At Delphi in ancient Greece, the temple of the sun god Apollo was adorned with the inscription Gnothi se auton—“Know thyself.” According to legend, when one of the seven sages of Greece, Chilon of Sparta, asked Apollo, “What is best for people?” the deity responded with that simple admonition. More than 2,500 years later, these words still ring true, especially in the realm of interpersonal communication and relationships.

The self is an evolving composite of self-awareness, self-concept, and self-esteem. Although each of us experiences the self as singular (“This is who I am”), it actually is made up of three distinct, yet integrated, components that evolve continually over time, based on your life experiences.