{"id":8324,"date":"2020-08-01T08:51:42","date_gmt":"2020-08-01T07:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/more-selfesteem.com\/?page_id=8324"},"modified":"2022-03-01T11:21:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T10:21:10","slug":"insecurity-and-self-consciousness-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/more-selfesteem.com\/more-self-esteem\/building-self-esteem\/how-to-deal-with-low-self-esteem\/how-low-self-esteem-affects-your-life\/insecurity-and-self-consciousness-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Insecurity and Self-Consciousness – Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Having worked in psychology for many years, I often get asked, what is the difference between insecurity and self-consciousness? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I thought I\u2019d put together this helpful article to explain it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Wikipedia, insecurity is where you feel negative emotions such as nervousness, or fear when your mind perceives a threat to your physical or emotional safety. Self-consciousness on the other hand is being aware of yourself in the moment, and where you fit within the rest of the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A perceived threat to your personal safety can take many forms including physical, emotional, and social factors. Self-consciousness can also lead a person to feel insecure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, below I will explain what leads to a feeling of insecurity, the overlap between insecurity and self-consciousness, and how being self-conscious can cause insecurity. In addition, we will look at some things you can do to improve your overall well-being and sense of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feelings of insecurity arise when you perceive a threat either real or imagined that causes negative feelings. For example, if you are in a public place, and there is a person acting aggressively or erratically in your immediate vicinity. Breakups<\/a> can be a source of insecurity and low self-esteem unless you learn to deal with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This makes you feel scared, fearful, and uncomfortable which are all feelings of insecurity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Being self-conscious, on the other hand, is where you reflect on who you are, and where you fit within your community and the world as a whole. It can be quite a negative emotion, as explained in the following definition by Merriam-Webster:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Definition of self-conscious<\/p> “feeling uncomfortably nervous or embarrassed when in the presence of or when being observed by other people.”<\/p>Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Accessed 27 July 2020 at: https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/self-conscious<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n When a person does this, they over-focus on themselves and their actions. As a result, they can feel insecure, knowing that there are others who they feel are better or more successful, and this may cause stress, shyness, or anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Typically, feelings of self-consciousness arise when you believe you could do better, and then feel humbled. Or you may feel you have done something wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may need to apologize for how you have wronged someone in the past, and as a result, must admit to the \u2018world\u2019 that you were wrong. In doing so you leave yourself vulnerable to another person to forgive you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other times, you may not know exactly where the feelings of insecurity come from. But, there are some key places to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As previously mentioned, sometimes we don\u2019t know exactly where these negative feelings come from. It could be a news story you’ve read about the success of someone else that makes you feel inferior. Or, a story someone tells where they did something that you feel you could never do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This often leads to feelings that the world is unfair, and that other people have advantages that you could never have. Such as being taller, more attractive, or more successful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This feeds back into your survival instincts, where you feel that you are inadequate to attract<\/a> a mate, or feel insecure in gathering resources you need to survive. It also extends to self-improvement goals where you feel unable to achieve your aims in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is the relationship between feeling insecure and feeling self-conscious?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This makes you feel unsafe because they could hurt you or someone you care about, and you may not feel you have the adequate skills to handle the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat causes the negative emotions that come from feeling self-conscious?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs: what it is and how it relates to feeling insecure and self-conscious<\/h3>\n\n\n\n