Lesson 1 For a Better School Life
Understanding Your Behavior
Hello, first-year students. I’m your school counselor, Hannah Kim.
How is your new school life?
You may have experienced a situation where things didn’t go as you expected at school.
Have you ever wondered why this happens?
Let’s take a look at the following two cases.
The first case is about a student named Hajun.
On the first day of school, Hajun’s homeroom teacher introduced several school clubs.
At that time, Hajun didn’t have a particular preference for any of them.
He thought that any indoor club would be okay since he was not an outdoor person.
Can you guess what happened on the day of choice?
He joined the soccer club.
What made him choose soccer?
Well, a few days before submitting his application,
he heard that the soccer club was so popular that half of his classmates were applying for it.
This made him think that the soccer club was something special.
With this in mind, he signed up for the soccer club just because others did so.
However, after he had joined the club, he realized that soccer was not for him.
In the end, he regretted his decision.
Why do you think this happened?
Psychologists say that people tend to engage in certain behaviors just because others are doing them.
Also, people don’t want to be excluded from their peers.
These psychological factors cause people to follow the crowd, rather than act on their own.
This phenomenon is called the “bandwagon effect.”
Following the crowd, of course, does not always lead to negative consequences, but it can lead to regret.
So, how can you make your own choices?
The first thing is to know what you really want.
Although it might be different from your friends’, don’t be afraid to make your own choice.
As long as you make the right choice for you, you will be happy about your decision.
Now, let’s look at another case, one about Yubin.
One day, Yubin told me about her first science quiz.
Science was the subject that she struggled with the most.
Since she wanted to get a good grade, she made a thorough study plan for herself.
Yet, every time she tried to concentrate on science, she found herself doing other things instead.
For instance, she cleaned her desk or texted her friends.
These activities distracted her from studying, and in the end, she got a bad grade.
She was frustrated that she continuously engaged in behaviors unhelpful for accomplishing her task.
When people do not have the confidence to perform tasks well, they are likely to create obstacles to success.
This type of behavior is referred to as “self-handicapping.”
Self-handicapping enables people to make excuses for their poor performances.
These excuses prevent the poor result from lowering their self-esteem.
This might work in the short term.
However, be careful!
It could lead to repeated failures in certain tasks that you are not confident in doing.
If you are self-handicapping, it might be because you consider the results more important than the process.
Focusing more on the process than the outcome may ease the pressure to perform well.
Accordingly, you may feel more encouraged to try to do the challenging tasks.
This can eventually stop your self-handicapping.
As first-year students in high school, you’ll sometimes face difficult moments.
It is not unusual because everyone goes through difficult times.
Even though you feel disappointed with your choices or behaviors, don’t let yourself feel down.
The most important thing is figuring out your own way to overcome your negative feelings.
It will make your school life much more enjoyable.
If you feel worried, remember that you are not alone.
You have friends, teachers, and me.
Good luck in this exciting new chapter of your life.
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