As I sit down to write this post, I find this discussion topic to be rather difficult. It truly forces one to be introspective, something that I realize I do not do very often. Initially, what came to mind is that I am a woman and a wife. However, this saddened me because I am much more than just my gender and marital status. Having lived through the traumatic experience of having an alcoholic father, it truly shaped me into the person I am today. Knowing I did not want a life like his, I worked hard to become a Dental Hygienist and am now finishing my degree at the University of Guelph. Although growing up in this household was difficult, it allowed me to develop the self-concept traits of being hardworking, patient, and adaptable.
Some positive self-illusions I often demonstrate are the self-serving beliefs of unrealistic optimism and perceived control. Unsurprisingly, negative experiences were frequent in my childhood, and I lived through them. I often find myself believing that things aren’t really as bad as they could be, and because I lived through such negative experiences, only positive experiences are more likely to occur now. Similarly, growing up in a household of unpredictability caused me to create a need for control. I often find myself believing I can control the uncontrollable and create a predictable outcome.
I grew up in a Polish household, and perhaps as a child, I would define myself as being Polish and embracing the traditions that come with the heritage. But now that I am older, and my parents are deceased, I am no longer surrounded by much Polish culture. Instead, I would say that my values are influenced by Canadian culture, and thus, I have a more independent self-construal when it comes to my cultural influences.
Reference
Safdar, S. F., Sanderson, C. A., & Sanderson, C. A. (2021). Social psychology. John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd
WRITE PERSONAL OPNION HOW DO YOU LIKE POST AFTER READING WHOLE as well summarize it in own word by framing the question which question. can be asked from this post .
