thoughts & feels

an online magazine. pretty straight-forward.

 3
on Facebook
use &
self-esteem c 12
ev e r y d ay
o musings
of Anthony
5
p sy c h o l o g y
in a different
n o f Ke e n u

t
of Sam
lens
D i s c ove r i n g t h e

e
S e l f : A b o o k rev i ew
o n P a u l o C o e l h o ’s
Ve r o n i k a D e c i d e s
19
to Die food for
Challenging
R e a l i t i e s : A m ov i e
n thought
P a ra K a n i n o K a

t
rev i ew o n B u m a b a n g o n?
Shutter Island
Success: luck,

s
S o n g s T h a t S ave d fate, destiny or
My Life: A bonus will?
m u s i c p l ay l i s t
w h e n yo u n e e d t o
c a l m d ow n Who Am I?
 on facebook use
and self-esteem
by Keenu Lopez

It’s inevitable: we compare

ourselves with others sometimes,
if not most.

The emergence and persis-

tence of social media has
changed the landscape of the
way people socialize and in-
teract with each other. Social
networking sites such as Face-
book, Twitter and Instagram
have become platforms where
people can express themselves,
communicate with others, and a
wide range of activities that are
accessible in just a few clicks.
However, these very platforms
that bring convenience and ac-
cessibility are the same platforms
that may negatively influence in-
dividuals, especially when they
start comparing themselves and
their lives with others.

Erin Vogel, Jason Rose, Lindsay

Roberts, and Katheryn Eckles
conducted a study entitled “So-
cial Comparison, Social Media,
and Self-Esteem” which looked
into the relationships of the use
of social media (specifically
Facebook), social comparison,
and self-esteem. The researchers
conducted two studies: the first
one looked into the correlation
of the frequency of Facebook
use to trait self-esteem, while the
second one analyzed the impacts
of temporary exposure to social
media profiles on participants’
state self-esteem and self-evalu-
ations.
One hundred and forty-five un-
dergraduate students from a
Midwestern university in the
United States participated in the
study. To examine their Facebook
use, participants were asked to
answer questions about their fre-
quency of using Facebook, up-
dating status, commenting on
other profiles, and others. Ques-
tions were also asked to look into
the upward and downward com-
parison tendencies of partici-
pants. Basically, upward compar-
ison is the tendency of a person
to compare oneself to someone
“better” than they are, and down-
ward comparison means the op-
posite. To assess the students’
trait self-esteem, or the degree
to which a person sees the self
as “worthwhile” and “compe-
tent”, the researchers used the
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
which included 10 statements on
a 7-point Likert scale. Results of
the first study showed that stu-
dents who had higher frequency
of Facebook use tend to have
bad or lower trait self-esteem
which was significantly mediated
by upward comparison on social
media.

thoughts and feels | 3

 Through an experimental ap-
proach, the second study ma-
nipulated the social comparison
mechanism explored in the first
study. Social media profiles were
manipulated or customized to
show upward and downward
directional status. Participants
were shown fake social media
accounts or profiles and after-
wards, they were asked to rate
their state self-esteem and to
make relative evaluation of them-
selves and the fictitious owner of
the account. In general, the result
of the study suggests that look-
ing at social media profiles with
upward social comparison was
linked to lower state self-esteem
and self-evaluation.
In summary, the two studies
found out that students with
chronic Facebook use are more
likely to have lower trait self-es-
teem. The upward comparison,
which had the greater extent
than downward comparison, me-
diated the relationship between
Facebook use and self-esteem.
Also, exposure to a manipulated
social media profile with high ac-
tivity led to results which lowered
self-esteem and poorer self-eval-
uations. Therefore, the research
concludes that the frequency of
Facebook use, social compari-
son, and self-esteem are related
to each other in ways more than
one.
4 | thoughts and feels
As far as I am concerned, the
methods used in the research
were scientifically sound. Howev-
er, I just felt that it should have
presented and explored the de-
mographic profile of the partici-
pants. Although the sex, age, and
racial makeup of the participants
were briefly discussed, other
personal factors that may come
into play could have been exam-
ined. Also, there are a number of
factors that may influence one’s
Facebook use and self-esteem
which may be addressed in fu-
ture studies. If possible, although
more tedious, qualitative ap-
proaches may be done to delve
deeper into the participants’ re-
actions to social comparisons.
I just felt like issues such as so-
cial comparison and self-esteem
have deeper and more personal
nuances that can be discovered
through qualitative means.
As college students living in this
day and age, it cannot be de-
nied that exposure to social net-
working sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, and Instragram has been
a part of our daily routine. Most,
if not all, cannot go a day with-
out getting their phones, scroll-
ing and scanning through feeds,
and many more. One can also
argue that people cannot help
but compare oneself to others,
especially because these social
networking sites are platforms
where we tend to show the good
things happening in our lives.
However, it should be noted that
sometimes, these platforms are
“gentrified” or at least “curat-
ed” to show the beautiful and
the good. We should value our
self-esteem knowing that we’ve
spent years building it, and that
as much as possible, we should
avoid comparing our lives with
others. While other people may
have gone so far, we should be
reminded that life is not a race
and that we should enjoy our
journey in our own pace.
Although it is true that Face-
book is a very helpful tool that
students use to easily communi-
cate with others and accomplish
tasks with ease, it cannot be de-
nied that it also negatively influ-
ence students in ways more than
one. The impacts of social media
to students and young adults
have been explored by various
research and their conclusions
and recommendations have a
common denominator which also
serves as an important reminder:
use social media wisely.
Source:
Vogel, Erin, Rose, Jason, Rob-
erts, Lindsay, & Eckles, Katheryn.
(2014). Social comparison, social
media, and self-esteem. Psychol-
ogy of Popular Media Culture. 3.
206-222.10.1037/ppm0000047.
 looking through

a different lens

S e e h ow c o n c e p t s i n P s yc h o l o g y c a n
b e a p p l i e d i n b o o k s , m ov i e s , a n d
eve n i n s o n g s
 Of all the ways Veronika thought
of to end her life, taking four packs
of sleeping pills was the option
she chose. Swallowing the pills
one after the other, Veronika did
not know how long it would take
for her consciousness to dissipate.
While it only took her five minutes
to empty the packs, she had to
wait for a while for the sleeping
pills to take effect and decided to
scan through a magazine on her
bedside table to pass time.
While scanning the magazine,
she came across an article asking
“Where is Slovenia?” While she
thought that no one ever knows
where Slovenia is, she knew that
the place existed – especially be-
cause it is the place where she
lives. The article prompted her to
write to the magazine explaining
what and where Slovenia is. It is
funny, she thought, that it would
become her “suicide note”, and
that people might think she died
because of a magazine article that
did not know where her country
was. After a while, her stomach
began to churn and she felt very ill,
and after an episode of excruciat-
ing pain due to the number of pills
she took, she lost consciousness.
Despite her attempt, Veronika sur-
vived, regained her consciousness,
and woke up in a famous “lunatic
asylum” named Villette.
Veronika Decides to Die, a nov-
el written by the Brazillian nov-
elist Paulo Coelho, was a “novel
of redemption.” It was a story of
a woman who attempted to end
her life but ended up waking in
infamous asylum where she was
6 | thoughts and feels
told that while her attempt failed,
the overdose damaged her heart
which gave her the last five days
of her life. Knowing that she only
had a few days to live, she real-
ized that she had nothing to lose
and did everything she wanted to
make the most out of the remain-
ing days of her life. In the course
of her stay in the asylum, she met
different people with different
stories and experiences that ex-
plored various psychological dis-
orders and concepts. This novel,
published in 1998, talked about
asylums as institutions that served
as a home not to the “mad” and
the “insane” but to humans who
are going through mental health
issues.
Aside from Veronika who had su-
icidal ideation, there were other
characters in the story who also
had issues that people perceived
as abnormal, calling them mad,
insane, and crazy, to name a few.
Zedka, for example, is being treat-
ed for severe depression brought
about by her failed relationship
and traumatic experiences. Mari,
on the other hand, is a member of
a group called The Fraternity and
is brought to the asylum because
of her horrible panic attacks. Last-
ly, Eduard, the person Veronika
was eventually attracted to, was
diagnosed with schizophrenia.
These characters were vital to Ve-
ronika’s discovery of the self and
personal awakening.
One of the issues explored by the
novel is the perception of “insani-
ty.” Mari, one of the characters in
the story said that in one way or
Discovering the Self: Veronik
by Keen
[Be advised, this article and the novel being review
 another, we are all insane. Borrow-
ing Mari’s words, she said: “. . . in-
sanity is the inability to communi-
cate your ideas. It’s as if you were
in a foreign country, able to see
and understand everything that’s
going on around you but incapa-
ble of explaining what you need to
know or of being helped, because
you don’t understand the lan-
guage they speak there.” Insanity,
in this context, is seen as a form of
alienation, and that everyone can
feel or experience this in differ-
ent situations. The narrative also
discussed how not all patients in
Villette are actually experiencing
mental health problems but that
there are people who opt to stay
because of various reasons includ-
ing societal judgment and fear of
going back to the life that they
used to live.
Aside from the various mental
health issues and psychological
concepts included in the novel,
Veronika’s experience serves as a
reminder for people to live their
lives as if it were their last. Living
in a society with so much pres-
sure and expectations sometimes
hinder us from fully discovering
ourselves and our potentials. In
the story, Veronika knew so much
about herself to the point that she
realized that her self inside the
asylum was better than who she
was before. She also cherished
each day of her life and explored
the things that she has never done
before. In the context of exploring
ourselves and living our life to the
fullest, one can say that we should
be like Veronika.
ka Decides to Die book review
nu Lopez
ewed contains discussion on self-harm and suicide.]
Despite the moving depiction of
the lives of those inside Villette, I
just find the title of the novel inap-
propriate. Although talking about
suicide and mental health disor-
ders at a mileu when there is still
stigma in terms of these issues
is commendable, to suggest that
Veronika or any other person “de-
cides to die” does not sound good.
I don’t think no person in his or
her normal or right state of mind
would choose to end his or her life
without any reasons. People with
suicidal ideation are people who
think of ending their lives not be-
cause they find it as an escape but
because their minds are clouded
into thinking that suicide is the
only solution. No one decides to
die, but mental health issues and
other problems may push them
to do so. Knowing this, people like
Veronika should be helped by oth-
ers, especially by professionals
Overall, Paulo Coelho’s novel was
striking. It serves as a remind-
er that mental health disorders
and institutions should be talked
about and the discourse regarding
these matters should be raised. In
doing so, we are helping others,
especially those who are going
through so much, to realize that
despite the society’s pressure to
conform, having mental-health
related problems are normal, and
that is is important to seek pro-
fessional help. It was all the more
moving knowing that the author
of the novel himself was actually
sent to an asylum at a very young
age, but overcame his challenges
and became a successful writer.
thoughts and feels | 7
 Challenging Reality: Shutter Island film review
Shutter Island is a psychologi-
cal film in 2010 that challenge
our perception of reality. The
film was loaded of a myriad
concepts in psychology. The
film started as a U.S. Marshal
Edward “Teddy” Daniels with
his partner officer, Chuck Alule
was task to investigate a miss-
ing patient on Shutter Island,
which is a place for the crim-
inally insane people. The pa-
tient name Rachel Solando,
with a case of drowning her 3
children. As the story develops,
Teddy begun to feel hallucina-
tions while the investigation
is happening and also, he dis-
covered that the person whom
killed his wife is there, Andrew
Laeddis. Nearing the story’s
8 | thoughts and feels
end Teddy was given an expla-
nation by one of the psychia-
trist that the hallucinations he
was feel is the effects of the
drug withdrawl that used to
suppress them and that there
is no missing person, it is only
a wide scale role play design to
help Teddy see the reality that
he is Andrew Laeddis, the one
who killed his wife. And using
Rachel Solondo, an anagram
of her wife’s name Dolores
Chanal, which killed 3 of their
children, to help her remember.
But at the end, Andrew with
intense guilt chooses to forget
everything by having himself
lobotomized.
by Anthony Sy
The film have portrayed sever-
al concepts in psychology such
as different kinds of therapy,
psychotic symptoms, and eth-
ics in psychology and among
others. The film have shown
the different kinds of therapy
such as the use of psychophar-
macology, where in the movie
patients are given medication
to alleviate their suffering. Use
of psychosurgery such as lo-
bomitization, it can be seen in
the last part of the film when
Andrew chooses this. And oth-
er forms of therapies such as
group therapy and role plays.
The different forms of therapies
that were portrayed and used
on the film further support the
eclectic nature of psychiatrist,
to deal with the varying needs
of their patients. The film also
showed, how delusions work
and when it happens, evident
on how Andrew have episodes
of this phenomenon. Moreover,
the film portrayed multiple psy-
chotic disorders, one of which is
the dissociative disorder which
is rooted to the traumatic and
stressful experiences of the
main character. Furthermore,
the film have shown the strong
psychological ethics, wherein
psychiatrist will do everything
to help treat their patients
without resorting to degrading
means. This is evident on how
Andrew’s supervising psychia-
trist, exert effort to remove his
immersion in illusion, and using
only the lobomitization as a fi-
nal resort.

The film have effectively por-

tray the facade of being in a
mental institution that is be-
ing isolated from the world. It
also have introduced concepts
in psychology and showed it
in a visually appealing man-
ner. Not only that, the film have
also challenged the audience
of their perspective to people
with mental disorder that they
are also human and are suffer-
ing from disorders. To end my
review I would like to quote
from the sign in the movie: “Re-
member us for we too have
lived, loved and laughed.

thoughts and feels | 9

 Songs That Saved My Life: A Playlist
by Sam Alcala

10 | thoughts and feels

This section of the magazine is
not necessarily required, but I
just want to share the playlist
that always saves me when I’m
having panic attacks or when
I’m having an episode.
A lot of us, digital natives, tend
to disregard the beauty of
sound -- we skim through Ins-
tagram stories without listen-
ing to its sound, Facebook vid-
eos are watched without audio
since everything we need to
grasp from the content is pre-
sented visually.
Johnny Depp once said that
“music touches us emotional-
ly, where words alone cannot,”
and he was right because it is
through listening to music that I
am able to pick myself up again
and again during times of trial
and confusion. the creation of
songs, from the words to the
rhythm and the melody, is done
carefully to speak to the people
who need them.
There are almost 50 songs in
this playlist, which can be ac-
cessed through this link: tiny.
cc/b-r-e-a-t-h-e, so allow me
to share my top 5 songs in this
playlist and the lines that struck
me the most

(Un)Lost Light On
by The Maine by Maggie Rogers
Favorite line: Favorite line:
“I know I’d take the leap if “If you keep reaching
it is worth the fall.” out then I’ll keep coming
back.”

Broken Parts This is Me Note to Self

by The Maine by Keala Seattle by Ben Rector
Favorite line: Favorite line: Favorite line:
“No, it isn’t getting “I won’t let them break me “Don’t let yourself worry
easier now, but we’re not down to dust. I know that quite as much, it’ll end up
beyond repair.” there’s a place for us.” fine enough.”

thoughts and feels | 11

ev e r y d ay
musings

Wr i t e r s we re a s ke d :
w h a t a re t h e t h i n g s yo u
d o w h e n eve r yo u f e e l
t h a t yo u a re n o t i n a
g o o d m e n t a l s t a t e?
 Being a UP student is not an easy task, from the
heavy traffic and long rides endured on a daily ba-
sis to class work that is tainted with immense stress
and crippling deadlines. These times could have been
spent on several hours of rest and time that could
been allotted to other activities. Being in a state of
distress due to school works have become a common
occurrence. Thankfully, there are certain activities
that can alleviate stress.

for Anthony
Play online games

There are times that we would like to abruptly release tensions within us, usually through phys-
ical and violent means. Because this, reduce the tensions almost instantaneously. Every Friday
night, I play a third person shooter game, entitled as Rules of Survival (ROS). This may not be
one of the best coping strategies around. Because it employs the concepts of projection, in
which I release my tension and divert my energy to neutralize less threatening objects than to
deal with my real stressor. Also, this strategy includes distraction, which temporarily helps me
to forget my problems and stress. Although, not the best strategy it works well for me. And, I
believe what is important in coping with stress, is doing the things that effectively helps that
person.
 Motivation is one of the effec-
tive way to transform stress
Date with my girlfriend
into a useful drive. Motiva-
tion also help lessen the men-
tal negativity of an individual.
Every weekends, my girlfriend
and I, go to parks and malls to
enjoy each other’s company.
This help me, to feel less stress-
ful and be in a better mental
state. In a way that, my girl-
friend always pick a place and
lead us to do activities that will
make me feel happier, such as
going to Enchanted Kingdom
and go kart racing. Moreover,
being with my girlfriend make
me feel secure and significant-
ly reduce my anxiety. Lastly,
just seeing my girlfriend make
me feel more motivated in do-
ing things, which make me less
stressful.

Hangout with my best friend

Being in distress and helpless is one of the worst

feeling, a person can feel. But, having a good friend
to stay with you in these hard times, makes a big
difference. Every Saturday, my best friend and I,
meet at a mall in Manila, to talk about the things
happening at our lives in college and to encourage
each other to do better. I consider this one of my
best coping mechanisms because it help me release
the emotional and mental tensions that built up in
the week by ranting it out to my bestie. Moreover,
not only he listen to my rants, but also my bestie
give me advice on how to handle stress on a daily
basis

14 | thoughts and feels

 for Keenu
Eat in Area 2 with friends
Study now, study again later
Although eating is a natu-
ral thing that we do, eating
at my favorite stalls is one of
my stress relievers, especially
during hell weeks. Aside from
Mang Larry’s and Crazy Chick-
en, Rodic’s Diner is actually one
of my favorites. I usually eat at
my favorite places in Area 2 not
only to satisfy my hunger but
to also reward myself for fin-
ishing tasks, acing exams, and
surviving the day. Eating is also
best when you are with your
friends!
After finishing an informa-
tion-overload day of classes, I
have no choice but to still study
at the library. For UP students,
our libraries serve as our sec-
ond home especially during hell
weeks and hell months. Aside
from the Main Library and our
library in NCPAG, Eduk Lib is
actually one of my favorites. I
know myself well and I know
for a fact that when I go home,
I won’t be able to accomplish
many things, so I usually opt to
stay at the library to learn and
finish my requirements. Librar-
ies are conducive for learning,
and I have conditioned myself
to focus on what I do when I am
at the library. I am also motivat-
ed when I see other students
busy with accomplishing their
tasks. Studying is also better
when you are with you friends!
thoughts and feels | 15
 Spend time with orgmates

My college life would not be complete without my orgmates. With my

hectic schedule and stressful acads, my organization and its members
serve as my safe haven. As a student, it is important to have your support
system, and my orgmates are the best people who can always make me
feel better. Aside from the fun part of being in an organization, there’s
just so much joy and personal fulfillment that push me to continue volun-
teering and participating in the various events that we organize together.
Although org work can also be stressful, I consider them as eustress be-
cause they keep me going and motivate me to do better.

16 | thoughts and feels


Walk along the Acad Oval
Walking, for me, is benefi-
cial not only to my physical
health, but also to my men-
tal and emotional health.
Whenever I want to spend
some time with myself, or
when I have some time to
spare before my next class
or meeting, I choose to
walk around the oval while
listening to music. Walk-
ing around the oval helps
me process my thoughts
better. Additionally, previ-
ous researches state that
looking at green-colored
objects relaxes our nerv-
ous system since “there is
less strain to perceive the
colors.”

for Sam
Contrary to how a lot of
people know me, I can be a
real crybaby. I think I man-
age my emotions pretty Cry at the CMC Tambayan
well, or maybe I can bot-
tle them up longer than
everyone else. Sometimes
I would cry alone while I
panic, or I’d be with some-
one I deeply trust with
my emotion. Growing up,
I was taught that crying
was a sign of weakness,
so I conditioned myself to
be tough as much as I can,
but college life can really
be overwhelming once in
a while, and the only rem-
edy is one good cry.

thoughts and feels | 17

 They say no man is an is-
land, so I thought I should
surround myself with at
least some people I know I
can trust. Whenever I don’t
feel good, I call my friends
so I can rant about my is-
sues or even just spend
some time with them to dis-
turb myself with whatever
Spend time with friends
is causing me stress at that
moment. I consider them as
my most treasured posses-
sion in this life, and though
I may not show emotions
as often, I know they know
I’d do everything to protect
them.

Watch the sunset Most people look forward to seeing the

sun rise everyday, but that isn’t the case
for me. Maybe it has to do something
with the fact that I’m not a morning
person. Until now I still can’t determine
what exactly it is, but there’s something
about sunsets that makes me think that
there’s so much more to life. When I
started living inside UP, I grew to love
sunsets more and more, because I’m
able to see how the colors of the sky
differ everyday. Each sunset I witness is
unique, and it gives a different kind of
feeling every time.

18 | thoughts and feels

 food

ood for thought (lessons) for

thought
R e a d t h ro u g h w h a t t h e w r i t e r s
h ave t o s ay a b o u t t h e i r f a vo r i t e
P s yc h o l o g y c o n c e p t s .
 Para Kanino Ka Bumabangon?
Aside from being reminded of a
well known coffee brand’s adver-
tisement, the question “Para ka-
nino ka bumabangon?” does not
fail to make me pause, think, and
reflect. As a UP student burdened
with responsibilities in my aca-
demics, organizations, and family,
sleep is one of the things I sacrifice
– although I know that as much as
possible, I should not.
Isn’t it ironic how a sleep-deprived
UP student like me is actually
studying the importance of get-
ting enough sleep and sleep dis-
orders, among others? Our topic
on consciousness, specifically the
subtopic on sleep, is definitely
one of my favorites. Aside from
learning the biology behind sleep,
sleep theories, and its impor-
tance, our discussion also served
as a reminder that we should not
take sleep for granted. We have to
and we need to sleep for our own
good.
I believe that I have already experi-
enced it, but I did not know of the
term microsleeps until we talked
about it in class. On a five-min-
ute Ikot ride, in a discussion of a
boring topic, or in a class sched-
uled on an extremely sleepy hour,
I have taken brief periods of sleep
20 | thoughts and feels
by Keenu Lopez
that lasted for seconds. Although
microsleeps can pose dangers, es-
pecially for drivers, I find it funny
and amazing how our body finds
its way to get even the shortest
sleep that it can anytime, any-
where.
Sleep deprivation, on the other
hand, is probably something that
most UP students strongly relate
to. Drinking cups of coffee and
pulling all-nighters are familiar
friends for most of us, especially
during hell weeks and hell months.
At hectic times like these, sleep
becomes heavenly and a prized
reward for long hours of work.
Our discussion in class, however,
stressed the importance of sleep
and how it can help us learn and
perform better. A good night’s
sleep is necessary for our physi-
cal health, and at the same time,
can help improve our memory and
learning.
Lastly, stages of sleep and dreams
are the most fascinating topics
I learned. There are times that I
dream vividly, but there are times
that I do not dream at all. From our
discussion, it was explained that
an emotionally tiring day would
probably let us dream in the Rap-
id Eye Movement (REM) stage. On
the other hand, a physically ex-
hausting day would usually bring
no dreams at all which happens in
the Non-REM (NREM) stages of
sleep. As I try to remember what
I dreamt of everytime I wake up in
the morning, I can’t help but ask
myself: “was I emotionally tired
yesterday?” and ponder on the
possible reasons why.
To sleep at the end of a tiring day
and perhaps to dream a good
dream are things I always look
forward to, which is probably the
reason why the topic on sleep and
dreams striked me most. Our dis-
cussion also served as a wake up
call for us to put more value on
sleep than we usually do.
To answer the question “Para ka-
nino ka bumabangon?”, I’d have to
say that I wake up every morning
and start a new day not only to ful-
fill my responsibilities but also to
take a step forward in reaching my
aspirations in life. But I also want
to ask the question “Para kanino
ka natutulog?” and my response:
for myself.
We definitely have to sleep for
ourselves.
Success is one of the hardest
term to define, its definition and
implications to people varies
from one to another. But, what
is certain, it is highly aspired by
all, going against challenges in
life to reap it. This being said, it
can be implied that success is
depend greatly on motivation.
One of the theories that exem-
plify the relationship between
success and motivation, is the
concept of locus of control by
Julian Rottor. Moreover, this is
one of my most memorable
concepts in psychology.
Success: luck, fate, destiny, or will?
Locus of control is the tenden-
cy of people to believe that
they have or do not have con-
trol over their lives. Perceived
control is crucial for individu-
als’ success. Since people who
believe that changes they do
matters, will continue creating
more changes in life, eventually
leading to success. People with
internal locus of control are
people who believe that they
control their lives, which give
them better chances in suc-
ceeding in life. For the reason
that, they are more motivated
and more likely to exert effort,
since they see that they are
able to shape their lives. These
people have higher chances of
improving themselves, because
they know that their failure is
attributed to their lack of effort.
For an instance, a student with
a strong internal locus of con-
trol that failed his psychology
test, will tend to blame himself
because of his inability to ex-
ert sufficient effort. Which will
make the student exert more
effort to pass the next exam.
In contrast, people whom feel
that their lives are controlled
and pre-defined by fate or
by Anthony Sy
some celestial power, have an
external locus of control, which
should be highly discourage.
Because people with external
locus of control fail to real-
ize that they can change the
course of their lives by exerting
hard work or a positive van-
tage point in life. These people
are doomed to fail, because
they rely on unlikely phenome-
na, which can make them suc-
cessful rather taking active di-
rect actions in their lives. Once
these people fail, they do not
take accountability to their ac-
tions which lead to their down-
fall and start to blame it on oth-
ers. For an instance, a student
with a strong external locus of
control that failed his psychol-
ogy exam will blame the test
being too hard for him. Moreo-
ver, people with external locus
of control, has the tendency to
stop trying or to learn helpless-
ness, which is dangerous not
only to the physical health due
to great amount of distress, but
also, to the person’s develop-
ment as a human.
As a final thought, success of an
individual must not be attribut-
ed to external factors, it is the
consciousness and intent ef-
fort of an individual that cause
him/her to succeed in life. As
what have been the advice of
numerous successful people,
hard work is all that it takes for
one to be successful in life. Un-
fortunately, people have been
accustomed to shortcuts, easy
and quick ways to succeed in
life. Thereby, making them de-
pendent of luck, fate and desti-
ny to solve their problems and
help them succeed. A perspec-
tive that waste their human po-
tentials.
thoughts and feels | 21
 Coming into this class, I remember
that one of the main reasons why
I chose Psychology as an elective
was I wanted to get to know my-
self more. I wanted to understand
why I think, act, and talk the way I
do now. I have so many theories in
my head, but as someone who is
taking research class this semes-
ter, I knew that there should be
supporting pieces of evidence to
our claims. Thankfully, I found the
answer I’ve been looking for when
we discussed the topic of person-
ality.
Personality, according to the
book, refers to the way an indi-
vidual think, act, and feel in their
lifetime. It is influenced mainly by
four perspectives: (a) psychody-
namic, or the unconscious mind
of the individual, (b) behavioral or
social cognitive, which focuses on
the effects of the environment on
one’s behavior, (c) humanistic, or
the conscious life experiences and
choices of the individual, and (d)
traits, or their own characteristics.
College life inevitably made me
more independent and though it
may seem challenging, I treasure
my independence the most, even
until now. Back when I was young-
er, I only had to do things for my-
self. Freshie year made me feel
what it was like to be free from
responsibilities, as I was explor-
ing the new environment. Howev-
er, as I was growing, I learned to
grab opportunities which helped
me grow as a student and as a
leader. This meant I had respon-
sibilities to others as well. Being
a student-leader meant making
22 | thoughts and feels
numerous decisions which can af-
fect the team and me as an indi-
vidual, therefore I had to consider
not only what I wanted, but what
option would be best for everyone
else. In one of our activities in class,
we demonstrated how Freud’s di-
vision of personality -- id, ego, and
superego -- worked. I realized how
the ego functions as it considers
the instant gratification the mind
wants versus being able to decide
on matters based on conscience.
The environment I work in is also
an important aspect that makes
me who I am today. Being an Is-
kolar ng Bayan is definitely a priv-
ilege, and I take pride in it. Many
people in my life who have not
experienced what it’s like to be a
UP student would repeatedly tell
me that I have changed -- and I
will never deny it. Being exposed
to the realities of life inside and
outside the campus enabled me
to think differently. Some would
consider that change negatively,
because throughout my stay, in a
way I have learned to think radi-
cally. My relatives would tell me
that I’m too critical of everything
in our society. My peers in school,
however, see this change of view
as growth on my part, because
I have come to realize that the
world is too great to only think of
ourselves. In my journey of getting
to know myself more, I have real-
ized that being a person for others
may be difficult, but it can be very
fulfilling at the end of the day.  versions of ourselves, then I’m for
More than these external factors
contributing to who I am today, I
know that as an individual, I have
Who Am I?
by Sam Alcala
set expectations for myself which
I wish to achieve in this lifetime. I
know that the people I meet and
the experiences I have gathered in
the past have taught me lessons
that I should carry in the future
to achieve my goals. In class, we
were able to discuss about the
concept of the real self and the
ideal self, and ultimately, the goal
is for these two to match. Often
times, I refer to my life pegs as
my inspiration in becoming who I
want to be in the future. However,
there are moments when I expect
too much from myself and I forget
that I am different from the person
I wish to be in terms of my con-
text and my traits. As I matured, I
learned that I should give myself
room to make mistakes, because
it is through these setbacks that I
am able to learn more about my
capacities as a person, and even-
tually channel my weaknesses and
transform them into strengths. 
I still have a long way to go in com-
pletely uniting my ideal self and
my real self. I know that there’s
so much in store for me in this
lifetime -- many more challenges
to conquer, a lot more people to
meet, and a whole lot of life les-
sons to learn. Our personality, I
learned, is constantly evolving,
because of the various contexts
that we live in. As the famous say-
ing goes, nothing in this world is
permanent except change; but if
change means becoming better
it all the way.
 photo credits
on facebook and self-esteem
https://www.lifewire.com/use-facebook-more-productively-4111274
http://thebulldogbark.com/1923/opinion/social-medias-impact-on-teens/

movie review
https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1662900/shutter-island-ending-whos-in-
control-andrew-laeddis-or-teddy-daniels
http://actoroscar.blogspot.com/2017/12/alternate-best-supporting-actor-2010_7.
html

book review
https://www.amazon.in/Veronika-Decides-Die-Paulo-Coelho/dp/8172235437

album covers
https://twitter.com/maggierogers/status/1050144694645207040
https://genius.com/albums/The-maine/You-are-ok
https://myspace.com/themaine/music/album/american-candy-19522268
https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Showman-Various-Artists/dp/B07629RLTC
https://www.covermytunes.com/cd-cover/Brand_New-1425943723.html

all other photos used (except in everyday musings) from sam alcala
 This magazine was produced as partial fulfillment of
our Psychology 101 class under Professor Danielle Marie
Parreno. We would like to express our appreciation and
gratitude to our professor for everything that we have
learned this semester. We definitely learned a lot.

Members:
Alcala, Samantha
Lopez, Keenu
Sy, Anthony