| 1. |
Read the following passage carefully. What most people mean when they say they want to be themselves is that they want to be relaxed and comfortable, authentic, and free to express themselves, and they don’t want to be worried about being judged for doing it. But being yourself isn’t as simple as it seems, because you don’t have just one self; there are multiple versions of who you are. There is the self you are at work, the self you are with your best friend, the self you are with your family, the self you are with total strangers. There is your irritable self, your calm self, your social self, your kind self, your selfish self, and your best self. Sometimes you like yourself and sometimes you don’t. We are everchanging beings. Having a self that adapts to different situations is a highly desirable characteristic that demonstrates what psychologists refer to as EQ (emotional quotient), which is also known as social intelligence. Having good social intelligence reflects having knowledge of your own power to decide which self you want to be in a given situation. If a friend tries to make you laugh by telling you a joke that isn’t funny, you could be your truthful self and say it wasn’t funny, which might hurt the friend’s feelings. Or you could be your sensitive, caring self who smiles because you want to make your friend feel good. What is important to know is whether the self you are being at any given moment is a self that you like, and/or whether that self is helping you attain the things you want in life. Being your sarcastic self with your friends might make them laugh, but it probably wouldn’t land you the job you are interviewing for. Yelling at a co-worker who makes a mistake might be a way to release your authentic anger in the moment but it won’t gain his or her cooperation or motivation to help you in the future. So how do you reconcile the desire to “be yourself’ in situations where you feel unable to be authentic? Recognize that you don’t just have one self. You have choices about which self to be, and being adaptable is a trait that reflects intelligence and awareness about the effect you have on other people, as well as your potential to influence situations. Just because you hold back expressing certain thoughts or behaving in certain ways doesn’t mean you aren’t being yourself; it means you are being an aware version of yourself that knows when certain self-expression is appropriate and when it isn’t. You can still respect your desire for expression of certain aspects of your personality by finding appropriate outlets. If you have an aggressive streak, take up a boxing class or play paintball, but don’t run people off the highway. Learning how to express the diverse aspects of who you are as a person can be one of the greatest joys in life, and an essential part of maintaining your emotional well-being. On the other hand, expressing yourself in a socially intelligent way is critical to your success in life—and will be greatly appreciated by those around you. A. On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it, using headings and sub-headings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary— minimum four) and a format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it. (5 Marks)B. Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. |
|
Answer» A. TITLE: How to be Yourself? NOTES: (a) What ‘being yourself’ means: 1. to be relaxed 2. comfortable 3. authentic 4. free to express 5. no fear of being judged: (b) Why is it difficult? 1. one has many slvs 2. they r ever changing (c) Essential for being yourself: 1. high EQ/social intell. 2. means ability to adapt to demand of situ (d) How to be yourself in tough situations? 1. recognize man has many slvs of choice 2. adopt a self as per requirmnt 3. seek suitbl outle for self expr. 4. channelize extreme emo. Key to Abbreviations slvs : selves r : are requirmnt : requirement suitbl : suitable expr : expression emo : emotion B. SUMMARY Being yourselves means to be relaxed, authentic, comfortable and free from anxiety of being judged. However it is difficult as man has many opposing selves. The essential ingredient of being yourself is having a high EQ or social intelligence which is the ability to successfully adapt oneself to a situation. Ways to be yourself in tough situations are recognizing that man has many selves but also the power to choose the right self or behavior according to one’s need. Appropriate self expression and channelizing extreme impulses also help. |
|