Permission must be sought to use this material subject to copyright. January 2015.
Self awareness: self awareness is having a conscious knowledge of one’s own character, one's own feelings, one's own motives, and one's own desires (oxford dictionary).
Self consciousness: An excessive awareness of being observed by others. Conscious of oneself or one's own being. Aware of oneself as an individual or of one's own being, actions, or thoughts. Socially ill at ease and unduly aware of oneself as the object of the attention of others; conscious of one's existence (oxford dictionary).
Self Awareness is having a clear perception of your own personality within being an individual not being swayed by other people characteristics. This includes awareness and acceptance of not only the strengths but the weaknesses of oneself. It is a clarity and trueness in your own thoughts and your own beliefs not changing to suit the social environment around you. It's knowing about what motivates you, an individual motivation rather than a collective. Self aware is knowing about your emotions, not only in personal direct experience but also in worldly, social and environment matters; what makes you tick, likes, dislikes, what makes you react and what doesn't.
Self Awareness makes you more aware to understand other social people, it allows you to see how those social others perceive you. It part of the attitude, the judgement, the discrimination one has to a social other and the responses you give to them in the any moment of time. To be self aware is an heightened awareness of all you do, say and are in any moment of time.
Self consciousness seems to be divided in to two sub categories one seen as a detriment and the other of benefit. At a detriment the person becomes excessively aware of others observations, thoughts and comments of, this bringing an uneasy social awkwardness because the attention is maybe not wanted or warranted for that matter (bullying/abuse). However we must note that a persons heightened awareness maybe coming from self protection (historic and/or present) having to be aware of surroundings due to physical discomfort, threat or emotional discomfort.
The other self awareness that could be seen as detriment is when there is a pre occupation with oneself, an obsession with ones physical appearance, constant attentive behaviours to keep self in an immaculate condition.
At the benefit of the person being aware of oneself as an individual and that of your own physical being in space and time. Knowing your actions can act as the social values you hold, being in control and conscious of the deeds you do; both in wrong and right doings.
Some people are habitually or characteristically more self-conscious than others: feelings of self-consciousness are sometimes associated with shyness, embarrassment rather than paranoia.
