PERSONAL

DEVELOPMENT
( Pansariling Kaunlaran )
UNIT 1
SELF
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 4
YES, I CAN –
INDEPENDENCE AND
RESPONSIBILITY
 WHAT ARE THE
THINGS YOU CAN
DO NOW?
 The ADOLESCENCE PERIOD, as a transition
stage, carries with it a lot of changes meant
to prepare you for the life ahead.
 The physical and physiological
developments that allow you to do many
things are notable in the previous chapter;
you have been engaged in self-discovery to
let you get to know yourself better.
 Establishing a personal identity is a
major task and crucial in your personal
growth. Significantly, knowing who you
are can guide you in your career
planning as you discover your
interests, abilities, and personality.
  However, self-discovery is just the beginning.
 The next important thing is to know what you
need to do so you can adjust well with the changes
and demands of adolescence.
 You are no longer a CHILD. You are on a journey
to discovering what you are capable of doing.
 This must be an exciting time of your life when
you feel that you can do things independently.
 The world begins to expect from you as you
start to stand on your own.
ROBERT J. HAVIGHURST (1900 – 1991 )

A distinguished educator, proposed that

there are specific things to do that come
with each stage of development.
They are called developmental tasks that
need to be accomplished to enable you to
perform other tasks in life.
  For adolescent like you who are in
transition to becoming young adults, these
tasks will significantly help you in your
development and make it possible for you
to comply with the demands that come with
this crucial stage.
 Additionally, it will help you adjust well in
the forthcoming changes in your life and be
a responsible adult in the future.
 TASK 1. YOU MUST ADJUST WITH THE PHYSICAL
CHANGES THAT MARKED YOUR GROWTH

At this point, changes in your physique should

have fully set in. Your physical traits are now
developed. What comes very important now is
for you to properly take care of your body. You
need to keep yourself healthy. Protect your body
from physical harm and any form of abuse, like
using alcohol or drugs.
 TASK 2. YOU MUST ADJUST WITH YOUR GROWING
INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES AND DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING
SKILLS

 This is the time when your thinking goes

beyond what is concrete and physical. You are
able to see the world beyond what you see.
 You begin to reach a new level of awareness
about things.
 You can engage in abstract thinking, deal with
thought, and expand your ideas.
 TASK 2. YOU MUST ADJUST WITH YOUR GROWING
INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES AND DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING
SKILLS
 You ask “what if”...?” and from that question, you
generate possibilities. You do not simply accept
explanations.
 You can analyze and test hypotheses to see if they
are true. A wonderful ability is to be able to think
ahead and entertain what might be in the future.
“What will I be in the future” is an engaging
question.
 TASK 3. YOU MUST ADJUST TO THE
ACADEMIC DEMANDS IN SCHOOL
 Your intellectual abilities must adapt to the
cognitive demands in your studies. As you
must have noticed, your subjects are becoming
more difficult each year.
 The requirements become more demanding.
 At times, you need to multi-task just to cope
with various requirements.
 TASK 3. YOU MUST ADJUST TO THE
ACADEMIC DEMANDS IN SCHOOL
 In college, or even in vocational courses, you
will discover that you will have to do more,
and should perform even better as it is already
preparatory to your chosen career.
 You also need to exercise decision-making and
problem solving skills which are crucial in
dealing with situations.
 TASK 4. YOU MUST DEVELOP YOUR
LANGUAGE SKILLS
 With expanded thinking and abilities,
you must learn to communicate
effectively.
 Learn to express what you think and
feel. Answer like “I don’t know…”
won’t get you far.
 TASK 4. YOU MUST DEVELOP YOUR
LANGUAGE SKILLS
 Often, it gives you an impression of being less
competent. As you learn more, you have to push
yourself in processing what you learn and
articulate your understanding of them.
 Speak your mind, express your feeling. However,
you also have to make sure that you are not
offending anyone. Be sensible and sensitive at the
same time.
 TASK 5. YOU MUST ESTABLISH YOUR
PERSONAL IDENTITY

As already discussed in the previous chapter,

knowing oneself and establishing one’s identity
is very important. Who are you? What sets you
apart from others? It is healthy to engage in
endeavors that allow you to know yourself and
be aware of what sets you apart from others.
 TASK 6. YOU MUST LEARN TO BE
INDEPENDENT
Independence kicks in with being your own
person and asserting your individuality. This
is the stage when you start pulling yourself
out from the comfort zone of your parents.
Often times, this attempt is marred by
conflicts with adults or authorities.
 TASK 7. YOU MUST ESTABLISH HEALTHY
PEER RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships with others, especially with people
your age, is a very important element in the life
of an adolescent like you. It is a crucial that you
form friendships that are supportive of your
growth. Make friends with people who will be
good influences to you and will inspire you to do
your best.
 TASK 8. YOU MUST MANAGE YOUR
SEXUALITY
Your maturing bodies brought by physical
changes give you sexual characteristics and
identity. Such requires that you behave in a
manner that promotes self-respect and
protects you from situations that will
compromise your future.
 TASK 8. YOU MUST MANAGE YOUR
SEXUALITY
You must engage in responsible sexual
behaviors that incorporate good values and
gracious manners. This means that you
behave in ways that do not put you at risk for
early pregnancy or health problems (e.g.
sexually transmitted diseases).
TASK 9. YOU MUST ADOPT GOOD MORAL STANDARDS,
PERSONAL VALUES, AND BELIEFS.

 Initially, your parents set the rules on what is good and

bad/right or wrong.
 Your behaviors then were influenced by the consequences
that your parents or authorities have set. This may change
when you reach this stage when you can determine what
beliefs or values you will accommodate and will fit your
system, as influenced by what you have already learned in
school, what your friends (and significant others) have told
you, and what you already experienced in life.
TASK 9. YOU MUST ADOPT GOOD MORAL STANDARDS,
PERSONAL VALUES, AND BELIEFS.

Connected to establishing your

identity is ascribing to a particular
moral standard or personal values
that you find meaningful and
helpful to you.
 TASK 10. YOU MUST LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR
IMPULSE AND EXHIBIT BEHAVIORAL MATURITY

 As already asserted, you are no longer a child.

 You can no longer throw tantrums when you want
something, or assert yourself as you wish.
 You must be able to control your impulse and
emotions, and show maturity in your behavior. Be
well-mannered, manage your emotions (especially
control with anger), and exercise self-control.
 TASK 10. YOU MUST LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR
IMPULSE AND EXHIBIT BEHAVIORAL MATURITY
At this stage when you are bursting with
energies and idealism, it is tempting to
engage in risky behaviors to test your own
limits or for the sake of experience. Be
careful, be cautious, don’t put yourself in any
risk or in harm’s way. Your future may be at
stake.
TASK 11. YOU MUST ESTABLISH CAREER
OR VOCATIONAL GOALS
Having known who you are, your
important personal skills and what you
want to become in the future, the next
big step is setting clear goals on how
you will make your career plans
happen.
TASK 11. YOU MUST ESTABLISH CAREER
OR VOCATIONAL GOALS
 How are you going to prepare for the job you want? You
will need to assess your skills get into right educational
program, and persevere in achieving your goals.

 What do you want to become in the future? Doctor?

Lawyer? Entrepreneur? Once you identified your career
or vocational goals, work on reaching them. Success by
keeping yourself on the right track. An important step is
to study well
 INDEPENDENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY
 At the heart of the many things you need to do,
establishing independence is a major goal during the
period of adolescence which should go hand in hand
with becoming more responsible.
 This is the time when you want to make your own
choices.
 At times, you may resent being told what to do, believing
you already know what to do and can handle things by
yourself.
INDEPENDENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY

 In this chapter, some straightforward tips

are given to help you on your own way to
independence.
 Dealing with the developmental tasks will
help you develop your abilities and will let
you become effective in being independent.
 SELF-ADJUSTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF
SKILLS – ADJUSTING TO A MATURING BODY

 So, you have changed. You certainly look

different now.
 One important thing to do is to see your
physical self with acceptance and give it
nurturance.
 Your body image (how you see yourself) affects
your self-esteem and how you treat yourself.
 SELF-ADJUSTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF
SKILLS – ADJUSTING TO A MATURING BODY

 Taking care of yourself is essential to your

growth.
 A well-cared for body helps ensure achievement
of optimum health and good performance in
your tasks.
 This is the time of your life when you are full of
enery and it is so exciting to do many things.
RECALL THE WAYS TO KEEP YOURSELF HEALTHY

 Eat healthy food

 Exercise
 Avoid habits that are bad for your
health like smoking, drinking alcohol,
and taking drugs.
 Observe good hygiene all the time
DEVELOPING SKILLS
 COGNITION is a very important process in
learning.
 It refers to thinking skills covering important
aspects like acquiring knowledge, solving
problems, and making decisions. It involves
remembering, understanding, analyzing and
creating.
DEVELOPING SKILLS
 At SHS, you face a crucial point in your career
preparation.
 There are more academic requirements aimed at
developing your skills necessary to prepare you
for bigger tasks ahead.
 The goal of entering college of taking a vocational
course requires that you meet a certain level of
learning ability.
DEVELOPING SKILLS
 Your ability to learn or acquire knowledge
depends on your cognitive skills.
 These are the skills that let you process,
understand, remember information, and
communicate them effectively.
 More than that, cognitive skills enable you to be
logical, creative, and become a critical thinker.
DEVELOPING SKILLS
 They are also essential in communicating and
collaborating with people.
 You need those skills to do well in school, and be
effective in your chosen line of work.
 Hence, your cognitive skills will be a significant
factor that will determine your ability to pursue
the career of your choice.
DEVELOPING SKILLS
 They are also essential in communicating and
collaborating with people.
 You need those skills to do well in school, and be
effective in your chosen line of work.
 Hence, your cognitive skills will be a significant
factor that will determine your ability to pursue
the career of your choice.
DEVELOPING SKILLS
 Some people are born with great intelligence.
 Others are able to develop and nurture the
seed of intelligence within them.
 We all have the capacity to learn.
 Perseverance is a key to developing the mind.
 Keep your mind at work.
 ASIDE FROM BEING DILIGENT IN YOUR
STUDIES, HERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO
 Be Inquisitive
 Brainstorm
 Imagine and Explore
 Create or Innovate
 Engage in Problem-Solving
 Read
 BE INQUISITIVE
 Be an active learner. Ask questions.
 Be curious about things.
 Adapt an attitude of wanting to learn
more, especially related to your
interests or the work you would like
to do in the future.
BE BRAINSTORM
Come up with a lot of ideas.
Think of many ways to look at
certain things. See how thing
exercise will expand the way
you look at the world.
IMAGINE AND EXPLORE
As you entertain various ideas, you
allow yourself to visualize and
explore different ways of thinking.
You raise your level of awareness
about things.
 CREATE OR INNOVATE
Use your thought in creating
some things. Turn your ideas
into useful projects or find
ways of doing things.
 ENGAGE IN PROBLEM-SOLVING
Keep your mind at work and further
develop its capacity by challenging it.
Aside from doing your assignments,
taking tests, working on projects, you
may also work on brain teasers or
crossword puzzle during your free time.
 READ
Reading enriches your knowledge. You get to
learn more by reading. It also help improve
your vocabolary, level up your
comprehension skills, develop your verbal
skills, and sharpen your other cognitive
abilities, allowing you to successfully engage
in more complex thinking tasks.
DEVELOPING COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Your communication skills will be valuable for your
independence. It will help you become more effective in
dealing with people.

COMMUNICATION from the Latin word “communicare,”

which means to share.

COMMUNICATION is an act of sharing thoughts or

information.
THROOP and CASTELLUCCI (2011) identified the elements
and patterns of communication

ELEMENTS: Sender, Reciever, Message

PATTERNS:
a. One-way communication (the sender gives the message,
the reciever gets it, and the process is complete)
b. Two-way communication (the sender gives the
message, the reciever gets it and responds with another
message.
LANGUAGE is a crucial skills that you need
to develop at this time to be an effective
communicator.

To help you develop your communication

skills, it is important to be aware of your
style in communicating.
 2 MAJOR BEHAVIORS THAT PEOPLE MANIFEST DURING
COMMUNICATION
RESPONSIVENESS – shows your openness in dealing with
others. If you are highly responsive, you tend to be friendly
and open with your feeling. On the other hand, if your level
of responsiveness is low, you are likely to be self-controlled
and you tend to hide emotions.

ASSERTIVENESS – behavior ranging from asking questions

(low assertiveness) to telling others what’s expected (high
assertiveness)
DEVELOPING SELF-CONTROL

 Part of seeking independence is being responsible with

your actions.
 Responsibility is one of the trademarks of maturity that
manifest in your behavior.
 One way of showing it is by exercising self-control in
managing your behaviors and emotions.
 You do it by being careful with your actions, being aware
of your feelings, and being conscious of the consequences
of your behavior.
DEVELOPING SELF-CONTROL

 Having self-control will help you refrain from doing

something that you might otherwise regret.
 You need this skill as you stride to do things indepedently.

 For example, standing in a long line to order food for lunch

can test your patience especially when you are already
feeling hungry. Some people lose their temper especially
when then queue is slow. In such case, people react? If you
get mad, will it help the situation?
HOW CAN YOU DO IT? HERE ARE SOME WAYS

LEARN YOUR OWN SIGNS AND TRIGGERS.

 What are your weaknesses?
 What usually makes you angry?
 What are the physical signs that show you are about to
lose control?
 Does you jaw tighten?
 Do you clench your fist?
HOW CAN YOU DO IT? HERE ARE SOME WAYS
TAKE A DIFFERENT OR POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE

 Instead of giving in to your anger, consider the consequences of

losing your temper.
 When confronted with a tough situation and you feel like
exploding because you want to give up, why not ask yourself if it
is the end of the world?
 Moreover, learn to take priorities when confronted with a
situation that makes you want to give in to your desires, even if
you know what should come first.
HOW CAN YOU DO IT? HERE ARE SOME WAYS

BREATH DEEPLY
 Breathing when done properly, helps you relax.
 It calms down your heightened feelings like anger
or frustration.
 You will learn more about this in Chapter 9, Stress
Busting