To communicate effectively in the delivery of health care,  you must have a basic understanding of self. Why do you  have the personality you exhibit? How do you communicate  in everyday situations? Where do the impressions you hold  of others originate? In other words, how did you get to be  the person you are today? We will examine some concepts  related to individuality and relationships with others. 

Self-Awareness 

Understanding yourself and understanding the differences  among others will help you communicate more effectively. 

Personality is a sum of the traits, characteristics, and  behaviors that make us individuals. We all recognize that  there are different personalities, even among close family  members and friends. 

Character is the sum of the values, attitudes, and behaviors a person exhibits. Psychologists tell us that values are a  set of standards a person uses to measure the worth or importance of someone or something. Attitudes are opinions that  develop from our value system. Values are acquired at home,  in our family unit, and in the culture we live in, and often  they are difficult to change. Prejudice is a preformed unfavorable belief or attitude toward members of a certain culture or group often based on little or no experience with or  information about the culture or group. Prejudice may be  learned from negative experiences but is most often picked  up from the prejudices of those around us. Prejudice impacts  our actions toward and responses to others. An example of  prejudice is viewing individuals with different skin colors as  inferior. Behavior, the actions others see, is based on our  attitudes. 

To summarize, values form attitudes, which may include  prejudices, and attitudes are reflected in behavior or actions  that can be seen by others. 

To be an effective communicator in all areas of our lives,  it is important to look at our attitudes and our prejudices.  How do we see ourselves? How do others see us? Examining  ourselves leads to greater self-awareness and can lead to better communication skills. Patients and coworkers expect  certain attitudes and professional behaviors to be displayed  in the health care setting.