The Concept of Self: Who am I?

‘COVID-19 can be an opportunity to know yourself’

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we all are facing a shattered social identity or moral injuries. When the external world is changing at a fast pace, the drastic situation we are witnessing everyday seems and feels unfamiliar, we may notice internal changes happening as well.

 As we adapt to new realities and unsettling circumstances, we may become more aware of subtle changes to how we see ourselves – a shift in our identity. However disorienting this may feel, reflecting on and understanding who we are can be a catalyst for growth during times of uncertainty.

To address the issue of identity crisis, National Service Scheme & Rotaract Club in association with School of Education, Apeejay Stya University organized an international webinar on ‘The Concept of Self: Who am I? Dr. Mvikeli Ncube, Chartered Psychologist, FHEA and faculty in the School of Psychology, Arden University Coventry, England, United Kingdom was the guest speaker.

Dr. Vijay Kumar, (Assistant Professor, School of Education, ASU and Programme Coordinator, NSS) mentioned the need of self-actualization, esteem needs, belongingness and love needs, safety needs and physiological needs of human. Dr. Ananda Padhan, (Head, School of Education, ASU) echoed the problem of self-identification which the world is facing.

“Can you understand your identity without looking at your relationship with others? How might our understanding of self-identity change in the next 30 years? What factors affect our identity in more recent times?,” Dr. Mvikeli Ncube asked.

The term self-concept is a general term used to refer to how someone thinks about, evaluates or perceives themselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself, he explained.

The concept of ‘self’ is synonymous with identity. The ideas that we have about who or what we are, are in effect constructed cognitively in our thoughts, beliefs and perceptions, face-to face interactions, as well as through social media, he said.

“Your own identity is an invention, it is a fiction that enables you to feel real about yourself,” he said.

The basic problem, he said, is that people shape themselves based on what other people perceive and confirm other people’s opinion on themselves.

For those who are the victim of identity crisis, he explained self -awareness theory. There are two types of self-awareness: objectives self-awareness and private self-awareness. These are related to public and private self.

Prof. Raj S. Dhankar, Vice Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University while congratulating the School of Education, NSS and Rotaract club of ASU for organising such a wonderful programme on a very relevant and timely theme, underlined the need to have a clear vision regarding one’s self concept.  

“A constructive way to explore who we are, who we’ve been, and who we want to be, we need to develop awareness. Self-acceptance can reduce some of the anxiety about who we are – or aren’t – in this new normal. It’s an opportunity to be curious about how we navigate through the world and strengthen identities that are meaningful to us, Dr. Mvikeli Ncube said.

Dr. Ncube thanked School of Education, Apeejay Stya University for providing such an international platform and invited its teachers and students to Arden University, England for academic collaboration.