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Quarter 1 – Module 5:
Aspects of Personal Development
The Powers of the Mind
Week 6
Personal Development – Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 5: Aspects of Personal Development
First Edition, 2020

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 Personal
Development
Aspects of Personal Development
The Powers of the Mind

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Lesson 6 The Powers of the Mind

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the week, it is expected that the learners must be able to:

1) discuss that understanding the different parts of the brain, processes and
functions may help in improving thoughts, behavior, and feelings;
2) explore ways on how to improve brain functions for personal development; and
3) develop a personal plan to enhance brain functions.
Let’s check what you have learned!

Instruction: Write the word True if the statement is correct and the word False if
otherwise. Answers should be written on the blank provided before each number.

1) The right hemisphere of the brain controls the muscles in the left side
of the body.
2) Brain lateralization is the process in which sensory information from
the right side of the body crosses over the left side of the brain.

3) Most people are either right-handed or left-handed but there are

different degrees of handedness because some use one had for
jobs that require skill and the other hand for jobs that involve
reaching.

4) The brain hemispheres communicate with each other through a thick

band of 200-250 million nerve fibers called “corpus callosum”.

5) Human person has two brains.

6) The brain hemisphere is known to specialize some behaviors.

7) The smaller band of nerve fibers that connects parts of the

cerebral hemispheres is called “anterior commissure”.

8) Sensory information from the right side of the body crosses over to
the right side of the brain.

9) Damage to one side of the brain will affect the opposite side of the
body.
10) Functions related to the left side of the brain include understanding
and use of language (listening, reading, speaking and writing),
memory for spoken and written language, analysis of
information in detail, and motor control of the right side of the body.
 Handedness Questionnaire
(Adapted from Stanley Coren, 1992)

Instruction: Place a check [/] mark in a box for each question that describes you best.

Indicators Left Right Either

Hand Hand Hand
1. Which hand do you use to write?
2. Which hand do you use to draw?
3. Which hand do you use to throw a ball?
4. Which hand do you hold a tennis/badminton racket?
5. With which hand do you hold a toothbrush?
6. Which hand holds a knife when you cut things?
7. Which hand holds a hammer when you nail things?
8. Which hand holds a match when you light it?
9. Which hand holds an eraser when you erase things?
10. Which hand removes the top card when you deal
from a deck?
11. Which hand holds the thread when you thread a
needle?
12. Which hand holds a fly sweater?
TOTAL

How to Determine your Score?

1) Count the number of LEFT, RIGHT and EITHER responses
2) Multiply the number of RIGHT responses by 3. This number = R
3) Multiply the number of EITHER responses by 2. This number = E
4) Add R + E + (number of LEFT responses). This sum is your score.

How to interpret your score?

Score Handedness
33 to 36 Strongly Right-Handed
29 to 32 Moderately Right-Handed
25 to 28 Weakly Right-Handed
24 Ambidextrous
20 to 23 Weakly Left-Handed
16 to 19 Moderately Left-Handed
12 to 15 Strongly Left-Handed
The Nervous System

The Brain organ is a part of

one of the eight (8) systems
of the human anatomy, the
nervous system. The
purpose of the nervous
system is to gather
information, produce
responses to stimuli, and
coordinate the workings of
different cells. It is the
command center of the
other eights systems in the
human body. The
development of life
organisms from union of the
egg cell and sperm cell, always starts from the development of the nervous system,
the brain, its spinal cord and nerves. Even the lowliest organisms such as the
jellyfish and worms, have origins of a nervous system. The nervous system is
divided into two main parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral
nervous system or beyond the brain and the spinal cord (PNS). Let us take a
closer look of this two systems.

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) –

processes, interprets and stores incoming
sensory information-information about our 5
senses to be exact; tastes, sounds, smells,
color, pressure on the skin, the state of
internal organs etc. It is the specific
command center (depicted in yellow color)
that sends out orders destined for muscles,
glands and body organs. The (CNS) has to
major parts, the brain and spinal cord. The
spinal cord is the extension of the brain. It
runs from the base of the brain down the
center of the back, protected by a column
of
bones. The cord acts as a sort of bridge between the brain and the parts of the body
below the neck. But the spinal cord is not merely a bridge. It also produces
some
behavior on its own, without any help from the brain. These behaviors, called spinal
reflexes, are automatic, requiring no conscious effort. Example, if you accidentally
touch a hot iron, you will immediately pull your hand away, even before the brain
can actually comprehend the pain or the receptors kicks in. This is due to the nerve
impulses that brings message to the spinal cord, in this case “hot”. The spinal cord
immediately sends out a command via other nerve impulses, telling muscles in your
arm to contract and pull your hand away from the iron. (Although there some
specific parts in the brain that governs other reflexes such as our blinking and
sneezing). The neural circuitry underlying a reflex is called reflex arc. This could be
best explained through situations such as knee jerking, shifting balance of weight of
the body, when stepped broken glass or shards.

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS) – as the term “outlying” or “beyond” the

CNS, this system handles the CNS’s input and output (depicted in green color). It
contains all portions of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord, right down
to nerves in the tips of the fingers
and toes. The sensory nerves
in the peripheral nervous system
carry messages from the special
receptors in the skin, muscles
and other internal and external
sense organs to the spinal
cord, which sends them along to
the brain. These nerves put us
in touch with both the outside
world and the activities of our
own bodies. Motor (motion-
producing) nerves carry orders
from the central nervous
system to muscles, glands and
internal organs. They enable us
to move our bodies, and they cause
glands to contract and secrete
various substances,
including chemical messengers
called the hormones. This system is
further divided in two parts: the somatic nervous system and the
autonomic nervous system. The somatic (body) nervous system, sometimes called
the skeletal nervous system, controls the skeletal muscles of the body and permits
voluntary action. Examples of these are, when you are running, writing, going to
work by walking, doing a lecture in front of the class, following a dance moves or
simply creating your own moves, the somatic system is presently active. The
autonomic (self-governing) nervous system, as the term implies; these are
movements or actions that are involuntary, regulates blood vessels, glands and
internal (visceral) organs like the bladder, stomach and pumping of the heart. The
autonomic nervous system works more or less automatically, without a person’s
conscious control. Under the autonomic system, there are two
subdivision,
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. These two subdivisions work
together but in opposing ways to adjust the body to changing circumstances (see
illustration). To simplify, the sympathetic system acts like the accelerator of a car,
mobilizing the body for action and an output of energy. It makes you blush, sweat,
and it pushes up your heart rate and blood pressure. The parasympathetic system
is more like a brake. It doesn’t stop the body, but it does tend to slow things down
or keep them running smoothly. It conserves energy and helps the body store it. If
you have to jump out of the way of a preoccupied motorcyclist, sympathetic nerves
increase your heart rate. Afterwards, parasympathetic nerves slow it down again
and keep its rhythm regular. Both system are involved in emotion and stress.

The nervous system can be likened to complex system, a network strands

connected to every fiber or part of the body.
And this system mostly run, just like
in the circulatory system, blood
cells and the like, the nervous
system has a nerve cells or
neurons. This neurons conducts
electromagnetic signal; and are the
basic unit of the nervous system;
and they are held in place by glial
cells (from the greek word,
“glue”), which also provide them
with nutrients, insulate
them, and remove cellular “debris”
when they die.
Neurons are
communication cells. They
transmit information to, from or
inside of the central nervous
system, and are often called the building blocks of the nervous system. The
structure of a simple neuron differs in every region of the brain, and it differs also in
main function. But the simple neuron has its three (3) major basic structure namely,
cell body, dendrites, and axon.
The Cell Body is shaped roughly like a sphere or a pyramid. It contains the
biochemical machinery for keeping the neuron alive. It is responsible in the
transmission of messages to other neurons.
The Dendrites of a neuron look like branches of a tree, which is used as an
antennas, receiving messages from other nerve cells and transmitting them toward
the cell body.
The Axons can be likened to trunk of a tree, which is more slender. It
transmits messages away from the cell body to other cells. Axons have branches at
their tips, but these branches are usually less numerous than dendrites. Dendrites
and axons give each neuron a double role: As one researcher in the field of
Neurology, a neuron is first a catcher, then a batter (Gazzaniga, 1988).
In adult human beings, axons vary from only a tenth of a millimeter to few feet in
length. The large ones, of course, are found outside the brain. In the peripheral
nervous system, the axons of individual cells collect in bundles called nerves (not to
be confused with nerve cells). The human body has 43 pairs of peripheral nerves,
one nerve from each pair on the left side of the body and the other on the right. Most
of these nerves enter or leave the spinal cord, but the 12 pairs that are in the head
go directly to and from the brain. (the central nervous system also contains bundles
of neuron fibers, but they are called tracts.) Most axons are insulated by a layer of
fat cells called the myelin sheath. A major purpose of this covering is to prevent
signals from adjacent cells from interfering with each other. The myelin sheath is
divided into segments that make the axon look a little like a string of link sausages.
When a neural impulses travels down the axon, it “hops” from one break in the
“string” to another, making direct contact with the nerve cell. This action allows the
impulse to travel faster that it could if it had to move along the entire axon. The
thicker the myelin sheath, the faster the impulse. Nerve impulses travel more slowly
in babies than in older children and adults, because babies’ myelin sheaths have not
fully developed. The communication of neuron to neuron usually involves separated
tiny gaps called synapses.

The Brain

The storage of our memories, the seat of our intelligence (Davis, 1984) and you may
not know it, it is also where our emotions are found (Darwin, 1872; James & Lange,
1884; Cannon & Bard, 1900; Papez, 1937; Macchi, 1989). The brain’s structure is
also as complicated as its counterpart on moving the body itself. In this term, we are
also speaking on how we should feel, elicit emotion, act towards an emergency,
our
brain plays an important role in our thoughts, behavior and feelings. The brain have
three (3) main sections divided: Hindbrain, Midbrain and Forebrain. The reflexive
or autonomic behavior is controlled by the Hindbrain and Midbrain. The complex
behavior of the individual belongs to controlled area of the Forebrain.
The Hindbrain (Rhombencephalon)
This part of the brain starts at the base of the skull and the
brain stem. It is the region of the brain in which the medulla
oblongata, pons and cerebellum. The Hindbrain coordinates
functions that are fundamental to survival, including respiratory
rhythm, motor activity, sleep and wakefulness.
The Midbrain (Mesencephalon)

Located towards the base of your

brain is a small but important region called the midbrain
(derived from the developmental mesencephalon),
which serves as a vital connection point between the
other major regions of the brain - the forebrain
and the hindbrain. The midbrain is the topmost part of
the brainstem, the connection central between the brain
and the spinal cord. There are three main parts of the
midbrain - the colliculi, the tegmentum, and the
cerebral peduncles. Of the 12 cranial nerves, two thread directly from the midbrain
- the oculomotor and trochlear nerves, responsible for eye and eyelid movement.

Forebrain (Prosencephalon)
Source: Wikimedia

The Forebrain (derived from the developmental

prosencephalon) which contain the entire
cerebrum and several structures directly
nestled within it - the thalamus,
hypothalamus, the pineal gland and the
limbic system. This area of the brain plays a
central role in the processing of information
related to complex cognitive activities, sensory
and associative functions, and voluntary motor
activities. Included in this region is the visible
area, the cerebrum; and this cerebrum is
divided into two parts or most popularly known for
the two major division of the brain, cerebral
hemispheres (Michel et. al., 2020; MacNeilage,
2013). When you picture the iconic shape of the human brain, the majority of what’s
visible is the cerebrum with its wrinkly, pinkish-grey outer appearance. It makes up
around 85% of the brain and consists primarily of grey matter, divided into two
hemispheres.

The Two Hemispheres of the Brain.

Source: https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-
anatomy/corpus-callosum

We could recall from the lesson that

the cerebrum can be divided into two
parts which can be called
hemispheres. And this hemispheres
can control opposite sides of the body.
Though similar in structure, the
hemisphere have somewhat
separate talents or areas of
specialization. But before we discuss
the distinction that separate the
hemispheres, we have
acknowledge
what makes them connect. This importance and function belongs to the corpus
callosum. These are a band of nerve, which carries back and forth between the two.
A combination of sensory motor and cognitive information is constantly being transferred
between hemispheres via this neural highway. If the corpus callosum is severed, the
brain’s hemispheres are not able to communicate properly, and the loss of a range of
functions can occur – for example, changes to visual perception, speech and memory.
Surgical severing of the corpus callosum is a last-resort method for untreatable epilepsy,
to stop seizures spreading across the brain.

These also provided proof that there is no truth that some people use one brain
hemisphere more than the other depending on their personality. Some functions
may be specialized in a particular cerebral hemisphere, but the truth is that we use
both hemispheres equally. Even though one hemisphere is specific for a function.
The truth on the matter is that the continuous communication of both hemispheres
works far better. Even, the theory that the establishment of creativity is strictly for
the right-brained or the right hemisphere, on the contrary, there is no specific
evidence to really establish this theory. Creativity is a complex process. According
to a study, creative thinking does not seem to depend on a single mental process or
the brain region. Nor is it particularly associated with the right brain, attention, low
level of activation or synchronization with the alpha waves emitted by the brain
(Cerdan, 2017).

A psychologist by the name of Roger W. Sperry was responsible for the theory of
the right and left brain dominance. Sperry and his colleagues showed that
perception and memory had been profoundly affected, just as they had been in
earlier animal research. In 198, Sperry received a Nobel Prize for his work.

Right Brain Left Brain

*It controls muscles on the left side of the
body
*Sensory information from the right side of
the body crosses over to the left side of the
brain
*Damages in the right side of the brain will
affect the left side of the body
*It controls muscles on the right side of the
body.
*Sensory information from the left side of
the body crosses over to the right side of
the brain
*Damages in the left brain will affect the
right side of the body

Brain Lateralization

It is a complex and ongoing process by which differing regions of the brain “take-
over” the functioning of specific behaviors and cognitive skills. Lateralization
literally means that certain functions are located (in par or total) on one side of
the brain.

Reference: http://nspt4Kids.com/healthtopics-and-conditions-database/brain-
lateralization
Discover the Cognitive Functions in the Left-Right Brains through the illustration below.

BRAIN LATERALIZATION

LEFT RIGHT

*Analytical thought *Intuitive thought

*Detail oriented *Holistic Perception
perception *Rando
*Ordered Sequencing m
*Rational thought Sequen
*Verbal cing
*Cautious *Emotional Thought
*Planning *Non-Verbal
*Math/Science *Adventurous
*Logic *Impulse
*Right Field Vision *Creative Writing/Art
*Right Side Motor Skills *Imagination
*Left Field Version
*Left Side
Motor Skills

Let’s Check How Much You

Understand!
Mark calculates and solves mathematical problems quickly and
accurately. In fact, he was the school’s representative in the Division Level
Math Olympiad in 2019 and bagged the First Place in the Senior High School
category.
Subsequently, he portrays well as an actor in a school’s theatrical
presentation and obtained a three-in-all turns in the blind audition at ABS-
CBN in 2019 when he rendered an amazing Pinoy version of “Dance with my
Father”.
Indeed, Mark is a mathematician and an artist.
 1) How will you classify Mark? Is he more of a left or right-brained student? Why?

2) Which functions do the right-handed differ from that of the left-handed students or
individuals? Explain briefly.

3) What was the result of your handedness test? If you are a left-handed, how will you develop
the functions and other specialized skills in your right hemisphere to be an
ambidextrous? Draw your personal plan to enhance your brain functions.

Activity 1.1: “Let us combine!!!” (Critical Thinking, Collaboration)

Instruction: Below is piece of article. Read the article together a member of

your family, have a discussion of whether the decision of the individual in the
article is a rational or logical one or not. Narrate your findings and discussion on
the space provided. You may collaborate with the member of your family to
narrate your discussions. You may also try to look some follow-up questions
below to help your discussion.

A Family Discussion

Nurse diagnosed with COVID-19
commits suicide over fear of
spreading it
by Rodney Artida | News
A nurse working in the frontlines in Italy took
her own life after contracting coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) and feared that she
infected others.
Daniel Trezzi, 34, was terrified that she might
had spread the virus while treating patients at
the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza, Lombardy,
the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in
Italy.
The Telegraph reported that Trezzi suffered
trauma by her experience in working on the
frontline since the outbreak exploded in Italy.
a statement expressing its dismay over the
death of their young colleague. “What
Daniela had witnessed recently had
contributed heavily. It was the straw that
broke the camel’s back,” Telegraph quoted
the group statement.
The federation stressed that “the condition
and stress to which our professionals are
subjected is under the eyes of all” and noted
that a similar case occurred a week ago in
Venice, with the same underlying reasons.
According to Gruppo Italiano per la Medicina
Basata sulle Evidenze (GIMBE), around 5,760
health care workers have tested positive for
COVID-19 in Italy, which accounts for 8
percent of the 69,176 cases recorded by Civil
Protection Agency on Tuesday.

Follow-up Questions:

1. Do you think the nurse did make the right choice? Explain.

2. According to the research done in neuropsychology, biopsychology

and psychiatry, usually people with brain damage usually do not know
what they are doing. In the article given, do you think the nurse has
contacted brain damage to render herself to decide unfairly of her
demise? Explain.

3. If you are in the position of the nurse, as a front liner, would you also do
the same, as retribution for your mistake? Why? Why not?

4. Why do you think stress can affect the brain’s function to perceive and
handle problems, especially in traumatic experiences?

Narrative Discussion…
References

1) American Psychological Association (APA) 2014 Journal

2) Coren, Stanley. The Left-Hander Syndrome: The Causes and Consequences
of Left-Handedness, Free Press, New York, 1992).
3) Penetrante, Marylendra (2016). Personal Development, CIB Cronica
BookHaus. Manila, Philippines

Online sources:

1) https://nspt4Kids.com/healthtopics-and-conditions-database/brain-
tateralization/https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/split.html
2) Light-hearted test for Emotional Quotient at
iVillage:
https://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_work/testseqtest.htm
3) https://teenshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/EQ.html