Listening and Speaking Actively

Running Head: DEVELOPING SELF- AWARENESS 1 DEVELOPING SELF- AWARENESS 2 What is SELF? The definition of self has intrigued many people throughout the ages. Ancient conceptions defined self in terms of a soul; a â€Å"vital, immaterial, life-principle, or ‘essence’ of humans† (Baldwin, 2000, p. 41). Today self is defined as the total essential or particular being of a person; the individual. But what really is self? Gerry Fewster, (2001) argues that self exists at the core of our experiencing.Some might say that self is not only the core of our experience, but of our existence, the centrality of that which we are. Self has become â€Å"central to the effective helping process in all aspects of the system from service design to delivery† (Garfat and Charles, 2006, p. 7). Self can mean being self-aware, and that knowledge, awareness, and understanding all about self are key (Ranahan, 2000; Ricks, 2006). Garfat and Charles (2006) state that â€Å"knowing self is not a tool, a technique or a strategy. It is a way of being; being in awareness, being present† (p. 6).Garfat and Charles emphasize on ‘knowing self’, because our interpretations are influenced by our particular way of perceiving and experiencing. Traditional ideas of knowing self generally apply to the field of work, Seaton, (2003) declares that effectiveness on knowing self as an active listener and speaker relies upon a workers ability to â€Å"regulate, adjust, and fine tune themselves to the specific needs and situation of the client, to be conscious†(p. 54). Frances Ricks (2001) had agreed that without these abilities, and â€Å"without self, there is no such thing as other†.Garfat and Charles (2006) and Mishna and Bogo (2007) expand on the relational use of self. The focus is on self reflection and authenticity. Developing the skill of active awareness DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS 3 helps identify and investigate the exchanges between a Child and Youth Care practitioner and his/her client. Therefore, having knowledge behind their actions, they are aware and able to prevent the therapist’s own experiences or wants/needs from taking over his/her perceptions and interfering with actions.By practicing self awareness it allows the practitioner to be connected, which leads to being authentic and genuine as well as using the attitudes learned from Active Communication with others (Arnd-Caddigan and Pozzuto, 2008; Garfat and Charles, 2006; Westra, 1996). â€Å"Becoming aware of how our beliefs, values, and ethics impact on us personally; we can also become aware of how they impact on our presentation to our clients† (Eldson, 1998). Understanding self-awareness means to understand self and others when â€Å"self is very clearly, obviously, present† (Ricks, 2006; Baldwin, 2000, p. 9-30). Greene, Jensen, and Jones (1996) say skillful â€Å"use of self† is an integral part of developing an effective relat ionship, which in turn, can be put towards the understanding of becoming an effective Active Listener and Speaker. By having this ability to understand the roles of effective listening and speaking through active communication, self becomes more and more important as one progresses through various stages of development as a Child and Youth Care professional (Phelan, 1990; Westra, 1996).The professional use of self: the use of one’s own personal resources (including one’s own emotions, as well as certain skills and techniques) achieve real communication. (Ward, 1998) Developing Self- Awareness as a Integral Part of Becoming an Effective Active Listener and Speaker allows familiarity to occur between knowledge of self, awareness of self, and understanding the role of self in relationships with others. Fewster, (2001) shares that in fullest DEVELOPING SELF- AWARENESS 4 form the word ‘self’ is more than physical, more than emotional, and more than cognitive.It is the sum total of all our aspects, and even more. Self is active, constant, always present, and workers bring self to the moment, to the now. (Kruger, 2007) References Arnd-Caddigan, M. & Pozzuto, R. (2008). Use of self in relational clinical social work. Clinical Social Work Journal, 36, 235-243. Baldwin, D. C. (2000). Some philosophical and psychological contributions to the use of self in therapy. In M. Baldwin (Ed. ), The Use of self in therapy,(pp. 39-60). New York: The Haworth press. Elsdon, I. (1998).Educating toward awareness: self-awareness in ethical decision making for child and youth care workers. Journal of Child and Youth Care, 12(3), 55-67. Fewster, G. (2001). Turning myself inside out: my personal theory of me. Journal of Child and Youth Care, 15(4), 89-108. Garfat, T. and Charles, G. (2006). 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