Not to do so, Emerson believed, is to conform to societal expectations for no good reason. He believed this was mere imitation and was linked with a lack of confidence in one’s own intuition and rational capabilities.īasically, if you (or I, or anyone) believe in something, and consider that it holds merit after thinking it through, there should be nothing holding us back from voicing it with confidence. Lots of Emerson’s work centered on how people tend to ‘hide behind’ what they’ve learned from society, or significant others within society. The ability to think autonomously goes hand in hand with trusting your own instinct. Here are a few examples of some key concepts that shine through in his seminal essay, Self-Reliance. Many things can be construed from Emerson’s writings.
#BELLA FINDINGS FREE#
If you’d rather listen, there’s also a link to the free audiobook at the end of this article. It’s a powerful piece of work, and although I’ll try to isolate the most heavily emphasized aspects, it is definitely worth reading in its entirety. Or, he also argues, that we quite frequently impose upon ourselves. He argues strongly that self-reliance, self-trust, and individualism, amongst other things, are ways that we can avoid the conformity imposed upon us. Self-Reliance contains Emerson’s beliefs and perspectives on how society negatively impacts our growth. Born in Boston in 1803, Emerson wrote poetry and gave lectures that would greatly influence other famous names such as Henry Thoreau and Walt Whitman (IEP, 2019). “a reliance on internal resources to provide life with coherence (meaning) and fulfillment” (Baumeister, 1987: 171).Īs mentioned, Self-Reliance is the topic (and title) of an 1841 essay from US philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. What makes it unique is the approach to society that self-reliance encompasses-it has been alluded to roughly in psychological journals as: More specifically, self-reliance is consistently mentioned alongside, if not within, discussions of self-definition.
What we do know is that the concept has been linked to ‘the self’-in its psychological sense-for at least several decades (Baumeister, 1987). In an age where statistics allows almost everything to be psychometrically measured and operational definitions abound, it isn’t surprising that there’s no one definition for self-reliance. Let’s look at the psychological mentions of self-reliance for a better understanding. Merriam Webster defines self-reliance simply as ‘ reliance on one’s own efforts and abilities’, which doesn’t quite do the concept much justice, either.
Interestingly, there’s no single sentence-not even from Emerson himself-that really captures all the aspects of self-reliance in one pop. 3 Self-Reliance Activities for Youth (PDF).14 Self-Reliance Skills for Preschoolers.These science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students or employees show compassion and develop the confidence to rely on themselves.
#BELLA FINDINGS DOWNLOAD#
In this article, we’ll have a look at what being self-reliant really refers to, and how we can develop it within ourselves.īefore you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. And it’s certainly not about shouldering every hardship you face all on your lonesome. It’s not about being financially independent, either. So, it’s not about doing everything yourself. You’ll probably notice some overlap, or at least potential implications for self-worth, self-expression, self-knowledge, resilience, and for self-acceptance. In positive psychology, self-reliance has strong theoretical significance thanks to its implications for happiness.
#BELLA FINDINGS PLUS#
Self-reliance is all that it sounds like plus considerably more.Įven though Ralph Waldo Emerson may not have introduced the concept, it was he who brought it to the general public with his 1841 essay Self-Reliance.
0 kommentar(er)
