OCCIDENTAL MINDORO STATE COLLEGE

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A Module
in
Understanding the Self

Compiled by:

DR. ANGELINA C. PAQUIBOT, RGC

The compiler does not own any of the content of this module. Due credits and
acknowledgement are given to the authors, internet sources, and researchers listed on the
reference page. Such sources are reserved to further explain concepts and cannot be credited to
the compiler and the school. All diagrams, charts, and images are used for educational purposes
only . The sole objective of this instructional material is to facilitate independent learning and
not for monetary gains because this is NOT FOR SALE.

2020 Edition

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson 1: The Self from Various Perspectives

Philiosphy 1
Sociology 7
Anthropology 10
Psychology 11
The self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought 16

Lesson 2: Unpacking the Self

The Physical Self 21
Sexual Self 23
The Material/Economic Self 30
The Spiritual Self 34
The Political Self 40
The Digital Self 46

Lesson 3: Managing and Caring For the Self

Learning how to be a better student 54
Setting Goals for Success 58
Taking Charge of One’s Health 65

Final Activity 70

References 71

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 GENDER AWARENESS-RAISING

What is gender awareness raising?

Gender awareness raising aims at increasing general sensitivity, understanding and
knowledge about gender (in) equality.
Awareness raising is a process which
helps to facilitate the exchange of
ideas, improve mutual understanding
and develop competencies and skills
necessary for societal change. Gender
awareness raising means providing
reliable and accessible information to
build a better understanding of gender
equality as a core value of democratic societies. As a gender-mainstreaming method,
gender awareness raising is crucial for integrating a gender perspective into policies,
programmes, projects and services that respond to the different needs of women
and men.

Definition and purpose

Gender awareness raising aims to promote and encourage a general
understanding of gender-related challenges, for instance, violence against women
and the gender pay gap. It also aims to show how values and norms influence our
reality, reinforce stereotypes and support the structures that produce inequalities.
Gender awareness raising plays an important role in informing women and
men about gender equality, the benefits of a more gender-equal society and the
consequences of gender inequality. For example, raising awareness about the proven
economic benefits of advancing gender equality, such as the strong, positive impact
on gross domestic product (GDP) and higher levels of employment, and about the
profound negative impact of gender inequalities, for instance, the fact that women
are at a higher risk of poverty because of lower employment prospects.
Gender awareness raising intends to change attitudes, behaviours and beliefs
that reinforce inequalities between women and men. It is therefore crucial to develop
awareness-raising methods that generate a favourable space for debate, promote
political interest and encourage mobilisation. In this way, they contribute to gaining
broad support and political will for implementing gender mainstreaming and gender
equality policies.
Gender awareness raising goes hand in hand with gender equality training as
a way to transmit the necessary information and knowledge to take action. This is
especially true for the actors involved in policy processes, as it enables them to
create interventions that address women’s and men’s priorities and needs.

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The purpose of gender awareness
raising is threefold:
to provide basic facts, evidence and
arguments on various topics relating
to gender equality to increase
awareness and knowledge about
gender (in)equality;
to foster communication and
information exchange so as to
improve mutual understanding and
learning about gender (in)equality;
to mobilise communities and society
as a whole to bring about the
necessary changes in attitudes,
behaviours and beliefs about gender
equality.

Providing information and raising awareness about gender equality does not,
however, automatically lead to social change. Gender awareness-raising initiatives
may be met with obstacles and resistance that need to be carefully considered and
overcome.

Obstacles and resistance to gender equality

When dealing with resistance, it must be borne in mind that resistance is part
of any change process. Resistance can be used to promote change, and there are
ways of dealing with it. Sometimes signs of resistance are not necessarily a reaction
to the specific topic of gender equality or gender mainstreaming but they can be a
reaction to change in general.
In order to overcome resistance, it is important to deal with it by inviting actors
to an open dialogue and giving them an opportunity to articulate their concerns and
objections. In such a dialogue, it is vital to focus on a common goal as well as on the
benefits for everyone. Highlighting facts and figures and using scientific studies to
back up arguments can also help to prevent the use of unsubstantiated arguments in
debates.

How does gender awareness raising work?

Gender awareness raising can be a part
of internal awareness-raising processes in an
organisation or institution and/ or it can be a
part of planned external activities directed to
the general public or a targeted group.

As a gender-mainstreaming method,
raising awareness of gender equality can be
considered to be a specific activity to be implemented within policies, programmes or
projects. To be effective, the process of awareness raising must identify and meet

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the needs and interests of the actors involved. This can be achieved by paying
attention to the following key issues
Who is the target group?
Before starting any gender awareness-raising initiatives, the socio-demographic
characteristics (e.g. sex, age, ethnicity, level of education and any other relevant
characteristics) of the target group should be considered in order to develop tailored
awareness-raising initiatives. In addition, opinion leaders can also be selected as a
sub-segment of the target audience because, as influential members of a group, they
can promote societal change.

What is the content of the message?

The message communicated and the content of awareness-raising activities
should be designed and framed around the specific gender equality topics under
consideration. The way the message is conveyed and framed can influence how it is
perceived and the overall effect it has. Framing factors include the choice of words
and imagery, using emotions or facts and rational arguments, and presenting the
consequences of (in) action as losses or gains. Importantly, the content of the
message should be credible. It should communicate information that is accurate and
is perceived as accurate, based on data with an acknowledgement of the source.

Attitudes towards gender equality

Gender inequalities are the result of a complex web of socially constructed
roles and norms that are culturally and historically entrenched in societies. Attitudes
towards gender equality, the roles of women and men and gender stereotypes
involve feelings, beliefs and behaviours that are formed, nurtured and perpetuated
by society, family, institutions, education and religion, among other factors. These
attitudes are strongly influenced by social norms that form the basis of the
perception of what is right or wrong and the way men and women relate to each
other at home and in society.
Positive changes in attitudes towards gender equality require
multidimensional and interlinked interventions. Hence, gender awareness-raising
initiatives should be as targeted and as tailored as possible. As an illustration, raising
awareness of the different forms of violence against women and how unequal gender
relations perpetuate gender-based violence is an important element for prevention

Which gender awareness-raising measures should be used?

The type of awareness-raising measures selected will depend on the context and the
identified aims in terms of policy, programme or project. An integrated
communication programme, which combines different channels, is advisable to
reinforce the message. This may include:

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  communication initiatives that aim to widely disseminate key messages,
involving large-scale media such as television, newspapers, radio and
websites;
 public events (e.g. concerts, information booths at festivals, etc.) to convey
the message to a specific target group, such as young people;
 social media and social networks, which offer the possibility of interactivity
and the potential for the viral dissemination of the message online;
 community-based initiatives in a local context to mobilise communities,
empower women and promote community dialogue on gender equality, for
example, through: public meetings, presentations, workshops, informal social
events using interpersonal and participatory approaches;
 static and travelling exhibitions and displays;
 printed materials — for example brochures, billboards, cartoons, comics,
pamphlets, posters, resource books and audio-visual resources;
 political advocacy and lobbying.

The importance of using gender-sensitive language

Language plays an important
role in how women’s and men’s
positions in society are perceived and
interpreted, which in turn influences
the attitudes towards women and men.
Certain words or use of the masculine
form as the generic one (common in
most languages) can overshadow
women in the law, contribute to
stereotypes (for instance, in professions), and make women’s roles and needs
invisible, among other things. In this way, language contributes to, produces and
reproduces sexist and biased thoughts, attitudes and behaviours.

What Is Gendered Language?

https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/understanding-gender-inequality/0/steps/66842

While gender-neutral language is not gender-specific and makes no reference to

women and men, gender-sensitive language is gender equality made manifest
through language. In practice, using gender-sensitive language means:

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  avoiding exclusionary terms and nouns that appear to refer only to men, for
instance, ‘chairman’, ‘mankind’, ‘businessman’, etc.;
 avoiding gender-specific pronouns to refer to people who may be either
female or male (use ‘he/she’, ‘him/ her’ or ‘they/them’ instead of ‘he/his’);
 avoiding stereotypes, gendered adjectives, patronising and sexist terms and
expressions (for instance, referring to women as ‘bossy’, or ‘the weaker sex’)
and references to women’s marital status and titles.

https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/eyh6mu/quick_gender_neutral_language_tips/

In line with these guidelines, in 2009 the European Parliament adopted a series of
recommendations on gender-neutral language to be used in parliamentary
documents, which are intended to reflect two particular features of the European
Parliament’s work: its multilingual working environment and its role as a European
Union legislator.

With the aim of fostering a common understanding of gender equality terms across the EU
and promoting gender-fair and inclusive language to improve equality between women and
men, EIGE has developed a Gender Equality Glossary and Thesaurus, a specialised
terminology tool focusing on the area of gender equality.

In 2019, EIGE will also release a toolkit on gender-sensitive language.

Pictures, graphics, video and audio materials are also powerful communication tools
to influence perceptions, attitudes and social change. The principles of gender-
sensitive language for written and oral communications must also be applied to
audio and visual materials, i.e. videos, photographs and infographics.

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 These are key principles for gender-sensitive
communication:
Ensuring that women and men are
represented. Both women and men should be
visible and treated equally in media products
and messages. It is important to ensure that the
voices of both women and men are included in
press releases, news stories, broadcasts and
other communications that are used by the
media to inform the public and raise
awareness. When preparing communication
materials it is important to plan how women’s and men’s voices can be captured and
ensure that women are also visually presented as equals in all areas of life.
Challenging gender stereotypes. Gender-sensitive communications can
contribute to challenging gender stereotypes through language and images. It is
important to avoid using words and expressions that reinforce gender stereotypes as
well as images that portray them and/or exert violence. It is important to choose
images that portray a balanced representation of both genders and to ensure that
they do not discriminate against or demean a person.

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 LESSON 1
THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

TOPICS
a. Philosophy
b. Sociology
c. Anthropology
d. Psychology
e. The Social Construction of the Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern
Thought

LEARNING OUTCOMES
a. Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of
the self from various disciplinal perspectives.
b. Examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape
the self.
c. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across
the different disciplines and perspectives.
d. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analysing the
development of one’s self and identity by developing a theory of
the self.

TOPIC 1: PHILOSOPHY

Prof. Ronuel L. del Rosario https://www.slideshare.net/shinpaiwa/understanding-the-self-lecture-1-philosophical-perspectives?next_slideshow=4

PHILOSOPHY

 It refers to the study of the basic essence of knowledge, truth and life, in
particular in academic discipline.
 It is somebody's idea of how to live or how to treat a specific situation.
 It is an academic discipline concerned with investigating the essence of the sense
of ordinary and scientific beliefs – investigates the validity of ideas through

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 logical argument in relation to their consequences, relationships as well as truth,
intelligence, moral judgment, etc.
 It is a great deal of philosophy concerned with the basic essence of existence.
 The Greeks were those who strongly challenged myths and moved away from
them in order to understand truth and respond to persistent questions of
interest, including the question of existence.
The following are analyses of various viewpoints and understandings of the self by its
prime movers from ancient thinkers to modern philosophers:
THE PRE-SOCRATICS
The Pre-Socratics (Thales, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Empedocles, etc.) were
concerned with answering questions such as…
• What is the world really made up of?
• Why is the world the way it is?
• What explains the changes that happen around us?
• Arché- origin or source/the “soul”/the primal matter
• The soul’s movement is the ultimate arché of all other movement.
• Arché has no origin outside itself and cannot be destroyed.
• It explains the multiplicity of things in the world.
SOCRATES
• Concerned with the problem of the self
• “The true task of the philosopher is to know oneself.”
• “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
• Underwent a trial for ‘corrupting the minds of the youth’
• Succeeded made people think about who they are
• “The worst thing that can happen to anyone is to live but die inside.”
• “Every person is dualistic.”
• Man = body + soul
• Individual = imperfect/permanent (body) + perfect & permanent (soul)

PLATO

 3 components to the soul rational soul – reason & intellect to govern

affairs spirited soul – emotions should be kept at bay appetitive soul –
base desires (food, drink, sleep, sexual needs, etc.)
 When these are attained, the human person’s soul becomes just &
virtuous.
(ST.) AUGUSTINE
• ‘Spirit of man’ in medieval philosophy
• Following view of Plato but adds Christianity
• Man is of a bifurcated nature.
• Part of man dwells in the world (imperfect) and yearns to be with the Divine.
• Other part is capable of reaching immortality.
• Body – dies on earth; soul – lives eternally in spiritual bliss with “God”
(#lifegoalz)

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(ST) THOMAS AQUINAS
• Man = matter + form • matter (hyle) – “common stuff that makes up
everything in the universe”
• Form (morphe) – “essence of a substance or thing”; (what makes it what it is)
• The body of the human is similar to animals/objects, but what makes a human
is his essence.
• “The soul is what makes us humans.”

MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Rene DESCARTES
• Father of Modern Philosophy
• Human person = body + mind
• “There is so much that we should doubt.”
• “If something is so clear and lucid as not to be doubted, that’s the only time
one should believe.”
• The only thing one can’t doubt is existence of the self.
• “I think, therefore I am.”
• The self = cogito (the thing that thinks) + extenza (extension of mind/body)
• The body is a machine attached to the mind.
• It’s the mind that makes the man.
• “I am a thinking thing. . . A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies,
wills, refuses, imagines, perceives.”

David HUME
• Disagrees with the all the other aforementioned philosophers
• “One can only know what comes from the senses & experiences” (he is an
empiricist).
• “The self is not an entity beyond the physical body.”
• You know that other people are humans not because you have seen their soul,
but because you see them, hear them, feel them, etc.
• “the self is nothing but a bundle of impressions and ideas.”
• Impression – - basic objects of our experience/sensation - forms the core of
our thoughts
• Idea – - copies of impressions - not as “real” as impressions - feeling mo lang
yun!
• Self = a collection of different perceptions which rapidly succeed each other
• Self = in a perpetual flux and movement
• We want to believe that there is a unified , coherent self, soul, mind, etc. but
~~actually~~ it is all just a combination of experiences.

Immanuel KANT
• Agrees with HUME that everything starts with perception/sensation of
impressions
• There is a MIND that regulates these impressions.
• “Time, space, etc. are ideas that one cannot find in the world, but is built in our
minds
• “Apparatus of the mind”
• The self organizes different impressions that one gets in relation to his own
Existence.
• We need active intelligence to synthesize all knowledge and experience.
• The self is not only personality but also the seat of knowledge.

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Gilbert RYLE
• Denies the internal, non-physical self
• “What truly matters is the behavior that a person manifests in his day-to-day
life.”
• Looking for the self is like entering LU and looking for the “university”
(explain!)
• The self is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the convenient.
Name that we use to refer to the behaviors that we make.

MERLEAU-PONTY
• A phenomenologist who says the mind- body bifurcation is an invalid problem
• Mind and body are inseparable.
• “One’s body is his opening toward his existence to the world.”
• The living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one.
• If you hate this subject, Merleau-Ponty understands you.

ACTIVITY # 1

I. Bubble Map
Direction: Summarize the Self from various philosophical perspectives.
II. Answer the following questions:
1. Would you believe there's a difference between soul and body? Would you think you
will have? Who separates the two?
2. What happens to a person whose soul has 3 components, unbalanced?
3. Do you believe in the idea of the soul after death landing in heaven? Which makes the
animals different from humans?
4. Do you agree with the claims so far concerning the self (body & soul)? Which, in their
conjectures, is doubtful?

TOPIC 2: SOCIOLOGY
THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE
Task/Activity
Think-Pair-Share
Direction. Think individually about a topic or answer to a question as a preliminary
introduction to the lesson. Share ideas with your classmates through group chat/.
personal messenger. Discuss your answer with your partner. Focus your attention in
comprehending on the given reading material. Send your work to my personal
messenger.
1. What is the relationship between external reality and the self?
2. How much of you are essential?
3. How much of who you are is now the product of society, the community, and the
family?
4. Have you been affected by your choice of school now? If you were born in
another family and educated in another college, how different would you be?
5. What is the Self?

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 SELF - is commonly defined as "separate, self-contained, independent,
consistent, unitary, and private" (Stevens, 1996). Is the self actually a private entity?
The self is always affected by external circumstances that bump and collide with it. It is
ever-changing and dynamic, allowing external forces to take part in its shaping. The
social constructivist perspective, then - explains that there is a strong relationship
between the self and external reality. Self is influenced by various facets of society, such
as foreign relations, environmental / territorial issues, language / language, intimate
relationships, etc. More than his generosity, one is believed to be in active participation
in shaping the self. Recent studies indicate that men & women in their growth &
development engage actively in shaping themselves.

 Suppose that the individual and their social background are combined, one
cannot easily be separated from the other (Sevens, 1996). Suppose that the self
is not static, which remains constant through and through. Rather, it is in a
struggle with external reality and is malleable in its dealings with society.
 The self has a social life and can be affected by it. Multifaceted, therefore. Why
will people be multifaceted? The Self & Culture, according to Mauss, is that every
person has two faces: the personne and moi Moi – the individual to whom he is,
his body, his basic identity, his biological gift. Personne – the social definition of
what it means to be oneself, what it means to live in a specific community,
family, faith, ethnicity, and how to act in the light of perceptions and influences.
-the self (especially the Personne) morphs according to different circumstances
and contexts.
Mead & Vygotsky – said, "The mind is something that is made of" – the way
human beings evolve is through the use of language learning and contact with others.
We process knowledge in the context of an internal conversation, and the cognitive and
emotional growth of a child is a reflection of how it is done in the real world. A child
internalizes ideals, traditions, behaviors and social attitudes by exposure to dialogs that
will become part of his or her own culture.

Self in Families- while every child is born with care, temperament from the
genes of his or her parents and the general state of life is a factor in self-forming.
Human beings are born practically helpless and the duration of dependency of a human
child on their parents is longer than other species. In becoming a fully realized human
being, the child enters into a system of relationships, particularly the family. This is
where a person learns how to live and how to live. It is what a family initiates a person
to become that serves as the basis for the development of an individual. The infant
knows the vocabulary and actions of his kin. Without a family, biologically and socially, a
person cannot live or become a human being.
Gender and the Self –is an aspect of self that is subjected to transition, change
and growth. From the point of view of the social sciences and the self, it is important to
offer the opportunity to discover, express and live his identity. Our gender is part of how
we see ourselves in the world. Society also pressures us to have a certain identity, based
on our sex / gender. Gender must be consciously defined and acknowledged and not
determined by tradition and society.

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ACTIVITY #2
I. Creating a Playlist
Direction: Create a playlist with song titles or lyrics from songs that cleverly allude to
digital technology about your description of yourself. Send your work to my personal
messenger.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. How are people successfully developing their social worlds?
2. How are children growing up to become social beings?
3. How do twins coming from the same mother, when adopted separately, turn out to
be different?

TOPIC 3: Anthropology

Anthropology is human science. Anthropology is etymologically derived from the

word "anthropos" meaning man, and "logos" meaning knowledge. In terms of physical,
mental, social, and cultural complexity, anthropology treats humans as something
complex. Anthropology also makes reference to human science and its culture.
Studying anthropology will create tolerance and a peaceful life. Being unable to
understand each other has resulted in prejudice, quarrel, brawl, and even war.
Differences are often considered a threat, but when managed properly, they brings
beauty, like a variety of colorful flowers in a garden. Certainly, anthropology has a
significant contribution. It is the study of all kinds of things that have to do with human
beings. At the very least, someone who has studied or learned anthropology will further
acknowledge and understand that every people, ethnic group, religion, community and
nation has certain a distinctive and particular character. Thus, it will promote mutual
tolerance and peace (Zaenuddin Hudi Prasojo, 2013).
Quadripartite Approach in Anthropology:
1. Cultural Anthropology. It focuses on living (or societies that have just lived).
This also establishes laws on social behaviour, and examines how people in
their cultures and the world view themselves.
2. Linguistic Anthropology. It focuses on human communication. It is
researching ways in which we organize our communication. That includes
components of how the brain and speech together emerge.
3. Biological Anthropology. This studies the human animal. The human being is
analyzed in this way. It was also concerned with human evolution,
population, breeding history, and how people create racial or racist ideas.
4. Archaeology Anthropology. It explores civilization from the remnants of
people left behind. This offers a unique view of the society, language and
physical features over time. Anthropology of Archaeology discusses the
extinct cultures and past history.

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TOPIC 4: PSYCHOLOGY

“Psychology is concerned with the scientific investigation of behavior” ( NL Munna).

David G. Myers (1997) – defined psychology as the science of behavior and mental
processes. Robert S. Feldman (2000) defined psychology as the scientific study of human
behavior and mental processes
Psychology is derived from two Greek words: Psyche (soul) + logos (study or,
Science). Psychology is the science of behavior, and mental processes. Scientific
psychology started in 1879 with the establishment of the first laboratory. Psychology
has a de facto corpus. Emphasizes the quest for reality, does not believe in superstition
or stereotypes. Psychology is nature and nurture combined.
Goals of psychology: To understand, to explain, to describe, to predict, and to control
behavior.

 Unscientific Method of Acquiring Knowledge

Tenacity – the persistence of a superstition. Intuition – an approach to acquiring

knowledge that is not based on reasoning or inferring. Authority – a basis for
acceptance of information because it is acquired from a highly respectable source.
Rationalism – the acquisition of knowledge through reasoning. Empiricism – the
acquisition of knowledge through experience.

 In addition,

Behavior is the total sum of a person's activity which reflects directly or indirectly.
Action encompasses something that can be detected in any way about human or
animal. The word behavior encompasses both sensory, cognitive and affective activities:
Covert behavioral pattern known only to the person experiencing it. Overt behavioral
pattern can be observed by others.

 SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Structuralism-by studying conscious mental experiences, analyzes the mind and its
parts. The German physiologist Herman Von Helmholtz and his protégé Wilhem Wundt
were the most renowned structuralists.
Functionalism-examined how the mind influences what people do. Functionalists
believed the conscious mind was developing and over the last million years it has
facilitated the existence of individual human beings. As the key promoter of
functionalism arose American psychologist William James.
Psychoanalysis-focused on the important history of the unconscious. Sigmund Freud
was the first person to incorporate the unconscious mind within a formal theory of
psychology.
Behaviorism – dismissed the theory of mind and behavioral experiences as defined by
structuralists, functionalists, and psychoanalysts to understand human behavior. John B.
Watson clarified that experimental psychology was a purely empirical study.

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Gestalt-was created by Max Wertheimer in favor of simplicity and structuralism. Gestalt
is a German word meaning "form" or "shape" to describe his argument that elements
are interpreted and thought about. The entire is larger than the sum of its pieces.

 Areas of Psychology

General Psychology is a field of psychology dealing with human behavior values and
concepts. Physiological Psychology its focus is on the biological basis of behavior and
mental processes. Comparative Psychology is the study of similarities and discrepancies
in animal physiology, attitudes and abilities of humans. Genetic Psychology explores
how traits are transmitted from parent to child. Experimental Psychology is a branch
dedicated to the process of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world.
This uses methodologies in science to explain how humans feel and behave in other
circumstances. Cognitive Psychology is a branch of Psychology that studies higher
mental processes which include thinking, language, memory, problem solving,
reasoning, judging, and decision making. Developmental Psychology is learning how
people are rising during their lifespan. Personality psychology studies the consistency
and change in a person's behavior over time and individual traits which distinguish one
person's behavior from another when faced with the same situation. Abnormal
Psychology focuses on researching the etiology or cause of behavioral and personality
disorders.

 The Self as Cognitive-Construction

Jean Piaget pioneered what was also known as Constructivism. Constructivists claim that
people build their own understanding and world knowledge through their experiences
and reflections on these experiences.

 William James and I-self and me-self

He is one of the first to postulate a theory of the self in the Principles of Psychology. He
is also known for contributing to functionalism, one of the earliest schools of thought in
psychology. He is labeled as the father of American Psychology.

 Me – Self

The Me- self is a more subjective and psychological phenomenon which refers to the
reflections of individuals about themselves. James chose the word "Me" to refer to an
entity of his own, representing "all things" that have the ability to generate "excitement
of a certain sort." "All things" signified physical objects and cultural objects (material
self), human beings (social self), and mental processes and content (spiritual self). "Me"
represents the phenomenology of selfhood, which refers to what is often known as self-
awareness, or extraordinary self-ness.

 I – Self

The "I Self" represents what people in the real world see or consider themselves to be
doing. While "I"'s ultimate meaning is rooted in subjectivity metaphysics and refers to
the question: why is all conscious experience subjective, and who / what is the subject
of conscious experience? It can also be interpreted as an object, rather than an
experience of the subject.

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  Psychological Differentiation

It is a significant element of self-development. As Dr. Robert Firestone writes in his

book, The Self-Under Siege: A Therapeutic Model for Differentiation, "They have to
differentiate from destructive environmental influences in order for people to live their
own lives and fulfill their own destinies."

 The Four Steps of Differentiation

Step 1: It includes breaking with negative thoughts and behaviors towards ourselves
which we internalized based on traumatic experiences of early life. Step 2: Involves the
ability to recognise and alter negative personality traits that you have which are
expression of the negative traits of our parents, caregivers or other influential figures.
Step 3: Consider the psychological defenses that we have developed as an adaptation to
the pain and distress that we have experienced. Step 4: It includes creating our own
principles, morals and beliefs rather than simply embracing the beliefs with or those of
our society that we have grown up with.

 According to E. Tory Higgins there are three self- perception:

An actual self (real self) – quantities you actually believe you possess. The ideal self-
characteristics and qualities that you would like to have. An ideal self is more about your
interests and wishes, the way that you would like to see yourself. An ought self -
characteristics that you think you want to possess. An ought-after self is more inclined
to morality and values.

 Unified Self

The self is often understood as an inherently related single entity with mind, and
agency. The concept of agency or power is the subjective consciousness of initiating,
performing, and regulating the world's own volitional acts.

 Multiple Self

One solution is to suggest a multiple self-model, in which it is presumed that the person
has two or more selves each with their own choice.
1. Experiential self-descriptive to a person who encounters the event itself.
2. Private consciousness – refers to the values we have learned from our own culture
and we should act on a situation accordingly.
One approach is to propose a multiple self-model in which the individual is assumed to
have two or more selves each having its own preference.
1. Experiential self – subjective to an individual whom experience the actual event.
2. Private consciousness – refers to the values we learned from our own culture
and we should act accordingly to a situation.
3. Public persona – The way people see us the way they want us to see them.
 The Self as Proactive and Agentic

Albert Bandura believes that through our agency we humans are perceived as proactive
agents of experiences. We humans play a big part in our self-development, adaptation
and self-renewal through this agents or agency. It has said the human agency has four
characteristics. This function is deliberate, preconceived, self-reactive and self-
reflective. Proactive-is when we are optimistic about something as individuals. Agentic –

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is subjective to one's perception of having control of oneself, wanting to do something
or not.
ACTIVITY #3
1. Go ahead. Look at the mirror and draw a picture of yourself in a short bond
paper. Be proud! This is your self- portrait.
2. Reflect and answer the following questions:
a. What are the three qualities I like most about myself?
b. What is one ability or competency I feel good about?
c. How are these manifested in my behavior?
d. What is the impact or effect on other?

TOPIC 5: THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN/ORIENTAL THOUGHT

WESTERN WORLD

NDEPENDENCY This refers to various nations which

are inaccessible to parts of Europe,
Australasia and the Americas.
Westerners are free; they don't adopt
conventional behavioral forms or old
concepts. When the individual is liberated, he
or she is able to demonstrate freedom from
conventional social norms or traditional
ideas.
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/ojur/vol1/iss1/1.

In the west, for instance, they confidently wear clothes that show more skin but
in the east, people are more
conservative. Thus, they go less
exposure to the skin. Another example
of this where school uniform falls in. If
we watch movies from the west, and
the setting is inside the university or
school, we'll find they didn't even wear
the proper uniform.
Another fact about westerners,
all they were doing was reflecting their
own selves, their essence and identity.
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/ojur/vol1/iss1
In short, they think their expression is
everything and that's because they wanted to be unique with their own. For the
Easterners, all they did was because of their responsibility and obligation.
In western, family hierarchy will rely on factors such as income. For example, is
the family member who has the authority to provide income or money for the family.
He or she is allowed to decide on family decision-making. In the eastern world, however,
elders and males immediately earned their children's highest position and were doing
household chores. When it comes to gender there is an unequal treatment.

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 INDEPENDENCY
The state of being free from another's influence, or power. Western people
emphasize culture, value individuality and uniqueness. Have you ever watched a film in
which teenagers left their homes before they entered college? That usually occurs in the
west. Parents teach kids how to be autonomous.
INTERDEPENDENCY
The reciprocal relationship between entities (objects, persons or groups).
Citizens in the East appear to see themselves as being linked to others. Throughout
family relationships they emphasize interdependence. These continue to be
interdependent when making decisions about their children's future are made by the
elders and as the parents grow older the children are likely to take care of them.

TWO WESTERN THINKERS

Rene Descartes perception of self

remains irrespective of its surroundings. For
him the cognitive basis of the thoughts of the
individual is proven for the self’s life. In his
famous dictum "I think so I am" he
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/ojur/vol1/iss1
emphasizes the self. It means you are in
existence if you think so. Self is a creature of thought. It's all about making smart
choices.

Rene Descartes

Being an autonomous entity, the self is capable of acts that entitle it to have
right. The self is consists of two
parts. The inner self includes the
rational psychological intellect and
the outer self which is the physical
world sense. The two pieces add
knowledge. We may make
judgments, decisions and acts by
conscience.
West shows Ecological self.
Factors that affect self-
development are race, gender,
social status, education and culture. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/ojur/vol1/iss1
Consequently every person is exposed
to an ever-changing world. Therefore, the self is a continuous evolution and change.

WHAT IS CONFUCIANISM?

It is a philosophy consisting of
Confucius' teachings which lived around

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551-479 BCE. Confucius’s philosophy stressed personal and governmental values, social
relationships honesty, justice and sincerity.

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/ojur/vol1/iss1
WHO IS CONFUCIUS?

A Chinese philosopher, government official, roaming from region to region

within China roaming teacher the virtue for which he is most frequently remembered is
that of filial piety, the conviction that sons should honor their fathers and be loyal to
them. The teachings of Confucius were formed into a theory of philosophy known as
Confucianism.

CONFUCIAN BELIEFS. The Confucian Virtues:

 Ren (Human Goodness). Ren signifies the importance on emotions or the heart
by Chinese culture as the most important in human nature, instead of the
brain.
 Li means Propriety. Li conforms to human norms, and a proper civilized life
ritual.
 Xiao means Filiality. Xiao is a polite and caring attitude toward parents and
subordinates.
 Yi means (Rightness). Yi is right. What's wrong is wrong. In Yi any move you do
should always be right.
In Confucianism self-cultivation is stress. Great significance is imposed on each
individual's ability to learn, become educated, and ultimately become a decent and
upright person. Filial Piety: Another common concept in the Confucian is that of filial
piety. This idea teaches at its heart that one's body is a gift from his or her parents, and
wherever possible it should be spare from harm. Filial piety requires both loyalty to
one's parents and the monarch. It also notes that in doing so, one should aspire to
create oneself in the world and glorify his or her parents.

Taoism, Daoism
Chinese philosophy to mean the world’s basic or true nature: simplicity and
selflessness in accordance with the Tao, a life of non-purpose practice, a life reflecting
the essence of spontaneity.
Buddhism
Siddartha spent many years doing many religious practices like praying,
meditating, and fasting, until he finally understood the fundamental truths of life. This
realization came after many days sitting in deep meditation under a Poplar-figtree in
Bodh Gaya, India. He attained enlightenment, or nirvana, and was granted the Buddha
title, which means the Enlightened One. Buddha discovered Three Universal Truths and
Four Noble Truths, which he then taught to the people for the next 45 years.

Three Universal Truths

Everything in life is impermanent and always changing. Because nothing is
permanent, a life based on possessing things or persons doesn't make you happy. There

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is no eternal, unchanging soul and "self" is just a collection of changing characteristics or
attributes.
Four Noble Truths
Human life has a lot of suffering. The cause of suffering is greed. There is an end
to suffering. The way to end suffering is to follow the Middle Path. Buddha then taught
people not to worship him as a god. He said they should take responsibility for their own
lives and actions. He taught that the Middle Way was the way to nirvana. The Middle
Way meant not leading a life of luxury and indulgence but also not one of too much
fasting and hardship. There are eight guides for following the Middle path.
The Eightfold Path

 Right understanding and viewpoint (based on the Four Noble Truths).

 Right values and attitude (compassion rather than selfishness).
 Right speech (don't tell lies, avoid harsh, abusive speech, avoid gossip).
 Right action (help others, live honestly, don't harm living things, take care
of the environment).
 Right work (do something useful, avoid jobs which harm others).
 Right effort (encourage good, helpful thoughts, discourage unwholesome
destructive thoughts).
 Right mindfulness (be aware of what you feel, think and do).
 Right meditation (calm mind, practice meditation which leads to nirvana).
ACTIVITY #4
I. Reflect and answer the following questions:
1. Recall some maxims, rules, sayings or behaviors of significant persons in your life
which you consciously and spontaneously follow. These may have come from
your parents, a teacher, a church or government leader, or a passage from the
literature.
2. How have these affected your present beliefs and lifestyles?
3. Determine in what way these maxims have promoted or inhibited your personal
growth.
4. Now that you have identified growth-inhibiting and growth promoting values
and practices, which do you want to change and continue, or which do you want
to modify or stop?
5. Make a step by step plan on how do you plan to do this. Be specific.

II. Creative work.

Sketch or share a sign or image of your experience as a member of your church's
spiritual organization, or ministry. Write down the challenges and ways of coping with
those challenges in not less than 200 words.

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 LESSON 2
UNPACKING THE SELF

TOPICS
a. The Physical Self
b. Sexual Self
c. The Material/Economic Self
d. The Spiritual Self
e. The Political Self
f. The Digital Self

LEARNING OUTCOMES
a. Explore the different aspects of self and identity.
b. Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in integrating the
various aspects of self and identity.
c. Identify the different forces and institutions that impact the
development of various aspects of self and identity.
d. Examine one’s self against the different aspects of self.

TOPIC 1: The Physical Self

 The self as impacted by the body;
 The impact of culture on the body image and self-esteem; and
 The importance of beauty
The unpacking the self –acceptance
The self-acceptance formula
1. Self-acceptance in its entirety (the good, the bad and the awesome) or as stated by
Nathaniel Braden in the six pillar of self-esteem "my refusal to be an adversarial
relationship with myself."
2. The Latin for "accept" is "acceptare," meaning "willingly receive." Question: Are you
embracing yourself as you are?
3. Do you know the difference between your unconditioned self and your ego?
Throughout adolescence, your ego grew to help cope with being in a family and going to
school, and you discovered that you had to act in a certain way for acceptance to be
obtained. The true self is who you are from outside world without the marks.
4. Usually we're our own biggest critic (often misinterpreted as high standards);
translating to "you're not good enough," which for your self-esteem tells a very bad tale.
A representation of how we feel about ourselves is the amount of judgement we direct
towards ourselves. Practice kindness and empathy for yourself and others. We all make

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mistakes because we are just a human being and you will be trapped in the past to live a
life where you embrace, learn and progress from these perceived shortcomings.
5. Most of us fail to shine when we're very happy because we're afraid of who we would
need to be to bare all. Yet acknowledging our talents is an important step towards self-
acceptance and will encourage you to see weaknesses rather than barriers.
6. True acceptance is the recognition that what you're looking for is you? Robert Holden
makes a deliberate effort to bring those tests into effect and see them. Recognize three
attributes right now that have led to something amazing that you've accomplished over
the last month. Similarly, practice a deliberate acknowledgement of a decision or
behavior that you don't always love about yourself, but are a part of who you are. Look
down five ways you are not so good to yourself now and counterbalance that you will
be with five others. Note, "I am where joy is."

“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

- Leonardo da Vinci
“I am not who I think I am.
I am not who you think I am.
I am who I think you think I am.”

Physical self- is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the individual
which can be identified and examined directly. Physical self / body is an initial source of
sensation and important for personality origin and maintenance (William James).
Body image has become an important aspect of the mental health, self-esteem
and well-being of the individual. Your physical attributes can be influential in deciding
how you are treated. Small things you can do will fully alter a person's perception about
you. You can convince people you're a little more respectable by making sure you've
washed and wear clean clothing. Only a smile will prove you're kind. Only an optimistic
attitude will prove that you're kind. Body works is no longer just a matter of mechanical
maintenance but of choosing the lifestyle and personality and choosing the right
attitude. The self-concept of some people is purely based on the physical, and nothing
more.

TOPIC 2: Sexual Self

Sexual- self

 It is the act of fulfilling oneself or one's impulses in particular: the

fulfillment of one's own sexual urges.

Understanding the human sexual response

Erogenous zones are mainly receptive areas of the body and enhance sexual
arousal when stimulated in a sexual manner. The Erogenous Zones on the Male Body
are penis, mouth and lips, scrotum, neck, nipples, perineum, and ears. In female body
erogenous zones are: clitoris, vagina, cervix, mouth, and nipples. The process of sexual
response has four phases: excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution. Both partners
are unlikely to attain orgasm at the same time. Knowing these discrepancies will help

23
couples understand each other's bodies and reactions better, and improve their sexual
experience.

PHASES OF SEXUAL RESPONSE

What is sexual response?
It refers to the sequence of physical and
emotional changes taking place as a person
becomes sexually aroused and participates in
sexually stimulating activities, including
masturbation and intercourse. Understanding how
your body reacts during each process phase will
strengthen your relationship and help you
determine the cause of any sexual problems.
https//www.medicinenet.com/sexual_response_cycle_phases_of_sexual_response/article.htm

https//www.ajc.com/lifestyles/health/everything-you-want-know-about-male-and-female-erogenous-zones/o8bOIDpxwOHTSz8ckwasEO/

Physical Anatomy and Reproduction

Both sexes are very similar anatomically; but they each have different physical
mechanisms that allow them to conduct and procreate sexual acts.

https//www.ajc.com/lifestyles/health/everything-you-want-know-about-male-and-female-erogenous-zones/o8bOIDpxwOHTSz8ckwasEO/

24
Biology of Sexual Behavior
The biology of human sexuality covers both the reproductive system and the
process of sexual reaction. The sexual response process is a model illustrating the
physiological responses occurring during sexual activity. Hormone is any substance that
is produced by one tissue and transmitted to another by the bloodstream for effect of
physiological activity. The overall sex drive or desire for sexual activity in a person is
called libido. The limbic system is part of the human brain involved in memory
interaction with thought, motivation and emotion. Dopamine is a neurochemical
messenger associated with pleasure, reward, and reinforcement, flowing into the limbic
region of the brain, which sends a message: that was fun/ felt good/tasted
good/smelled good, don't forget, do it again. A similar mechanism has been found even
in organisms as simple as nematodes, which will choose food over sex.
Sigmund Freud claimed sex drive was the greatest driving factor in our lives.
Sexual drive and desire are the result of an orchestration between our sensory systems.
Executive decision-making processes are regulated by the right frontal lobe behind the
right side of the forehead, the brain part behind. The sympathetic system raises our
physiological activity in response to an emergency and after an emergency has passed
the parasympathetic system restores our physiological activity to normal level.

THE DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR: SOLITARY, HETEROSEXUAL, HOMOSEXUAL,

BISEXUAL AND TRANSEXUAL

Solitary. A sexual act committed by a single person, typically private, also meant
masturbation. Heterosexual. Man or woman means having a romantic and/or sexual
desire which is personally important and meaningful, mainly to adults of the opposite
sex. Homosexual. Man or woman means having a romantic or sexual attraction which is
personally significant and meaningful, primarily for adults of the same sex. (Being openly
homosexual means personal identification of one's homosexuality, like being "out" by
embracing one's homosexuality in full and sharing it with friends , family and others)
Bisexual. Man or woman means having a personally significant and meaningful romantic
and/or sexual attraction for both adult males and females. Those who self-identify as
bisexual do not need to be equally attracted to both sexes. Transgender. He or she is a
person who transitions physically from male to female, or vice-versa. This term has
often been used to refer to a person wishing to make their bodies align with their
gender identities, either surgically or hormonally.

NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL CONTRACEPTION

1. Intra uterine device (IUD) Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is a
contraceptive that lasts for a long time. The intra uterine device (IUD) that lasts
for five to ten years. They are sometimes called “fit and forget” contraception
because you don’t need to remember it every day or every month.
2. Hormonal contraceptives. These are contraceptives that use hormones to
prevent pregnancy (pill and the Depo Provera injection).
3. Barrier methods. Barrier methods stop sperm from entering the vagina. The two
barrier methods are: condoms, internal condoms
4. Emergency contraception. There are two options for emergency contraception:
the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) or a copper IUD.
5. Permanent contraception, sometimes called sterilisation, prevents all future
pregnancies. It is very difficult or impossible to reverse. Permanent
contraception is either a vasectomy or a tubal ligation.

25
Types of Sexually Transmitted Infections

In 2007, there were approximately 24,000 HIV-infected youth between 13 and

24 years of age in the US. HIV infection is the seventh leading cause of death in this age
group. HIV/AIDS remains incurable, early diagnosis and treatment has allowed those
who are HIV- Infected to lead longer, productive lives. Other STIs such as chlamydia,
gonorrhea, herpes and syphilis also make those infected with these conditions more
vulnerable to HIV infection.

AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is spread through

unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person or through using a
contaminated needle to inject drugs. At the end of 2008, an estimated 1,178,350
persons were living with HIV, including 236,400 whose infection remains undiagnosed.
Good adherence to medications can allow those infected to lead long productive lives
and never develop AIDS.

Chlamydia, the most prevalent bacterial STI in the United States, is the result of
the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium. In 40 percent of cases, by the time a girl seeks
medical attention, the disease has progressed to pelvic inflammatory disease. Pelvic
inflammatory disease is a major cause of female infertility and pelvic pain. Sexually
active girls aged 15 to 19 are the most vulnerable population. They are more likely than
other age groups to have multiple sex partners. The disease is easily treated, but it can
go undiagnosed until it becomes more serious than in its early stages. The symptoms of
chlamydia infection typically produce mild symptoms or none at all, but should be
treated promptly. It can inflame and scar the ovaries and the fallopian tubes, which can
lead to sterility in the male sperm, if severe enough, to be prevented from reaching the
female egg. The most common culprits for chlam Lydia infection are Chlam Lydia
trachmatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea.

Genital warts typically appear in clusters inside and outside the vagina, the
cervix and/or the anus. Most cases can be managed with topical treatment, though
lesions tend to return. Large warts may have to be removed using cryosurgery,
electrocautery or laser surgery. Most of the time, HSV lies dormant, but it is reactivated
periodically and produces sores or vessicles. The virus travels up the nerves that lead to
the surface of the skin, giving rise to new sores. Teenagers need to know that "at least
half the time" active herpes produces no symptoms at all. HPV is another, often silent,
STI; almost half the women harboring the virus exhibit no Symptoms at All. There are
two types of herpes simplex viruses, the highly contagious virus that causes genital
herpes. HSV-1 sometimes infects the genital-anal area, while both types can be
transmitted to the mouth via oral sex. The virus permanently inhabits sensory nerves at
the base of the spinal cord; genital herpes is a chronic, lifelong condition. Bacterium
Treponema pallidum slips into the bloodstream, sending it to organs outside the
reproductive tract. The first evidence of syphilis is a hard, round open sore known as a
chancre in the genital area. Young women often don't realize that they are infected,
says Dr. Fisher. A pregnant woman with primary or secondary syphilis will almost
certainly transmit the bacterium to her fetus. Infection early in fetal life leads to death
and abortion; infection later in pregnancy leads to a variety of problems. Syphilis is still
highly treatable at this point and can be cured.

Symptoms that suggest sexually transmitted infections may include: HIV/aids,

headache, difficulty swallowing, fever, night sweat, fatigue/weakness, appetite loss,
weight loss, chronic diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, itchy, rashy skin/skin lesions, chronic
coughing, confusion/delirium, difficulty breathing, chlamydial infection, symptoms
typically occur one to three weeks after exposure. Women: Abnormal vaginal discharge,

26
Mild pain when urinating, Progression to pelvic inflammatory disease. Men: Penile
discharge, Mild pain when urinating, Progression to epididymitis, an inflammation of the
tubelike structure that stores and transports sperm.

ACTIVITY # 5

I. Research Work.
Research on the dynamics of Attraction, Love and Commitment.

II. Check (/) whether you agree or disagree on the following statements about
ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP.

AGREE DISAGREE
1. It is part of my developmental milestone.
2. I am particularly conscious of the changes I am experiencing on my physical,
emotional, and social aspects of my person.
3. I feel more interested in how I look at myself.
4. I feel more conscious on my body.
5. I desire for more independence from my parents.
6. I desire for more space and privacy.
7. The comfort and love communicated to me will create an impact on my ways
of relating later.
8. I find it interesting to discuss topics related to relationships.
9. There is no commitment in a casual relationship.
10. I like to be in this kind of relationship.
11.It is fine to explore this kind of relationship from time to time
12. There is no risk in this kind of relationship.
13. I can still build a healthy relationship after a series of casual ones.

III. Complete the table on the acceptable and unacceptable ways of expressing
attraction, love, and commitment as perceived by you. ( Use another sheet of
paper if needed.)

Adolescent’s Expression of Attraction, Love and Commitment

Concept Acceptable Expression Unacceptable Expression

1. Attraction

2. Love

3. Commitment

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 IV. Essay.( not less than 200 words each number)
1. How do you feel about expressing attraction, love and commitment?
2. How could you strengthen the acceptable expressions? How could you
correct the unacceptable expressions done?
3. What learning/s can you derived from the activity? How will you apply this
in your life?
4. Give at least one aspect to the family (from your family) that could affect
your sexual behavior.

TOPIC 3: The Material/Economic Self

MATERIAL/ ECONOMIC SELF

“I shop therefore I am; I have, therefore I am”. The material self is consists of:
our bodies, our clothes, our immediate family and our home. Material self refers to
tangible objects, people, or places which carry my or mine designation. It is possible to
distinguish two subclasses of the material self: the body self and the extracorporeal
(beyond the body) self.
BODY SELF- -Which is our body, a person speaks of "my arms" or "my legs" for example.
Clearly these entities are intimate part of who we are. In each one of us, the body is the
innermost part of the material self; and some parts of the body appear more intimately
ours than the rest. The clothes come next. Next are the clothes. The old saying that
man is made up of three parts-souls, body and clothing-is more than a joke. Next, our
immediate family is a part of ourselves. Our home comes next. Its scenes are part of our
life; its aspects awaken the tender's feelings of affection. All these different things are
the objects of instinctive preferences coupled with the most important practical
interests of life. We all have a blind impulse to watch over our body, to deck it with
clothing of an ornamental sort, to cherish parents, wife and children.
EXTRACORPOREAL SELF
Rosenberg (1979) has called the extended self the extracorporeal self. It includes
all the people, places and things we consider to be "our" Also, it can refer to
possessions.
SUBTYPES OF MATERIAL SELF
Material possessions
Needs vs. Wants
Utility and significance
According to Roland Barthes

MATERIAL POSSESSIONS tell something about those who own them, about the
personality and social values. Self-extended versions are called POSSESSIONS.
Possessions extend the self in due time as well. Most people take steps to ensure
that at the time of their death their letters, photographs, possessions and souvenirs are
distributed to others. Although some of this distribution reflects a desire to allow others
to enjoy the utilitarian value of these artefacts, this dispersal also has a symbolic
function: people seek immortality by passing on their possessions to the next
generation. The emotional responses people give to their possessions also testify to
their self-importance. A person losing a wallet often feels more anguish over a lost
photo than over any missing money. Similarly, many car owners react with extreme

28
anger (and sometimes wrath) when their cars get damaged, even when physically the
damage is only slight. Finally, in a natural disaster, many people who lose possessions
go through a grievous process similar to the process people go through when they lose a
person they love. NEEDS- are keys to survival while WANTS are luxuries in life.
FACTORS IN PURCHASING ITEMS AND SERVICES
 Financial constraints
 Availability of items and services
 Influence of family and friends

TWO THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED IN ACQUIRING MATERIAL GOODS

1. UTILITY-is about how things serve a practical purpose.
2. The meaning assigned to the object concerns SIGNIFICANCE-. It also deals with how
the objects become powerful symbols or ritual habit icons.

According to Roland Barthes, the people assert their identities through objects.
Objects are not only things, they are reflections of the broader lives of communities and
individuals; the things that people possess are also synchronized with what their
community values.
“I have, therefore I am”.
Our entire life seems to be about possessing and having. The more you consume,
the more you have, and so one is more! It was true at one time, in ancient times. The
larger the harvest and the more games were hunted, the easier it was to survive. But
what exactly was needed to survive a few thousand years ago? A shelter, furs, daily
meal, and clothes? Survival was difficult then and the world population grew slowly. An
equally instinctive impulse drives us to gather property; and the collections thus created
become parts of our empirical selves with varying degrees of intimacy.
AESTHETIC SELF

 Concept of Taste
 Cultural Capital
 Cultural Capital Family

AESTHETIC SELF. The concept of aesthetics was in the interest of philosophers like
Plato, Hume and Kant, who understood aesthetics as something pure and searched for
the essence of beauty or aesthetic ontology. The judgment critique of Immanuel Kant
formulated a non-relativistic idea of aesthetic universality in which both personal beauty
and pure beauty coexisted. It was concepts such as class taste that began the attempt to
find essentially sociological answers to the taste and aesthetics problem. The term
'aesthetic' has been used in the century to describe, among other things, a kind of
attitude, a kind of judgment, a kind of experience and a kind of value.
THE CONCEPT OF TASTE. The concept of aesthetics originates from the concept of
taste. This particularly applied to beauty, and egoism, especially as applied to virtue, to
rise again. The theory of taste of the eighteenth century held that the judgment of
beauty was immediate: it held the pleasure of beauty to be disinterested against egoism
about virtue. In sociology, taste is a personal part of an individual. Choice and
preference are cultural and aesthetic patterns.

29
 CULTURAL CAPITAL. This is a cultural knowledge that serves us as a currency that
helps us navigate culture and change experiences and opportunities. It isn’t about
money, necessarily. But money can be exchanged. And that money may help you get
more cultural capital. It is also source of social inequality; lower social class as
compared with less cultural capital.
EMBODIED STATE. It is a form of knowledge that resides within us.
OBJECTIFIED STATE. It is a material object we use to indicate social class.
INSTITUTIONALIZED STATE. It is the way society measures social capital.
CULTURAL CAPITAL FAMILY. It is easy for you to acquire more because you are
socialized to embody the value and behaviors in the society.
EXAMPLE: If a student is a part of the family were they were read to every night
and they were taught manners such as being polite and to listen to adults this will
benefit them when they go to school. A student who can read or write and who is also
respectful may earn opportunities such to be placed on an advance classes.
REFLECTION
ANAK: Nay, Tay ngayon po na ako’y nakapagtapos na paano ko po kayo masusuklian sa
inyong paghihirap sa akin?
PARENT: I did not do that for you to repay us. I did that because I LOVE YOU. And to
repay us the kindness we have shown to you. Share it to others and give them the same
LOVE we gave you.

ACTIVITY # 6

I. Reflect and answer the following:

1. How much do I love myself? Based your answer on the different perspectives of
the self.
2. How do I see myself based on the perception of others?
3. How am I affecting other people?
4. Explain the statement in not less than 300 words, “A truly rich man knows how
to give and serve others”.

TOPIC 4: The Spiritual Self

The Practice of Religion Belief in Supernatural Being and Power

Spiritual Self-according to William James in his book is one of the four
constituents of the self.
Religion is a system of beliefs and practices through which a group of people
interpret and respond to what they feel is sacred and usually supernatural as well as the
religion defined by Edward Burnett Taylor in 1871 as the belief in spiritual beings.
RELIGION is an organized system of ideas about spiritual or supernatural reality,
along with related beliefs and ceremonial practices. This is established by man for
different reasons. Does not investigate and does not question all and focuses on what
man likes.

30
 SPIRITUALITY is conscious of the sacred as distinct from natural material matter.
Spiritually, in contract with religion, is individual rather than collective and does not
require a distinctive format of traditional organization. Is born in a human being and
develops in a person to ask all questions. Being spiritual concentrates on what God
pleases.
Remember always that if one person is a religious person it doesn't mean he /
she is good and if one person doesn't go to church it means he / she’s bad. Yes, even if
we haven't gone to church, we can be spiritually good, but our spirituality needs God's
word and praise.
Rituals and Ceremonies. Ritual is the execution of ceremonial acts prescribed by
a tradition or a sacred law. It is a customary ceremony, or action. We call the ceremony
a ritual itself too. Ritual is a band of beliefs which a person or group practices. Ceremony
is a formal act or procedure usual for a particular culture.
Some major religions beliefs and practices:

 Buddhism
They believe that he attained enlightenment and liberated himself from physical
existence and its sufferings.
*Samatha – is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and development of loving-
kindness.
*Vipassana – is practice aims at developing insight into reality
*Dharma day – is celebrated the first time Siddhartha Gautama taught other people
how to become a Buddha. Gautama is an Indian prince who went through many trials to
understand the universe.

Early Buddhism’s basic doctrines, which remain common to all Buddhism,

include the four noble truths: existence is suffering (dukhka); suffering is caused by
desire and attachment (trishna); there is a cessation of suffering, which is nirvana; And
there is a path to ending suffering, the eightfold path of right views, right resolve, right
speech, right action, right living, right effort, right conscience and right concentration.
The Buddhism describes reality characteristically in terms of process and relationship
rather than entity or substance.
Experience is analysed into five (skandhas) aggregates. The first, form (rupa),
refers to material existence; the following four refer to psychological processes,
sensations (vedana), perceptions (samjna), psychic constructs (samskara), and
consciousness (vijnana).
The basic doctrines of early Buddhism, which remain common to all Buddhism,
include the four noble truths. Buddhism characteristically describes reality in terms of
process and relation rather than entity or substance. There is a cessation of suffering,
which is nirvana.

Christianity
Holy Bible is a selection of books that divided into old and new testaments. They
believe in Trinitarian God, who is God the father (creator), God the son (savior), and God
the Holy Spirit (sustainer). Baptism is a sacrament-Birth in the Christian world. The
Christian initiation rite is a ritual purification with water. Adults, not children, were

31
baptized in the early years of Christianity and sometimes they delay baptism until death,
so that lifetime sins can be washed away. Christian believes that, just before his arrest
and death, Jesus instituted the practice during the Passover meal he shared with his
followers. In commemoration of Jesus' death and resurrection, early Christians gathered
weekly to share meals of bread and wine, accompanied by prayer. Many people saw
Jesus himself that day, and many people for days afterward. His followers realized God
had resurrected Jesus from the dead.
Hinduism
The fundamental teaching of Hinduism, or Vedanta, is that a human being's basic
nature is not confined to the body or the mind. Beyond both of these is the spirit or the
spark of God within the soul. This spirit is within us and also within everything we see.
All beings and all things are really, in their deepest essence, this pure or divine spirit, full
of peace, full of joy and wisdom, ever united with God. This is not just theory, but it can
actually be experienced. Anyone who takes the trouble to undergo the necessary
training to purify and refine the mind and senses can begin to feel the truth of this. This
training can take various forms and is known as yoga ("union"- union of the individual
self with this inner spirit).

Islam

Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the belief in the one God (Allah). In this
respect, he shares some of his views with Judaism and Christianity by tracing his roots
back to the patriarch Abraham, and eventually to the first prophet, Adam. All the
prophets preached the same common message of faith in one God and goodness to
mankind. The last of the series of prophets, according to the Muslims, was Muhammad.
Muhammad was born around 570 CE in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He worked first as a
farmer, then as a merchant. He was not satisfied with the people around him because of
superstition and social and economic inequality. The people worshiped many gods, and
they ignored the promise of the prophet Abraham to worship one God. Muhammad
used to be in the mountains praying and meditating. In one of those times, in the year
610 BC, when he was about 40 years old, he got a revelation from God through the
angel Jibril (Gabriel). He continued to receive messages from God all his life, and he
began to preach to others what he had heard.

Judaism
The Jewish people believe in the Torah, which was the entire rule issued to the
Israelites in Sinai. We believe we have to obey the laws of God which rule everyday life.
Later legal texts, written by rabbis, shall set down the law as it relates to life in any new
place and time. As written in the Torah, the Ten Commandments are:
 Worship no god but me.
 Don't render pictures for worship.
 Don't misuse God's Word. Observe the Sabbath (Saturday) day.
 Hold it sweet, man.
 Honor and honor your father and your parents.
 Don't kill.
 Don't commit adultery.
 Don't steal.
 Don't wrongly accuse anyone. Don't tell lies about other men.
 Should not envy the wealth of others.

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Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy

http://www.logotherapyinstitute.org/About_Viktor_Frankl.ht
ml

Viktor Frankl died of heart failure in Wien, Austria, in 1997. During the Nazi rule
http://www.logotherapyinstitute.org/About_
he was the director of the Rothschild Hospital in Vienna. Frankl was Sigmund Freud's
Viktor_Frankl.htmlhttp://www.logotherapyin
pupil, and Alfred Adler's colleague. stitute.org/About_Viktor_Frankl.htmlhttp://w
He wrote a short paper on Freud which came out
ww.logotherapyinstitute.org/About_Viktor_Fr
three years after he first wrote to him. He has also published a book on handling women
who attempted suicide. ankl.htmlhttp://www.logotherapyinstitute.or
while he was in four Nazihttp://www.log
Frankl survived the Holocaustg/About_Viktor_Frankl.html camps. Frankl 's wife, his
otherapyinstitute.org/About_Viktor_Fran
parents and other family members perished in concentration camps. He was led to
kl.htmlinto the other line; he managed to save his
follow the line moving left but by slipping
life. Other members of the family were not so lucky and were all killed in the camps.
http://www.logotherapyinstitute.org/About_
After returning to Wien after Germany's defeat in 1945, "Man's Quest for
Viktor_Frankl.htmlhttp://www.logotherapyin
Meaning" was written down. Frankl'sstitute.org/About_Viktor_Frankl.htmlhttp://w
book had been translated into 24 languages by the
time he died, and reprinted 73 times. This had long been used as a basic text in
ww.logotherapyinstitute.org/About_Viktor_Fr
university and high school courses. Frankl became executive director of the neurological
ankl.html
health center in Wien in 1946. He has served as neurology chief for 25 years at the
Vienna Polyclinic Hospital. Frankl was the first Non-American to receive the coveted
Oskar Pfister Award from the American Psychiatric Association. He was a visiting
professor at Harvard, Stanford, and other universities and published over 30 books. He
has given lectures on five continents, at 209 universities.

The Psychiatrist
Viktor Frankl validated a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as
Logotherapy. At the core of this theory is the belief that man's primary motivational
force is search for meaning. The work of the logotherapist centers on helping the
patient find personal meaning in life. Logotherapy has become known as the "Third
Viennese School of Psychotherapy" after that of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. It is a
theory Frankl used not only in his professional life, but also in his private one.
“Logotherapy focuses on the future.” According to Logotherapy, meaning can be
discovered in three ways: 1) By creating a work or doing a deed; b) By experiencing
something or encountering someone; C) By the attitude we take toward unavoidable
suffering. The "existential aspect of psychotherapy Frankl maintains that man always
has the ability to choose; regardless of the biological or environmental forces.

* Converting suffering to human attainment and achievement

* The opportunity to change oneself for the better is derived from guilt.
* An incentive to take responsible action stems from the transitory nature of life

Franklian Philosophy
* The basis of Franklian Psychotherapy is the belief in a healthy core.
* The main goal is to help the person become aware of their healthy core resources and
to help them make use of those resources.
* Life doesn't owe you gladness, it gives you meaning.

33
 Basic Concepts of Franklian Psychology
* Life has meaning under all circumstances.
* Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
* Freedom to find meaning

Aims of Franklian Psychotherapy

* Become aware of spiritual resources
* Make conscious spiritual resources.
* Use “defiant power of the human spirit” and stand up against adversity.

ACTIVITY # 7

I. Identify the following:

1. It is an organized system of idea about spiritual reality, or supernatural, along with

associated belief and ceremonies practices.
2. It is the largest religion in the world.
3. It is one of the Christian celebrations that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from death.
4. It is a type of meditation that aims to develop insight into reality.
5. They believe in Trinitarian God.
6. It is the sacred book of Jewish people.
7. They believe that their God is Abraham.
8. He is considered to be the Father of Logotherapy.
9. He says that” the ultimate secret on the spiritual foundation of life is that love is
salvation and joy eternity.”
10. In this, meaning can be discovered by creating a work or doing a deed, experiencing
something or encountering someone and the attitude toward unavoidable suffering.

II. TRUE OR FALSE

1.The basic concepts of Franklian Psychology are: main motivation for living is our will to
find meaning in life; freedom to find meaning; and to become aware of spiritual
resources.
2. Hinduism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there are suffering, pain, and
frustrations.
3. Franklian’s Sources of Meaning of Life are: purposeful work, courage in the face of
difficulty, and love.
4. If a person has a strong willpower, it has a strong dungan.
5. Spirituality refers to the belief and behavior related to supernatural being and power.

34
 TOPIC 4: The Political Self

Developing a Filipino Identity: Values, Traits, Community and Institutional factors

 Political self
 Being a Filipino
 Filipino values and traits
 Filipino families
 Faith and religion
 Filipino Markers
 Establishing a democratic culture
 How to be a good a Filipino

POLITICAL SELF
 The Political Self is that the conceptually discrete categories of 'inner' and 'outer'
in reality constantly interact, shape, and inform each other.

Being a Filipino
 According to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino citizens are… “Those who
fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines, those born before January 17,
1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age
of majority, and those who are naturalized in accordance with law. Culture and
history have greatly influenced the manner Filipinos learn, live and behave to
date, People who were born and grew up in the same culture develop and share
common personality traits and values.

Filipino Values and Traits

 The Philippines is a lush island paradise renowned for its magnificent views of
the mountains, pristine beaches and rich and diverse cultures which change from
province to province. The Philippines may well know its stunning beauty; maybe
the special characteristics, respectable ideals and praiseworthy skills of the
Filipinos make it a place to be. Popular Philippine phrases like "Mabuhay!" "And
Salamat". Before entering a home, leave shoes or slippers at the front door.
Significant question "Kumain ka na ba?”It means you've eaten yet?

The Filipino Hospitality

 We make their visitors feel at home at all times. They are going to put out their
finest collections of chinaware and pots. Salespeople from the Philippines will
welcome their customers warmly and say thank you when they leave without
buying anything. They always like to give their visitors “pasalubong” or travel
tokens and “pabaon” or farewell gifts.

Respect for Elders

 Welcome our elders by kissing their head, "Mano po!" · Using "PO" in speech at
"OPO." A wide range of references to the elderly are also available, such as: Ate
for older sister, Kuya for elder brother, Tito and Tita for uncle and aunt, Lolo and

35
 Lola for grandfather and grandmother, Manong and Aling for elderly outside the
family.

Close Family Ties

 Family reunions during birthdays, holidays, or fiestas year-round.

Cheerful Personality
 Smiling habit and a lot of laughing. Cultivate an optimistic view in life.

Self- Sacrifice
 Expansion of hospitality in the Philippines. Including our Filipino heroes of
modern times (OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS), Armies, students, Doctors, etc.

Bayanihan of Filipino

 Spirit of Filipino culture solidarity and cooperation. It is about offering in

exchange without expecting anything. This characteristic is particularly evident in
the manner in which the Filipinos themselves send assistance to those badly
affected by natural disasters.

Bahala Na Attitude
 The Philippine version of the popular "Hakuna Matata" line, which means NO
WORRIES. The term is said to derive from "Bathala na," where Bathala means
Allah, and to leave everything in the hands of God similar to the Filipinos' joyful
and positive attitude.

Colonial Mentality
 Found a lack of patriotism and a mentality in which one prefers foreign goods
rather than their own.
Mañana Habit
 Filipino term for “procrastination”. Derived from a longer Filipino phrase called
“Mamaya na” meaning Dawling things. Poor habit of laziness that result in
heavier workloads.
Ningas Kugon
 “Ningas” is a Filipino term for flame and “kugon” is a Filipino term for Cogon
Grass that easily burns out after it is out into flames. Refers to the attitude of
thongs starting enthusiastically but rapidly losing eagerness soon after
experiencing difficulty. Failure is a common problem among the Philippines,
which is why the Philippines are called "Juan Tamad" or "Lazy Juan."
Pride
 Many Filipinos hang on to their pride as if they are more important than
maintaining a healthy family and loving relationship.
Crab Mentality
 Toxicity among Filipinos, where one resents another's achievement, rather
than feeling happy with that person.
 Toxic trait among Filipinos where one resents the achievement of another,
instead of feeling happy for that person.

36
  They drag each other down and ruin each other's credibility, much like a crab
in a tub, rather than pushing them up, resulting in improvement.

Filipino Time
 The popular attitude among Filipinos is that they arrive late at commitments,
dinners or parties, especially if they meet someone close to them.
 The call time of 7:00pm will be changed to 7:30pm.

Filipino Families
 Family is at the center of the Filipino Community. Children are not
expected to leave their parent’s house until they themselves get married.

Faith and Religion

 The faith of the Filipinos is profoundly rooted. In many pre-colonial
societies a form of animism was already being practiced and Islam was
firmly founded on the southern islands even before the Spanish
introduced Catholicism into the world. The faith helps many Filipinos
mold their beliefs and ideals.

Filipino Markers
 The attributes of our becoming a Filipino make us really enjoy being a
Filipino.

Proverbs or Salawikain
 Are words conveying lessons and observations on the customs, values
and traditions of the Philippines?

Damiana Eugenio is the Mother of Folklore, classified Proverbs into six categories:
1.) Proverbs expressing a general attitude toward life and laws that govern
life; Ex. There is no earthly joy that is not watered with tears.
2.) Ethical proverbs recommending certain virtues and condemning certain
vices; Ex. A broom is sturdy because its strands are tightly bound.
3.) Proverbs expressing a system of values; Ex. It takes only a moment to
squander what took a year to save.
4.) Proverbs expressing general truths and observations about life and
human nature; Ex. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and
wealthy and wise.
5.) Humorous proverbs; Ex. If you understand everything you must be
misinformed.
6.) Miscellaneous proverbs; Ex. Hear my son, your father’s instruction, and
forsake not your mother’s teaching. (Proverbs 1:8)

Superstitions
 Irrational assumption that certain actions affect future events without a
casual relationship.
 The aim of these stories is to illustrate the origin of things while at the
same time offering a valuable lesson.

37
Heroes and Icons
 Heroes serve as a symbol of genuine patriotism and nationalism.
Renowned Philippine celebrities like Leah Salonga, Manny Pacquiao and
our own national hero Jose Rizal.

ACTIVITY # 8
I. Reflect and answer briefly the following questions:
1. What is your general feeling about you being a Filipino?
2. What specific feelings were evoked as you went through the readings on Political
self? How do you account for these feelings?
3. What new awareness do I have about myself?
4. What new behaviors/skills must I develop or build upon to help me become a
whole person, free to select from various behaviors?
5. How would I go about developing these new behaviors/ skills at home and at
work?

II. Research work on

1. Establishing a democratic culture in this particular time of crisis of pandemic.
2. How to be a good Filipino in particular in this time of crisis of pandemic.

III. Identification.
1. It refers to a trait where they always make their guest feel at home, offering
them something to eat or even a place to stay.
2. This refers to a trait where Filipinos greet elders by kissing their hands while
saying “Mano Po!”
3. It is a trait where attitude of Filipinos can be seen as an extension to the Filipino
Hospitality.
4. It refers to a trait where Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot.
5. It is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos.
6. It is a lack of patriotism and attitude where Filipino favors foreign products more
than their own.
7. It is a derivation of the word “Mamaya na”.
8. It is the Filipino version of “Hakuna Matata”
9. It refers to a trait when two parties are not in good terms, they find it so hard to
apologize and wait until the other party asks for an apology first.
10. It is the attitude of arriving late.
11. It is a toxic Filipino trait where one resents the achievement of another, instead
of feeling happy for that person.
12. It refers to a trait where starting things quickly but quickly losing eagerness soon
after experiencing difficulty.
13. It is the mother of Philippine Folklore.
14-16. Give at least Three of Filipino Values and Traits.
17-18. Give an example of Filipino Superstition
19. Timothy is always participating in every municipal assembly of his Municipality.
What characteristic of being a good Filipino does Timothy possessed?
20. Shainna loves history, and she likes the most is The Philippine History. Actually,
she had almost done research study about Philippine history. What characteristic of
being a good Filipino does Shainna possessed?

38
 TOPIC 5: The Digital Self

Who Am I in a Cyber world?

These days, the use of the internet

for science, industry, pleasure,
communication and other purposes is
becoming more involved. The internet is of
great help to everyone. On the other hand,
when in cyberspace, people will take on
various identities. When online and offline
people will behave differently. We got our
real name and identification online.

https://www.slideshare.net/jennacondie/the-self-online ACTIVITY #7

TASKS/ACTIVITY
Three Facts; One Fiction
Construct four sentences that should start with “I am _________Three of four
sentences should be true about yourself. You can talk about your characteristics,
strength, weaknesses, accomplishment, personalities, and behavior. One statement
should be lie- something that you made up about yourself.
1. I am_______________________________________
2. I am ______________________________________
3. I am_______________________________________
4. I am_______________________________________

Make an analysis:

What have you learned from the activity? Did you learn something from your
classmate that you did not know before? What were the clues that helped you figure
out which statement were facts and fiction? Were your classmates able to discern easily
the facts and fiction about you? Why?

39
 Applying the same activity in the virtual world or cyberworld, how do people
portray themselves online? What are the things you would want to post /share online?
What are the things you want other to share online?
Online identity is the sum of
all our traits and experiences while
partial identity is a subset of traits that
make up our identity. In the meantime,
persona is the partial identity we build
which represents us in a specific
situation.

https://www.slideshare.net/jennacondie/the-self-online

Selective Self-presentation and Impression Management

According to Goffman (1959) and Leary (1995), self-presentation is the "method
of influencing how one is viewed by others" and is the key to the creation and growth of
relationships. In order to establish positive images, individuals provide information
about them selectively and carefully cater for this information in response to input from
others.

Self-Verification

Self-verification is a principle of social psychology that

argues that people want others to see them as they see
themselves and take aggressive steps to ensure that others
interpret them in ways that affirm their positive self-view.

Impression Management
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women
merely players…” (William Shakespeare). Impression
management refers to the guided distribution of information
about all sorts of items, including certain people or events
details.

Impact of Online Interaction on the Self

No matter what our privacy settings are, something
posted online should be considered "available." Let's say, a
student wrote online about how much he despised another
school student, and started harassing him online. Is it relevant
if the student said “well it’s my personal account”? Even if
the student wrote it in the "private" account, with a simple
screen grab, it can be public, and shared with the world.
Personal identity is the interpersonal level of self that
identifies the individual as distinct from others, whereas Source: Belk (2013) clarified
social identity is the level of self by which the individual is that sharing oneself is no
identified by the membership of his or her group. longer new and was practiced
once people were created.
Digital tools are enabling us to
exchange knowledge more
widely than ever. For those

40
who are avid Facebook users, their social media mates can be updated more about their
everyday activities than their immediate families.
The use of self-photography with arm's length shows a major improvement. The
photographer was not frequently depicted on the album in older family albums
(Mendelson and Papacharissi, 2011), although they are usually included with arm-length
photos (selfies and groupies). Moreover, an earlier era's family album has become more
of an individual photo gallery in the digital age. We have reached, as Schwarz (2010)
said, an exceptional period of self-portraiture. Continuously, forums and web pages
were used for greater self-reflection and self-presentation. As a result, researchers and
participants are actively interested in maintaining identity and credibility to alert again
of the "over-sharing" trend (Labrecque, Markos, and Milne 2011; shepherd2005; Suler
2002; Zimmer and Hoffman 2011). Often people are unaware of the degree to which
they exchange knowledge online. They fail to delineate what, and what not, can be
shared online. It also offers a more detailed description of self and gives people an
idealized view of how others want to think (van Dijck 2008). All teenagers and adults
exchange even more personal information with their friends, such as their passwords
(Gershon, 2010). It may be an implicit act of affection and confidence, or the implicit
panoraia denial and mistrust with the partner.
Since private diaries are being turned into public disclosure of inner secrets.
Across certain facets of social media the lack of privacy makes the consumer more
insecure. This condition has been called "fear of missing out" People want to stay
informed and keep posting online as it gives a sense of confidence to their end
particularly if others like and share their posts. One explanation for so much online
sharing and self-revelation is the so-called "disinhibition effect" (Ridley 2012; Suler
2004). The resulting disinhibition leads people to feel they can communicate their "real
selves" online better than they might ever have in the face-to - face sense (Taylor 2002).
This does not imply, however, that there is a "real self" set. The self is still functioning in
progress and every single day we continue to strengthen and develop ourselves. Self-
revelation, obviously, can be therapeutic by others particularly if it goes hand in hand
with self-reflection (Morris et al. 2010). But it does seem like we are now doing a great
deal of online identity research. When the Web continuously asks us "who are you?”
and “what hast thou to share?” It is up to us to provide answers to these questions if we
use the internet and to what degree we can share knowledge about ourselves with
others.
While sharing positive things that we experience, many of us are also sharing the
cruel, embarrassing and "sinful" stuff that we experience. We respond and reflect on
other people's negative experiences too. We get emphatic with people occasionally. We
debate online with other people too. Relationships online may be rendered stronger or
broken. Blogs and media are the main public platforms where such disclosure takes
place, but they can also be found in photo and video sharing sites where blunders and
bad moments are captured and posted as well (Strangelove 2011). Why online
confession to other secret and anonymous? Confessing our hidden truths, Foucault's
(1978, 1998) view feels secure, even as it ties us in a guilt-motivated self-governance
born of a long history of Christian and pre-Christian philosophies and power systems.
Despite the cloak of invisibility, on-line authors compose for unknown readers
(Serfaty, 2004). Both the number of readers and their reviews give the writer and a
certain celebrity self-validation (O' Regan 2009). Confessional blogs can also be

41
beneficial for the public to read, allowing for both sincerity and empathy and the
voyeuristic appeal to witness a public confession (Kitzmann, 2003).
We should also provide a filtering mechanism of any information we exchange
online. As well as what information, shared or posted online by others, may believe in.
We should look carefully at online information before believing and supporting it,
whether it is factual and accurate.
The number of people becoming more involved online continues to grow
globally. More than half of the world’s population uses the internet. It's been just 25
years since Tim Berners-Lee made the worldwide web open to the public, but for much
of the world's population, the internet has already become an integral part of daily life.
One of the countries with the most engaged internet users is the Philippines .
Almost two-thirds of the world’s population now have a mobile phone. Now
over half the world's web traffic comes from cell phones. The internet is more than half
of all mobile links around the world. In the past 30 days more than one in five of the
world's population has been shopping online. Media users in the Philippines have
increased by 12 million or 25%, while mobile network users have increased by 13 million
or 32%. Compared to the previous year those growth rates are even higher. That over
half the world is using smartphones.

Setting Boundaries to Your Online Self: Smart Sharing

The following guidelines will help you share information online in smart way that
will protect yourself and not harm others. Before posting and sharing anything online,
consider the following,

 Is this post/story is necessary?

 Is there a real benefit to this post? Is it funny, warm-hearted, teachable- or am I
just making noise online without purpose?
 Have we (as a family or parent/child) resolved this issue? An issue that is still
being worked out at home, or one that is either vulnerable or highly emotional,
should not be made public.
 Is it appropriate? Does it stay within the boundaries of our family values?
 Will this seem funny in 5, 10, or 15 years? Or is this post better suited for sharing
in a small group or family members? Or maybe not at all?

Rules to Follow
Here are additional guidelines for proper sharing of information and ethical use
of the internet according to new(2014)
 Stick to safer sites.
 Guard your passwords.
 Limit what you share.
 Remember that anything you put online or post on a site is there forever, even if
you try to delete it.
 Do not be mean or embarrass other people online.
 Always tell if you see strange or bad behavior online.
 Be choosy about your online friends.
 Be patient.

42
ACTIVITY #9
I. Creative work. Form groups with three members. In an illustration board, make
a slogan or poster about becoming a responsible internet user. Use coloring
material to improve your output. Share your output in the class and record the
comments/reaction of your classmates.
II. Research work.
a. Search from (books, journals, or website) for the guidelines used in
identifying fake news. Make a PowerPoint presentation on the result of your
research work and your own insight about fake news.
b. Search for an article on gender and sexuality online. Reflect on it in 200
words.

III. Give terms or concepts related to the following issues.

Issues/concerns Associated terms and concepts

1. Cyber bullying
2. Courtship online
3. Ghosting
4. Depression
5. Sex scandal
6. Cyber sex

IV. Identification.
1. It is the actually the sum of all our characteristics.
2. It is the “process of controlling how one is perceived by other people.”
3. It is the interpersonal level of self which differentiates the individual as
unique from others.
4. It is the level of self whereby the individual is identified by her or his group
memberships.
5. It is a subset of characteristic that make up our identity.
6. According to _______ confession, self-examination, contemplation, and etc.
are part of the “technologies of the self” through which we seek to purge and
cleanse ourselves.
7. Two primary digital fora on which such confessions occur, but can be found
in photo.
8. This helps us share information broadly, more than ever.
9. It is the process of controlling how one is perceived by others.
10. Too much sharing and self-disclosure online is called _______?
11. It is the cause of disinhibition that cause people to believe that they are able
to express their _______?
12. She composed the term sex gender and equality, that they are quite distinct.
13. It is the biological traits that society associates with being male or female.
14. It is the cultural meanings attached to being masculine or feminine.
15. It is an individual expression of understanding of desire?
16. It refers to sexually attracted to people of the same sex.
17. It refers to sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex.
18. She conceptualized gender is a performance.
19. This is called the user of the internet.
20. It is the impact of greater cultural participation and creativity in social media.

43
 LESSON 3
MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF

TOPICS
a. Learning to be a better student
b. Setting goals for Success
c. Taking Care of One’s Health

LEARNING OUTCOMES
a. Understand the theoretical underpinnings for how to
manage and care for different aspects of the self.
b. Acquire and hone new skills and learning for better
managing of one’s self and behaviours.
c. Apply these new skills to one’s self and functioning for a
better quality of life.

TOPIC 1: Learning to be a Better Student

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 a better “you”. In the
school setting, your knowledge of yourself should at least enable you to become a
better student.
This lesson will prevent several techniques that you can adapt depending on
your situation and preferences to make you a better a learner. Learning should not just
mean studying for your quizzes and exams in school. Learning could also occur outside
the confines of a book or classroom, like when you want to acquire new movie in your
favorite sport, or the skills for a certain hobby, among others. Furthermore, the
techniques here are not the only techniques available and months or years from now,
new ways on how to study better will be discovered or rediscovered. What is important
at this moment is that you learn how to learn these things.
We are Homo sapiens or the “wise man”. We think in a more complex level than
our ancestors and most, if not all, of other beings. But being called wise, not only do we
think, but we are also capable to think about thinking, like how we think of things and
why we think in a certain way about things. It is like our brain thinks about itself, and
then thinks about how it 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, 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.

44
Metacognition

https://www.google.com/search?q=metacognition+skills&sxsrf=ALeKk00ZV2ivN3Cd-
J76WU8dz6NYUNwUVw:1595432388668&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=Tn7hA7zWdiNkiM%252C6NBWo6zagUGS6M%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-
kRCyqNFh1YyDTr-nz57ppyVUN4Hvg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiClKjmmOHqAhWJwJQKHbGnC-
wQ_h0wAHoECAoQBA&biw=1366&bih=657#imgrc=Tn7hA7zWdiNkiM

Metacognition is commonly defined as “thinking about thinking” (Livingstone

1997; Papaleontiou-Louca 2003). It is the awareness of the scope and limitations of your
current knowledge and skills (Meichenbaum 1985 in American Institutes for Research
2010). It is also not limited to the thinking process of the individual. Some people learn
better when they like the subject, some when they are challenged by the topics, and
others if they have a reward system each time they finish a task.

Metacognition has two aspects:

Self-appraisal is your personal reflection in your knowledge and capabilities

while Self-management is the mental process you employ using what you have in
planning and adapting to successfully learn or accomplish a certain task.

Similar concepts, usually called elements of metacognition, are metacognitive

knowledge or what you know or about how you think, and metacognition regulation or
how you adjust your thinking processes to help you learn better.
Several variables of metacognitive knowledge:

Personal Variable is your evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses in

learning. Second is the Task variable is what you know or what you think about the
nature of the task. Lastly, Strategy variable refers to what strategies or skills you already
have in dealing with certain tasks. However, it must be noted that in order to make self-
assessment you must be honest about what you know and capable of in order to find
ways to utilize your strengths and improve your weaknesses.

According to Waterloo Student Success Office (n.d.), the following are other skills
that can help you in exercising metacognition:
1. KNOWING YOUR LIMITS- this looks at the scope and limitations of your resources so
that you can work with what you have at the moment and look for ways to cope with
other necessities.
2. MODIFYING YOUR APPROACH- it begins with the recognition that your strategy is not
appropriate with the task and/or that you do not comprehend the learning experience
successfully.

45
3. SKIMMING- this is basically browsing over a material and keeping an eye on
keywords, phrases, or sentences. It is also about knowing where to search for such key
terms.
4. REHEARSING- this is not just about repeatedly talking, writing, and/or doing what you
have learned, but also trying to make a personal interpretation or summary of the
learning experience.
5. SELF-TEST- this is trying to test your comprehension of your learning experience or
the skills you have acquired during learning.

Other strategies that you need to develop include asking questions about your
methods, self-reflection, finding a mentor or support group if necessary, thinking out
loud and welcoming errors as learning experiences. For clarification “welcoming errors"
does not mean seeking them or consciously making them as much as possible. It means
that when you commit a mistake, you do not dismiss it as insignificant or you do not try
to avoid responsibility of the results. You must process them to learn every lesson that
you can take about yourself, about the topic, and other people or things. By having a
more positive attitude toward mistakes, you will also have the courage to venture into
new and unknown learning experience that may one day interest you.

Using these strategies, you can at least identify four types of metacognitive
learners (Perkins in 1992 in Cambridge International Examinations 2015).
1. The "tacit" learners are unaware of their metacognitive processes although they
know the extent of their knowledge.
2. The "aware" learners know some of their metacognitive strategies but they do not
plan on how to use these techniques.
3. “Strategic” learners, as the name imply strategies and plan their course of action
toward a learning experience.
4. "Reflective" learners reflect on their thinking while they are using the strategies and
adapt metacognitive skills depending on their situation.

As you may have noticed already, the goal of metacognition is for the student to
be a self-regulated learner. Education should not be limited by the capabilities of the
teacher, the content of school textbooks, the four corners of the classroom, and the
duration of the academic year of courses. You should have the capability to study things
on your own as well as accurately evaluate your progress.

This is one of the benefits of using metacognitive techniques and strategies.

Another benefit is the compensation and development of cognitive limitations of the
learner because the student is now aware of his/her capabilities. Various researchers
also showed significant improvement in academic performance in any subject and
across age range. The student is also enabled is also enabled to transfer knowledge from
one context into another (Cambridge International Examination 2015).

Other tips that you can use in studying are the following (Queenland University
of Technology Library n.d.):
1. Make an outline of the things you want you 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 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.

46
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 it was 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 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.

TOPIC 2: Setting Goals for Success

ALBERT E. BANDURA’ S SELF-EFFICACY

• Self-efficacy theory distinguished 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 a certain
outcomes.” An efficacy expectation is “the conviction that one can successfully
execute the behavior required to produce the outcomes.”
• 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 a potentially
averse situation.
• 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;

47
 3. dwell on personal deficiencies, obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of
adverse outcomes, rather than concentrating on how to 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.

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 experience;
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.
“Successes 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 influence one’s
perception of self-efficacy. The most important factor that determines the strength 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.
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.

CAROL S. DWECK ‘s Fixed and Growth Mindset Theory

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.
Dweck described people with two types of mindset 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 a “growth” theory of intelligence, which goes
under growth mindset. Fixed mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative
statement on their basic abilities, while growth-mindset individuals do not mind of 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.
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 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
environment 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

48
“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

• The goal setting theory was first studied by Dr. Locke in the middle of 1960s. He
continued to do more in relation to his theory. In 1996, He published another
article entitled “Motivation through Conscious Goal Setting”.
• Locke (1996) first described that the approach of goal 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.
Goal Attributes
• Goal has both an internal and external aspect. Internally, they are ideas (desired
ends); externally, they refer to the object or condition sought (e.g., a job, a sale,
a certain performance level). The ideas guides action to attain the object
• Two broad attributes of goals are content (the actual object sought) an intensity
(the scope, focus, and complexity, among others of the choice process).
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.
2. The more specific or explicit the goal, the more precisely performance is
regulated.
3. Goal that are both specific and difficult lead to the highest performance.
4. Commitment to goals is most critical when goals are specific and difficult.
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 same factors that influence goal choice. There are many ways to convince
a person that a goal is important.
• In most laboratory setting, it is quite sufficient to simply ask for compliance after
providing a plausible rationale for the study
• In work situation, 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.
Self-set goal 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 keys tasks:
• Goal setting itself can be delegated for capable, responsible employees;

49
• Expressing (genuine) confidence in employee capabilities;
• Enhancing capabilities through training; and
• Asking for commitment in public

 Self-efficacy refers to task-specific confidence and is a key component of

bandura’s (1989) socisl cognitive theory. Bandura showed that self-efficacy can
be raised by enactive mastery, persuasion, and role modeling --- all referred to
above.
 Persuasion may include not only verbal expression of confidence but also giving
people information regarding what task strategies to use.
 The effectiveness of role modeling depends on the attributes of the model and
on the person observing the model.
• In addition to having a direct effect on performance, self-efficacy influences:
• The difficulty level of the goal chosen or accepted;
• Commitment to goals;
• The response to negative feedback or failure; and
• 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.
 Feedback. For people to pursue goals effectively, they need some means of
checking or tracking their progress toward their goal. 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.
 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 doubts about
their ability.
 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, quality or
speed. When there is conflict between two or more goals, performance with
respect to each goal may be undetermined.
 Goal stimulates 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.
When people strive for goals on complex task, they are least effective in
discovering suitable task strategies if:
a. They have no prior experience or training on the task;
b. There is high pressure to perform well; and
c. There is a high time pressure (to perform well immediately)
 Goal as mediators. Goals, along with self-efficacy might mediate teh effects of
values and personality on perfromance. There is a firm support for goals and
self-efficacy as midiatators of feedback.
 Goal (including goal commitment), in combination with self-efficacy, mediate or
partially mediate the effects of several personality traits and incentives on

50
 performance. In this model the goals and self-efficacy are the immediate
regulators of much human action.
 Goal-setting and goal-related mechanisma can be trained and/or adopted in the
absence of training for the porpuse of self-regulation.
Affect. Emotion is a type of automatic, partly subconcious, psychological
estimate – an estimate of the realtionship of things to oneself.
 Goals serve as standards of self-satisfaction, with harder goals demamnding
higher accomplishment in order to attain self-satisfaction than easy goals.
 Goal-setting dilemmas. If hard or difficult goals lead to higher performance and
lower satisfaction than easy goals, there is obviously a problem of how to get
people (or oneself) to be both happy and productive.

ACTIVITY #10
I. Creative work ( Choose 1)
1. Make a creative presentation (song, poem, drawings, etc.) illustrating yourself as
a good student, setting your goals and taking care of your health.
2. Make a photo collage of yourself showing you as a good student, your goals and
caring for your health.
II. Sentence Completion ( unique characteristics, unique habits, unique
experiences, dreams/ goals)
1. I am ________________________________________.
I am_________________________________________.
I am_________________________________________.

2. I like_________________________________________.
I like_________________________________________.
I like_________________________________________.

3. I have________________________________________.
I have________________________________________.
I have________________________________________.

4. I can_________________________________________.
I can_________________________________________.
I can_________________________________________.

III. My Commitment to Becoming a Responsible Student/ Person

Complete the table below by listing some of those obligations that you might wish to
fulfil to further strengthen yourself in column 1. Consider the reasons for choosing
certain tasks in column 2. State if your skills are adequate to do them, in column 3. If
you find yourself insufficient, state the specific challenge that prevents you from
fulfilling certain responsibilities in column 4. (Use other sheet of paper if needed.)

Responsibilities Reasons for Sufficient or If insufficient, cite

choosing the not Sufficient specific difficulty
Tasks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5

51
 IV. State your goals in life on the following aspects of your life.
#MY LIFE GOALS
Aspects of Life Goals Plans to Achieve Specific
Goals
Family
Relational
Education
Social
Civic
Religion/Spirituality

TOPIC 3: Taking Care of One’s Health

Self-care is so far more than mere mind-set. While self-care can be a great help
to your mental health days, it is also an even bigger answer to your emotional needs at
the moment.

Giving your feelings free rein – or at least understanding and getting on with
your emotional state – is an important aspect of self-care. Until you can get better, you
need to know what is and what was, and make those changes

Our emotions sometimes determine how we behave, so, particularly in stressful

circumstances, we need to be mindful of what we are thinking. The classification of
emotions as "positive" or "negative" is not helpful. It is best to give each emotion a
descriptive word that indicates exactly what it is (e.g. rage, fear of rejection, depression,
etc). When we give different labels to negative feelings, we rob them of some of their
power to terrify us.

When we’re stressed, self-care is often the first thing to go. Why is this?

1. Our brains are going into fight-or - flight mode, thus reducing our perspective. We
don't know that we have options — options to deal with pain, and make us feel better.

2. We are so busy trying to fix things that we're stuck in "doing mode"—trying to get
more and more done — when switching to" being mode "may just be the break we
need.

3. We do not have a list of self-care behaviors which is "go-to." Self-care needs to

become a habit so that when we deal with stress, we know that, "Yeah, in this case I
have to take care of myself." So you need a range of things to try — if one doesn't work,
you can turn to another.

Luckily, there are many self-care approaches, and none of them need to be
complicated or require a lot of preparation.

Below are some further self-care ideas for dealing with emotions:

1. Allow yourself to feel and express all of your feelings (in a safe and appropriate
environment). For example, if you are angry, go into a private closet and scream,
rather than taking it out on your secretary.
2. Ask three good friends to give your positive feedback. What do they love about
you?

52
3. Dedicate a week to saying only positive things on your favorite social media
channel.
4. Learn 4-8-7 breathing.
5. Do one thing today just because it makes you happy.
6. Finish this sentence every day after you wake up: “I love myself because I
_______________.”
7. Have a good, long, cathartic cry.
8. Try some mindful exercises to help bring you into the present moment (And here
is a course that can teach you a simple 7-minute mindfulness practice.)
9. If you need a good, body-shaking cry, watch sad movies or listen to sad songs.
10. Keep a running list of great things people say about you. Read it when you feel
down.
11. Try some adult coloring as a form of anxiety and/or stress release. This can also
serve to help you focus, be more mindful and perhaps spark some creativity.
12. Look at yourself in the mirror and imagine that you’re your best friend. What
would you tell you right now?
13. Define only three daily goals. This makes goals achievable, while also allowing for
normal “emergencies” at work that might take up your time.
14. Recite some self-love affirmations.
15. Need help coming up with new ideas? Create an inspirational collage and hang it
in your workspace.
16. Read some feel-good poetry.
The Essential Rumi by Jalal al-Din Rumi
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Dream Work by Mary Oliver
17. Remind yourself of the good stuff in life by writing a list of things you’re grateful
to have. Then post it somewhere you can see it often to help refocus your
emotions when you feel down.
18. Revisit happier times by reading old emails, letters, or postcards from friends
and family.
19. Give. Do it unconditionally, and with no strings attached. See how good it feels
to help others without expecting reciprocation.
20. Set photos of your loved ones as the wallpaper of your phone or laptop so you
can look at them when you need inspiration.
21. Take a moment to name your emotions without judging them.
22. Stop being your harshest critic. Allow yourself to make mistakes. No one is
perfect. Realize this means you too!
23. Tell your pet all of your darkest secrets. Your pet's nonchalance will remind you
that you’re going to be okay.
24. Unfollow or mute toxic “friends” in your social media feeds.
25. Tap into your creative side. Use painting or another creative art to release your
fear, anxiety, anger, and frustration on paper.
26. Use 15 minutes to write out your thoughts about anything bothering you. Then
burn or throw away the paper.
27. Remove any equipment or appliances that make you feel bad about yourself,
such as the bathroom scale.
28. Clean up your work area. (Many people find a clean and neat work area to be
cathartic.)
29. Write encouraging affirmations or inspirational quotes on Post-its and place
them where you will see them every day.

53
ACTIVITY #11

I. Based on the suggested way of caring for the self, create your personal list of
coping with stressors in your life as a student and adolescent.

My Personal Ways of Coping with Stress

a. f.

b. g.

c. h.

d. i.

e. j.

II. Essay

Which of those coping with stressors you have already done? Is it effective or not?
Why? (in 300 words)

III. Write a statement that will declare your commitment to take care of yourself
and your mental health.

54
 My Commitment to Take Care of Myself and Mental Health

FINAL ACTIVITY
Revisit your personal significant discoveries about yourself and essential learning.
MY PERSONAL JOURNEY TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING MY SELF
Lesson/ Topic Significant discoveries about myself and essential
learnings

Lesson 1
Philosophical Perspectives

Sociological Perspectives

Anthropological

Psychological
Western and Eastern Thoughts

Lesson 2
Physical and Sexual Self

Material and Economic Self

Spiritual Self

Digital self

Lesson 3
Learning to be a better
student

Setting goals for Success

Taking Care of One’s Health

55
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