INTRUSPECTION

The making of our personality is a life long process . Personality is the sum total of all the integrated experiences of life . It includes abilities, disabilities, likes, dislikes, defects, shortcomings, the good, the bad and the ugly- all mixed up in a particular pattern that make up a unique entity called 'I'….'ME'….'MYSELF'….

To understand our personality, we should analyze the components that go into the making of that entity called 'ME'. Every personality has two components:

1. SELF

2. SELF CONCEPT.

The self is all that we are, as created by Allah... It includes our personality traits-both hereditary and environmental.

Allah has bestowed us with a two tier personality. While one is the 'self', the other takes form as we develop knowledge about this 'self'. We begin to assess the traits and recognize them as belonging to our self. Hence 'self concept' is born .This assessment or evaluation of the characteristics of this self, is the 'self concept'. Self concept is always open ended with additions and deletions occurring continuously. It will therefore have a form unlike that of the form of self. Eg. If the shape of 'self' can be imagined to be round, the shape of self concept will be square, as will be seen in the picture below. This is so in most personalities, where various permutation and combinations of these two shapes will be formed, making each ones personality a unique one. Nevertheless, the shape of the self and self concept can be somewhat similar only in those personalities, whose self concept tallies closely to that of the self. Eg . Prophets and momins .Therefore we can conclude that self and self concept are closely related to each other.

Let us understand this with the help of a cheese burger diagram. Observe it carefully.
Let us make some observations:

· The round burger base represents the SELF, which is the real person, the original 100% 'ME' with all abilities, as created by Allah.

· The square cheese represents the SELF CONCEPT, which is the idea that we have about who we are, as created by our mind. We can observe in the diagram that most part of the circle and square correspond with each other, except the edges.

· The visible parts of the round base indicated by red dots in the above diagram represents those capacities that we possess, but are not aware of. It has not been discovered by us as yet.

· The edges of the square indicated by black stripes in the above diagram, represents those capacities that we assume to possess, but do not have them. This area, as we can observe, lacks a base. This is a non corresponding part of our self.

· It is interesting to note that, it is owing to the correspondence of most parts of the self (base) and the self concept (cheese), that we are found to be sane.

· The increase in the stripped area, because of our inability to identify our real self, can spell insanity.

· An increase in the dotted area signals our inability to identify our own self, causing wasted resources, talent and abilities that Allah has created in us.

The cheese burger application of life
1. Glory be to Allah's designing, Who in His wisdom has made my personality a two tier system-the self and the self concept. It is for this reason that I continue to discover and rediscover myself through my life's situations and opportunities .

2. I can never be a final product. Hence I can never get bored with that ever evolving and ever developing 'ME'.

3. Most part of my 'self' is corresponding to that of my self concept, because of which I am sane. I owe many thanks and praises to my Lord for every moment of sanity, which I realize is not my genius, but a blessing of Allah.

4. The base in the diagram reminds me of the many abilities that He has bestowed on me, either by birth or from the virtue of having to move in a positive environment .I plead with the Almighty to help me discover my optimum self and reduce the dotted portion in my self, by which I can live an extraordinarily powerful life by putting all my talents and abilities to work in His cause!!!!

5. But this dotted area is a potential haven for satan's mischievous activities wherein he can discourage me from seizing the opportunities of realizing my talents and abilities, that have the power to discover the strengths within myself. I seek protection in Allah from satan's nasty whispers.
6. I beg Allah to give me a powerful self concept to realize the purpose of my life to lead my life as a thankful and obedient slave of Allah.

7. But, owing to a stripped area within my self concept, I am wrongly attributing non existent qualities to myself. This will cause aberrations in my personality. This is lethal to my development. I pray Allah to give me the ability to contain this area.

8. Satan has the potential to use this stripped area to make me develop an inflated and puffed up concept about myself that has the potential to make me arrogant, contumacious, psychic and hence schizophrenic, ending up with a disjointed personality.

ALLAH is the Creator and Cherisher of my 'self' and 'self concept' and I seek His guidance to use them judiciously and adequately to evolve into a beautiful personality. Ameen . (Sarah Nasir)