Module : Self : Using Psychological Lens

What I Need to Know?

Good day , my dear students. Another interesting topic is underway I hope you are all well as we
continue with our flexible learning journey. Which makes you more interested, is it talking about
yourself or talking about others? Most people like hearing about life and works of another person as a
chance to talk about themselves or to relate oneself to others.

The psychology of self focuses on the representation of an individual based on his/her

experiences. These experiences are either from the home, school and other groups, organizations or
other affiliations he/she engaged in. Seemingly, the “self” is one of the most heavily researched areas in
social and personality psychology, where concepts are introduced that are beyond our physical
attributes , lies our psychological identity. Questions of “who I am?” or “what I am beyond my looks?’
are thoughts of many that continuously search for deeper sense of self which can be traced back from
some time of human history. ( Villafuerte, 2018 )

After completing this module, you are expected to be able to:

a. demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the various psychological theories in the
study of “self”
b. synthesize and evaluate the psychological perspective of the self
c. examine the self as proactive or agentic

What I Knew?

Pre -test

Multiple Choice: Encircle the letter of your chosen answer.

1. He was among the first who coined the term ‘ self- esteem”,
a. Erickson b, Bandura c. Piaget d. none of the above

2. “The child is the father to the man” implies the importance of

a. adulthood b. prenatal c. childhood d. all of the above

3. The ____________lies in the center of Bandura’ Social Cognitive Theory

a. self- concept, b. self- identity c. self- esteem d. self- efficacy

4. Self esteem is the belief that I am a. important b. useful c. wanted d. loved

5. Psychology is a young science classified as a. social science b. physical science
c. environmental science d. none of the above
What’s In?

True or False. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE ; if the statement is incorrect.

TRUE 1. Culture encompasses all aspects of the human being including arts, language, subsistence,
history, thoughts and the like.

FALSE 2. Psychology is the human being and their ancestors and their culture.

FALSE 3. Each person is unique, hence, past experiences is irrelevant for self-understanding.

FALSE 4. Religion is NOT part of culture because anything that pertain to God should not be subjected
to scientific inquiry .

FALSE 5. Our thoughts and feelings are purely defined by the society we live in.

What’s New?

How do we view a person? What theories could help us understand a person’s behavior ? These
are some of the interesting questions that psychology could help us . Psychology is a young science that
deals with the study of human behavior that sees the self as a theoretical construct. In fact the
development of the so called Science of Self roots from various theories and principles. Psychology has
different schools of thoughts that attempt to explain human behavior and the “self”. All of theories
have made an attempt to explain human behavior. Each has employed strategies and techniques on
exploring its interest to understand a person. One of the popular means is the use of genogram.

A genogram is a graphic representation of a family tree that displays detailed data on

relationships among individuals. ... First, they contain basic data found in family trees such as
the name, gender, date of birth, and date and cause of death of each individual (if applicable ).
Let us try to make a modified genogram as starters. You will prepare a simple and basic one.
Here’s how to start:

1. Divide your paper into two columns , Column is A is for Father’s side and Column B is for
your Mother’s side.
2. Under each column, start with your grandparents from both side. Male should be illustrated
as square and females as circle. Name them and as best as you can describe them with 3
traits or characteristics.
3. Under both grandparents, illustrate/describe your parents’ siblings using the symbols
designed for genders. Put a name and 3 characteristics for each. Underneath, draw a
connecting line/ arrow between your parents.
4. Lastly, illustrate your immediate family with your siblings and yourself . Follow the same
procedure. Encircle yourself boldly. Label and describe with 3 traits or characteristics.
 Father’s Side Mother’s Side

Lolo Jesus Lola Basyon Lolo Anselmo Lola Taba

>short-tempered >kind >kind >loud
>short >patient >caring >sarcastic
>loving >caring >hard-working >selfish

Aunt Jo
>brutally honest Tita Claris
>loves to gossip >silent
>helpful >kind
>unpredictable

Aunt Sheila
>careless Tita Kulit
>selfish >bubbly
>loud >loud
>kind

Uncle Putong
>smart Tito Carlito
>patient >lazy
>kind >stubborn
>bad
MY FAMILY

PAPA MAMA
>kind >bossy
>patient >kind
>funny >understanding

DABOY
>kind
>silent
>understanding

TOTOY
>bossy
>funny
>kind
What is It?

1. What are in your thoughts while you were preparing your modified genogram?
ANSWER: I was doing my best to remember what kind of traits each person has. I want to list
the traits that they are showing to me.

2. How does the activity make you feel?

ANSWER: I am actually having fun doing the activity because I was able to recall some events in
my life as I try to remember what traits should I indicate under their names.

3. Select from any member of your family whom you would want to talk about as illustrated in
your genogram. Share your thoughts.
ANSWER: I’d like to talk about my Papa, he is actually a very kind person, he is also funny and
patient but after what happened to our family he changed.

4. What have you discovered about yourself in relation with your family’s behavioral pattern ?
ANSWER: I realized that I am a combination of my mother and my father.

5. In the light of your latest self-discovery, share your plans of actions or ways forward.
ANSWER: I will still continue interacting with people using my given traits. But I will look forward
on developing new traits for better foundation of relationships.

What’s More?

Enrichment Activities: Write an essay about this topic: My Self-Project

MY SELF-PROJECT
I use to observe people a lot looking forward to find what should I be. I tend to imitate others in
order to see whether it suits my personality to be like them. I think some are irritated by what I am
doing. I am really finding it hard to find my self in the midst of the problems I am facing. These problems
are forcing me to become the person I don’t want to be. I used to dream of having the sense of freely
expressing myself but because of the people surrounding me and holding me back in finding myself.
What I can say is I will do my best to understand myself more and to become the better version of
myself that can be identified as me. I know it will be a long journey for me but I will do my best to be at
that point.
What Have I learned?

List down at least 3 significant learnings from this module

>Self-Identity is an important part of our personality.

>It is okay to have a combination of traits from your parents.

>Be who you are.

Assessment

Concept Map. Create an organized diagram that connects all the following terms:

a. Family ‘s history
FAMILY’S HISTORY
b. Behavioral pattern
c. Childhood
d. adulthood
e. Real self
f. Ideal self FAMILY’S HISTORY: FAMILY’S HISTORY:
A family bound by A family that does
tradition. not have traditions.

BEHAVIOURAL BEHAVIOURAL
PATTERN: PATTERN:
Child tends to become Child finds it hard to
more religious. mold his/her character

CHILDHOOD: CHILDHOOD:
Guided by the parents. Grow more independently.

ADULTHOOD

REAL SELF

IDEAL SELF
Additional Activities:

Instruction: Identify from which side of your parents have you inherited the following attributes:

Father Mother Both Neither

Eyes 
Body built 
Temper 
Hair 
Hobby 
intelligence 
Skin completion 
Health condition 
Attitude 

Do you think that when you reach your dominant parent’s age, you will also be like him/her? Cite
a psychological theory/theories that could help you navigate your answer.

ANSWER:

If I will be able to reach the dominant age of my parents, I think I will not be like them. Through
experiences, I will be able to establish my own personality and ways. According to Piaget’s Theory of
Adaptation there are two types of cognitive development which is assimilation and accommodation.
Assimilation is when we discover thing outside our personal perspective and change it to something that
will fit our ideas while accommodation is when we change our perspective for a new idea. I am the type
of person that is open to change and I admit that sometimes I tend to copy others to see whether I can
find a personality in thing.

References

Villafuerte, Salvacion, et al, Understanding the Self, Philippines: Nieme Publishing House ( 2018 )

Ofalia, Bernardino, Understanding the Self, Philippines: C&E Publishing House ( 2018 )