Explanation of Bakhtin’s quote

The quote by Bakhtin basically talks about the fact that he owes his existence and human experience to other humans around him. This is an elongated form of the cliché that states that “No man is an island.” The first part about being self-conscious and revealing himself through others refers to the fact that what we think of ourselves is largely contributed by how those around us perceive us and more particularly our actions. As a result the reflections we have about this will to some extent determine the actions we exhibit in the presence of these ‘others’ and this will lead them to make conclusions about who we are or the kind of people we are.

Over and above everything we do, our existence in this world is largely defined by how we communicate with others be it through conversation, body language or other forms of expressionism. These tell the outside world what we are feeling on the inside perhaps in reaction to the external environment or intrinsic issues.

From my experience this is very true given that different aspects of my personality manifest themselves in different situations I find myself in. When I am in a formal work environment I tend to portray a more serious and structured personality and when I am with my friends or relatives this completely changes and I appear to be more flexible and unpredictable. This is because the people in these two environments have distinct expectations of me to suit their needs. At work being structured helps me fit in the organization while with friends the unpredictability allows for open communication.