From Understanding the Self to Moving Forward
Written by David Asselstine, Behavioral Insight Specialist
David Asselstine is the inventive mind behind the paradigm-shifting psychosocial framework, the 7 Dimensions of Self. He has studied Life Coaching, Psychology, and Neurolinguistic Programming and has 5 years of experience working with mental health firsthand in the medical field.
For the past several years, I have been developing a framework called the Seven Dimensions of Self (7DS). What began as an attempt to understand my own experiences gradually became something much larger: a way of organizing the internal factors that influence how we perceive ourselves, interpret the world, make decisions, and respond to challenges. Today, that work is evolving again.
The Seven Dimensions of Self provided the structure. The next stage is understanding what happens when those dimensions interact. This is where Forward Positive Momentum (FPM) enters.
Increasingly, I believe the future of this work isn’t simply about identifying the different parts of ourselves. It is about understanding how those parts work together and whether we can use that understanding to create measurable, meaningful movement in people’s lives.
From experience to framework
The origins of 7DS are deeply personal. As I have described in my autobiographical work, Still Here, the framework did not begin as an academic exercise. It emerged through lived experience, adaptation, relationships, instability, observation, education, and eventually the recognition that many of the problems we experience as individuals may not be isolated events.
They can be patterns, and that realization became central to my work. Instead of asking only, “Why did this happen to me?” I began asking, “What is happening within me that influences how I respond to what happens?” That question changed the direction of the work.
Over time, what had initially been a smaller model expanded into the Seven Dimensions of Self. The current framework identifies self-confidence, self-esteem, self-efficacy, motivation, ambition, metacognition, and situational awareness as distinct but interacting dimensions of human functioning.
The important word here is interacting because identifying seven dimensions is only the beginning.
A map is not a journey
Imagine having an incredibly detailed map of a landscape. You know where everything is. You can identify the mountains, valleys, roads, rivers, and obstacles. But having the map doesn’t mean you have moved anywhere. That distinction has become increasingly important in the development of 7DS.
The framework helps us ask:
Where am I? What is influencing me?
What patterns am I repeating?
Which internal capacities appear strong?
Which appear constrained?
What relationships exist between them?
But eventually, we have to ask a different question: What happens next? That is the question FPM was developed to address.
From the Seven Dimensions to Forward Positive Momentum
I define Forward Positive Momentum as movement toward a more constructive state of functioning despite obstacles, setbacks, or uncertainty. It isn’t simply movement.
We move all the time. We can move toward something that ultimately makes our lives worse. We can become extremely productive at avoiding the things that matter. We can repeat the same relationship patterns, career patterns, behavioral patterns, or emotional patterns for years.
Movement alone isn’t necessarily progress. FPM is concerned with direction, development, and the quality of movement.
This is also where the concept connects with existing psychological research on momentum. Research on psychological momentum has found that perceived success can increase confidence, expectations of success, effort, and subsequent performance, creating an upward feedback process.
FPM takes a broader developmental perspective. The question becomes: What internal conditions make forward movement more likely, and what causes that movement to stall or reverse?
The dimensions don’t operate in isolation
Consider self-esteem. A person can have a relatively strong sense of personal worth and still lack confidence in a particular situation.
Someone can be highly confident socially while having low confidence in their professional abilities. Someone can possess considerable actual ability but have poor self-efficacy, the belief that they can successfully execute a task.
This is one reason I have become increasingly interested in the Self Perception Triad. Self-esteem reflects, “I have value.” Self-confidence reflects, “I can trust myself.” Self-efficacy reflects, “I can do this.”
Read more from David Asselstine
David Asselstine, Behavioral Insight Specialist
David Asselstine's model has redefined for many what terms like Motivation, Ambition, and Self-Esteem mean on a relational and personal level. David's life story built the 7 Dimensions of Self through his own experiential learning, adaptation, and resilience. His passion for helping others build their mental fortitude and comprehensive understanding of themselves has been the fuel for his own Forward Positive Momentum.
Psychological research and references:
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.
Oney, E., & Oksuzoglu-Guven, G. (2015). Confidence: A critical review of the literature and an alternative perspective for general and specific self-confidence. Psychological Reports, 116(1), 149–163.
Orth, U., & Robins, R. W. (2014). The development of self-esteem. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 381–387.
Orth, U., Erol, R. Y., & Luciano, E. C. (2018). Development of self-esteem from age 4 to 94 years: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 144(10), 1045–1080.
Orth, U., Robins, R. W., & Widaman, K. F. (2012). Life span development of self-esteem and its effects on important life outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(6), 1271–1288.
Orth, U., & Robins, R. W. (2013). Understanding the link between low self-esteem and depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(6), 455–460.
Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized Self-efficacy Scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston (Eds.), Measures in Health Psychology: A User's Portfolio. Causal and Control Beliefs (pp. 35–37). Windsor, UK: NFER NELSON.
Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE). The instrument assesses a general sense of perceived self-efficacy and has been translated into numerous languages.
