Types of self-awareness of oneself as a professional

Abstract

The article provides a classification of the types of selfawareness of oneself as a professional. The classification takes into account the levels of active and positive attitude to work. Activity is understood as the power of striving to achieve professional goals and/or to change a situation at work. Activity involves a combination of such parameters as the level of ambition and the attitude to professional self-development. Positivity is the acceptance of oneself as a professional. It is also satisfaction with one’s career that encourages professional development and the implementation of desired and/or necessary goals. The combination of activity and positivity makes it possible to distinguish constructive, destructive and compensatory types of professional self-awareness. Constructive types include active/positive, active, and positive self-awareness. Destructive types include passive/negative, negative, and passive self-awareness. Compensatory types combine high activity and low positivity or high positivity and low activity. It has been shown that individuals with constructive professional self-awareness are motivated by the content of their work, the possibility of selfimprovement and creative professional self-realization as well as the recognition of their uniqueness and qualifications. Individuals with a destructive attitude towards themselves as a professional are motivated by a possibility to keep energy and health, avoidance of responsibility, adherence to traditions, power and status (for the sake of a favorable position in the organization). To identify the types of professional self-awareness and their meaningful features, the self-designed questionnaire Professional Self-Awareness was used. It meets the basic psychometric requirements for the development of professional psychological tests. The identification of the types of professional self-awareness may find an application in designing individual plans for personal, professional, and career development of employees. It may also be used to forecast employees’ readiness to perform particular functions, including working in special conditions. Another possible application is a predictive assessment of the risk of violations of labor discipline and identification of resources for effective professional activity.