SELF-AWARENESS

Chapter 2
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Se lf aw are ne ss i s h a vi n g a c l e a r p e r c epti on o f yo u r p e r so na l i ty,
i n c lu d in g s tr e ngths, w e a k n esse s, th o u g hts, b e l i e fs, m o ti va ti o n , a n d
e m o tio ns.
Se lf aw are ne ss a l l o w s yo u to u n d e rstand o th e r p e o p l e , h o w th e y
p e r c eive yo u , yo u r a tti tu d e a n d yo u r r e s p on ses to th e m i n th e m o m e nt.

h t t p s : / / w w w. p a t h w a y t o h a p p i n e s s . c o m / s e l f - a w a r e n e s s . h t m
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I. Aspects of the Self
II. Building Self-Image
III. Enhancing Self-Esteem

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ASPECTS OF THE SELF

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The Four Aspects of "Self“ in Human life:
- physical
- mental
- emotional
- spiritual levels of existence.

In order to find balance, wholeness and fulfilment in our lives,

we need to heal, develop, and integrate all four of
these aspects within ourselves.
WHAT ARE THE FOUR ASPECTS OF THE
SELF?
I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to:
1. Gain better understanding of oneself;
2. Understand the different aspects of the self; and
3. Identify one’s strengths, weaknesses, limitations, abilities
and potentials;

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II. CONTENT
Topic: Aspects of the Self
Materials:Readings on: Aspects of the Self
Worksheet on: Self-Concept Inventory
My Window of the Self
Identifying my Strengths

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III. MOOD SETTING
Take a look at your own self-concept and answer the
following self-concept inventory. Give yourself a rating using
the scale:
1 - very weak;
2 - weak;
3 - somewhat strong;
4 - very strong

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Self-Concept Inventory*
______ 1. I have a strong sex appeal.
______ 2. I am proud of my physical figure.
______ 3. I am physically attractive or beautiful.
______ 4. I exude with charm and poise.
______ 5. I am easy to get along with.
______ 6. I can adjust to different people and different situations.
______ 7. I am approachable; other people are at ease and comfortable with me.
______ 8. I am lovable and easy to love.
______ 9. I am a fast learner, I can understand with one instruction.
______ 10. I am intelligent.
______ 11. I have special talents and abilities.
______ 12. I can easily analyze situations and make right judgments.
______ 13. I can be trusted in any transaction.
______ 14. I have a clean conscience and carry no guilty feelings.
______ 15. I have integrity and good reputation.
______ 16. My friends and classmates can look up to me as a model worth emulating.
______ 17. I can express my ideas without difficulty.
______ 18. I talk in a persuasive manner that I can easily get people to accept what I say.
______ 19. I can express my ideas in writing without difficulty.
______ 20. I am a good listener.
______ 21. I am emotionally stable and not easily rattled when faced with trouble.
______ 22. I am logical and rational in my outlook and decisions.
______ 23. I feel and act with confidence.
______ 24. I am a mature person.

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PLOT AND INTERPRET YOUR SCORES IN THE TABLE BELOW

Dimensions Physical Human Intelligence Character Communication Maturity

Appearance Relations
Numerical Score

Interpretation

GUIDE FOR INTERPRETATION:

Numerical Score Qualitative Value

14 -16 Strong
10 – 13 Somewhat Strong
9 – below Weak

*Adapted from a loose handout

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IV. LECTURETTE
The Self
Benjamin Franklin once said, “there are three hardest things in this
world; diamond, steel, and the know one’s self.
Figuratively, he said that journeying to get to know one’s self is never
easy. Interestingly, even some nonhuman animals, including
chimpanzees, orangutans, and perhaps dolphins, have at least a
primitive sense of self (Boysen& Himes, 1999 as cited in
Jhangiani&Tarry, n.d.).

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If men would search
diligently their own minds,
and examine minutely
their thoughts and actions,
they would be more
cautious in censuring the
conduct of others, as they
would find themselves
abundantly sufficient
cause for reproof.

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Roy F. Baumeister
- in his work about The Self in Social Psychology said that
“no topic is more interesting to people than people, for
most people, moreover the most interesting person is the
self.”

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The self is defined as a separate, self-contained,
interdependent, consistent, unitary, and private. It could
also mean that the self is distinct form other selves
(Alata et al., 2018); it is unique and has its own identity
separate from another person.
There are no two individuals who are exactly alike.
Even identical twin may have varied characteristics that
are distinct compared to one another.
The self is represented by several aspects of the self.
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Aspects of the Self
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOURSELF?

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The most important aspect of yourself is yourself because it is you who know
who you are, your gender, whose feelings and memories you experience (Myers,
2010).
It is defined by our self-concept which is the answer to the question “Who am
I?” It is conceived as a collection of multiple and context-dependent selves.
Based on the theory of William James, the self has a hierarchy of aspects
composing only of the material self, social self and the spiritual self which he
referred to as the “empirical self” (Lundin, n.d.).
However, other perspectives about the self include the physical self, intellectual
self and the emotional self.

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First is the material self. This
included not only our physical
self but all our possessions –
clothes, home, property, even
money.
Many individuals put a strong
emphasis on the physical
aspect of the self. The body is
tangible, obvious, and we
respond to it easily (Wong-
Fernandez et al., 2016).
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The social self which is defined by our
roles as a student, friend, or family
member. It may actually be the “social
selves” as one has to respond to or many
roles at different angles. I might have a
somewhat different social self for my
parents, my teachers, my classmates, my
church, and my friends.
Myers (2010) identified influences to the
social self that include • the roles we play the
social identities we form, the comparisons we
make with others, our successes and failures,
how other people judge us, and the
surrounding culture.

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The emotional self which is the seat of our
feelings and emotions. Our emotional
aspect is our ability to experience life
deeply, to relate to one another and the
world on a feeling level. It's the part of us
that seeks meaningful contact and
connection with others which overlaps with
the social self. Developing the emotional
level of our being allows us to feel the full
range of the human experience (i.e., with
the five senses), and find fulfillment in our
relationships with ourselves and each
other (Balancing Mind, Body and Soul,
n.d.).

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The intellectual self which is the
conscious part that is referred to as the
mind. This is also related to the
physical self because we experience
our thoughts through our body
particularly the brain. It may be
important to some that their mind be
prominent and well-educated (Wong-
Fernandez et al., 2016).
The mind is important, as it is the part
of the self that directs the other two
aspects. The mind dictates what to do
to the body and the feelings.

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WHAT IS MEANT BY “WHAT THE MIND CAN
CONCEIVE, THE BODY CAN ACHIEVE.”

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If people store destructive thoughts in his mind, the
entire body may react and will result to adverse effects
affecting all the other aspects of the self.
For this reason, many have regarded the intellectual
self as the “unifying self” or the most important aspect
of the self.

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Going back to William James’ theory about
the self, he placed the spiritual self at the
top of the hierarchy. He regarded this as
the most intimate part of the self. It is the
inner subjective part.
William James did not restrict the definition
of the spiritual self in the sense of a “soul”
of a theological sense (Lundin, n.d.). But
rather, it is the most intimate version of the
self because of the satisfaction experience
when one thinks of one’s ability to argue
and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility
and conscience, of our unconquerable will
which is more pure than all other
sentiments of satisfaction (Green, 1997 as
cited in Alata, 2018).
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V. ACTIVITY
The following are the lyrics of 2 different songs about
self-awareness. Sing or go through the lines of the
song and reflect.

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Sino Ako
popularized by Regine Velasquez – Alcasid
Sino itong nasasalamin
Kaharap kongunit 'di tumitingin
S'ya ba'y nalulumbay at napapagod pa
Sa pakikipaglaban at pagtitiis
S'yaba'y ako o ako ay sya
Sadyang hindi ko makilala
Nasa'n na ba ako sa yugtong ito
Ako'y humihiling ng awa at pagmamahal
'Di ko ninais na ako'y magka-ganito
Ngunit kailangan kong hanapin ang tunay na ako
Sino ako sa puso mo
Sino ako sa buhay mo
Hanggang kailan maghihintay
Hanggang kailan mangangarap
Na magpakailanman ay kasma ka
'Di ko ninais na ako'y magka-ganito
Ngunit kailangan kong hanapin ang tunay naako
Sino ako sa puso mo
Sino akos a buhay mo
Hanggang kailan maghihintay
Hanggang kailan mangangarap
Na magpakailanman ay kasamaka
Sino ako?
Reflection
from the movie Mulan
Look at me,
I may never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter.
Can it be,
I'm not meant to play this part?
Now I see, that if I were truly to be myself,
I would break my family's heart.
Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?
Somehow I cannot hide?
Who I am, though I've tried.
When will my reflection show, who I am, inside?
How I pray, that a time will come,
I can free myself, from their expectations
On that day, I'll discover someway to be myself,
and to make my family proud.
They want a docile lamb,
No-one knows who I am.
Must there be a secret me,
I'm forced to hide?
Must I pretend that I am someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show, who I am inside?
When will my reflection show, who I am inside?
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VI. PROCESSING

1. What message did each of the song convey?

2. Do they have the same meaning? Are they different?
Explain.
3. How did lack of awareness affect the outlook in life of
character in the song?
4. What message can you draw from the story?
5. Do you agree with Benjamin Franklin in saying that to
know oneself is one of the hardest things?
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VII. ABSTRACTION AND FIRMING UP
Understanding the self is a key to become more self-aware of
one’s strengths, weaknesses, capabilities and potentials.
Though it is not easy, it is the responsibility of the person to
know himself or herself because he or she is the best person
to describe who he or she is.
As simple as answering the question “who am I?” or by
completing the “I am” phase defines our self-concept. Aside
from that knowing the different aspects of the self leads us to a
more complete picture of the self as a whole and integrated
unit.

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If we look at ourselves, our multi-faceted
characteristics is like a window of many panels. Each
of the panel represents an aspect of ourselves.
By doing self-evaluation, a process of assessing one’s
own capacities and qualities to achieve personal clarity
and self-awareness, illustrate yourself using symbols,
human figures or objects in the different aspects of
yourself. Use the table below”

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 My Window of the Self

Physical Self Material Self

Social Self Emotional Self

Intellectual Self Spiritual Self

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In relation to your illustrations depicted above, complete the following
statement integrating the different aspects of yourself.
I am______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

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Processing:
1. What is your understanding of the “self”?
2. What are the things that would define your...
a. material self?
b. physical self?
c. social self?
d. emotional self?
e. intellectual self?
f. spiritual self?
3.If you are going to arrange the different aspects of the self
into a hierarchy, what would be you order of arrangement?
(assign a number in each box, use 1 as the highest and 6 as
the lowest)
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VIII. EVALUATION

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Identification. Read the following statement and determine the aspect of the self that is described in each
sentence. Before each number, write the letter of your choice Choose the best answer from the following
choices:
a. material self c. social self e. intellectual self
b. physical self d. emotional self f. spiritual self

______ 1. I am a Filipino.
______ 2. I am an antique collector.
______ 3. I exercise regularly.
______ 4. I am a church volunteer.
______ 5. I easily get upset when things went out of my way.
______ 6. I usually have hard times making decisions.
______ 7. I usually introspect to know my deep seated thoughts and feelings.
______ 8. I have found my purpose in life.
______ 9. I am broken hearted.
______ 10. I love to travel and visit many places.
______ 11. Singing makes me feel happy.
______ 12. I take daily dose of vitamins.
______ 13. I am a student of SLSU.
______ 14. I am on a diet right now.
______ 15. I have formed the habit of saving money.

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IX. ASSIGNMENT
Identifying My Strengths

To be answered by a family member:

Please read the following descriptions of 24 positive

character attributes given below. Select the ONLY FIVE
(no less, no more) you find most often characterize me
by placing a check mark in the corresponding box.

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To be answered by a friend:
Please read the following descriptions of 24 positive
character attributes given below. Select the ONLY FIVE (no
less, no more) you find most often characterize me by
placing a check mark in the corresponding box.

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To be answered by the person (self-evaluation):

Please read the following descriptions of 24 positive

character attributes given below. Select the ONLY FIVE (no
less, no more) you find most often characterize me by
placing a check mark in the corresponding box.

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 Summary of My Strengths
Family Member Friend Self-evaluation
1. 1. 1.

2. 2. . 2.

3. 3. 3.

4. 4. 4.

5. 5. 5.

Adopted from: Alberts, H., &Pennock, S. F. (n.d.). Positive psychology coaching: Workbook for client.
Retrieved from http://positivepsychologyprogram.com.html

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X. REFERENCES
Alata, E. P., Caslib, Jr. B. N., Serafica, J. J., &Pawilen, R. A. (2018). Understanding
the self. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Alberts, H., &Pennock, S. F. (n.d.). Positive psychology coaching: Workbook for
client. Retrieved from http://positivepsychologyprogram.com.html
Balancing Mind, Body and Soul. (n.d.). Four aspects of the “self”. Retrieved from
http://www.balancingmindbodysoul.co.uk/spiritual-development/the-
four-aspects-of-self
Jhangiani, R., &Tarry, H. (n.d.). Principles of social psychology. Retrieved from
https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/the-cognitive-self-the-
self-concept/

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Lundin, R. W. (n.d.). Theories and systems of psychology (5thed.).
Lexington, MA: D. C. Health and Company.
Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10thed.). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Wong-Fernandez, B., Quiba, C. C., Que-Legaspi, E. X., Rafanan, M. R., &

Velasquez- Garcia, Z. (2016). Personal development. Quezon City:
Sunshine Interlinks Publishing House, Inc.
Jhangiani, R., &Tarry, H. (n.d.). Principles of social psychology. Retrieved
from https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/the-cognitive-
self-the-self-concept/

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Prepared by:

Prof. HELENE D. DAYA, Ph.D.,RGC

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