CHAPTER III: MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF

LESSON 1: LEARNING TO BE A BETTER LEARNER

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain how learning occurs;

2. Enumerate various metacognition and studying techniques
3. Identify the metacognitive techniques that you find the most appropriate for yourself.

LESSON PROPER

INTRODUCTION
Knowing the “Self’ is not enough. Since “who you are” is partly made up of your choices, you must also have the
ability to choose especially to be better “you”. In the school setting, your knowledge of yourself should atleast enable
you to become a better student.

ACTIVITY

HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT THINKING?

Answer the metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI) and evaluate yourself as a learner.

https://www.rcsj.edu/Tutoring-site/Gloucester-site/Documents/Metacognitive%20Awareness%20Inventory.pdf

ANALYSIS

Aanswer the following questions, then write your answers in the space provided.

1. Do you agree with the result of your MAI? Why or Why not?
2. Make a list of your “top 5 tips/secrets for studying” based on your personal experiences/preferences. Share
your answer in the class.
3. Does your MAI result consistent with your top 5 secrets for studying?

ABSTRACTATION

We are Homo sapiens or the ‘wise man”. We think in a more complex level than our ancestors and most, if not all, of
the other beings. But being called wise, not only do we think, but we are also capable to think about thinking, like how
we think things and why we think in a certain way about things. It is like your brain thinks about itself.

In the context of learning, studies show that when you are able to think about how you think, how you process
information, and how you utilize techniques while you are studying, you have a higher chance of improving your
learning process than those who do not reflect on their methods.

This idea falls under the concept of Metacognition.

METACOGNITION

- commonly defined as “thinking about thinking”. It is the awareness of the scope and limitations of your
current knowledge and skills. Due to this awareness, metacognition enables the person to adapt their existing
knowledge and skills to approach a learning task, seeking for the optimum result of the learning experience.
- Also not limited to the thinking process of the individual. It also includes keeping one’s emotions and
motivations while learning in check.

TWO ASPECTS OF METACOGNITION

1. SELF-APPRAISAL – your personal reflection on your knowledge and capabilities.

2. SELF-MANAGEMENT – the mental process you employ using what you have in planning and adapting to
successfully learn or accomplish a certain task.

ELEMENTS OF METACOGNITION

1. METACOGNITIVE KNOWLEDGE – what you know about how you think.

2. METACOGNITION REGULATION – how you adjust your thinking process to help you learn better.

SEVERAL VARIABLES THAT AFFECT HOW YOU KNOW OR ASSESS YPURSELF AS A THINKER

1. PERSONAL VARIABLE – your evaluation of your strength and weaknesses in learning.

2. TASK VARIABLE – what you know or what you think about the nature of the task, as well as the strategies
the tasks require.
3. STRATEGY VARIABLE – what strategies or skill you already have in dealing with certain tasks.

According to Waterloo Student Success Office, the following are other skills that can help you in exercising
metacognition:

1. Knowing your limits

2. Modifying your approach
3. Skimming
4. Rehearsing
5. Self-test

Other tips that you can use in studying are the following (Queensland University of Technology Library nid.)

1. Make an outline of the things you want to learn, the things you are reading or doing, and/or the things you
remember.

2. Break down the task in smaller and more manageable details.

3. Integrate variation in your schedule and learning experience. Change in reading material every hour and do not
put similar topics together (e.g., try studying English then Mathematics instead of English then Filipino together).
Also include physical activities in your planning.

4. Try to incubate your ideas. First, write your draft without doing much editing Let the ideas flow. Then leave
your draft at least overnight or around 24 hours some even do not look at it for a week-and do something else.
After a given period, go back to your draft or prototype and you might find a fresh perspective about it.
Sometimes, during incubation, you suddenly have ideas coming to you. Write them down in a notebook first and
do not integrate them into the draft yet. Review what you have written when the incubation period is done.

5. Revise, summarize, and take down notes, then reread them to help? you minimize cramming in the last minute,
especially when you have a weakness in memorizing facts and data. Some people are motivated when the deadline
is very close tomorrow, for instance and they just review the day before some evaluation or exercise. If you are
that kind of person, you may still motivate yourself and have that feeling of urgency at the last minute but by
 using the aforementioned techniques, your "cramming” need not be a desperate attempt to learn but only as a way
to energize your brain as you make a final review of the things you have already been studying for a week or so
before.

6. Engage what you have learned. Do something about it. On a reading material for example, highlight keywords
and phrases, write your opinions about the matter on a separate notebook, or create a diagram or concept map.
Some people also learn best by copying the key paragraphs word for word. You may want to look for other
definitions and compare or contrast materials. Use your new knowledge during discussions-just do something
about it.

As you were reading this topic, were you aware of your metacognitive processes? What changes did you feel as
you try to use the metacognitive strategies and skills? We encourage you to utilize and adapt the aforementioned
techniques in whatever learning experiences you are about to accomplish and find enjoyment and success in
learning.

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

SCENARIO: You are about to study for your final examinations and is as if the universe conspired for a
heavy finals’ week, all your subjects provided at least three new reading materials and topics one week before
the examination period. Create a diagram of your schedule using at least five of the metacognitive strategies,
skills and studying techniques mentioned in this lesson on how would you prepare for the next seven days
before finals.

CHAPTER III: MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF

LESSON 2: DO NOT JUST DREAM, MAKE IT HAPPEN!

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Use Bandura’s self-efficacy theory of self-assessment;
2. Differentiate growth and fixed mindset by Dweck; and
3. Design personal goals adapting Locke’s Goal Setting Theory

LESSON PROPER

INTRODUCTION

Jack Canfield is an epitome of success. He has authored seven books listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as
New York Times Bestseller, Beating Stephen king (Macmillan 2017) These books are:

1. Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

2. The Success Principle: how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
3. The Power of focus.
4. The Aladdin Factor
5. Dare to Win
 6. You’ve got to Read this book
7. The Key to Living the Law of Attraction

One of Canfield’s Featured quotes about success is “By Taking the time to stop and appreciate who you are and what you
have achieved perhaps learned through a few mistakes, stumbles and losses you actually can enhance everything about
you. Self-acknowledgement and appreciation are what give you insights and awareness to move forward toward
higher goals and accomplishments” (Brown 2016).

ACTIVITY

5-10-20 Selfie

On each designated box, draw your envisioned “Future Self”. Who would you be:

1. 5 years from now

2. 10 years from now

3. 20 years from now

ANALYSIS

ENVISIONED SELF PLAN

1. Who are you or what would you become:

a. In 5 years
b. In 10 years
c. In 20 years
2. What are your motivations for your envisioned self?
a. In 5 years
b. In 10 years
c. In 20 years
3. Outline your plans on how will you make your envisioned self into reality:
a. In 5 years
b. In 10 years
c. In 20 years
4. How do you feel after doing this exercise?
5. What is your perception on goal setting?

ABSTRACTATION

ALBERT E. BANDURA’S SELF -EFFICACY

The concept of self-efficacy was introduced by Albert Bandura in an article entitled Self-efficacy: Toward a Unifying
Theory of Behavioral Change published In Psychological Review In 1977. The article also became an instant classic
in psychology
ALBERT E. BANDURA was born In Mundare, Alberta on December 4, 1925. He was the youngest als children. He
grew up with parents who put great emphatic on the value of family life, and education. Bandura took a job in Alaska
star high school graduation. He then took an introductory psychology course at the University of British Columbia a
working station. In the years’ time, he graduated with The Bolocan Award in Psychology in 1948. .
.; He earned his master's degree from the University of British Columbia in 1951 and his PhD in Clinical Psychology
in 1952. He had a postdoctoral position at the Wichita Guidance Center before accepting a position as a faculty
member at Stanford University in 1953, where he still works at present.

THE BOBO DOLL EXPERIMENT

In the 1950s, Dr. Bandura had a study known as the Bobo Doll Experiment. In this experiment, the sample children
were presented with new social models of violent and nonviolent behavior toward an inflatable redounding Bobo doll.
The result was: the group of children who saw the violent behavior model became violent to the doll, while the control
group who was presented with the nonviolent behavior model was rarely violent to the doll. This experiment has
proven right the hypothesis that social modeling is a very effective way of learning. Dr. Bandura introduced the social
learning theory that focuses on what people learn from observing and interacting with other people. Bandura's social
cognitive theory states that people are active participants in their environment and are not simply shaped by that
environment.

To date, as an active faculty member of Stanford University, Dr. Bandura continues to do researches such as self-
efficacy, stress reactions, and effects of modeling on human behavior, emotion, and thought. He has received many
awards and honorary degrees due to his works (The Great Canadian Psychology Website 2008). Dr. Bandura was
named the most influential psychologist of all time. His theories gave major contribution to the field of psychology,
psychotherapy, and education. He was elected president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1974.
He was awarded by APA for his distinguished scientific contributions in 1980 and again in 2004 for his outstanding
lifetime contributions to psychology In 2015, Dr. Bandura was awarded the National Medal of Science by President
Barack Obama (Kendra 2017).

SUMMARY OF SELF-EFFICACY THEORY.

Weibell (2011) summarized Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory:

"Self-efficacy theory, is based on the assumption that psychological. procedures serve as a means of creating and
strengthening expectations of personal efficacy."

Self-efficacy theory distinguishes between expectations. of efficacy and response-outcome expectancies. According to
Weibell (2011), outcome expectancy is a person's estimate that a given behavior will lead to certain outcomes." An
efficacy expectation is "the conviction that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce the
outcomes." Although a person may expect a. certain activity to lead to a particular outcome, they may lack the
motivation to perform the action, doubting their ability to do so. Outcome and efficacy expectations are differentiated
because individuals can believe that a particular course of action will produce certain outcomes. However, if they
entertain serious doubts about whether they can perform the necessary activities with such information, it does not
influence their behavior.

Self-efficacy typically comes into play when there is an actual or perceived threat to one's personal safety, or one's
ability to deal with potentially aversive events. Increasing a person's self-efficacy increases their ability to deal with
the potentially aversive situation. For example, experimental studies on the treatment of adults with ophidiophobia
(fear of snakes) have demonstrated that raising levels of self-efficacy is an effective technique to help them cope with
threatening situation Perceived self-efficacy mediates anxiety arousal.

Weibell (2011) stated that Dr. Bandura defined self-efficacy as "people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce
designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives." He identified acts of
people with high assurance in their capabilities, " such as:

1. Approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered;

2. Set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them;
3. Heighten or sustain efforts in the face of failures or setbacks;
4. Attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which are acquirable; and
5. Approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control over them.

In contrast, people who doubt their capabilities":

1. Shy away from tasks they view as personal threats;

2. Have low aspirations and weak commitment to goals they choose to pursue.
3. Dwell on personal deficiencies, obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of adverse outcomes, rather than
concentrating on how to is perform successfully:
4. slacken their efforts and give up quickly in the face of difficulties;
5. are slow to recover their sense of efficacy following failure or setbacks; and
6. fall easy victim to stress and depression.

Since Dr. Bandura described four main sources of influence by which a person's self-efficacy is developed and
maintained. These are:

1. performance accomplishments or mastery experiences;

2. vicarious experiences
3. verbal or social persuasion; and
4. physiological (somatic and emotional) states.

Dr. Bandura identified that "mastery experiences or personal performance accomplishments are the most effective
ways to create a strong sense of efficacy. "Success build a robust belief in one's personal efficacy. Failures
 undermined it, especially if failures occur, before, a sense of efficacy is firmly established." Vicarious experiences
through observance of social models also influences one's perception of self-efficacy. The most important factor
that determines the strengthen of influence of an observed success or failure on one's own self-efficacy is the
degree of similarity between the observer and the model.

Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by sustained effort raises observers' beliefs that they, too, possess the
capabilities to succeed, given the ·comparable activities. By the same token, observing others who fail despite
high efforts lowers observers. judgments of their own efficacy and undermines their efforts. The impact of
modeling on perceived self-efficacy is strongly influenced by perceived similarity to the models. The greater the
assumed similarity, the more persuasive is the models' successes and failures. If people see the models as very
different from themselves, their perceived self-efficacy is not much influenced by the models" behavior and the
results it produces.

Verbal or social persuasion also affects one's perception of self-efficacy. It is a way of strengthening people's
beliefs that they have what it takes to succeed." Verbal or social persuasion can provide a temporary boost in
perceived ability. When it is effective in mobilizing a person to action, and their actions lead to success, the
enhanced self-efficacy may become more permanent. People. who are persuaded verbally, that they possess the
capabilities to master given activities, are likely to mobilize greater effort and sustain it than if they harbor self-
doubts and dwell on personal deficiencies when problems arise." This increases their chances of success.
Unfortunately, "it is more difficult to instill high beliefs of personal efficacy by social persuasion alone than to
undermine it since unrealistic boosts in efficacy are quickly disconfirmed by disappointing results of one's efforts"
(Weibell 2011).

People also rely on their somatic or emotional states when judging their capabilities. Stress and tension are
interpreted as "signs of vulnerability to poor performance." Fatigue, aches and pains, and mood also effect
perception of ability. Dr. Bandura notes, however, that it is not the intensity of the emotional or physical reaction
that is important, but rather, how it is perceived and interpreted.

People with a high sense of self-efficacy may perceive affective arousal as “an energizing facilitator of
performance, whereas those who are beset by self-doubts regard their arousal as a debilitator" (Weibelll 2011).

Since most human motivation is cognitively generated," self-belief of efficacy is an important factor in human
motivation. Beliefs of self-efficacy work in coordination with component skill and incentive to act. Inasmuch as a
person has both the component skills needed to succeed and the incentive to engage, self-efficacy plays an
important role in determining what activities a person will choose to engage in, how much effort they will expend,
and how long that effort will be sustained won their got tough (Weibell 2011).

Expectation alone will not produce desired performance if the component capabilities are lacking. Moreover, there
are many things that people can do with certainty of success but they do not perform because they have no
incentives to do so (Weibell 2011).

Dr. Albert Bandura's quotes about self-efficacy (Kendra 2017) are as follows:

1. "Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the sources of action required to manage
prospective situations." From Social Foundations of thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, 1986.
2. “If efficacy beliefs always reflected only what people can do routinely, - they would rarely fail but they would not
set aspirations beyond their immediate reach nor mount the extra effort needed to surpass their ordinary
performances." From Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, 1994
3. Self-belief does not necessarily ensure success, but self-disbelief assuredly spawns failure." From Self-efficacy:
The Exercise of Control, 1994
4. "By sticking it out through tough times, people emerge from adversity with a stronger sense of efficacy."
5. "People's beliefs about their abilities have a profound effect on those abilities. Ability is not a fixed property;
there is a huge variability in how you perform. People who have a sense of self-efficacy bounce back from
failure; they approach things in terms of how to handle them rather than worrying about what can go wrong."
From Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control, 1996.
Carol S Dweck's Fixed and Growth Mindset Theory

Biography

Carol S. Dweck is the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She was born on October 17, 1946. She
graduated from Bernard College in 1967 and earned her PhD from Yale University in 1972. She taught at Columbia
University, Harvard University, and University of Illinois before joining Stanford university in 2004 (Upclosed 2017).

She is one of the leading researchers in the field of motivation and is a Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of
Psychology at Stanford University. Her research focused on why people succeed and how to foster success. She has
been elected as one of the outstanding scholars in Social Sciences at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her
works has been featured in different publications like The Now Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington
Post, and The Boston (Mindset 2006-2010).

Dr. Dweck has received the following awards (Stanford Profiles):

 Book Award for Self-Theories, World Education Federation (an organization of the United Nations and
UNICEF) (2004)
 Donald Campbell Career Achievement Award in Social Psychology, Society for Personality and Social
Psychology (2008)
 Award for Innovative Program of the Year, “Brainology (2008)
 Ann L. Brown Award for Research in. Developmental Psychology, University of Illinois (2009)
 Klingenstein Award for Leadership in Education, Klingenstein Center, Columbia University (2010)
 Thorndike Career Achievement Award in Educational Psychology, American Psychological Association
(2010)
 Beckman Mentoring Award, Columbia University (2011).
 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, American Psychological Association (2011).
 Gallery of Scientists, Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain, Sciences (2011)
 James McKeen Cattell Lifetime Achievement Award, Association for Psychological Science (2013)

FIXED AND GROWTH MINDSET

Dr. Dweck's contribution to social psychology relates to implicit theories of intelligence with her book, Mindset: The
New Psychology of Success published in 2006. Dr. Dweck described people with two types of mindsets. People who
believe that success is based on their innate abilities have a "fixed" theory of intelligence, and goes under fixed
mindset. On the other hand, people-who believe that success is based on hard work, learning, training, and
perseverance have growth theory of intelligence, which goes under growth mindset. According to Dr. Dweck,
individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own mindset, but their mindset can still be discerned based on their
behavior. It is especially evident in their reaction to failure Fixed-mindset individuals dread failure because it is a
negative statement on their basic abilities, while growth-mindset individuals do not mind or fear failure as much
because they realize their performance can be improved and learning comes from failure. These two mindsets play an
important role in all aspects of a person's life. Dr. Dweck argues that the growth mindset will allow a person to live a
less stressful and more successful life (Up closed 2017)

In an interview with Dr. Dweck in 2012, she described the fixed and growth mindset as:

"In a fixed mindset, students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents are just fixed traits. They have
a certain amount and that's that, and their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In the growth
mindset, students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and
persistence. They don't necessarily think everyone's the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can
get smarter if they work for it.” (Upclosed 2017)

Individuals with growth mindset are more likely to continue working hard despite setbacks while individuals with
fixed mindset can be affected by subtle environmental cues. For examples, children given praise such as good job, you
are smart are more likely to develop a fixed mindset, whereas, if given compliments like "good job, you worked very
hard" are likely to developed a growth mindset. In other words, it is possible to encourage students to persist despite
failure by encouraging them to think about learning in a certain way. (Upclosed 2017).

EDWIN A. LOCKE'S GOAL SETTING THEORY

Biography

Edwin A. Locke is internationally known for his research on goal setting. He was born on January 5, 1938. He is
Dean's Professor (Emeritus) of Leadership and Motivation at the Robert Smith School of Business at the University of
Maryland, College Park. He received his BA from Harvard in 1960 and his PhD in Industrial Psychology from Cornell
University in 1964 (Locke 2017)

He has published more than 300 chapters, notes, and articles in professional journals on such subjects as work
motivation, job satisfaction incentives, and the philosophy of science. He is also the author/editor of 12 books.

Dr. Locke has been elected a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the American Psychological
Society, the Academy of Management, and has been a consulting editor for leading journals. He was a winner of the
Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Award at the University of Maryland, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award
of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Career Contribution Award from the Academy of
Management (Human Resource División), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Management
(Organizational Behavior Division), and the James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award from the American Psychological
Society. He is also a writer and lecturer for the Ayn Rand Institute and is interested in the application of the
philosophy of objectivism to behavioral sciences (Locke 2017).

GOAL SETTING THEORY

The goal setting theory was first studied by Dr. Locke in the middle of 1960s. He continued to do more studies in
relation to his theory. In 1996, he published another article entitled: "Motivation Through Conscious Goal Setting,"
The article is about his 30 years of research findings on the relationship between conscious: performance goals and
performance on work tasks. The basic contents of goal Setting theory are summarized in terms of 14 categories of
findings discussed in the article (Locke 1996).

Locke (1996) first described that the approach of goat setting theory is based on what Aristotle called final causality;
that is, action caused by a purpose. It accepts the axiomatic status of consciousness, and volition. It also assumes that
introspective reports, provide useful and valid data for formulating psychological concepts, and measuring
psychological phenomena (e.g purpose, goal commitment, self-efficacy). He then discussed the attributes of goals and
his 14 research findings.

GOAL ATTRIBUTES

Goals have both an internal and an external aspect. Internally, they are ideas (desired ends); externally, they refer to
the object or condition sought (e.g., a jab, a sale, a certain performance level). The idea guides action to attain the
object. Two broad attributes of goals are content (the actual object sought) and intensity (the scope, focus, and
complexity, among others of the choice process). Qualitatively, the content of a goal is whatever the person is seeking.
Quantitatively, two attributes of content, difficulty, and specificity, have been studied (Locke 2017).

14 RESEARCH FINDINGS

A research was made by Locke (2017) under the article "Motivation Through Conscious Goal Setting." The research
has the following findings:

1. The more difficult the goal, the greater the achievement. The linear function assumes, however, that the
individual is committed to the goal and possesses the requisite 'ability and knowledge to achieve it. Without these,
performance does drop at high goal levels
2. The more specific or explicit the goal, the more precisely performance is regulated. High goal specificity is
achieved mainly through quantification (e.g., increase sales by 10%) or enumeration (e.g., a list of tasks to be
 accomplished). Thus, it reduces variance in performance, provided that the individual can control his or her
performance. This is not to say that specificity is always desirable (it may not be in some creative 1. innovation
situations), but only that it has certain effects.
3. Goals that are both specific and difficult lead to the highest performance.

Especially relevant here are the many studies that compared the effect of specific hard goats, such as do your
best." People do NOT actually do their best when they try to do their best because, as a vague goal, it is
compatible with many different outcomes, including those lower than one's best. The aspect of intensity that has
been most studied in goal setting research is that of goal commitment-the degree to which the person is genuinely
attached to and determined to reach the goals.
4. Commitment to goals is most critical when goals are specific and difficult. When goals are easy or vague, it is not
hard be committed to it because it does not require much dedication to reach easy goals, and vague goals can be
easily redefined to accommodate low performance. However, when goals are specific and hard, the higher 1 the
commitment is being required, which results to better performance.
5. High commitment to goals is attained when:

a. the individual is convinced that the goal is important;

b. the individual is convinced that the goal is attainable (or that, at least, progress can be made toward it).

These are the same factors that influence goal choice. There are many ways to convince a person that a goal is
important
 In most laboratory settings, it is quite sufficient to simply ask for compliance after providing a plausible
rationale for the study.
 In work situations, the supervisor or leader can use legitimate authority to get initial commitment.
 Continued commitment might require additional incentives such as supportiveness, recognition, and
rewards.

Financial incentives may facilitate commitment and performance, except when rewards are offered for attaining
impossible goals. Here, performance actually drops.

Participation by subordinates in setting goals (i.e., joint goal setting by supervisor and subordinate) leads to higher
commitment than curtly telling people what to do with no explanation, but it does not lead to (practically significant)
higher commitment than providing a convincing rationale for an assigned goal.

Self-set goals can be highly effective in gaining commitment, although they may not always be set as high as another
person would assign.

Commitment can be enhanced by effective leadership. Relevant. leadership techniques include:

 providing and communicating an inspiring vision;

 acting as role model for the employees;
 expecting outstanding performance;
 promoting employees who embrace the vision and dismissing those who reject it;
 delegating responsibility (ownership") for key tasks; :: goal setting itself can be delegated for capable,
responsible employees;
 expressing (genuine) confidence in employee capabilities; o enhancing capabilities through training; and
asking for commitment in public.
6. In addition to having a direct effect on performance, self-efficacy; influences:
a. the difficulty level of the goal chosen ot accepted;
b. To be commitment to goals;
c. the response to negative feedback or failure; and
d. the choice of task strategies.
 People with high self-efficacy are more likely to set high goals or to accept difficult, assigned goals, to commit
themselves to difficult goals, to respond with renewed efforts to setbacks, and to discover successful task
strategies. Thus, the effects of self-efficacy on performance are both direct and indirect (through various goal
processes). Additionally, goal choice and commitment can be influenced through role modeling.

Feedback. For people to pursue goals effectively, they need some means of checking or tracking their progress
toward their goal. Sometimes this is 'self-evident to perception, as when a person walks down a road toward a
distant but visible town. In such cases, deviations from the path to the goal are easily seen and corrected.
However, take note that this is in contrast with a sales goal, whose attainment requires scores of sales over a
period of many months. Here, some formal means of keeping score is needed so that people can get a clear
indication if they are moving fast enough and in the right direction.

7. Goal setting is most effective when there is feedback that shows progress in relation to the goal.

When provided with feedback on their own performance or that of others, people often spontaneously set goals to
improve their previous best or beat the performance of others simply as a way of challenging themselves, but this
is not inevitable. The goal set may be higher or lower than the performance level previously achieved. The effect
of performance feedback (knowledge of score) depends on the goals set in response to it.

8. Goal setting (along with self-efficacy) mediates the effect of knowledge of past performance on subsequent
performance.

When people receive negative performance feedback, they are typically unhappy and may also experience doubts
about their ability. Those who can sustain their self-efficacy under such pressure tend to maintain or even raise
their subsequent goals, retain their commitment, intensify their search for better strategies, and thereby improve
their subsequent performance. Those who lose confidence will tend to lower their goals, decrease their efforts,
and lessen the intensity and effectiveness of their strategy search. According to Bandura, changes in self-efficacy
after experiencing failure may be affected by the types of causal affirmative statements people make.

9. Goals affect performance by affecting the direction of action, the * degree of effort-exerted, and the persistence of
action over time. The directive aspect is fairly obvious. A person who has a goal to maximize quality of
performance will focus more attention and action on quality than on, for example, quantity or speed. When there
is. conflict between two or more goals, performance with respect to each goal may be undermined. Effort is
roughly proportional to the judged difficulty of the goal which is why difficult goals ordinarily lead to higher
performance than easy goals. Persistence refers to directed effort extended over time. Harder goals typically lead
to more persistence than easy goals, because, given the commitment, they take longer to reach and may require
overcoming more obstacles. These mechanisms operate almost automatically, or at least routinely once a goal is
committed to, because most people have learned (by about the age of 6) that if they want to achieve something
they have to pay attention to it to the exclusion of other things, exert the needed effort, and persist until it is
achieved.

There is another, more indirect goal mechanism--that of task strategies or plans. Most goals require the
application of task-specific procedures in addition to attention and effort if they are to be attained. For example, a
student who wants to get an A in a psychology Course needs to know how to study in general, how to study
psychology in particular, how to identify what is needed for an A in this course, and how to implement this
knowledge. There are several things we have learned about the relationship of goals and plans.

10. Goals stimulate planning in general. Often, the planning quality is higher than that which occurs without goals.
When people possess task or goal-relevant plans as a result of experience or training, they activate them
automatically when confronted with a performance goal. Newly learned plans or strategies are most likely to be
utilized under the stimulus of a specific, difficult goal.
 People recognize that goals require plans and seek either to use what they already know or to make new plans
when they want to reach goals. Sometimes such plans are quite pedestrian: For example, to attain difficult
quantity goals, people may simply sacrifice quality common trade-off which everyone is familiar, with. When
people are given training in a new strategy, they do not always use it consistently unless they must in order to
attain goals that cannot otherwise be attained. When tasks are complex, a number of new issues arise. Direct goal
mechanisms are less adequate than in the case of simple tasks for attaining the goal. (Compare, for example, the
efficacy of effort alone in leading to high performance when doing push-ups versus playing chess.) The path to
the goal is less clear, and there may be no relevant prior experience or training which they can fall back on. In
such cases, people are forced to discover new strategies sometimes they do this poorly especially if the goals are
specific and difficult. The reason appears to be that under this type of pressure, tunnel vision inhibits effective
search procedures.
11. When people strive for goals on complex tasks, they are least effective in discovering suitable task strategies if:
a. they have no prior experience of training on the task;
b. there is high pressure to perform well; and
c. there is high time pressure (to perform well immediately).

Goals as mediators. Goals, along with self-efficacy, might mediate the effects of values and personality on
performance. There is a firm support for goals and self-efficacy as mediators of feedback. Feedback is most
effective in motivating improved performance when it is used to set goals. Feedback alone is just information.
To act based on information, people need to know or decide what it means that is what significance it has. In
a goal-setting context, this means knowing what a good or desirable score is from a bad or undesirable score.
If no much judgment is made, the feedback will probably be ignored. Similarly, participation seems to
motivate performance to the extent that it leads to higher goals, higher self-efficacy, or higher commitment
More recent studies have shown evidence for goals or goats plus self-efficacy as a mediator of personality
and charismatic leadership. In other words, these variables affect performance through their effects on goals
and self-efficacy.

12. Goals (including goal commitment), in combination with self-efficacy, mediate or partially mediate the effects of
several personality traits and Incentives on performance. The logic behind this model is that goals and self-
efficacy are: the immediate regulators of much human action, and those goals and self-efficacy, therefore, reflect
the individual's assessment of the value of incentives and of the applicability of values and traits to specific
situations.

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

1. Jack Canfield Quote Hunt. Using Canfield’s quote on success at the beginning of this lesson, identify the elements
of Bandura, Dweck, and Locke's Theories. Give explanation to your answer.

2. Self-efficacy Collage. Make a collage of your own perceived self-efficacy using Dr. Albert Bandura's four sources
of influence for the development and maintenance of self-efficacy

3. Graphic Organizer. Make an artistic graphic organizer to differentiate fixed mindset from growth mindset of Dr.
Carol Dweck. Highlight the definition description, characteristics, examples of situations where each mindset are
developed, and their advantages and disadvantages.

4. Goal Setting Plan. Make a goal setting plan (short term for one semester only) based on what you learned from
Locke's goal setting theory.

5. Dream Board. Make your dream board, five years after college graduation.

CHAPTER III: MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF

LESSON 3: LESS STRESS, MORE CARE

OBJECTIVE:

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. explain the effects of stress to one's health:

2. examine cultural dimension of stress and coping; and
3. design a self-care plan.
INTRODUCTION

The American Psychological Association (2017) has these statements about stress: "Stress is often described as a
feeling of being overwhelmed, worried, or run-down. Stress can affect people of all ages, genders, and circumstances
and can lead to both physical and psychological health issues. By definition, stress is any uncomfortable 'emotional
experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, and behavioral changes.' Some stress can be
beneficial at times, producing a boost that provides the drive and energy to help people get through situations like
exams or work deadlines. However, an extreme amount of stress can have health consequences and adversely affect
the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems."

Since stress is inevitable to life, we have to learn how to handle and cope up with it. More so, we have to be familiar
with other approach to a healthy lifestyle, which is self-care.

ACTIVITY

SELF STRESS ASSESSMENT

To handle life stress is to identify sources of life stress. Arizona State University adopted "The Social Readjustment
Scale" of T. H. Holmes and R. H. Rahe to come up with the "College Student's Stressful Event Checklist.” Use the
Event Checklist to assess your stress level as college student. Follow these instructions for your guidance:

1. Get a copy of the "College Student's Stressful Event Checklist" from the Arizona State University available
through Research Gate. Use the link provided: (https://students.asu.edu/files/StressChecklist.pdf)
2. Answer the questionnaire honestly. To put the checklist in our context, change the third item about "Divorce
between parents," to "Separation between parents."
3. Write your score and its interpretation inside the box:

4. Circle all events you identified.

 5. During class session, pair with a classmate and share two to three life events you circled. Observe
confidentiality after sharing.

ANALYSIS

Have a discussion in the class with the following questions:

1. How do you feel while you were doing the checklist?

2. Is the result near to your present perceived stress level? How do you feel with the result?

3. How do these identified life events affect your life now?

4. What is your reflection after sharing your answers with a classmate?

5. What is your perception about stress and self-care?

ABSTRACTATION

STRESS AND HUMAN RESPONSE

The American Institute of Stress (AIS) has distinguished different types of stress and the human response to it.

Hans Selve defined stress as the body's nonspecific response to any demand, whether it is caused by or results in
pleasant or unpleasant stimuli. It is essential to differentiate between the unpleasant or harmful variety of stress termed
distress, which often connotes disease, and eustress, which often connotes euphoria. Eustress is stress in daily life that
has positive connotations, such as marriage, promotion, baby, winning money, new friends, and graduation. On the
other hand, distress is stress in daily life that has negative connotations such as divorce, punishment, injury, negative
feelings, financial problems, and work difficulties (AIS 2017).

During both eustress and distress, the body undergoes virtually the same nonspecific responses to the various positive
or negative stimuli acting upon it. However, eustress causes much less damage than distress. This demonstrates
conclusively that it is how an individual accepts stress that determines ultimately whether the person can adapt
successfully to change (AIS 2017).

Selye hypothesized a general adaptation or stress syndrome. This general stress syndrome affects the whole body.
Stress always manifests itself by a syndrome, a sum of changes, and not by simply one change (AIS 2017).

The general stress syndrome has three components:

1. The alarm stage - represents a mobilization of the body's defensive forces. The body is preparing for the "fight or
flight" syndrome. This involves a number of hormones and chemicals excreted at high levels, as well as an increase in
heart rate, blood pressure, perspiration, and respiration rate, among others.

2. The stage of resistance - the body becomes adaptive to the challenge and even begins to resist it. The length of this
stage of resistance is dependent upon the body's innate and stored adaptation energy reserves and upon the intensity of
the stressor. Just as any machine wears out even if it has been properly maintained, the same thing happens with living
organisms-sooner or later they become the victim of this constant wear and tear process. The acquired adaptation is
lost if the individual is subject to still greater exposure to the stressor. The organism then enters into the third and final
stage.

3. The exhaustion stage - the body dies because it has used up its resources of adaptation energy. Thankfully, few
people ever experience this last stage.

Stress diseases are maladies caused principally by errors in the body's general adaptation process. They will not occur
when all the body's regulatory processes are properly checked and balanced. They will not develop when adaptation is
facilitated by improved perception and interpretation. The biggest problems with derailing the general stress syndrome
and causing disease is an absolute excess, deficiency, or disequilibrium in the number of adaptive hormones. For
example, corticoids, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), and growth hormones are produced during stress.
Unfortunately, if stress is induced chronically, our defense response lowers its resistance since fewer antibodies are
produced and an inflammatory response dwindles (AIS 2017).

In the article "Understanding Stress Response" of the Health Harvard Journal (2017), it further discussed chronic
stress and human body response:

"Chronic stress is unpleasant, even when it is transient. A stressful situation whether something environmental, such
as a looming work deadline, or psychological, such as persistent worry about losing a job-can trigger a cascade of
stress hormones that produce well-orchestrated physiological changes. A stressful incident can make the heart pound
and breathing quicken. Muscles tense and beads of sweat appear."

This combination of reactions to stress is also known as the "fight-or-flight" e because it evolved as a survival
mechanism, enabling people and other to react quickly to life-threatening situations. The carefully orchestrated yet
near-instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps someone to fight the threat off or
flee to safety. Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic work
pressure, and family difficulties. Over time, repeated activation of the stress response takes a toll on the body.
Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging
deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction. More preliminary
research suggests that chronic stress may also contribute to obesity, both through direct mechanisms (causing people
to eat more) or indirectly decreasing sleep and exercise) (Health Harvard 2017).

The stress response begins in the brain. When someone confronts an oncoming car or other danger, the eyes or ears (or
both) send the information to the amygdala, an area of the brain that contributes to emotional processing. The
amygdala interprets the images and sounds. When it perceives danger, it instantly sends a distress signal to the
hypothalamus (Health Harvard 2017).

When someone experiences a stressful event, the amygdala, an area of the brain that contributes to emotional
processing, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. This area of the brain functions like a command center,
communicating with the rest of the body through the nervous system so that the person has the energy to fight or flee.
(Health Harvard 2017).

The hypothalamus is a bit like a command center. This area of the brain communicates with the rest of the body
through the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary body functions like breathing, blood pressure,
heartbeat, and the dilation or constriction of key blood vessels and small airways in the lungs called bronchioles. The
autonomic nervous system has two components, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous
system. The sympathetic nervous system functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight or-flight response,
providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers. The parasympathetic nervous
system acts like a brake. It promotes the "rest and digest" response that calms the body down after the danger has
passed (Health Harvard 2017).

After the amygdala sends a distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending
signals through the autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands. These glands respond by pumping the hormone
epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream. As epinephrine circulates through the body, it brings on
a number of physiological changes. The heart beats faster than normal, pushing blood to the muscles, heart, and other
vital organs. Pulse rate and blood pressure go up. The person undergoing these changes also starts to breathe more
rapidly. Small airways in the lungs open wide. This way, the lungs can take in as much oxygen as possible with each
breath. Extra oxygen is sent to the brain, increasing alertness. Sight, hearing, and other senses become sharper.
Meanwhile, epinephrine triggers the release of blood sugar (glucose) and fats from temporary storage sites in the
body. These nutrients flood into the bloodstream, supplying energy to all parts of the body (Health Harvard 2017).

All of these changes happen so quickly that people are not aware of them. In fact, the wiring is so efficient that the
amygdala and hypothalamus start this cascade even before the brain's visual centers have had a chance to fully process
what is happening. That is why people are able to jump out of the path of an incoming car even before they think
about what they are doing. As the initial surge of epinephrine subsides, the hypothalamus activates the second
component of the stress response system known as the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. This network
consists of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands. The HPA axis relies on a series of hormonal
signals to keep the sympathetic nervous system- the "gas pedal"-pressed down. If the brain continues to perceive
something as dangerous, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), which travels to the
pituitary gland, triggering the release of ACTH. This hormone travels to the adrenal glands, prompting them to release
cortisol. The body thus stays revved up and on high alert. When the threat passes, cortisol levels fall. The parasympath
then dampens the stress response (Health Persistent epinephrine surge increasing blood pressure and raising his
cortisol levels create physiological changes that help to le ress response (Health Harvard 2017). Lepinephrine surges
can damage blood vessels and arteries, pressure and raising risk of heart attacks or strokes. Elevated e physiological
changes that help to replenish the body's ores that are depleted during the stress response. But they inadvertently
contribute to the buildup of fat tissue and to weight gain. For example, cortisol increases appetite, so that people will
want to eat more to obtain extra energy. It creases storage of unused nutrients as fat. Chronic low-level stress keeps
axis activated, much like a motor that is idling too high for too long. After a while, this has an effect on the body that
contributes to the health problems associated with chronic stress (Health Harvard 2017).

Techniques to Counter Chronic Stress

Several techniques to counter chronic stress were presented in the same article (Health Harvard 2017):

1. Relaxation response. Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body
Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has devoted much of his career to learning how people can
counter the stress response by using a combination of approaches that elicit the relaxation response. These
include deep abdominal breathing, focus on a soothing word (such as peace or calm), visualization of tranquil
scenes, repetitive prayer, yoga, and tai chi.

Most of the research using objective measures to evaluate how effective the relaxation response is at
countering chronic stress have been conducted in people with hypertension and other forms of heart disease.
Those results suggest the technique may be worth trying, although for most people it is not a cure at all. For
example, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital conducted a double-blind, randomized controlled
trial of 122 patients with hypertension, ages 55 and older, in which half were assigned to relaxation response
training and the other half to a control group that received information about blood pressure control. After
eight weeks, 34 of the people who practiced the relaxation response a little more than half-had achieved a
systolic blood pressure reduction of more than 5 mm Hg and were therefore eligible for the next phase of the
study, in which they could reduce levels of blood pressure medication they were taking. During that second
 phase, 50% were able to eliminate at least one blood pressure medication significantly more than in the
control group, where only 19% eliminated their medication.

2. Physical activity. People can use exercise to stifle the buildup of stress in several ways. Exercise, such as
taking a brisk walk shortly after feeling stressed, not only deepens breathing but also helps relieve muscle
tension. Movement therapies such as yoga, tai chi, and qi gong combined with fluid movements, with deep
breathing, and mental focus, all of which can induce calm.
3. Social support. Confidants, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, relatives, spouses, and companions all provide
a life-enhancing social net, and may increase longevity. It is not clear why, but the buffering theory holds that
people who enjoy close relationships with family and friends receive emotional support that indirectly helps to
sustain them at times of chronic stress and crisis.

THE CULTURAL DIMENSION OF STRESS AND COPING

Ben Kuo (2010) reviews studies on cultural dimensions of stress and coping. His study, "Culture's Consequences on
Coping: Theories, Evidences, and Dimensionalities," published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology had the
following findings:
Stress and coping research constitute one of the most intensively studied areas within health, social, and psychological
research because of its broad implications for understanding human well-being and adaptation. Early thesis on stress
and coping, the interwoven relationship of culture and stress responses was implicated, conceptually. The thesis
postulated that a person's internalized cultural values, beliefs, and norms affect the appraisal process of stressors and
the perceived appropriateness of coping responses. Accordingly, these cultural factors delimit the coping options
available to an individual in the face of stress. As follows, stress and coping are universal experiences faced by
individuals regardless of culture, ethnicity, and race, but members of different cultures might consider and respond to
stressors differently with respect to coping goals, strategies, and outcomes.

SELF-CARE THERAPY

A positive way to counter stress is self-care therapy. Nancy Apperson (2008) of Northern Illinois University has
provided steps for self-care:

1. Stop, breathe, and tell yourself: "This is hard and I will get through this one step at a time." During an
unexpected event or crisis, we are faced with dealing with a new reality and it takes time to incorporate what
happened into our everyday lives. Identify the steps you need to take first, write them down, and focus on
each step one at a time. If you look at everything you have to do, you will become overwhelmed. Remember
you can only do one thing at a time and focus exclusively on that one thing.
2. Acknowledge to yourself what you are feeling. All feelings are normal accept whatever you are feeling. Once
you recognize, name, and accept your feelings, you feel less out of control. You can then find a comfortable
place to express your feelings. During periods of extreme stress and grief, it is very hard to hold back your
feelings, particularly your tears and anger. This is normal so describe this as grieving or sadness or anger. You
are not falling apart. You are grieving or feeling angry or sad. It is important during this time of intense
feelings to own your feelings and NOT hurt yourself or lash out at someone else.
3. Find someone who listens and is accepting. You do not need advice. You need to be heard. Sharing our story
is how we begin to accept whatever happened and integrate it into our new reality. It may be that you just
need to let go of your expectations of how things should be and talking about your feelings and beliefs is the
beginning of that process.
4. Maintain your normal routine as much as possible. Making everyday decisions-deciding to get dressed, doing
the dishes, or going to work-gives you a sense of control and feels comforting as it is a familiar activity. Be
realistic with what you can do and remember everything right now will take you longer to do. Avoid making
major decisions based on the stress you feel right now.
5. Allow plenty of time for a task. You will not be as productive as you normally are. Accept how much you are
able to do right now and recognize it will not be this way forever. During periods of extreme stress, prolonged
 stress, or after a crisis, your ability to concentrate and focus on tasks is diminished and it will take time for
your concentration to return so give yourself extra time and be gentle and accepting of yourself and what you
can do.
6. Take good care of yourself. Remember to:

a. Get enough rest and sleep. Sleep at least six hours and not more than nine hours. If you are having
difficulty sleeping, listen to peaceful or slow music and/or do progressive relaxation before you go to
sleep. Sleep helps our body heals and strengthens our immune system.
b. Eat regularly and make healthy choices. Skipping meals, particularly breakfast, contributes to fatigue,
mood swings, and poor concentration. Healthy food choices (not high in simple sugars) maintain blood
sugar level. energy, and concentration of the body.
c. Know your limits and when you need to let go. Some problems are beyond our control. If something
cannot be changed, work at accepting it for what it is. Resist the urge to fix the unfixable or try to control
the uncontrollable. Sometimes a mantra helps: "It is what it is, I just need to accept it." For things within
your control, remember that change takes time. If you are holding on and need to let go, journal about it.
d. Identify or create a nurturing place in your home. A rocking chair, a nice view, and a soothing music are
important components to a nurturing place. Twenty minutes of spending in a rocking chair reduces both
your physical pain and anxiety. It is like giving yourself a hug. Music and nature sounds nurture our being
and lifts our spirits.
e. Practice relaxation or meditation. Go to your nurturing place and listen to guided relaxation tapes. Time
spent in meditation or prayer allows your mind and body to slow down and let go of the stress. Take a
mental vacation in the midst of stress by relaxing your body, shutting your eyes, and visualizing yourself
in your favorite vacation spot or quiet haven.
f. Escape for a while through meditation, reading a book, watching a movie, or taking a short trip.

SELF-COMPASSION THERAPY

Self-compassion is another way to counter stress. Kristin Neff (2012) has discussed self-compassion in her article,
"The Science of Self-Compassion." "Self-compassion entails being warm and understanding toward ourselves when
we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than flagellating ourselves with self-criticism. It recognizes that being
imperfect and experiencing life difficulties is inevitable, so we soothe and nurture ourselves when confronting our
pain rather than getting angry when life falls short of our ideals. We clearly acknowledge our problems and
shortcomings without judgment to help ourselves. We cannot always get what who we want to be. When this reality is
denied or resistant, suffering arises in the form of stress, frustration, and self-criticism. When this reality is accepted
with benevolence, however, we generate that help us cope. Self-compassion recognizes that life challenges and
failures are part of being human, an exp us to feel less desolate and isolated when we are in pain.

SELF-COMPASSION PHRASES

Neff provided self-compassion phrases when feeling stress or emotional pain, perhaps when you are caught in a traffic
jam, arguing with a loved one, or feeling inadequate in some way. It is helpful to have a set of phrases memorized to
help you remember to be more compassionate to yourself in the moment. You can take a deep breath, put your hand
over your heart, or gently hug yourself (if you feel comfortable doing so), and repeat the following phrases:

 This is a moment of suffering.

 Suffering is a part of life.
 May I be kind to myself.
 May I give myself the compassion I need.

These phrases capture the essence of the three components of self-compassion. The first phrase helps to mindfully
open to the sting of emotional pain. (You can also just simply say "This is really hard right now" or "These
 hurts.") The second phrase reminds us that suffering unites all living beings and reduces the tendency to feel
ashamed and isolated when things go wrong in our lives. The third phrase begins the process of responding with
self-kindness rather than self-criticism. The final phrase reinforces the idea that you both need and deserve
compassion in difficult moments. Be experimental with the phrases. Other phrases that may feel more authentic in
a given situation are: “May I accept myself as I am," “May I forgive myself," or “May I learn to accept what I
cannot change." (Neff 2012)

SELF-COMPASSION AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

One of the most consistent findings in the research literature is that greater self-compassion is linked to less anxiety
and depression. Of course, a key feature of self-compassion is the lack of self-criticism, and self-criticism is known to
be an important predictor of anxiety and depression. However, self-compassion still offers protection against anxiety
and depression when controlling for self-criticism and negative effect. Thus, self-compassion is not merely a matter of
looking on the bright side of things or avoiding negative feelings. Self-compassionate people recognize when they are
suffering, but are kind toward themselves in these moments, acknowledging their connectedness with the rest of
humanity. Self-compassion is associated with greater wisdom and emotional intelligence, suggesting that self-
compassion represents a wise way of dealing with difficult emotions. For instance, self-compassionate people engage
in rumination and think suppression less often than those low in self-compassion. They also report greater emotional
coping skills, including more clarity about their feelings and greater ability to repair negative emotional states. Self-
compassion appears to bolster positive states of being as well. By wrapping one's pain in the warm embrace of self-
compassion, positive feelings are generated that help balance the negative ones (Neff 2012).

SELF-COMPASSION, MOTIVATION, AND HEALTH

Research supports the idea that self-compassion enhances motivation rather than self-indulgence. For instance, while
self-compassion is negatively related to perfectionism, it has no association with the level of performance standards
adapted for the self. Self-compassionate people aim just as high, but also recognize and accept that they cannot always
reach their goals. Self-compassion is also linked to greater personal initiative—the desire to reach one's full potential.
Self-compassionate people have been found to have less motivational anxiety and engage in fewer self-handicapping
behaviors such as procrastination than those who lack self-compassion. In addition, self-compassion was positively
associated with mastery goals (the intrinsic motivation to learn and grow) and negatively associated with performance
goals (the desire to enhance one's self-image) found on the study of Deck in 1986. This relationship was mediated by
the lesser fear of failure and perceived self-efficacy of self-compassionate individuals. Thus, self-compassionate
people are motivated to achieve, but for intrinsic reasons, not because they want to garner social approval. (Neff
2012).

SELF-COMPASSION VERSUS SELF-ESTEEM

Research indicates that self-co trait levels of self-esteem as one would ex indicates that self-compassion is moderately
associated with elf-esteem as one would expect, given that both represent positive attitudes toward the self. However,
self-com d the self. However, self-compassion still predicts greater happiness and optimism as well as less depression
and anxiety when controlling esteem. Moreover, the two constructs differ in terms of their impact on well-being. Also,
self-esteem had a robust association with narcissism while self-compassion had no association with narcissism. In
contrast to those with high self-esteem, seir-compassionate people are less focused on evaluating themselves, feeling
superior to others, worrying about whether or not others are evaluating them, defending their viewpoints, or angrily
reacting against those who disagree with them. Self-esteem is thought to be an evaluation of superiority/inferiority that
helps to establish social rank stability and is related to alerting, energizing impulses and dopamine activation. While
self-esteem positions the self in competition with others and amplifies feelings of distinctness and separation, self-
compassion enhances feelings of safety and interconnectedness (Neff 2012).

SELF-COMPASSIONATE LETTER
An example of a self-compassion exercise is the self-compassionate letter. This exercise has been used in therapeutic
programs. Below are the steps in doing the self-compassionate letter exercise as provided by Neff (2012):

1. Candidly describe a problem that tends to make you feel bad about yourself, such as a physical flaw, a
relationship problem, or failure at work or school. Note what emotions come up-shame, anger, sadness, fear-
as you write.
2. Next, think of an imaginary friend who is unconditionally accepting and compassionate; someone who knows
all your strengths and weaknesses, understands your life history, your current circumstances, and understands
the limits of human nature
3. Finally, write a letter to yourself from that perspective. What would your friend say about your perceived
problem? What words would he or she use to convey deep compassion? How would your friend remind you
that you are only human? If your friend were to make any suggestions, how would they reflect unconditional
understanding?
4. When you are done writing, put the letter down for a while and come back to it later. Then read the letter
again, letting the words sink in, allowing yourself to be soothed and comforted. Less Stress, Care More We
should be in control of the stress that confronts us every day. Otherwise, when we are overwhelmed by stress,
it can be detrimental to our health. Self-care and self-compassion are two ways to positively confront stress.
We should love and care for our self, more and more each day.

APPLICATION AND ASSESMENT

1. REACTION PAPER. Make a reaction paper about the article, "Stress and Filipino" by Michael L. Tan from the
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. (2006). The article is available through this link: http://pcij.org/
stories/stress-and-the-filipino/. Use the lesson on the social and cultural dimension of stress in making your reaction
paper.

2. SELF-CARE PLAN. Design for your self-care plan for the whole school year.

3. REFLECTION PAPER. Make a self-compassionate letter and make a reflection paper about it.