Self Esteem The Essential Ingredient for the Artist, the Teacher & the Learner
Self Esteem This presentation is designed as an introduction for a course to be held next year. Offer a specific definition of self esteem. Offer the idea that the principles of self esteem are at the heart of effective education. The importance of attending to your own self esteem in your chosen artistic discipline and teaching practice. A look at how traditional models of education contradict the principles of self esteem.
Al Southgate www.alsouthgate.com
The importance and value of defining terms
Defining Terms Artist - a person who expresses him- or herself through a medium Education - The leading out of an individual s potential (from the latin educare) Love - The will to extend oneself for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth Self-esteem - is our experience of being competent to cope with the challenges of life and feeling deserving of happiness.
Implications of My Definitions The notion of the self actualised human being and the term artist are synonymous. To choose to be an artist is an act of love To educate is to love Possessing a healthy degree of self-esteem is an essential element of success in self expression, love and the nurturing of those values in others.
Self Esteem Self-efficacy competence, feeling of being able to adequately face challenges of life, self trust and confidence in one s own mind. Sense of control over one s life as opposed to being a passive spectator or victim of events or circumstances. (efficacy = ability to achieve desired result)
Self Esteem Self-Respect feeling worthy or deserving of receiving love from others, entitled to happiness, comfort in asserting thoughts, wants, and needs.
Why We Need Self Esteem We depend for our survival and our successful mastery of the environment on the appropriate use of our consciousness; our life and wellbeing depend on our ability to think.
Why We Need Self Esteem The right use of our consciousness is not automatic, is not wired in by nature. In the regulating of its activity there is a crucial element of choice therefore, of personal responsibility.
?
The Six Pillars of Self 1. The practice of living consciously 2. The practice of self acceptance Esteem 3. The practice of self responsibility 4. The practice of selfassertiveness 5. The practice of living purposefully 6. The practice of personal integrity Nathaniel Branden - Psychotherapist 1930-2014
The practice of living consciously Knowing how to use your awareness to determine what exists; to process information that you take in through your senses. To set your own purpose and values and act in accord with them.
The practice of self acceptance The refusal to be in an adversarial relationship with oneself. It entails accepting every part of ourselves; our body, our thoughts, our emotions, our actions, and our dreams.
The practice of self responsibility You are responsible for the achievement of your desires, your choices and actions, the level of consciousness you bring to your work and relationships, your behaviour with other people, how you prioritise your time, for the quality of your communications, your personal happiness, for accepting and choosing the values by which you live, and for raising your self-esteem.
The practice of selfassertiveness Self-assertiveness means honouring your wants, needs, and values and seeking appropriate forms of their expression in reality. It is the willingness to stand up for yourself, be who you are openly, to treat yourself with respect in all human encounters. It is also your refusal to fake or change who you are to be liked. To practice self-assertiveness is to live authentically, to speak and act from your innermost convictions and feelings.
The practice of living purposefully To live purposefully is to have goals and to take action towards achieving them. To be productive on a regular basis. Productivity is the act of supporting our existence by translating our thoughts into reality, of setting our goals and working for their achievement, of bringing knowledge, goods, or services into existence. What am I trying to achieve? How am I trying to achieve it?
The practice of personal integrity Integrity is the integration of ideals, convictions, standards, beliefs and behaviour. When our behaviour is congruent with our professed values, when ideals and practice match, we have integrity.
The Six Pillars of Self Esteem 1.The practice of living consciously 2.The practice of self acceptance 3.The practice of self responsibility 4.The practice of self-assertiveness 5.The practice of living purposefully 6.The practice of personal integrity
The Principles of Thought (Living Consciously) The Trivium Grammar = Input = Knowledge. Logic = Processing = Understanding. Rhetoric = Output = Wisdom. 20
Grammar Is the art and science of inventing and combining symbols. 21
Grammar Is the art and science of inventing and combining symbols. The principles of grammar - general grammar - are rooted in the way the human mind works. 22
Grammar Is the art and science of inventing and combining symbols. The principles of grammar - general grammar - are rooted in the way the human mind works. It deals with all substances, quantities, qualities, actions and relationships. 23
Grammar Is the art and science of inventing and combining symbols. The principles of grammar - general grammar - are rooted in the way the human mind works. It deals with all substances, quantities, qualities, actions and relationships. We receive input through our senses, we combine this data into a coherent body of knowledge. 24
Grammar Is the art and science of inventing and combining symbols. The principles of grammar - general grammar - are rooted in the way the human mind works. It deals with all substances, quantities, qualities, actions and relationships. We receive input through our senses, we combine this data into a coherent body of knowledge. Answers the questions: Who? What? Where? When? 25
Grammar Is the art and science of inventing and combining symbols. The principles of grammar - general grammar - are rooted in the way the human mind works. It deals with all substances, quantities, qualities, actions and relationships. We receive input through our senses, we combine this data into a coherent body of knowledge. Answers the questions: Who? What? Where? When? General grammar specifies the rules of grammar, the rules of how we determine what exists. 26
Grammar Is the art and science of inventing and combining symbols. The principles of grammar - general grammar - are rooted in the way the human mind works. It deals with all substances, quantities, qualities, actions and relationships. We receive input through our senses, we combine this data into a coherent body of knowledge. Answers the questions: Who? What? Where? When? General grammar specifies the rules of grammar, the rules of how we determine what exists. Special grammars would be specific languages and the terms that describe a specific subject, e.g. playing the guitar, cooking etc. 27
Logic Is the art and science of thinking 28
Logic Is the art and science of thinking Answers the question: Why? 29
Logic Is the art and science of thinking Answers the question: Why? The principles of logic are used to eliminate the contradictions within the body of knowledge assembled in the grammar stage. 30
Logic Is the art and science of thinking Answers the question: Why? The principles of logic are used to eliminate the contradictions within the body of knowledge assembled in the grammar stage. Logic is required because we are error prone. 31
Logic Is the art and science of thinking Answers the question: Why? The principles of logic are used to eliminate the contradictions within the body of knowledge assembled in the grammar stage. Logic is required because we are error prone. The exercise of logic is the absolute precondition of a person s successful achievement of any value. 32
Logic Is the art and science of thinking Answers the question: Why? The principles of logic are used to eliminate the contradictions within the body of knowledge assembled in the grammar stage. Logic is required because we are error prone. The exercise of logic is the absolute precondition of a person s successful achievement of any value. Based on the Law of Identity. 33
Logic Is the art and science of thinking Answers the question: Why? The principles of logic are used to eliminate the contradictions within the body of knowledge assembled in the grammar stage. Logic is required because we are error prone. The exercise of logic is the absolute precondition of a person s successful achievement of any value. Based on the Law of Identity. Specifically Aristotelean logic. 34
Rhetoric Is the art and science of persuasion/communication/ demonstration. 35
Rhetoric Is the art and science of persuasion/communication/ demonstration. Answers the question: How? 36
Rhetoric Is the art and science of persuasion/communication/ demonstration. Answers the question: How? Is not a process as such but a demonstration or explanation of the processes of grammar and logic. 37
Rhetoric Is the art and science of persuasion/communication/ demonstration. Answers the question: How? Is not a process as such but a demonstration or explanation of the processes of grammar and logic. 38
The Rhetorical Triangle 39
Trivium - Summary Grammar - Asks the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Is the primary means of ordering reality as perceived by the senses. Can be described as a body of knowledge, a data set, or input. Logic - Takes the assembled grammar, looks for and eliminates contradictions within it. Asks the question, why? Can be described as understanding, or processing. Rhetoric - Answers the question: How? It demonstrates the the processes of grammar and logic through speaking, writing and taking action. It can be described as wisdom, or output. 40
Final Thoughts Integrating the principles of self esteem and the trivium will have a direct, positive impact of any area of your life to which you apply them consistently. The successful achievement of any value will involve the application of the above, in some way. So, attending to these principles in your work - or deepening your innate understanding of them - has the potential to dramatically increase the value of your work, the enjoyment of it and the impact it has on others I believe that these principles are among the essential elements of a true education, individual subjects are like a carrier wave for them; widespread understanding of them could literally change the world Conventional education ignores, or directly contradicts much of these principles, the damage wrought can be undone through diligent application of them to one s own life.
Al Southgate www.alsouthgate.com