For this week’s blog assignment, I was asked to create a list of 10 different statements that answer the question, “Who am I?” After compiling a list of 10 statements I was asked to revisit my statements and write a response that captures who I am based on my 10 statements and material learned this week.
After revisiting my ten statements, I noticed there was a common trend. Many of my statements were associated with the dimension of “independent construal of self.” 5 statements out of 10, represented traits that reflected my personal and internal attributes, and personal goals. These 5 statements included words such as determined, dreamer, thinker, creative, artistic, and curious. Words such as determined, creative, and artistic classify as an independent construal of self because they reveal my personal abilities and goals. These statements do not identify with the interdependent construal of self because they do not pertain to my relations with other people, or concern how I behave in social contexts. Words such as dreamer, thinker and curious, pertain more to my personal traits and reflect how I view the world.
While I do feel that all of my statements are associated with the dimension of independent construal of self, some words do resonate with interdependent attributes. Interdependent construals of self involve statements that pertain to relationships with others or social contexts. Statements that included the words: understanding, sensitive, compassionate, and empathic, all pertain to how I interact and treat others. While these words also associate with the independent construal of self because they describe me on an individual level, these words express how I treat others, by suggesting that I am kind and neutering to other people. These words express that in social contexts I consider the feelings of others and try to relate to them.
Based on my statements, I can conclude that I am more independent than interdependent. The majority of my statements reflected my personal attributes rather than my connectedness with other people. While many of the traits I picked reflected my attitudes towards others, they still reflected the uniqueness of myself.
An example of an English proverb that reflects the independent self is: “Confidence is everything. Confidence is what makes that simple white tee and jeans look good.”– Ciara. This quote is associated with the independent self because it suggests that being unique and standing out is an attribute that guarantees success.
An example of an English proverb that reflects the interdependent self is: “Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. ” –Thomas Merton. This quote represents the interdependent self because it suggests that traits such as pridefulness do make you more unique or better than anyone else it makes you less of a kind person. This quote suggests that it is better to remain humble and to see others as equal to you.
When tasked to find two quotations that represent both the interdependent and independent self, I did not have any issues finding or thinking of a quote. I feel that while I am representing more of the independent self, I still have attributes that suggest I am interdependent aswell.
I choose this image, to represent how I strive to be loving and understanding to others. Being sensitive and understanding towards others is an attribute that I hold close to my heart. It is a trait that matters most to me.