One defining moment in the boys' development of their own self-awareness occurs in Chapter Four, "Painted Faces and Long Hair"; Jack explains to Roger that the pigs escape during their hunting because they see the boys approaching:

"They don't smell me.  They see me, I think.  Something pink, under the trees" (63).

Jack's ability to pinpoint the problem with their hunting also enables him to create a solution.  His self-awareness guides his understanding of why his hunting has been so unsuccessful, thus leading him to take measures to correct the problem and adapt to their new environment.

"Jack planned his new face.  He made one cheek and one eye-socket white, then he rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of charcoal across from right ear to left jaw" (63).

Jack's response to his new face is one of astonishment, no longer [looking] at himself but at an awesome stranger" (63). 

Another example Jack's ability to use his self-awareness to adapt to the environment occurs later on in the same chapter as the boys begin their hunt.  Jack modifies their plan, realizing that the pigs were able to run past a single boy, and so the boys form a circle to entrap their prey.  Again, his self-awareness allows Jack to learn from his mistakes and adapt his behavior.

How do the boys in Lord of the Flies use self-awareness to adapt?

A prime example of the boys using self-awareness to help cope with their circumstances in Lord of the Flies is when Jack discovers how to use the paint to camouflage his appearance.  As a hunter, Jack struggles to sneak up on his prey and catch them unaware.  He observes to Roger: 

"They don't smell me. They see me, I think.  Something pink, under the trees" (63).

Jack demonstrates his self-awareness by analyzing his previous failures at hunting and realizing the cause of his lack of success.  He then takes this knowledge and applies it to his next endeavor, so he can be successful.  Jack realizes that he must conceal his noticeable skin and devises a plan to create a type of camouflage "for hunting. Like in the war. You know--dazzle paint" (63).

Jack's ability to perceive his own reality and alter his approach to hunting reveals how self-aware and perceptive he is.  Using the mask makes all the difference in Jack's hunting, enabling him to make his first kill.