Business Psychology Report: Self-Awareness and Personal Development

This Business Psychology report is a comprehensive exploration of self-awareness and personal development within a workplace context. Part 1 provides an introduction to various psychological approaches, including biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic perspectives, offering a foundational understanding of human behavior in professional settings. Part 2 delves into three core skills: focus and attention, time management, and public speaking, through reflective journal entries. Each entry analyzes the importance of the skill, current competence levels, contradictions, and future applications. The report also includes an action plan for skill development and a bibliography of cited sources. The assignment aims to enhance self-awareness and the application of psychological principles to improve professional effectiveness.

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Contents
Part 1: A......................................................................................................................................................1
Biological Approach................................................................................................................................2
Psychodynamic approach........................................................................................................................2
Behavioural Approach.............................................................................................................................2
Cognitive Approach.................................................................................................................................2
Humanistic Approach..............................................................................................................................3
Part 1: B.......................................................................................................................................................3
Journal entry 1:........................................................................................................................................3
Journal entry 2:........................................................................................................................................5
Journal entry 3:........................................................................................................................................7
Part 2:..........................................................................................................................................................9
Action Plan............................................................................................................................................10
Bibliography..............................................................................................................................................12

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Part 1: A
Today's busy lifestyle, it is a bit difficult to find the time for self-analysis and developing an
understanding of self- strength, and weakness, self-personality and personal beliefs and values.
Also, most of the people are not aware of self-reflection. However, Self-awareness and self-
reflections are essential for management skills. Self-awareness helps to develop judgment
powers and understanding the opportunities for career development and professional growth.
There are various approaches has been given by behavioural scientists to understand self and
other's behaviour at the workplace. In this study, some of these have been discussed below.
Biological Approach
This approach is based on the biological aspect of human behaviours that included mental states,
hormones, and genetic build-up. These biological aspects shaped an individual's actions and
behaviour at the workplace. This approach is a tent to focuses on human nature that leads an
individual's actions and behaviour at the workplace (Cherry, 2019).
Psychodynamic approach
The psychodynamic approach is a mix-up of all psychological theories that state human
functioning and drive forces. This theory says that childhood upbringing and events have a great
influence on human behaviour and personality. According to the Psychodynamic approach
thoughts and feelings, childhood events retain in a person's unconscious mind and affects
adulthood personality and action positively and negatively. (McLeod, 2017).

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Behavioural Approach
This theory believes that external environmental factors influence an individual's behaviour and
stimulate to act in a certain manner. This theory forces that human learning highly depended on
the system of punishment and reinforcement. Further, this theory says that an individual at the
workplace follows the rules to avoid punishment actions and gives high performance to get
rewards (Davis et al., 2014).
Cognitive Approach
The theory centred that human behaviours are determined by the emotions and expectations of
the person. Besides, this approach believes that a person's emotions and expectations affect the
acts and behaviour of the person. This theory says that problem-solving skills develop in a
person with his/her past experiences and learning (Walinga, 2019).
Humanistic Approach
This approach believes that humans are essentially good and a person is self-motivated to realize
his/ her potential. According to this approach fulfillment of needs and goals increase the feel of
goodness in an individual. This approach is based on human empowerment (Bland &
DeRobertis, 2018).

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Part 1: B
Journal entry 1:
Core skill
Focus and Attention
Why is this core skill important for your development
Focused attention is a state of the brain to concentrate on the target at a particular time. It is an
ability to detect relevant stimuli. To carry out the task more accurately and efficiently focused
attention is useful in daily lives. This is an essential core skill to be more productive in the
workplace. Focus and attention also helpful in learning new skills and to be innovative in a
competitive work environment. I need to focus and attention to achieve targets that provide a
feeling of accomplishment and motivation to me. The skill of stay focused also helps me to
produce more quality and managing time that reduces work stress. This skill is associated
with the Psychodynamic approach that says that when a person pays attention to a particular
task, the old learning of the person that is retained in subconscious memory, helps me to
carry out the task more efficiently.
Reflect on your current competence regarding this skill.
Focus and Attention is a good skill in me to do work efficiently and timely at the workplace
as well as in my personal life. I complete my work on time because of paying good attention
to a particular task. To the assessment of this skill, I went through the Eye-tracking test, and
this test resulted that I have a significance efficiency of concentrating ability on a particular
work for a longer period. The feedback from my school teachers, my friends and parents also

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reveal that I give good focus and attention while doing any task especially related to my work.
Although focus and attention is a helpful skill to do quality work to me, however, sometimes I
feel due to giving focus on the certain task I miss another opportunity. In my high school due
to great focus on studies and grads, I missed extra curriculum activities like physical
activities, creativity and innovating project games and participation. Sometimes is also
proves trouble for my family, my excessively focus on my work disturbs and made me ignore
my family which results as stress.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above
The result from the Eye-tracking test and feedback of my friends and parents show that I have
a good ability to focus and attention on my work. While I'm performing a certain task, other
things at the workplace cannot distract me easily, but sometimes I feel that I get distracted
easily by messages notification, email alerts and notification from social media websites. It is
my weakness that once I get distracted from my work It is difficult for me to give attention
and focus back to the task. I find difficult to perform the task at the same pace once I get
distracted from the task.
How might this skill help me in the future?
Despite some difficulties and drawbacks of focus and attention, I feel that this skill is very
helpful for my future growth and career development as well as my personal life. Focus is an
important skill for new learning, problem-solving, reasoning and decision making (Taylor,
2014).
According to Sasson, focus at the workplace helps to control your mind, helps to gain inner

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peace and avoid undesirable thoughts, improves memory and improves learning, reduces the
risk of mistakes, and helps to sharp intuitions (Sasson, 2019)
So I believe that focus and attention skills will help me to do my work more accurately and
timely. This skill will help me to polish my critical thinking ability and decision making
capacity, that essential for me to be a good manager.
Journal entry 2:
Core skill
Time management
Why is this core skill important for your development
Time management is another important core skill that is required for anyone to be successful in
every aspect of life. From childhood, I inherited this skill in myself. In my middle school days, I
had learned time management tactics and I used to follow a strict scheduled for the studies,
learning skills, playing, hobbies and routines work. This skill was helpful for me to get good
grades in exams with enjoying other things like playing games and hobbies. According to the
biological approach childhood events and habits play a significant role in personality
development in adulthood (Bissoli, 2014). I also believe that due to childhood habits, I imparted
time management skills in me.
In my professional life, time management skill is very important for me to do work properly,
efficiently and timely, it reduces work stress and helps to improve work-life balance, to
accomplish my personal and work goals, to build goodwill and image at workplace. This skill
also helps me to manage several tasks on time. It reduces indecisiveness in work life and helps to

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boot confidence and energy. Apart from professional life, time management is also important in
personal life. Time management skill is a part of self-discipline which is a very important aspect
to attain accomplishment in the lives. Time management is also essential in personal life as well.
It helps to do more tasks in less time, it helps to improve the meaningfulness of life, It helps to
manage me to time, do hobbies and personal chores and helps me to improve leisure time.
Reflect on your current competence regarding this skill
Time management is a key skill to be successful. To the analysis and managing the time, I
always keep an eye on time-consuming tasks and stay alert for time utilization. To managing the
time I set work targets as yearly, monthly, weekly and daily basis and develop a scheduled to
achieve the targets and work strictly as per the schedule. I also develop a list of tasks, plan and
organize the tasks according to priorities and least urgency. To measuring the time, daily work
records, work schedules, and target achievement are good tools.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above
Though I am good at time management and can complete work on time and manage work/
personal life balance. Yet sometimes I find difficult to achieve the targets as scheduled. Time
management also makes me strict to follow the schedule that leads to any other opportunity at
the same time. At my workplace, my peers and seniors also appreciate me for my time
management skills.
How might this skill help me in the future
As above discussed time management is a key to be successful. Time is the most important and
limited resource. This skill is very useful for my future growth. This skill makes me enable to
accomplish life goals and improve my self-reliance. This is also important to enhance my
managerial skills like decision making, development of learning opportunities, work
performance, reducing work stress and improve work-life balance that is crucial to be a

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successful manager or leader (Adams & Blair, 2019).
Journal entry 3:
Core skill
Public speaking
Why is this core skill important for your development
Communication is the lifeblood of society as well as a business organisation. Public speaking is
not only a self-development skill but it is a power that can influence society. In the workplace or
personal life, public speaking skills are important for professional and career growth,
organisational growth and to build a strong personal relationship. The main aim of the public
sparking is establishing communication and delivering particular information to a person or a
group of people. Public speaking skill is an area of interest in cognitive/behavioral approach and
humanistic approach. This skill can be developed in a person through confidence, learning, and
deep subject knowledge call room teaching like developing the skills for the self-expression of
emotions and intrinsic motivational learning (Walton, 2018). Public skill is a useful tool for sales
growth and profit maximization, and helps to create a positive impact on personal and
organisational growth. This skill enables me to demonstrate my knowledge and performing
quality outputs.
Reflect on your current competence regarding this skill.
I am an introvert personality from my childhood and have a fear to speak publicly. Though my
friends, parents and high school teachers used to push me to speak publicly in various events like
class presentations, and stages speaking to address the group of people, but I could not overcome
this fear.

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At my workplace, I find difficulty in taking and participation in business meetings,
demonstrations, and presentations, delivering a speech in the team and addressing the clients in
the organisational events. The absence of this skill affects my career growth and work promotion
negatively. Feedback from the audience that may be peers, seniors, customers or family, and
friends is a good method to measure the effectiveness of speaking. From the feedback of my
peers, I have analyzed that I do not have much improvement in public speaking skills from
childhood to now.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above
As I believe that I cannot speak publicly in organisational events or addressing a group of
people, but sometimes when I have to discuss with clients and presenting my company's before
to clients I can create good communication with clients. Last year, during the promotional event
of the newly launched product of the company, I demonstrated the product, and according to
customers' review and senior's feedback, I presented so well to the product.
How might this skill help me in the future?
As a discussion, public speaking is very important or a core skill for a business manager or to be
a great personality. According to study Martin Luther King, Nixon and Hilter left their
impression in the public's mind till now by their speaking skills. Thus it is a crucial skill to be
successful in professional and personal life. (Ryan, 2013). Development of speaking skills is also
important for me to improve my presentation skills, demonstration, and interaction ability that is
imperative to be an influential manager.

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Part 2:
From the above-listed skills, I have identified that focus and attention, time management and
public speaking skills are crucial for the personal and professional development of a person. By
using various measurement methods like, eye tracking test, feedback from people, time records,
and records of achieved targets it has been identified that I have a good inherent of focus &
attention and time management skills, apart from some minor issues I am good enough to stay
focused during working hour and managing time. However, I feel difficulty in public speaking.
Whenever I have to present a business report or production report in my organisation I always try
to skip this step because of hesitation to address a group of people.
Thus, to overcome this fear, and improve public speaking skills, I have identifies some activities
and made an action plan for the year.
Action Plan
Gantt Chart depicting Action Plan
Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20
Role Play
Brainstorming
improve learning
Discussion
Storytelling
Interviews
Playing Cards
Reporting

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Picture Narrating/ Describing
Identify the inner Barriers
In the action plan I have listed some activities like, Identify the inner Barriers, role play,
Brainstorming, improve learning and knowledge, Discussion, Storytelling, Interviews, Playing
Cards, Reporting, and Picture Narrating/ Describing.
To improve speaking skills this year first I will try to identify the inner barriers that stop me to
speak publicly, like my fear of being failed, hesitation for how I will speak, etc., because
problem identification is a necessary step to eliminate or solve out the problem. In this action
plan consisting all other improving activities like role play and group discussion to develop
confidence in public. These are like rehearsing activates that give a sense of confidence.
Learning and knowledge improving is also an important activity to impart the knowledge, and
for the learning, for the next six months, I will read books and literature as well as quality articles
on speaking skills. Storytelling, picture narrating, card play games and interview conduction are
also good practices for interacting with people. In the brainstorming session, some topics will be
given to generate ideas and opinions instantly, this will also help to improve my thinking and
speaking ability. It is also imported to making a report for all activities.
In the action plan, I have assigned the activities as month wise and after completion of the
programs, I will conduct a demonstration session with my superiors and peers and will take the
feedback to measure the improvements of the performance.