You are what you think you are？
Before my speech，I want to ask you a question: Can you find three English words to describe your personality? (invite 2 people). There will be a task for both of you at the end of the speech.
When I did my postgraduate study，my tutor and my classmates perceived me as a gentle and quite person with few words. Probably because everytime they met me，I was carring piles of books from library to my dormitory and then I disappeared for few days. Or in class I was inclined to listen to their opinions. Even when I graduated，my tutor advised me to work in school or university because of my personality. Since then，everytime I made self-introduction in front of people，introvert is the most frequent word I use to describe myself. But One day，I came cross a recruition for social investigator. Without second thought，I made application and then was involved in the large scale of social investigation on social backgrounds and educational experiences of residents in Shanghai conducted by faculty of social science of Shanghai University. During those three months，together with my partner，we have been to every community in Putuo and Jiading District in Shanghai. We have interviewed 50people， including a girl who worked in Samsung factory， a manager in bank，an IT engineer whose wife was just diagnosed with cancer and a women whose daughter married a German. Suddenly I found myself a totally different person， appearing open to the outside world and actively involved in discussion and communications. The experience pushes me to look at myself again. Sometimes negative self-perception would limit our potentials and development. On the contrary，postive self-perception would inspire us to be better selves.
There is also a story about Marvel Collison. Have anyone watched the Postive Psychology course taught by Professor Tal in Harvard. Here is the story，In 1930s，Marval Collins joined the public school system in Chicago and what she encountered were students indulged in drugs，volience and crime. After two years，these students considered by many teachers to be unteachable began to read Emerson and Shakespeare. The secret lies in the way that everytime students misbeave，Marval Collins would ask students to write I think I am bright, I am delightful, I am lovable and I am fabulous for 100 times. Students started to focus on their strength and potentials rather than shortcomings and disadvantages.
These two stories illustrate an idea that the way we perceive ourselves influences our behavior. In return，our behavior would enhace our perception toward ourself. While this is the self -perception theory proposed by the psychologist Derry Bem In 1972. So do me a favor， try to observe your actions during the meeting and figure out whether they are consistent with your ideas toward yourself. Thank you.
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