GED 1: Notes
produce and appreciate
Module 3 – Lesson 1 : Responsible
Self: My Commitment to Lifelong
Growth
Charles Spearman (1904) believed that
intelligence consists of a general mental
ability or intelligence quotient (IQ, also
called g factor) and domain-specific
abilities.
IQ is a standardized measure that
represents a person’s reasoning skills
Howard Gardner’s theory of eight
intelligences
Verbal-linguistic intelligence - ability to
think in words and use
language to express meaning.
(ex. authors, journalists,
speakers, or poets)
Logical-mathematical intelligence -
ability to carry out
mathematical operations;
reasoning; logical or numerical
patterns (ex. scientists,
engineers, accountants, or
mathematicians)
Spatial-visual intelligence - ability to
think in images, pictures, or
three-dimensional figures. (ex.
architects, artists,
sailors/navigators, or sculptors)
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence - ability to
be physically adept at
manipulating objects skillfully.
(ex. surgeons, crafts people,
artisans, dancers, or athletes.)
Musical-rhythmic intelligence - ability to
rhythm, pitch, and timbre;
musical expressiveness. (ex.
composers, musicians, or
sensitive listeners)
Interpersonal intelligence - ability to
understand and interact
effectively with others. (ex.
teachers or mental health
professionals)
Intrapersonal intelligence - ability to
understand oneself;
theologians, psychologists, or
persons with detailed and
accurate self-concepts
Naturalists intelligence - ability to
observe patterns in nature and
understand natural and
human-made systems. (ex.
farmers, botanists, ecologists,
landscapers, or
environmentalists).
Contributors to Intelligence
Heredity and the environment,
contribute to intelligence and personality
Heredity refers to the genes one inherits
from his/her parents, which provide the
upper and lower limits of his/her parents,
which provide the upper and lower limits
of his/her intelligence quotient.
Environment involves the experiences
and the psychological and physical
exposure of the individual to the various
influences around him/her
It has been resolve that heredity and
environment both interact to contribute
to intelligence and personality.
Whether you inherit high-or-low-
intelligence genes, make use of the
positive things kin the environment
which will enhance or improve your
inherited intelligence.
While you may be low or poor on a
certain skill or ability, there might be
other capabilities that you have.
Discover and develop them further.
Motivation is the force that moves
people to behave, think, and feel the
way they do. Motivated behavior is
energized, directed, and sustained.
Aside from heredity and environment,
motivation is also a significant influence
in personality development.
The levels of motivation of
individuals, some of which are as
follows;
Evolutionary theory - the motivation for
sex, achievement, aggression, and other
behaviors is rooted in the organisms’
evolutionary past. Thus, if a species is
highly competitive, it is because such
competitiveness has improved its
chances of survival, and it is then
passed down through genes from
generation to generation.
Drive reduction theory - This theory
explains that organisms are driven by
physiological needs.
 A need energizes one’s drive to
eliminate or reduce the
deprivation.
 For example, if one feels hungry,
hunger is the motivator for
him/her to look for food and eat it
to reduce the drive and satisfy the
need.
 This theory stresses the idea that
as drive become stronger, the
individual becomes more
motivated to reduce it. However,
people tend to behave in ways
that increase, rather than reduce,
the drive
Optimum arousal theory - The Yerkes-
Dodson Law states that performance is
at its highest under conditions of
moderate arousal rather than high or low
arousal. With a low arousal, one might
be too lazy or unwilling to perform the
task. With a high arousal, one might not
be able to concentrate on performing the
task.
 For example, when taking an
exam with a very high arousal, a
student may not be able to
concentrate. On the other hand, if
the arousal is too low, he/she
may not work fast enough to
finish the test, thus moderate
arousal is often the best in
dealing with tasks.
 The level of arousal may also
depend on the kind of task on
hand.
The personal characteristics of an
individual may also influence level of
motivation. Some individual seek
stimulation in their lives and enjoy
the 81 thrill of engaging in risky
behaviors.
Sensation-seeking is the motivation
to experience varied, novel, complex,
and intense feelings and
experiences.
  motivated to engage in sports
 attracted to vacations or
occupations involving exciting
experiences
 drink heavily, smoke, use illicit
drugs
 have a short-term hedonistic
attitude towards intimate
relationships
Cognitive approach - The
contemporary view of motivation
emphasizes that cognitive factors
determine motivation level.
 An example is a student’s
motivation to do well in class.
One’s confidence in his/her ability
to do well and the expectations
for success may help the person
relax, concentrate, and study
better. Thinking too much about
not performing in class and the
fear of failure may lead to anxiety,
and consequently, not performing
well.
The two aspect of cognitive approach to
motivation are intrinsic and extrinsic
motivations
Some psychologists contend that many
successful individuals are both
intrinsically and extrinsically motivated.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence, measured by
emotional quotient (EQ), is the type of
intelligence that refers to the abilities to
perceive, appraise, understand, and
express emotions accurately and
appropriately; the use of emotions and
emotional knowledge to facilitate
thinking; and the regulation of one’s
emotions to promote both emotional and
intellectual growth. EQ is the emotional
counterpart of IQ.
Emotional intelligence has an intellectual
component, especially in using emotions
to facilitate thinking or logical reasoning.
 Ex. In a class, the teacher asks
the question, “In which
geographical region is the
Philippines located?” Paul sees
Jane raising her hand but he
blurts out, “Southeast Asia!” One
will readily think that Jane might
be angry because Paul gets the
credit. It may thus be said that
Paul has a high IQ but a low EQ.
Reasoning
Decisions have important and critical
consequences, like choosing a course, a
job, or even a spouse.
Decisions with less critical
consequences such as what food to
cook for lunch, or what brand of ice
cream to buy
Reasoning, a cognitive or intellectual
skill, is one way to determine if a choice
is the “best” from among several
options. Reasoning is a mental process
that involves using and applying
knowledge to solve problems, make
plans or decisions, and achieve one’s
goals.
Reasoning is of two types: deductive
and inductive.
 Deductive reasoning begins
with making a general
assumption that is known or
believed to be true, and then
drawing specific conclusions
based on this assumption.
 For example, a general
assumption is that only a person
who is drunk will gleefully walk
under a strong rain even if he/she
is dressed in expensive suit and
shoes. Thus, if you see a man
doing this, you will conclude that
he must be drunk.
Inductive reasoning is the process
in which a conclusion is determined
based on a number of true facts or
premises.
 For example, asking specific
questions will minimize the
possible reasons for his manner,
and possibly lead to the correct
conclusion. This means that one
has to know all the facts first
before coming up with
conclusions.
Researchers use inductive reasoning
when they use past experiences or
observations to form a general
hypothesis
Hypothesis is a statement that must
be tested by gathering data. It is an
expectation of what is going to
happen.
Biased reasoning refers to the act
of jumping to conclusion before even
knowing all the facts.
Confirmation bias is the tendency
to look for 83 information that
support’s one decisions and beliefs
while ignoring disconfirming
information.
Module 3 – Lesson 2:
Assessing for Self-improvement:
Directing My Destiny
Assessment
is a process that determines the
presence or absence, as well as the
extent or level, of a characteristic or
behavior in a person. With an
assessment, one gets a better view
or understanding of people’s
behavior, including that of oneself.
Apgar test, considered to be the
most important assessment in one’s
life. It is used to determine a baby’s
general health and overall wellness.
In doing an assessment, tools are
used. They are also called
measures or data-gathering tools.
Tests are a type of tools. The data or
information derived from a tool
provides the basis for knowing or
determining the presence or absence
of a behavior or characteristic.
Measurement deals only with the
administration of the tool and
determining the numerical values of
the data gathered from a tool. An
example of this is assigning scores
to test papers after checking the
answers and classifying them
according to some set of criteria.
Assessment, includes the
processes of measurement,
analyzing and interpreting the scores
or the numerical values of the data,
and deducing meanings out of the
gathered data.
Psychological assessment refers
to the use of specified testing
procedures to evaluate the abilities,
behaviors, and personal qualities of
people. It describes the extent to
which a person is similar to or
different from others. Results from
psychological assessments
contribute to a better understanding
of a person.
Assessment tools are important in
getting information about the
behaviors of people.
Kinds of Assessment
 Achievement test. This test
measures what has been learned
within specific period of time.
Hence, if a teacher gives
students a mathematics test at
the end of the semester, it means
that he/she wants to know how
much the students learned for
one semester.
 Mental ability test. It measures
one’s level of mental ability. Such
tests are also known as IQ tests.
 Aptitude test. This test measures
the inclination of individuals
towards certain specific areas. It
determines what particular field of
work an individual would most
possibly be successful at.
 Personality test. It measures
facets of personality, some of
which are attitudes, perceptions,
interests, psychological
aberrations, personality
disorders, and the like.
Using inappropriate assessment
tools invalidates the results.
General Methods of Assessment
Formal assessments are
standardized and generally carried
out in professional settings by
experts in the behavior or
characteristics being measured.
They are done in orderly and
systematic manner. Formal
assessments utilize statistics in the
interpretation of data and ultimately
come up with a conclusion.
Informal assessments are
everyday assessments people make
about themselves or about others.
These assessments do not have to
observe formal processes. The
bases for assessing a person are
unstructured or simple observations
of his/her behaviors in informal
settings and occasions. Informal
assessments give a clue to what
might be happening with the
behavior or characteristic being
studied or described.
Application of Assessment
Assessments provide many
advantages, foremost of which is to
gain better understanding of oneself.
Thus, one will know exactly what
areas are to be improved or
enhanced, and more importantly,
what to do to overcome his/her
weaknesses and turn them into
strengths.
Ex:
 The results of an achievement
test at the middle of the
semester showed that Bernie
did not correctly answer the
items that measure
 computation skills. It means
that she is weak in that area.
As a result, she thinks that
she should study harder,
engage the help of a tutor,
and do more practice
exercises. This way, she can
improve her performance in
mathematics, especially
computation.
 Amy has been feeling very
nervous and worried lately.
She does not know why. Her
hands and feet are always
sweaty, and her mouth is dry.
She avoids social situations.
She consulted a guidance
counselor who referred her to
a psychiatrist. The latter
subjected her to medical
exam. Nothing serious was
seen in her physical health.
Thus, the psychiatrist gave
her a personality test. From
the results, Bernie was
diagnosed with a high level of
anxiety. Since she could not
handle the situation by
herself, she sought
professional help, so she will
learn to manage her emotions
better.
Module 3 – Lesson 3:
The Best of Me: Outstanding Awards
Day
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a
model of one who achieved his life goals
in spite of difficulties and constraints. He
was able to do it because of a mix
several factors: clear-cut life goals,
persistence and perseverance in
pursuing his dreams, adherence to the
philosophy of loving and helping others,
practice of skills of perfection, positive
attitudes and recognition of limitless
possibilities.
What lessons from Jonathan Livingston
Seagull’s story can guide you in your
life? Are there parallel circumstances in
your own life? How did you over come
them?
 1. Pursue your life goals with
determination. In the process, do
not allow failures or errors to
discourage you from seeing your
goals to finish.
 2. Once you learned something
new, make sure to share it with
others. Show helpfulness, love
and generosity to others.
 3. Don’t be satisfied with the
typical. Strive to go beyond the
ordinary.
 4. Always have a humble heart
when dealing with people.
 5. Be a model so as to influence
other people.
 6. Be creative in the ways of
pursuing your goals.
  7. Be the best of what you can be
and influence other people to do
the same.
 8. Patience is a virtue in pursuing
your goals.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
people go through stages and levels of
personal development, the highest of
which is self-actualization or self-
fulfillment. Further, each stage is
characterized by the kind of need which
the person should strive to satisfy first
before he/she can successfully satisfy
the next level.
The needs are broadly categorized into
two: deficiency and growth needs.
Individuals in the process of self-
actualizing or are self-actualized
manifest certain characteristics and
behaviors.
 happy and feel contented
 They do not get upset or angry
over trivial matter, or even
failures
 focus more on the good or
positive side rather than on the
negative points
 they are generous with their time
and effort in helping others
 optimists who look at the bright
side of life
 They do not easily brood nor
worry
 They have broad perspective
about life
 they deeply care for their
community, country and the
humanity as a whole by doing
things that redound to the general
good.
Maslow says that only a few people
reach the level of self-actualization.
Why is this so? For one, people
possess different traits that include
their level of motivation,
intellectual capacity, abilities, and
emotional maturity. For example, a
person with low motivation levels
would just be contented with his/her
present status, while a person who is
highly motivated would maximize
his/her time, effort, and opportunity
to propel himself/herself towards
his/her goals.
Another reason is the differences in
life goals and ways of attaining one’s
purpose in life. Somebody who is
more focused, more strategic in
thinking, and more persevering
will have more chances to attain
his/her goal, compared to one who is
not.
Once you graduate from college,
attaining self-actualization is not
guaranteed. In fact, your quest for
self-actualization may just be starting
after you are granted an academic
degree.
 focus relentlessly on
improving your ways and
habits of working, as well as
your ways of dealing with
people
 Develop a good work ethic.
 Continuously enhance your
personal habits
 Do away with vice and avoid
illegal substances and
activities.
  Form good relationships with
people
 Once you have a family, be
sure that you raise and train
your children to be peace and
God-loving.
Achieving self-actualization is a
lifelong process. Thus, planning and
setting goals and directions as early as
you are able will give you the advantage
of having a better chance of achieving
self-realization.
Goal-setting and Success
Success is defined as the state of
accomplishment or achievement
resulting from an endeavor.
For some, success means having
material possessions like a car or
house. On the other hand, some people
think of success as having a good
family life, a happy home, a feeling of
contentment or ease, or always being in
love.
King further believes that success
means not only being able to achieve or
fulfill one’s goals, but also having
positive feeling of happiness, joy, love,
peace of mind, self-respect, greatness,
and freedom from worry, anxiety, and
guilt, or failure. He states that many
people associate success with the
acquisition or possession of tangible or
material things; but the very root of
success is the positive feelings that
come with accomplishment and
achievement.
King (2004) raise three important
questions you can ask yourself to help
you understand life itself.
 1. What is my life for? This
question requires you to have a
long and thorough look within
yourself, your abilities, your
characteristics, your interests,
and the like as well as your
weaknesses.
 2. What do I want to happen to
my life? This question requires
you to have a clear picture of
your goals—both short-range and
long-range.
 3. How can I achieve it? This
question requires you to know
how to accomplish your goals. Do
you have the resources and the
support to achieve your goals?
A personal mission statement
presents one’s own personal philosophy
or belief that state his/her objectives in
life and how he/she wants to accomplish
them. It focuses on what one wants to
be and to do.
A goal is a result towards which effort is
directed, or a point, end, or a place that
one is striving to reach. Goals must be
realistic but, at the same time, attractive
so as to excite one into achieving them.
If your goals are not clear in your mind,
you may “divide” or “chop” them into
smaller pieces to make them attainable.
King (2004) adds that there are specific
goals which when combined together,
make one big goal called success.
1. Mental/emotional success.
Having a good grasp of your
mind, feelings and emotions.
2. Spiritual success. Balancing
the needs of the body and spirit.
 3. Personal success.
Overcoming a weakness or
disability
4. Career success.
Accomplishing work objectives.
5. Financial success. Earning
enough for one’s needs or more.
Another motivational author, William
6. Social success. Getting well
Gracian (2005) gives the following
along with the being held in
advice in pursuing one’s goals.
respect by others.
7. Physical success. Having a
healthy and sound body.
8. Family success. Maintaining
harmony and achieving fulfillment
as a family.
Some guidelines in setting specific goals
are as follows (King, 2004):
1. Set expressive goals. Be
precise and make positive
statements. Say, for example, “I
will speak well of my associates”
rather than “I will avoid gossiping
about my associates.”
2. Prioritize your goals. When
you have many goals, give each
a priority number. Prioritizing your
goals will help you attain them
more neatly and easily, rather
than dealing with all of them
simultaneously.
3. Base your goals or
performance, not just
outcomes. Set goals which you
have the power and the ability to
achieve.
4. Set specific goals. Be as
specific as possible but not too
detailed, for example, if your goal
is to avoid getting fat in the future,
say, “I want to avoid getting too
fat by refraining from eating in
between meals.
5. Make your goals realistic.
Set goals that are based on your
expectations, not those of others.
1. Have a clear purpose. For a
dream to become a goal, it must
always be specific. You have to
write down exactly what you want
in life.
2. Be totally committed. Once
you have identified and clarified
your goal, emotionally commit to
it.
3. Reiterate your goals. Review
your goals as often as possible.
You might need to repeat them at
certain times. Talk about your
goals to people may help you
attain them.
4. Write down your goals. Keep
journals, though old-fashioned
they may be, on which to write
and review your goals. The
journals help you to always be
aware or conscious of your goals.
5. Record your achievement.
Documenting an achievement
makes you feel empowered. It is
a reminder that motivates you to
achieve more.
6. Create a well-defined plan. A
plan acts as some kind of a
blueprint to turn your goals into
 reality. Set dates, devise
techniques, formulate habits, and
prioritize your steps.
7. Work on your goal, step by
step, day by day. Spend time
and energy in achieving goals on
a regular basis. Goals cannot be
achieved in an instant.
8. Review and evaluate. Set
aside time to review your
accomplishments and
achievements. By doing this, you
can also avoid and anticipate
failure.
King (2004) suggests guidelines in
making the mind a repository of
knowledge. According to him, learning
does not only give you facts, ideas, and
other information. It also provides you
with the power to think. Thus, you can
achieve your goals and turn your
dreams into reality with learning. You
should not be content with what you
know now, but strive to gain and acquire
more knowledge.
Desire for nothing but knowledge.
Information comes in different forms.
Develop the motivation for gaining long-
term knowledge for its benefits.
1. Assess the information you
really need. Use only the
information you think will help
you in the future.
2. Know where to get the best
information. Many sources of
information are available.
However, always consider the
quality of the information you
gather.
3. Create mental databases
which you can utilize for
practical recall. You can do this
technique by memorizing
significant and important
materials.
4. Recall the specific
information periodically. Use
the knowledge which enhances
your learning skills.
5. Do not spare time on
managing your knowledge.
You must have a way of assuring
yourself that only the material
you have chosen and selected to
learn is worth the time you put in
it. It must be updated, useful, and
properly formulated.
6. Develop your writing skills.
Writing is one of the best ways to
develop your mental skills. For a
start, you can keep a diary or
journal for your thoughts, ideas,
insights, and the like. You can
also opt to write letters so you
can share and exchange views
with other people.
The following are guidelines in
developing a positive attitude towards
learning (King, 2004):
1. Always be teachable. Keep
your mind open because a closed
mind slows down the learning
process.
2. Self-development, not self-
fulfillment. Self-development is
the process of trying to raise
yourself to a much higher level.
On the other hand, self-fulfillment
is trying to please yourself
 continuously and being happy
and content with what you have
achieved.
3. Be a consistent learner.
Make each experience a learning
experience. Surround yourself
with learning moments, people,
and anything or anybody you
could gain insights from.
4. Develop a plan for growth. It
is a schedule of the constructive
things you can do that can
expand your mental ability.
Goal-setting is not just about reaching
one’s destination. It also implies going
for another goal after one has been
achieved. If you successfully attained
one goal, aspire for another. Never stop
learning, so you will keep growing.
Never stop learning because success is
just around the corner.
Failure
It is the inability to achieve one’s
goals. It is said that an experience of
failure makes one stronger, provided
that he/she knows how to apply the
lessons gained from the episode.
King (2004) provides guidelines on how
to deal failure gracefully:
1. Zero in on failure. Separate the
concepts of failing at a task and failing
as a person. Failure in one area does
not make one a total failure. Keep it on
its proper perspective and context. It
should be taken as part of life’s reality.
For some, failure serves as a motivation
to work or strive harder.
2. Find out where you exactly went
wrong. Study your limitations
objectively. In determining the problem,
look at yourself first rather than at other
people or what’s wrong with the world.
Strive to maintain objectivity in analyzing
the cause/s of the failure.
3. Change your attitude or mindset
towards failure. The corresponding
change in your ideas about failure will
follow. The experience should not be
seen as a failure, per se, because there
are many things both within and outside
of your control that can explain it.
4. Come up with a failure strategy. Do
not expect failure, but be sure to
anticipate courses of action in case it
happens.
5. Look for good alternatives to what
you are doing. In case you are not
doing well with your present position,
you should have a fallback or an
alternative in which you will feel happier.
6. Make effective decisions to avoid
repeating the same mistakes. Do not
ask others to make decisions for you.
You may ask for comments and
suggestions from them, but the final
decisions rests on you.
7. Visualize the effects of your
decisions. Be realistic about what will
happen after you make a decision.
Avoid going into a debate or argument
with regard to its effects. Anticipate the
pros and cons of your choices.
The Need for Spirituality
Spirituality mostly refers to an
individual practice related to a sense of
peace and purpose. It is also associated
with the process of developing beliefs remembered that the chief goal of
around the meaning of life. life is happiness.
The vehicle for realizing this force is 6. Find a spiritual role model.
faith. Faith is a firm belief or conviction Find people you look up to with
not based on external evidence or proof. attributes that you idealize and
It is the confidence on what you do not draw inspiration from them.
see, but rather feel. Emulate a great person.
Faith energizes the mind and the body 7. Think of your world as a
as well as enables people to perceive battle between good and evil.
possibilities, improve their powers of Your life is meant to raise the
discernment, and leads them to excel standard of goodness to a higher
(King, 2004). level.
King (2004) and Gracian (2005) lay out 8. Realize that your presence of
some guidelines for spiritual success: influence will outlast your life.
Death is a reality. How would you
1. Minimize materialistic
want others to remember you? Is
thoughts. Materialistic thoughts
it through the good times and the
are associated with self-centered
good things you did?
perceptions like pride, power,
fame, dominion, and the like. 9. Emphasizes rejoicing in life
Many of these ideas dominate rather than surviving in life.
because of the lack of faith. The more meaning you see in
life, the easier you will find it
2. Generate peaceful, serene
good. This advice does not
thoughts. Regularly spend time
necessarily require one to be very
each day in quiet moments when
religious, but just to believe that
you can feel and think more
there is a plan, point, or purpose
deeply about your mission in life.
of life.
3. Create a spiritual image.
10. Read inspiring literature.
Project a happy image even
Read stories of achievement,
without the trappings of material
success, and faith. Watch
things like a house or a car.
programs that teach life lessons.
4. Face reality with faith. Facing
The Role of Prayer: Communicating
especially your worst fears will
with the Source
enable you to cope better with
challenges and problems. The key to successful living is
learning to communicate and to
5. Live for a higher purpose.
commune with the Source. Praying or
People need to earn money to
communing with the Higher Power is the
eat and sustain the physical
highest form of channeling power to
selves, but it must always be
one’s soul. In prayer, you recharge your
body and feel relaxed. Think of prayer
not as talking to God, however you may
conceive Him to be, but talking with
God. It is a companionship, a walk in the
park, or watching the lovely sunset.