distinguish between these types, first we need to discuss in details some truths about it. First, when and individual knows how to self-soothe himself or herself we say that he or she possess sense of self. For example, when an individual controls anger, emotional behaviours, painful feelings and accept given responsibilities it implies that he possesses strong sense of self. Secondly, some people keep promises to themselves to possible strengthen their senses of self. An individual with a strong sense of self will quickly achieve his or her promises than the one with, little sense of self (Dines 19).
Sometimes people are creative and possess their hobbies and exercise them and only attend to what they are interested in. Such people are termed individuals with a strong sense of self. In addition, we often see our friends, parents and other people surrounding counselling themselves and deciding what to do because of their personal benefits. These people also make self-judgements on the central issues that are beneficial to themselves. Such persons are said to have a personal sense of self. A person may also have strong sense of self when he or she has reasonably decides on his or her own, values time and other resources to himself or herself and objective in reasoning(Pierson and Ruth 27).
Some people have no automatic reactions to challenging situations when they arise. The same individuals may also interpret something in their way of underrating others mind. Such people are said to have a strong sense of self. Individuals are often derived from sense of self to take responsibilities. In some situation, an individual with a strong sense is hard to handle since he or she has his thought. Naturally, people are born different; not even identical twins can possess a similar sense of self. Therefore, this means that sense of self differs from one individual to the other. For example in the case of students in the class, if given a chance or a question is posed to them, they may answer differently. Hence, a teacher may have thirty different answers if his class was composed of the same number of students. It, therefore, implies that senses of self are different in expression, self –esteem and perception of things. People are often guided by senses of self to make choices, approve themselves and are a leader in their work as well as personal guidance (Guest 22).
Consequences of sense of self
Dines affirms that all individual’s senses of self sometimes initiate is alterations that may result in deviant behaviours (31). For example, most people with a high sense of self will tend to resist and frequently disagree with others as well as accepting of actual reality. With this regard, therefore, one may act on anger and injure others. A good example is where child gets angry with another one who belittles him or her and hits back through exchange of fists. Self-sense may cause denial to individuals. Not only children who can be affected by this, but also adults frequents exchanges words, fight and threaten one another just because of differences in self-senses. For example, if a person denies suggestions from other individuals they may not accept theirs as well denying him or her (Cronin 47).
Depression and helplessness are yet other effects of sense of self. Sadness and desperations are as results of changes in sense of self. Perplexity that poses confusion state amongst individuals is yet other consequences. Unawareness and brainy damage and emotional struggles. In this case, people suddenly change their behaviours or mood just because of certain stimulus triggering a sense of self to work differently (Miller and Jean 51).
How images of racism affect sense of self
A belief that one belongs to a certain race, culture or given ethnic group create an image in the victim’s minds causing change of thought and feeling about the surrounding environment. Racial images can be in the global context where one individual discriminates another in terms of colour and complexity. Ethnic originality also has adverse effects on sense of self. First, one may not be regarded and hence may be belittled, and his or her reasoning. In doing so, the individual in question whose image is tinted gets discriminated. People fail to understand the environment they are in since discriminated is the order of the day. Children who experience racial discrimination often distort their behaviours and mental health. The effects lead to lower the sense of self since an individual does not recognize himself or herself because of the community, ethnic group and region he or she is in. These adverse effect feelings, anger management, isolated and suicidal attempts may be facilitated (Davies 11).
Headaches and social tension are other effects of racism. These two affect an individual in that group or individual discrimination undermines his or her sense of self. In terms of photos and images either online, shown by television stations, posters and other communication media have adverse effects if they show evidences of racism. The communication posed by these media have negative influences on thinking, and feeling of people on the place, community or the country depicted in the images. A Good example is Saudi Arabia where African women are taken in the name of being offered job opportunities. Recent evidences through images shown by communication media, clearly indicate that there are racial segregation and such women often get mistreat. This gives a negative image of the country. On the other hand, sense of self is hampered worsening the whole situation. Victims are denied rights and fundamental freedoms express themselves. On the contrary, the people in the images causing victimization also lack sense of self since such actions are backdated and globally criminated
How gender affect sense of self
Gender often imply to an individual being a man or a woman. Gender identification has negative implications for sense of self. According to investigators, most people are discriminated while giving views in the opposite gender. For example, one woman in a group of one hundred men may not be recognized. She will, therefore, be underrated and mentally disregarded. Therefore, this implies that her sense of self will be lowered. Gender discrimination may also occur to men. For instance, when a man is in between several women, he may disregard. According to Africa societies and native Black Americas, a woman is often lower than a man. Therefore, this means that her sense of self is not regarded at all. In some societies, females are not recognized and hence underrated their existence. Such retrogressive culture undermines sense of self to females in the societies that are questionable to humanitarians (Dines 37).
Gender-based violence’s are often focused on females. Males have improved body images and self-esteem as compared to females in some societies. Body images imply a language for communicating with a particular group of people. Women are assumed to have bad images in communicating making them feel ashamed and loose self-sense. Images seen in the media depict women differently to men. In most cases, such images alter their real outlook and hence they feel bad about themselves. Even though men are discriminated in imaging communication, women are seen to suffer a lot and this negative impact on their self-esteems. Researches undertook on the perception of bodies’ images of the two different genders affirm that men and women have been experiencing various dissatisfactions. Although this has been happening, women perceive more negative impacts than men hence discrimination is more in females than males. Roles played by different genders have changed and the continuous existence of sexual stereotypes have resulted to aggressiveness in men to reinforce submissiveness to women, men see women as sexual partners and women have complicated their appearances hence sexually arousing men. These men sometimes turn the table upside down by raping the females.
How sexuality affects sense of self
The aspects of life and sense of self are majorly affected by sexuality. Self-esteem and sense of self are majorly affected by sexuality. Women and men have different feelings in sexual intercourses and to broader lives. For example, an ejaculation that is premature during sexual intercourse will alter sense of self of a man. On the other hand, a woman may also belittle him. Self-confidence in sex raises other partner’s esteems. Therefore, this will lead to a higher self-sense amongst individuals of opposite sexes attracting each other. Healthy sex life, on the other hand, create fantasies and facilitate masturbation and lesbians. Issues such as erectile dysfunction and problems with different sexual interests, as well as skill in negotiation, alter sense of self differently. Women and men perceive sexual life differently.
In some occasions, behaviours such as homosexuality create bad images of communication to majority of the society as these e are not accepted. Media, on the other hand, plays a role in entertaining people facing on sexuality. Advertising of products or a service requires an image. Due complexity and the sensitiveness of sexuality, media have confused in communications and often resulted in moral corrosion and lower senses of self-amongst people. Sexual relationships have been weakened due to use of modernized methods of family planning to some extent men a percentage of men express their feeling through use of force or violence. Frequent reported violence’s have been caused by such uses of force and violence’s amongst people of different gender or sex (Cronin 67).
In conclusion therefore, life has been linked in a positive way to create choice as well as controls in societies. Majority of people possess vital ways of looking into themselves as well as creatively thinking. An individual therefore must consider his or her sense of self before looking into a variety of senses. The roles that we consider fundamental to ourselves add to sense of self. The supports and other services such as personal care and normality have improved on risk evasion on different individuals increasing their sense of self. Self-esteem also add to those things that strengthen sense of self. Social environment therefore comprises all aspects of communication and facilitates an individual’s sense of self. Small means have imitated bigger ones through good relationships that enhance sense and provide self-esteem. Differences and similarities that cause alteration of individuals’ senses have been revealed today. Body images imply a language of communicating to certain group of people. Women are assumed to have bad images in communicating making them feel ashamed and loose self-sense. Images seen in the media depict women differently to men. In some occasions, behaviours such as homosexuality create bad image s of communication to majority of the society, as these are not accepted. Media on the other hand plays a role in entertaining people facing on sexuality. Advertising of products or a service require an image. Therefore, images of race, sexuality and gender influence sense of self of an individual.
Work cited
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