Quality of appearance is important in nature and individuals have a basic need to establish the normality of appearance to confirm their acceptability to others. In daily inter-relationships of the same species, for instance, normal-appearing members of a species group reject or kill other members who appear abnormal. In human society, appearance is considered as one of the most direct sources of information about other people, and unattractiveness is often accompanied by negative judgments, which can cause emotional distress and isolation. Accordingly, humans tend to pay great attention to their personal appearance and make improvements to enhance their self-representations. The growth of the beauty and cosmetic surgery industries is an indication of an increasing willingness to enhance physical appearance. However, despite the growing demand for cosmetic procedures, the consumer research literature on this topic is extremely sparse. In fact, little is known about the attitudinal and motivational drivers that facilitate undergoing such procedures. This dissertation enriches our understanding of factors that affect consumers’ motivation to pursue cosmetic procedures and examines the role of emotions in such decisions. To that end, objective self-awareness (OSA) theory is applied and the interplay between the state of public OSA, beauty standards, and self-conscious emotions of shame and pride is explored. The results of two experimental studies indicate that access to beauty standards coupled with the state of public OSA generates self-standard comparison thoughts that may yield self-standard discrepancies. Negative emotions experienced due to such discrepancies move individuals into a self-regulatory cycle with the purpose of discrepancy reduction and impact their motivation to undergo cosmetic procedures. Pride and shame, two central self-conscious emotions, influence self-regulatory strategies and differently impact the approach to discrepancy reduction. These findings contribute to the research advocating the role of emotions in decision making and provide more insights about self-conscious emotions and their role in regulating goal pursuit behavior. The findings provide practical implications for marketers of cosmetics products and services, social marketers trying to encourage or discourage certain behaviors, and public policy makers. Moreover, the results have wide-ranging implications for structuring programs designed to contribute to consumer welfare.

Le but de cette thèse est de lire les textes de Maine de Biran comme une philosophie de l’apparition du moi et de la genèse de la pensée réflexive. Les deux premiers chapitres mesurent la portée des critiques biraniennes de l’innéisme du sujet à l’époque de sa « révolution totale » de 1804. Il s’agit de ses critiques de Destutt de Tracy et de Locke. Ces deux prédécesseurs, présupposant l’idée du moi déjà formée et une réflexion déjà complète, laissaient incomplètes leurs recherches du sujet pensant. Par les critiques de ces deux penseurs, Biran approfondit sa conception de la « réflexion », en la fondant sur la naissance du moi. Les chapitres 3 et 4 thématisent les deux fruits de ces critiques, à savoir le parallélisme psycho-physiologique que Biran applique à la recherche de l’apparition du sujet d’une part, et de l’autre le concept de « réflexion » en tant que processus d’approfondissement du point de vue interne. Le chapitre 3 examine les considérations biraniennes sur l’apparition d’un individu voulant et conscient, en référant ses critiques de Xavier Bichat. Cette recherche concerne le passage entre l’involontaire et le volontaire, relié par la spontanéité. Le dernier chapitre explique le concept biranien de réflexion comme un processus de formation de la pensée réfléchie ayant la différence de degrés de profondeur. Ce chapitre montre que ce concept permet de relier la première aperception sensible à la « réflexion supérieure » qui fournit les notions métaphysiques, et que ce processus peut être analysé en deux aspects : redoublement de l’aperception et concentration vers l’aperception immédiate. / The purpose of this thesis is to read the texts of Maine de Biran as a philosophy of the appearance of the self and the genesis of reflective thinking. The first two chapters measure the reach of criticism which Biran did toward the supposition of the innate subject at the time of his "total revolution" of 1804. It is his criticism of Destutt de Tracy and Locke. Two predecessors, presupposing the idea of the self already formed and the reflection already completed, left their researches of the thinking subject incomplete. By critics of these two thinkers, Biran deepened his understanding of "reflection", and based it on the birth of the self. Chapters 3 and 4 examine two fruits of these criticisms, namely the psycho-physiological parallelism which Biran applies to the research on the appearance of the self, and the concept of "reflection" as the process of deepening the internal point of view. Chapter 3 examines considerations of Biran on the appearance of a willing and conscious individual, referring to his criticism of Xavier Bichat. This research concerns the transition between the involuntary and the voluntary, which the spontaneity connects. The last chapter explains the concept of reflection as a formation process of reflective thought with the difference of degrees of depth. This chapter shows that this concept serves to connect the first apperception to the "réflexion supérieure" that provides metaphysical notions, and that this process can be analyzed in two aspects: duplication of the apperception and concentration to the immediate apperception.

Competence in counseling includes awareness of self and attitudes during the counseling process (American Counseling Association, 2005). Therefore, cultivating counselor self-awareness is a critical aspect of clinical supervision. The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) described best practices for supervision, which stated that supervisors should use “interventions that address a range of supervision foci, including counseling performance skills, cognitive counseling skills, case conceptualization, self-awareness, and professional behaviors” (ACES, 2011). Promoting self-awareness in supervision often calls for creative approaches that go beyond basic problem solving in an effort to engage supervisees in a more self-reflective practice. By inviting supervisees to self-reflect and focus inwardly on their clinical experiences, the supervision process itself has the potential to create a more lasting “second-order change,” or change in the change process (Fraser & Solovey, 2007). This type of enduring change can create ripple effects, transforming the counselor as well as affecting other counselor-client relationships.

A case study of a junior high and high school art classroom that examines students' development of identity and self-awareness through reflective practice in a caring community. This project considers what the role of teaching is and how working through vulnerability to create caring relationships can inspire teachers and aid adolescent students, within an art curriculum, to discover their true selves.

Complex cognitive functions require interactions within and between different brain regions by direct anatomical connections or synchronous activation. As such, damage to any region involved in a cognitive process has the potential to affect its function. Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct that, when dysfunctional, contributes to many psychiatric conditions. The striatum has been implicated as an integral part of the neural circuitry of impulsivity. The current work aims to contribute to the understanding of neural dysfunction underlying disorders of impulsivity by examining how striatal damage affects impulsive behavior. It also aims to improve our understanding of whether neural processes involved in impulsivity are also involved in maintaining awareness of one's thoughts and actions. No studies have systematically examined the extent to which damage to the striatum correlates with both changes in impulsive behavior and changes in self-awareness of impulsive personality. In the first experiment, I examined the effects of focal unilateral striatal damage on self-awareness of impulsivity and other personality traits. I predicted that participants with striatal damage (SD) would have less self-awareness of changes in impulsivity and other personality traits after brain damage, as compared to brain damage comparisons (BDC), due to indirect disruption of neural networks responsible for self-referential processing. I tested this prediction using self and collateral versions of the Barratt Impulsiveness scale (BIS) and the Iowa Scales of Personality Change. In partial support of my hypothesis, there were mean differences in self- and collateral-reported impulsivity on the BIS, with self ratings higher than collateral ratings in the SD group. There were no significant differences in the correlations between self- and collateral-reports for current impulsivity, change in impulsivity, or change in other personality traits. In the second experiment, I examined the effects of focal unilateral striatal damage on laboratory measures of impulsivity. I predicted that participants with striatal damage would exhibit lower levels impulsivity than brain damaged comparisons due to structural loss of regions involved in reward/motivation and motor activity. I tested this using impulsive action tasks (Go/NoGo and Stop Signal Tasks) and impulsive choice tasks (Delay and Probability Discounting). In contrast to my hypothesis, SD participants did not exhibit less impulsive action or impulsive choice than BDC participants. In the third experiment, I examined the effects of focal unilateral striatal damage on the integrity of frontostriatal resting state functional connectivity. I predicted that participants with striatal damage would exhibit alterations in functional connectivity between the remaining regions of the frontostriatal network. I tested this by comparing the strength of functional connectivity of the caudate head and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. While my hypothesis was not directly supported, the data showed interesting trends that warrant further exploration. These included stronger caudate-vmPFC resting state functional connectivity on the lesion side, and weaker functional connectivity on the non-lesioned side in striatal participants compared to brain damaged comparisons. Together, these experiments suggest that although unilateral striatal damage does not appear to affect subjective reports or laboratory measures of impulsivity, it may affect the underlying neural networks utilized by the striatum, as evidenced by changes in frontostriatal resting state functional connectivity. This work extends our understanding of the neurobiology of impulsive behavior and self-awareness, at systems level, and may help pave the way for treatments of those with brain injury, such as traumatic brain injury and stroke patients, or psychiatric disorders involving impulsivity.

This paper deals with developing pragmatic competence in the English as a second language classroom, mainly through speaking activities. In Part One the theoretical background of pragmatics and its various aspects are discussed. Views of a number of authors on pragmatics are presented, witnessing the necessity of pragmatic upbringing at schools and other educational establishments in the world of globalization. Some examples are given why pragmatic awareness is inseparable from grammatical or vocabulary knowledge of a particular language. The importance of reflective teaching and its types is stressed. Next, the paper focuses on ways to stimulate learner pragmatic growth, critical thinking and self-awareness, the role of questions, also the role of the mother tongue in the pragmatically oriented classroom. In Part Two possible activities for raising pragmatic competence, as proposed by various linguists, are described. Some specific examples are given here. In this part of the paper the reader gets acquainted with ways of developing pragmatic competence that are effective and convenient to implement in the classroom. Finally, in Part Three the coursebooks Twist 1 and Twist 2 (Student’s Books and Teacher’s Books) are analyzed as means to be used by teachers having specific aims for learner pragmatic development. All the chapters (Issues) are overviewed (each separately and all of them as one whole), general tendencies and peculiarities are discerned, specific tasks are... [to full text]

Psychological research focusing on the relationship between self-awareness and leadership has subsequently attracted criticism, regarding both the conceptualisation and measurements used therein. Specifically, the previous use of difference scores to measure self-awareness has become associated with issues of reliability and the conceptualisation of self-awareness within the emotional intelligence paradigm has been considered a limitation. To study the relationship between self-awareness and leadership while acknowledging the need for improved methods, the current research conceptually extended self-awareness to include recognition of cognitive and social intelligence as well as emotional intelligence within the self. In addition, the current study tested a newly proposed correlational method for measuring self-awareness. The leader-follower relationship was represented by seventy two managers who were each paired with one of seventy two respective subordinate employees. Each manager rated their own cognitive, social and emotional intelligence at two points in time, two weeks apart, and their respective employee subordinate rated the manager on twelve Leader Behaviours. As predicted, the managers’ mean self-ratings were associated with employee-rated Leader Behaviour. Inconsistent with the literature and against prediction, correlational scores taken between the managers’ two self-rating times were not associated with Leader Behaviour. In addition, results were inconsistent with the prediction that difference scores between the managers’ two rating times would be associated with leader behaviour. The current study contributed to the scientific understanding of the association between social intelligence and leadership as well as the relationship between self-awareness and leader behaviour. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in reference to organisational leadership.

Interactions between business counterparts have become increasingly free from boundaries, as technological innovation brings the world closer together (Adler, 2002). Locally, the typical South African organisation employs workers from a multitude of cultural backgrounds, at various levels of acculturation. Organisational coaches must be prepared to engage with diverse national and international client populations. Coaching bodies such as the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC, 2008) and the locally-based Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA, 2009; COMENSA, 2010), require coaches to provide culturally responsive services to coachees. If the coach differs culturally from the coachee, he/she may incorrectly use his/her own understanding of what is appropriate for a situation to make sense of the coachee’s behaviour, possibly leading to the misinterpretation of the diverse coachee’s situation. In addition, the coach may also project his/her own cultural bias and stereotypes onto the coachee. This in turn may lead to barriers in communication, and ultimately to the inhibition of efficiency of the coaching process as possible outcomes. Inefficient coaching may not allow for the achievement of the desired results, leading to financial losses for the company. Therefore, it is imperative that the coach is aware of his/her own culturally-laden values, beliefs and expectations which may include biases, prejudices and stereotypes held about the coachee, i.e. his/ her cultural self-awareness. The purpose of the current research study was to explore and describe the experiences and perceptions of South African organisational coaches in terms of cultural self-awareness. Specifically the study investigated how eight South African organisational coaches (N = 8) develop, maintain and promote cultural self-awareness, and what the perceived consequences of such awareness were. The study was conducted within the constructivist research paradigm and utilised a qualitative research approach. The multiple case study research strategy employed in-depth interviews to collect the research data. A grounded theory research methodology was used to analyse and explore the experiences and perceptions of South African organisational coaches in developing and utilising cultural self-awareness. Eight findings were obtained from the interviews, namely: the cultural self-awareness cultivated during coaching developed as part of a general process of cultural self-awareness, which in turn formed part of the participants’ personal development; both intentional strategies and happenstance led to the coaches’ cultural self-awareness; situational and internal factors contributed to changes in their cultural self-awareness; cultural self-awareness is maintained through self-management involving internal and external strategies; future cultural self-awareness is promoted through pursuing experiences that would cause them to question bias; a change in cultural self-awareness held consequences for the personal developmental process as well as for the coachee, and the coaching process; the meaning of cultural self-awareness was explained by using metaphors. The most prominent metaphors the coaches used were ‘sight’, ‘the past’, ‘internal work’, and ‘managing’; additional psychosocial processes that occur during intercultural coaching which can be grouped under macro, meso and micro issues, contextualised the process of cultural self-awareness during intercultural coaching. The findings were interpreted to show that various levels, developmental paths, and applications of cultural self-awareness exist amongst organisational coaches. On the basis of the results obtained from the research study, recommendations were made for future research, coaching education and training programmes, coaching clients, and current or prospective coaches. / Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Anosognosia for hemiplegia (AHP) is relatively common among patients who suffer from a stroke. It is characterized as a denial of bodily paralysis and the complexity of studying it is evident. Anosognosia is a neuropsychological deficit of self-awareness and most frequently associated with both cortical and subcortical lesions distributed within the right hemisphere, resulting in a left hemiplegia. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of AHP by presenting theoretical, clinical, and neural aspects. Different diagnostic procedures have attempted to clinically evaluate patients with AHP. The timing of assessment and the characteristic differences between these procedures are crucial factors to consider. Various theories regarding the underlying mechanisms of AHP are also discussed in this review, suggesting the cause of AHP from different perspectives. In order to confirm or disconfirm these theories, several studies are presented concerning the neural aspects, such as the frequency, related disorders, and anatomical correlates of AHP.

This thesis presents a series of cross-cultural experiments, which investigate the role of self-awareness on self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication (CMC). The thesis is split into two parts, detailing the results of four separate experiments. In Part 1, the two experiments focus specifically on British participants who are considered to be from an individualistic culture. Experiment 1 investigates how private and public self-awareness affects their breadth, depth and accuracy of self-disclosure in CMC. Experiment 2 then attempts to simplify Experiment 1 to try and focus more specifically on personal motivations of self-disclosure. The results of the first two experiments clearly illustrate the importance of both private and public self-awareness in intimate self-disclosure in CMC. More specifically, they indicate that increasing private self-awareness increases depth of self-disclosure, whilst increasing public self-awareness reduces the accuracy of the self-disclosure. In Part 2 of the thesis Experiments 1 and 2 are replicated on Singaporean participants, who are considered to be from a collectivist culture. Members of collectivist cultures are consistently reported to self-disclose less than members of individualistic cultures. It is however found in Experiment 3 that in a typical 'real-time' interaction the Singaporeans report themselves to self-disclose to a greater depth than the British participants. Cultural differences are also found in the participants' reactions to certain manipulations of self-awareness. More specifically, a manipulation that increases public self-awareness greatly reduces the British participants' self-disclosure. Whilst the Singaporeans are more affected by a manipulation that increases their private self-awareness, which greatly increases their depth of self-disclosure. It is concluded that there are cultural differences in the way that people react to manipulations of self-awareness in CMC and this raises philosophical discussion about how culture drives self-disclosure which, in turn, drives the pursuit of self-knowledge, and ultimately the construction of the cultural self. Finally it is concluded that CMC may allow an exploration of the self outside of cultural norms, and that this could potentially change the boundaries of the private and public self in the future.