PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT meanings.

One of its meanings is recorded in

Knowing Oneself: Strengths and Limitations the Greek encyclopedia of knowledge called
“The Suda”.
Self  Thomas Hobbes also discussed his own views
 In philosophical terms, it is the being, which is about the maxim from which he used the
the source of a person’s consciousness. It is phrase “read thyself” in his famous work The
the agent responsible for an individual’s Leviathan. He stressed that an individual could
thoughts and actions. The “Self” is an learn more by studying others and that he/she
intangible entity that directs a person’s can do this by engaging himself/herself to
thoughts and actions. It is outside the physical reading books. However, Hobbes emphasized
realm of the person. that a person learns more by studying oneself.
 The “Self” is identified in various contexts,  He further elaborates his views about know
such as in psychology, sociology, or religion. thyself from which he states that a man who
The “Self” is the essence of a person: his looks into himself/herself and considers
thoughts, feelings, and actions, experiences, contemplating on what he/she did or what
beliefs, values, principles, and relationships. he/she thinks, reasons, hopes and/or fears and
The “Self” includes a person’s life purpose, to what grounds he/she feels all these can
meaning, and aspirations. consequently learn how to read and learn
 If the “Self” is defined as the cognitive and others’ thoughts and passions in similar
affective representation of one’s identity, it is occasions.
then defined in terms of human characteristics
such as behavior and thought. Self- Concept
 In psychology, the term personality is referred  Self-concept is ones abstract and general idea
to as the set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, about him/herself particularly toward his/her
and motives that identifies an individual. unique personality and his/her own perception
Personality is the essence of who we are and is about his/her set of values, point of views and
the embodiment of one’s physical, behavior.
psychological, cognitive, affective, and  This theory began as Rene Descartes, the
spiritual. Therefore, when we speak of the Father of Modern Philosophy, proposed his
“Self”, we will describe it in personality terms. theory that a person’s existence depends on
Both nature (heredity or genetic) and nurture his/her perception. Rene Descartes stated that
(environment) influence the development of mind is the seat of consciousness.
one’s personality.  Self-concept theory has a lot of suppositions
regarding how people learn to judge
Self- Development themselves. Among these Sincero named three
 Self-development is a process of discovering aspects such as:
oneself by realizing one's potentials and Self-concept is learned
capabilities that are shaped over time either by Self-concept is organized
studying in a formal school or through Self-concept is dynamic
environmental factors. Along this realization,  Self-concept is learned. This explains that no
an individual encounters gradual changes deep individual is born with self-concept. A person
within him/her that may help him/her will soon develop this as he/she grows old.
overcome unacceptable practices or traits This means that self-concept can only be
which lead him towards positive change for acquired as soon as the person learns how to
his growth or self-fulfillment. It is also called mingle with others and so this indicates that
personal development. self-concept is influenced by the person’s
environment and can be a product of the
Know Thyself person’s socialization.
 “An unexamined life is not worth living”, this  Self-concept is organized. This stresses out
is one of the famous lines once uttered by one that one’s perception towards himself/herself
of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greek, is firm. This means that a person may hear
Socrates. other people’s point of view regarding
 Know Thyself is an old maxim or aphorism himself/herself but will keep on believing that
which in time has been used in varied what he/she thinks of himself/herself is always
literature and consequently gained different the right one. Change on one’s perceptions
 towards himself/herself, however, may also be This is the last component of personality
possible but it takes time. which holds our moral judgments or concept
 Self-concept is dynamic. As an individual of right and wrong that are believed to be
grows older, he/she continues to encounter acquired from the family and the environment.
problems or challenges that may reveal his/her This personality is developed as man learns
self-concept in that particular time or situation. the culture of distinguishing right from wrong
A person will definitely respond to the based on the set of guidelines and standards
scenario based on his/her own insights and that are known to people which might have
how he/she perceives himself/herself in the been probably imposed by the people in the
situation. Thus, self-concept undergoes community like parents, teachers, elders or the
development as the person goes through community as a whole. Therefore, superego
different experiences. directs a man’s life in order for him to avoid
 Sigmund Freud who is a well-known hurting others.
psychologist, neurologist and the creator of  “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing
Psychoanalysis Theory and the father of yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is
psychoanalysis, proposed that there are three strength; mastering yourself is true power.” -
components of personality within us: the Id, Lao Tzu
Ego and Superego that certainly play a vital  “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all
role of how we think of ourselves. wisdom.” - Aristotle
 The Id. Freud explained that man's
personality is driven by pleasure principle. Start Knowing Yourself Better
This means that the nature of Id is to satisfy  As an individual, we commonly observe, and
man's desire without thinking much of the undeniably, judge other people’s manners,
situation. This nature is being developed at a beliefs, and lifestyle. However, it can be
young age or present from birth. To illustrate perceived, though, that most people find it
this idea let us take this as an example. An hard to make good and sound evaluation
infant will cry if he/she wants to be fed to toward their own behavior, traits, and
satisfy his/her hunger. Definitely, an infant personality. In this lesson, we will try to know
cannot exactly explain what he/she really ourselves better by having careful reflections
wants. Also, infants do grab things and would on how we see ourselves as an individual and
want to get things on their hands not minding understanding our characters particularly as
if they hurt nor if they are important or not. young and late adolescent.
All they want is to get them for they want  Your ideal self is the self that you aspire to be.
them. This is the nature of Id, when the id It is the one that you hope will possess
wants it the rest are no longer important. characteristics similar to that of a mentor or
However, this instinct is controlled by the ego some other worldly figure. Your actual self,
and superego as these aspects are developed in however, is the one that you actually see. It is
man’s life later on. the self that has characteristics that you were
 The Ego. This is the second component of the nurtured or, in some cases, born to have.
personality that is developed at approximately  The actual self and the ideal self are two broad
the age of three. This operates according to categories of self-concept. Self-concept refers
reality which makes it possible for the Id to to your awareness of yourself. It is the
work in a more proper and satisfactory ways. construct that negotiates these two selves. In
The ego will give a more socially accepted other words, it connotes first the identification
means of getting the desires and wants of a of the ideal self as separate from others, and
person without getting to hurt other feelings. second, it encompasses all the behaviors
In other words, it is the job of the ego to evaluated in the actual self that you engage in
provide a man some guidelines on how to to reach the ideal self.
behave accordingly while he fulfilled his  The actual self is built on self-knowledge.
pleasure. This component of our personality is Self-knowledge is derived from social
manifested whenever we try to satisfy our interactions that provide insight into how
cravings without compromising our self-image others react to you. The actual self is who we
to others. actually are. It is how we think, how we feel,
 The Superego. Freud believed that this aspect look, and act. The actual self can be seen by
of man begins to manifest as a child turns 5. others, but because we have no way of truly
 knowing how others view us, the actual self is Self-Esteem
our self-image.  Self-esteem is your evaluation of your own
 The ideal self, on the other hand, is how we worth. It may be positive or negative. Positive
want to be. It is an idealized image that we self-esteem is the valuation that is pleasing
have developed over time, based on what we and acceptable according to your standard and
have learned and experienced. The ideal self that of others, while negative self-esteem is
could include components of what our parents the opposite which is feeling distraught or
have taught us, what we admire in others, down and unaccepted by others.
what our society promotes, and what we think  According to Tafarodi & Swann (1995), there
is in our best interest. are many factors to identify the level of self-
 There is negotiation that exists between the esteem of an individual and some of the major
two selves which is complex because there are factors are:
numerous exchanges between the ideal and - Own appearance;
actual self. These exchanges are exemplified - How satisfied you are in a relationship;
in social roles that are adjusted and re- and
adjusted, and are derived from outcomes of - How you view your performance.
social interactions from infant to adult Self-Efficacy
development. Alignment is important. If the  Self-efficacy is not considered a trait. “[It]
way that I am (the actual self) is aligned with does not refer to your abilities but rather to
the way that I want to be (the ideal self), then I your beliefs about what you can do with your
will feel a sense of mental well-being or peace abilities” (Stajkovic & Luthans, 1998). It is
of mind. If the way that I am is not aligned your will to produce an effect on a specific
with how I want to be, the incongruence, or thing. It is your self-belief to effectively
lack of alignment, will result in mental distress achieve your most important goal. The
or anxiety. The greater the level of stronger the belief, the bigger the possibility to
incongruence between the ideal self and real achieve a positive result. For instance, if you
self, the greater the level of resulting distress. are aiming for a higher grade and you are
 Adolescence is the period when a young confidently believing it then, it will happen.
individual develops from a child into an adult. Maddux and Kleiman (2000) define and explain
There are a lot of changes that happen to an the five (5) different ways that influenced self-
adolescent like you and some of those are: efficacy beliefs from the ideas of Albert Badura, a
how you look, how you take your role in the professor and a psychologist.
community, how other people expect you in (a) Performance Experiences – if you are good at
making decisions on your own, and how you achieving your specific goal, then you probably
perceive yourself. Although the "Self" is one think that you will achieve it again. When the
of the determinants of what we thought about opposite happens, if you fail, you will often think
ourselves, it is also the result of what we think that you will fail again.
and/or do. (b) Vicarious Performances – if others achieved
 Many people believe that we are the product their goal or specific task, then you'll come to
of our own experiences. Those experiences believe that you will also achieve your goal.
shape our unique qualities and habits that (c) Verbal Persuasion – it is when people tell you
define who we as a person and differ from whether they believe or not on what you
others. Your features or own qualities that can do or cannot do. The effect of your self-
made you a unique are characteristics; when efficacy will depend on how that person matters to
you do something repeatedly and regularly it you.
is a habit; and experiences are the skills or (d) Imaginal Performances – When you imagine
knowledge you have gained because you have yourself doing well, then it will happen.
done it already from the past. (e) The Affective States & Physical Sensations –
 Let us focus on when and how our if your mood or emotion (e.g. shame) and physical
characteristics, habits, and experiences state (e.g. shaking) come together, it will affect
develop and manifest by identifying some of your self-efficacy. If negative mood connects with
the factors that may affect a person’s “Self” -- negative physical sensation, the result will be
the foundation of all human behavior. It is our negative. And if it is positive, most likely the
sense of identity and of who we are as an result will be positive.
individual.
 According to William James, a psychologist,  Developing oneself holistically may be the
“the self is what happens when I reflect upon goal of everyone. However, there are times
ME". Taylor (1989) described the self as a that we lack awareness of our doings and
Reflective Project. How we see ourselves is actions that lead to misunderstanding with
geared toward improving ourselves depending others especially our parents. This can also
on a lot of factors. potentially lead to self-harm. To know oneself
 Dan McAdam, a psychologist, reiterated that is also quite challenging. To start picking the
even though there are many ways how we pieces of ourselves and subsequently develop
reflect to improve ourselves, it brings us back our individuality completely to be like an
to these three (3) categories: “ideal” person is not easy.
1. Self as Social Actor - portraying  Every individual undergoes different phases of
different roles and behaving for every development that form his/her individuality.
type/set of people in front of us, practically Our personality is a product of genetic
for social acceptance. response that we inherit from our parents and
2. Self as Motivated Agent - people act from the influence of our environment. This
based on their purpose. environment shaped by the people around us,
3. Self as Autobiographical Author - culture and practices that we are being raised
He/she is the creator of his/her own entire in continuously creates social interactions and
life story. relationships. This interaction contributes to
who we are today and how we choose and
Judgement and Decision Making decide for ourselves. Personality development
 As an individual, you are expected to act and is complex administration of thoughts,
decide on your own. Most people tend to feelings, emotion and behavior that influence
decide based on the intuitions and available personal judgment.
information that could be a hindrance in  As a child, you are dream of a good and
making a wise decision. satisfying life when you grow up. Your family
 It can be a habit, when our decision is always becomes your helping hand in nurturing,
based on what is available or gathered data. guiding and educating yourself. When you
There could be a “missing link”. reach adolescence, you experience drastic
How to Make a Rational Decision changes in your physical appearance,
 For instance, you applied for different courses cognitive abilities, social relationship, and
in five (5) different universities and you were emotional behavior. At this stage, our
able to qualify in all. Now, how will you environment becomes part of our development
decide? To help you, Bazerman and Moore from which we acquire knowledge and collect
(2013) suggested the Six Steps on How to information to organize and interpret different
Make a Rational Decision: life situations.
1. Define the Problem (select your most  According to Erik Erikson, adolescence stage
desired course); of psychosocial development, also known as
2. Identify the criteria necessary to judge “identity vs. role confusion” is the stage
the multiple options (list things to be wherein teens need to develop the sense of self
considered like location, facilities, and personal identity. At this point, teenagers
prestige, etc.); start to have circle of friends in which they
3. Weight the criteria (rank the criteria build their trust.
based on its importance to you);  Teenagers also experience adolescence
4. Generate alternatives (the schools that cognitive empathy, known as “theory of mind”
accepted you); which is described as having high regards
5. Rate each alternative on each criterion toward the perspective of others and feeling
(rate each school on the criteria you have concern for others. Being adolescents, they
identified); and tend to foster social cooperation that prevents
6. Compute the optimal decision problems and leads to avoidance of conflicts
with peers. Teenagers are very careful in
Developing the Whole Person: understanding the emotions of their friends as
Evaluate One’s Personality they start to create deep trust with them.
Developing the whole Person Sometimes, this leads to misunderstanding
with their family, abuse of prohibited drugs,
 pre-marital sex, cigarette smoking and alcohol out where the emotion is coming from and it
intake. will bring you back to reality.
 Based on research, teenagers are commonly
high risk-takers and impulsive due to  Teenagers experience enjoyment and daunting
incomplete development of frontal lobe during times but it is very important to stay focused
adolescence. The frontal lobe is responsible so that they will lead you to the route of your
for judgement, impulse control, and planning. goal. It is not easy to achieve the goal but if
That is why they search for their self-identify you have self-regulation that will control your
and independence which requires guidance emotions, thoughts and behavior it will help
from their parents, relatives and other people you be too successful in life. Learning from
like teachers with whom they can share their mistakes and facing challenges with
struggles. confidence and faith in God will give you the
 These experiences and challenges are part of a power to be successful in life.
process of personality development that
adolescents need to understand. It is necessary Aspects of the Self
for them to examine all the circumstances and  The self-concept is represented by several
opportunities so that they can deal with them aspects of the self. It is conceived as collection
calmly. They have be to open-minded to the of multiple, context-dependent selves. This
opinion and advise of other people in order to construct believes that context activates
shape their future with broader perspective particular regions of self-knowledge and self-
and self-determination. relevant feedback affects self-evaluations and
 You cannot escape life challenges so you affect. A deeper look on the different aspects
should know how your thoughts, feelings and of self can identify specific areas for self-
actions in managing personal agency should regulation, stability and improvement.
be handled. Being an adolescent, you should  In a nutshell, an individual is composed of
be accountable for all your actions because three basic but very different aspects of the
these power triads can either make or break self. They are the physical or tangible aspects
your motivation to take charge of life. It is up as they relate to the body, the intellectual and
to you on how you will handle it. Remember, conscious aspects as they relate to the mind,
your judgement is based on your views in life and the emotional and intuitive aspects as they
and it is rooted on your upbringing. relate to the spirit. All three aspects of the self-
 Thoughts are impression activated by a work together in perfect harmony when
stimulus in your mind that is evident from the attention is paid to all three simultaneously.
environment that you are in. This conscious  Many individuals put a strong emphasis on the
thought occupies emotions that give life to physical aspect of the self. The body is
thoughts, and it expressed through feelings. tangible, obvious, and we respond to it easily.
Sometimes when you are too emotional, you More time and money is spent on enhancing
could not think properly because your the physical component than either of the
emotions occupy your thoughts, this means other two aspects. This does not mean,
there is lesser space to analyze the situation however, that the body is healthy or strong.
because feelings occupy it. Behaviors are The body provides a place to house the spirit
bodily reaction made based on our feelings (often experienced as feelings) and the mind
that result to actions. (often experienced as thought).
 There are instances when feelings are faster  Many individuals put a strong emphasis on the
than emotion and thought. This would result to physical aspect of the self. The body is
fast reaction and realizing the emotion and tangible, obvious, and we respond to it easily.
thought afterwards. Either positive or More time and money is spent on enhancing
negative, feelings result to actions. Emotions the physical component than either of the
can direct and control thoughts that sometimes other two aspects. This does not mean,
affect your consciousness. This can also lead however, that the body is healthy or strong.
to loss of focus. The body provides a place to house the spirit
 As a teenager, it is very important to be (often experienced as feelings) and the mind
focused on your goals. A focused thought will (often experienced as thought).
lead to high intelligence. That is why if you  It may be important to some that their mind be
are disturbed with your emotion, try to figure prominent and well educated. The mind is
 important, as it is the part of the self that  An individual might sometimes have thoughts
directs the other two aspects. The mind learns or feelings that perpetuate problematic or
what to do and communicates the information destructive beliefs, and these faulty beliefs can
to the body and the feelings. What the mind affect functioning and relationships at home,
believes, the body manifests or acts on, and school, and in the community at large.
the emotions feel, or respond with. People  Simply put, when a situation arises, and we
store both healthy and destructive thoughts have thoughts about the facts of that situation;
and beliefs and responds to life's those thoughts trigger feelings and based on
circumstances in the most prominent manner. those feelings we engage in behaviors which
The mind provides access creativity and in turn impact the situation, and the cycle
serenity which are necessary for such continues.
processes as prayer, forgiveness, acceptance,
and passion. POINTS TO REMEMBER LM1:
 The human emotions are the most feared 1. Self-development is a process of discovering
aspect of the self, as individuals are reluctant oneself.
and unprepared to manage them. Managing 2. Know thyself is an old maxim.
feelings is like trying to hold water in the palm 3. Self-concept is ones abstract and general about
of your hand. They are illusive and deceptive. him/herself particularly toward his/her
A decision made under emotional stress and personality.
strain usually impacts emotions negatively. 4. Id according to Sigmund Freud is the first
Negative emotions that are not managed are aspect of personality.
stored and repressed. Repression is destructive 5. Ego as explained by Freud operates according
to a content self since all feelings, not only to reality.
negative ones are stored away. Accessing 6. Superego holds moral judgment.
feelings when they are needed now becomes 7. According to Rene Descartes mind is the seat
difficult, leaving the individual numb and of consciousness.
hopeless. 8. Read thyself, as explained by Thomas Hobbes
 For instance, a girl realizes that she is giving can lead person to learn more of
much attention on the physical aspects and himself/herself.
less attention on her intellectual self. In this 9. According to Socrates an unexamined life is
way, she can discover how much money and not worth living.
time spent maintaining her physique and its 10. He is the Father of Modern Philosophy. Rene
consequences in her grades. By this honest Descartes
evaluation of herself, she can plan effective 11. He is the creator of Psychoanalytic Theory.
actions to improve her study habits. She can Sigmund Freud
start seeking for help and for related books to 12. He is the author of The Leviathan. Thomas
read or browse articles to help her improve her Hobbes
study habits. 13. He the author of the old saying “Knowing
others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true
Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors in wisdom. Mastering others is strength;
Actual Life Situations mastering yourself is true power”. Lao Tzu
Developing the whole Person 14. The Suda is an encyclopedia of Greek
knowledge that reminds individual not to
 Your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors allow attend to the opinion of others.
you to arrive at certain decisions. These 15. Superego according to Freud will be
decisions, however, might be informed or developed at the age of 5.
uninformed. In order for you to be able to POINTS TO REMEMBER LM2:
arrive at a fruitful and helpful conclusion, you 1. The period wherein a young individual
should be able to track the three elements, so it develops from a child into an adult.
would be easy for you to show the connections Adolescence
among them. In this activity, you are given a 2. Self is the important determinant of what we
set of situations where you should track your thought about ourselves.
thoughts, feelings, and behavior until you 3. Your features or own qualities that made you a
reach a decision. unique one are characteristics.
4. An emotional state wherein you evaluate during adolescent? Because of incomplete
yourself. Self- esteem development of their frontal lobe
5. Positive self- esteem will arise when you feel 7. It is the state of high regards for the
that you are worthy, and people will accept perspective of others and feeling concern with
you. others. Cognitive Empathy
6. This is something you do repeatedly and 8. Which of the following situations shows
regularly. Habits adolescence cognitive empathy? Giving
7. When you feel bad and you think you support to a friend and keeping the friendship
disappointed others is negative self-esteem. they have
8. . It is the skills or knowledge you have gained 9. How does an individual develop his/her
because you have done it already from the personality? Having an accurate management
past. Experiences of thoughts, feelings and emotion
9. Someone is portraying different roles in front 10. What happens to our thinking and judgment if
of other is under the category of social actor. we are too emotional? We cannot properly
10. Which of the following is NOT one of the five think and focus on resolving the problem
ways that influenced self-efficacy beliefs? 11. What aspect of development is exhibited when
Affective sensations an individual can get along with others and is
11. This refers to your beliefs about what you can able to deal with conflicts between them?
do with your abilities. Self-efficacy Psychosocial growth
12. What do you call if self-efficacy beliefs may 12. During a class discussion, you are called by
be influenced when people matter to you your teacher to answer a problem.
telling you that they believe in you? Verbal Unfortunately, you have not caught up with
persuasion the lesson. Instantly, you feel nervous, yet you
13. It is one of the categories to improve oneself stand up and concentrate on the question.
wherein an individual do thing based on What is the flow of the situation? Feelings,
his/her dreams, desires and goals. Motivated actions, thoughts
agent 13. You had a big fight with your best friend last
14. Which of the following is NOT likely a factor quarter and never talked after that. After a few
in identifying the level self-esteem? Your weeks, you realized your mistakes and felt
acquaintance sorry about your actions. What does this
15. In what category does a person belong when situation reveal about emotion? A. emotions
he/she create his/her own story (past, present, and feelings change, they are not permanent B.
and future)? Autobiographical author emotion is a quick reaction to our thought
POINTS TO REMEMBER LM3: 14. As a teen that experiences psychosocial
1. Which of the following aspects alter personal change, how you can improve and prepare
judgment? A. thoughts b. feelings c. yourself in shaping your personality with
communication d. action e. broader perspective? A. Know how to handle
appearance. A, B, D thoughts, feelings and actions B. Know the
ways on how to stay focused to increase
2. What stages of development does a person intelligence
experience drastic changes in physical 15. How should we handle a perceived
characteristics, thinking abilities and social information (thought) effectively? Examine
interaction? Adolescent the perceived information with positive
3. What psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson outlook
should be developed among people aged 12 to POINTS TO REMEMBER LM4:
18 years old? Identity vs. Role Confusion 1. The stage when a person transforms from
4. What characteristics based on psychosocial puberty to adulthood is called adolescence
theory of Erik Erikson should be developed 2. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors always have
during adolescence? Establish a sense of self the same level and intensity among one
5. The following statements describe activities another. False
that are parts of establishing the self-identity 3. This is made from our thoughts, feelings, and
of adolescents, except isolation and loneliness behavior. Decision
6. Teenagers experience changes as part of 4. This assessment is done for us to identify our
personal developmental identity. What own strengths and weaknesses. Self-
physiological reasons of teenager conflict assessment
5. Correct statement: The connection among
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors is sometimes
vertically aligned.
6. When we make decisions, we should consult
our thoughts and feelings and watch over our
behaviors. Yes
7. Identify two (2) statements that are true to an
actual situation: A. Thoughts may sometimes
overpower a person.
8. C. Behavior is always the product of thoughts
and feelings.
9. Teacher Ana saw one of her students cheating
in the class. Being so, she called the attention
of the student after the class and said she was
sad about what her student did. When the
teacher said she was saddened by what
happened, she used her: feelings
10. A person with a disability (PWD) finds it
difficult to walk towards an elevator in a
certain shopping mall. You know how she
feels because one of your relatives also has a
walking disability therefore you immediately
assist her towards the elevator. How are
thoughts, feelings, or behavior present in the
situation? Choose two (2). A. When you knew
what she was feeling
11. C. When you assisted her towards the elevator.
12. In order for us to identify where we have gone
wrong in making decisions, it is always
important for us to revisit our thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors.
13. Find two (2) faulty statements: B When we
make decisions, we are always informed.
14. C. When we make decisions, we are always
uninformed.
15. Identify one (1) way we cannot be accurate in
making decisions: By not acknowledging our
weaknesses