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Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Assessment Task Submission Submission of assessment tasks shall be on 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th
week of the term. The assessment paper shall be attached with a
cover page indicating the title of the assessment task (if the task
is performance), the name of the course coordinator, date of
submission and name of the student. The document should be
emailed to the course coordinator. It is also expected that you
already paid your tuition and other fees before the submission of
the assessment task.
Students with a Special Needs Students with special needs shall communicate with the course
coordinator about the nature of his or her special needs.
Depending on the nature of the need, the course coordinator with
the approval of the program coordinator may provide alternative
assessment tasks or extension of the deadline of submission of
assessment tasks. However, the alternative assessment tasks
should still be in the service of achieving the desired course
learning outcomes.
Hello prospective student! Welcome to this course (GE 1) Understanding the Self. This course is
intended to facilitate the exploration of the issues and concerns regarding self and identity to arrive at a
better understanding of one’s self. It strives to meet this goal by stressing the integration of the personal
and with the academic-contextualizing matters discussed in this new normal platform of classroom and
ineveryday experiences of students-making for better learning, generating a new appreciation for the
learning process, and developing a more critical and reflective attitude while enabling them to manage
ad improve their selves to attain a better quality of life. It combines the wisdom of prominent figures in
the areas of philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology as well as Eastern and Western thoughts
to provide answers to the questions “who am I?” and “what am I?”
Course Outcome:
Before we start the actual learning, it is necessary that students will analyze how understanding oneself
is the most interesting and challenging task as an individual should be able to achieve in a lifetime, as
well as they will establish an adequate knowledge on the different and several information about
themselves from various perspectives – time: their past, present and future self; dimensional: their
physical, emotional mental, social and spiritual self; and functional: their political, material, economic,
and digital self.
Let us begin!
Big Picture
Week 1-3. Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are expected to:
a. Explain the nature, concept and meaning of the self.
b. Discuss and explain the different roles and philosophical standpoint in understanding the self and
how these philosophical perspectives have molded through times.
c. Synthesize and analyze the different philosophical views of self.
a. Big Picture in Focus: ULOa.Explain the nature, concept and meaning of the self.
Metalanguage
a. For you to demonstrate ULOa, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of the self.
• Self - sometimes referred to as the soul, ego, psyche, identity, I ,me, or being.
• Cognitive – relating to or involving conscious intellectual activity
• Affective – relating to or arising from feelings influenced by emotions.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for the first three (3) weeks of the
course, you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the
succeeding pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus,
you are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
1: SELF-EXAMINATION
1. How can you describe yourself based on your own perspective or point of view?
“I am ________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.”
➢ Explain your program and your institution’s vision, mission and objectives.
➢ Focus your attention as well as listen and cooperate wholeheartedly and openly during online
class-sessions and;
➢ Demonstrate self-understanding and self-acceptance.
College life said to be the most challenging and exciting phase of your life. It is entirely new
adventure that everyone looks forward to. It is a world different form your primary as well as junior
and senior high schools. Since you are in your freshman year, everything-including this subject – is
new to you.
An Overview of Self/Identity
The “self” has many aspects. These aspects make up the “self’s” integral parts, such as self-
awareness, self-esteem, self-knowledge, and self-perception. With these aspects that person is able to
alter, change, add/or modify himself or herself for the purpose of gaining social acceptance.
The “self” is an important study in psychology. It holds either the cognitive and affective
representation of an individual. Knowing oneself is critical to being an effective team member as well as
being successful in life,
work, and relationships. Your personal identity influences everything you do, and it changes
and evolves over time.
The “self” is a topic that is often taked about but largely goes unnoticed. Every time that ‘I’ is
mentioned (e.g. I will go to the theatre) the self is highlighted as an actor. The consciousness of the
existence of the self has been almost automatic or reflexive. Thus, people are almost unaware of that in
our everyday living. Scholars (i.e., theorists, scientists, philosophers) in different fields have attempted
to explain and expound some several issues about the character, subsistence and dimensionality of the
“self”.
Understanding the Self is a new GE Course for all college students regardless of the diverse
courses/fields they will take. This course uses an Outcome-Based Education (OBE) SYLLABUS to
allow the students to appreciate learning better with enriching, creative, fun-filled activities, as well
as mind-blogging exercises that enable them to develop high critical-order thinking skills while at
home.
CONCEPT MAP
Philosophical
perspective
An anthropological Sociological
conceptualization perspective:
of Self: The self The self as a
as embedded in Who am I?
product
culture
SELF
The Self in
What am I?
Psychological western and
Perspective eastern
thought
SELF-HELP:You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand the lesson:
1. Holt, J. (2014). Is there such a thing as the self? Prospect Magazine, 413-421. https://doi-
org/10.1080./13604 810701669
2. Oyserman, D., Elmore, K.C., & Smith, G.C. (2012). Self, self-concept, and identity. In M.R.
Leary & J.P. Tangey (Eds.), Handbook of self and identity. (pp. 69-75). New York & London:
The Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v10n03_13_pgs. 69-75
Activity 1.1
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Activity 1.2
About Myself……
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Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
b. Big Picture in Focus: ULOb.Discuss and explain the different roles and
philosophical standpoint in understanding the self and how these philosophical
perspectives have molded through times.
Metalanguage
For you to demonstrate ULOb, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the
different roles and philosophical standpoint in understanding the self and how these philosophical
perspectives have molded through times.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for the first three (3) weeks of the
course, you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the
succeeding pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus, you
are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
1.SELF-DESCRIPTION ESSAY. Write an essay anything that you wish to share about
yourself. You may use these suggested topics.
Me as me
How other people see me
How would I like other people to see me
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Ample of Philosophies concerns with the essential nature of the self. The philosophical framework for
understanding the self was first introduced by the ancient great Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle. The Greeks were the ones who seriously questioned myths and moved away from them to
understand reality and respond to perennial questions of curiosity, including the questions of the self.
The different views of prominent philosophers regarding the nature of the self are discussed; most of
them agree the self-knowledge is a prerequisite to a happy and meaningful life.
Let’s find out how the philosophers define or describe self during the early and modern times.
SOCRATES
Socrates was a Greek philosopher. Though, unlike other
philosophers during his time, he never wrote anything. All
the information’s about him today is through second-hand
information from his student Plato and historian Xenophon
(The Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017).
“I know that I don’t know”
For Socrates the self is synonymous with the soul. He believes that every human possesses an
immortal soul that survives the physical body. Socrates is concerned with the problem of the self. He is
the one to first focus on the full power of reason on the human self: who we are, who we should be, and
who we will become.Socrates believed that the real self is not the physical body, but rather the psyche
(or soul).
10 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Thus, Socrates suggests that man must live an examined life and a life of purpose and value. For him,
an individual can have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and knows the value of
himself that can be achieved through incessant soul-searching (Rappe, 1995). He added that self-
knowledge would open your eyes to your true nature; which is contrary to pop culture. It is not about
how many properties you own or how many “likes” you get in your social media accounts and even how
successful you are in chosen career. In a real sense, your real self is not even your body. He added that
the state of your inner being (soul/self) determines the quality of your life.
Socrates was described to have gone about in Athens questioning everyday views and popular
Athenian beliefs. This leads to some leaders got offended by him. He was accused of lack or reverence
for the gods and for corrupting the minds of the youth. At the age of 70, he was sentenced to death
through drinking a cup of poison hemlock (Brickhouse & Smith, 2002).
The core of Socratic ethics is the concept of virtue and knowledge. Virtueis the basic and most basic
propensity of man and Self-knowledge is the source of all wisdom, an individual may gain possession
of oneself and be one’s own master through knowledge(The Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
2017). The famous line of Socrates, “Know thy Self”, tells each man to bring his inner self to light.
Some Socratic ideas were:
“the worst thing that can happen to anyone is to live but die inside.”
“every person is dualistic”
“the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself.”
Body + soul = Man
imperfect/permanent (body) + perfect & permanent (soul) = Individual
PLATO
“Good actions give
Plato is another Greek Philosopher who elaborates strength to ourselves
Socrates’ concept of the soul. He was the student of and inspire god actions
Socrates. He is best known for his Theory of Forms that in others”. -PLATO
REASON is the divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make wise decisions and
achieve the true understanding of eternal truths.
PHYSICALAPPETITE includes our biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desires.
SPIRIT or PASSION composes the basic emotions like love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness,
and empathy.
11 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
ST. AGUSTINE
The African philosopher, Augustine, is regarded as a saint (St. Augustine of Hippo) in
the Catholic Church. He is one of the Latin Fathers of the church, one of the Doctors
of the church, and one of the most significant Christian thinkers (Encyclopedia
Britannica, 2017).
He integrates the ideas of Plato and teachings of Christianity. He adopted Plato’s
All knowledge leads to God
view that the “self” is an immaterial (but rational) soul. Augustine believes
that the physical body is radically different form the inferior to its inhabitant,
the immortal soul. Giving the Theory of Forms a Christian perspective, Augustine asserted that these
forms were concepts existing within the perfect and eternal God (The Catholic University of America
Press, 1982) where the soul belonged. He believed that the human being was both a soul and body,
and the body possessed sense, such as imagination, memory, reason, and mind through which the soul
experienced the world.
In his work, Confessions, Augustine describes that humankind is created in the image and likeness
of God. Everything created by God is all good is good. Therefore, the human person, being a creation of
God is always geared towards the good.
The aspects of the self/soul according to St. Augustine’s are:
RENE DESCARTES
René Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and a scientist and
considered as the father of modern philosophy. He was regarded as the first thinker
to emphasize the use of reason to describe, predict, and understand natural
phenomena based on observations and empirical evidence (Bertrand, 2004;
The Latin phrase Cogito Ergo Sum – “I think therefore I am” is the keystone of Descartes’
concept of self. For him, the act of thinking about the self – of being self-conscious – I in it proof that
there is a self. He asserted that everything perceived by the senses could not be used as proof of
existence because human senses could be fooled.
12 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
It is known only to itself (only you know It can be doubted; The public can correct
your own mental event and others correct claims about the body.
your mental states).
In particular, he introduces the idea of the thinking self (soul) as non-material, immortal,
conscious being, and independent of the physical laws of the universe. In contrast, the physical body is
a material mortal, non-thinking entity, fully governed by the physical laws of the nature. On the other
hand, each other, the body and the soul are independent of one another and each can exist and
function without the other.
JOHN LOCKE
Human mind at birth is a
John Locke is an English philosopher and physician. tabula rasa, which means that
knowledge is derived from
For Locke, the human mind at birth is Tabula rasa
experience.
or a blank slate. He expanded the definition of the
“self” that includes the memories of that thinking thing.
He feels that the “self” or personal identity is basically constructed from the
experiences – like what people see, smell, taste, hear and feel. He also interpreted that to mean the
“self” - it must consist of memory; meaning the person existing today is the same person yesterday
(Natsoulas, 1994; Fuchs, 2017).
For Locke, the memories of a person provide the continuity of its experiences that allows
him/her to really identify himself as the same person over the time (Winkler, 1991). Since Locke account
that the person is the same “self” in the passing of time, therefore, he/she is accountable for whatever
behaviors he will act. Locke's denial of innate ideas put a premium on individual effort, on the labor
necessary to gain knowledge from experience (Tarcov, P. 83). Man could be ruled and be free - man is
endowed with natural rights such as life, liberty and property (Cranston,, p. 12)
Some of John Locke’s ideas about the “self”:
-Believed that at birth human mind is a blank slate; a tabula rasa (empty of ideas).
13 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
SELF-HELP:You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand the lesson:
1. Chafee, J. (2013) Who are you? Consciousness, identity and the self. In The philopher’s way:
Thinking critically about profound ideas (pp. 154-155). Boston, MA: Pearson
2. Mahdi, M. (1962). Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. New York, NY: The Free Press of Glencoe.
Let’s Check!
Encircle the letter of the correct answer that best corresponds with what is asked:
2. In his Theory of Forms, he introduces the concept of the two worlds: the world of forms (non-
physical ideas) and the world of sense (reality).
a. Socrates
b. Plato
c. Aristotle
d. None of the Above
4. He postulates that the human mind at birth is a blank slate or tabula rasa.
a. St. Augustine
b. Rene Descartes
c. John Locke
d. Plato
5. He believed that the most Important thing in life is the state of an individual’s soul.
a. Socrates
b. Plato
c. Aristotle
d. Rene Descartes
14 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
c. Aristotle
d. St. Augustine
7. Plato believed that there are three parts of the soul, namely:
a. Appetitive, rational, and spirited
b. Appetitive, spirited, and rational
c. Rational, spirited, and appetitive
d. Spirited, rational, and appetitive
15 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Renaissance
RENE DESCARTES Rationalist Mind-Body Dualism ▪ “I think, therefore I am”
▪ The mind and soul can exist
without the body
▪ There is a distinction between man
and the person
▪ The soul may change, but
consciousness remains intact.
JOHN LOCKE Empiricist Theory of Personal ▪ It is consciousness alone that
Identity identity exists, not in the body and
soul.
▪ There is a distinction between man
and person
▪ The soul may change, but
consciousness remains intact.
Time to
Discover!
Our Discussion to cover ULOb can be summarize by the following
key points below:
Augustine suggests that the body is united with the soul so that te
man may be entire and complete.
Descartes, suggests that the act of thinking about the self or being
self-conscious is proof that there is a self. There are two dimensions
of a human self: the self is a thinking entity and the self as a physical
body.
Locke believes that conscious awareness and memory of previous
experiences are the keys to the understanding the self. He believes
that the essence of the self is its conscious awareness of itself as a
thinking, reasoning, and reflecting identity.
16 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s Assess!
Identify the philosopher who proposed the particular view of self presented in the
first column. Then, examine your personal view about the nature of self and
indicate whether you believe or not in the philosophical view of self. If you believe
in the stated philosophy, recall an important experience you have had which
relates to it. If you do not believe, explain your disbelief. How do you think your experiences or
disbelief affects your selfhood?
Believe it or
Philosophical not: (write B if Related life Reasons why I Effects on my
Philosopher
view of self you believe; N experiences do not believe selfhood
if you don’t)
An unexamined
life is not worth
living.
The self seeks
to be united with
God through
faith and reason
The human
mind at birth is a
blank slate or
tabula rasa
Let’s Reflect!
Write an essay on the philosophical perspective of the self. Consider the following
questions in writing your essay.
My Reflection
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______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
17 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
3.
4.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
18 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
c. Big Picture in Focus: ULOc. Synthesize and analyze the different philosophical views
of self.
Metalanguage
d. For you to demonstrate ULOc, you will need Synthesize and analyze the different philosophical
views of self.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for the first three (3) weeks of the
course, you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the
succeeding pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus,
you are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
19 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Prepare a two-minute speech about yourself describing the essence of your personal identity,
“Who are you?” You can choose to share a personal story or an interesting experience. You can
talk about your family and career, or your goals and dreams.
Presentation Notes
Debriefing Questions
20 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
DAVID HUME
All knowledge derived from
Scottish Philosopher David Hume suggests
that if people carefully examine their sense human senses.
of experience through the process of
introspection, they will discover that there is no self. According to him, what people
experience is just bundle or collection of different perceptions Monilla, M.J. &
Ramirez, N. (2018). He was a fierce opponent of Descartes’ Rationalism. Rationalismis a theory that
reason, rather than experience, is the foundation of all knowledge. He was one of the figureheads of the
influential British Empiricism movement. Empiricism is the idea that the origin of all knowledge is
experience (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017).
Hume is identified with the Bundle Theorywherein he described the “self” or person (which
Hume assumed to be “mind”) as a bundle or collection of different perceptions that are moving in a very
fast manner. He believed that the human intellect and experiences are limited; therefore, it is impossible
to attribute it to an independent persisting entity (i.e., soul) (Pike, 1967; Seigel, 2005).
Hume divided the mind’s perceptions into two groups:
1) Impressions. Perceptions that are the most strong. These are directly experienced; they result
from inward and outward sentiments.
2) Ideas. The less lively counterparts of impressions. These are mechanisms that copy and
reproduce sense data formulated based upon the previously perceived impressions.
For Hume, the “self” was nothing but a series of incoherent impressions received by the senses
(Montgomery, 1889). Hume compared the “self” to a nation; where a nation retains its “being a nation
“not by some single core of identity but by being composed of different, constantly changing elements
like people, systems, culture and beliefs. Hume did not believe in the existence of the “self”. He insisted
that your perceptions are only active for as long as your are conscious. In line with this, Hume seemed
to reduce the “self” as a light bulb that may be switched on and off.
21 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
the body. He proposed that it is knowledge that bridges the “self” and the material things together
(Boee, 1999; Brook, 2004).
Two kinds of consciousness of self (rationality):
1) Consciousness of oneself and one’s psychological states in inner sense, and
2) Consciousness of oneself and one’s states by performing acts of appreciation.
Appreciationis the mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to
the body of ideas he or she already possesses.
Kant’s point is that what truly exist are your ideas and your knowledge of your ideas that you
perceive in the outside. He defended the diverse quality or state of the body and soul (self) presenting
that “bodies are objects of the outer souls; souls are objects of inner sense” (Carpenter, 2004).
Kant did NOT put forward a Moral Argument for the Existence of God.
Kant rejected all attempts to argue from the world to God.
Kant believed that God was a postulate of practical reason, meaning you can argue from
Reason to God.
➢ All human beings desire and seek happiness
➢ All human beings ought to be moral and do their duty
➢ The universe (not just the physical universe) is fair
➢ The Summum Bonum (highest good) represents virtue and happiness
➢ Everyone seeks the summum bonum (from (1) and (2))
➢ What is sought must be achievable because the universe is fair (see (3))
➢ The Summum Bonum is not achievable in this life
➢ So it is necessary to POSTULATE a life after death in which the Summum
Bonumcanbe achieved AND it is necessary to POSTULATE a God to guarantee
fairness
Kant did not believe that either Life after Death nor God could be proved, only that they could
be postulated. If the universe if fair and if the Summum Bonum can be achieved, then there must be
aGod to ensure it.
A theory of personality dynamics, in which conscious and unconscious motivation and ego-
defense mechanisms play a major role. A theory of psychosexual development, in which
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
differentmotives and body regions influence the child at different stages of growth, with effects
persisting in the form of adult personality traits.
Structure of personality:
Freud thought of personality as being based upon a structure of three parts: the id, the ego and the
superego.
ID – Pleasure
EGO – Reality
SUPEREGO – For perfection/ideal
Psychoanalytic Model
ID (primitive, instinctive component of personality) – Latin word of Id is ‘It’ Id is the original
source of personality, which is present in a newborn.
The Id, the most primitive part, can be thought of as a sort of storehouse of biologically based
urges: to eat, drink, eliminate, and especially, to be sexually stimulated.
The sexual energy that underlies these urges is called the libido.
It is present in the deepest level of the unconscious andrepresents the inner world of subjective
experience.
It is unconcerned with objective reality and is unaffected by the environment Id is completely
selfish; concerned with immediate gratification of instinctual needs, and the biological drives,
like hunger, sex.
Ego (the decision-making component) – The Latin word of ego is ‘I’ which means ‘self’.
The ego acts as a mediator or balance between the demands of Id and superego.
Ego is based on the Reality Principle.
Ego delays the discharge of tension.
It postponed the desires.
This adaptive measure of Ego is refereed as secondary process thinking.
Process Thinking – Ego waits for the right moment for the satisfaction of desire, whereas id
satisfies desires immediately. Ego develops from Id and works for Id. Ego is an executive, which
mediate between the demands of id and realities of world and demands of super ego
Functions of Ego
23 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
The superego is that part of personality that represents internalized value, ideals and moral
attitude of society.
It is outgrowth of learning the taboos and moralvalues of society.
It is refer to conscience and is concerned with right and wrong.
It inhabits the ID desires.
Sex and aggressive superego operates through the ego system and compel the ego to inhibit
desires that are considering wrong or immoral.
Its psychiatric function is expresses as guilt, self-criticism and consciences.
Rewarding functions
Ego ideal- superego develops with Oedipus
complex.
Conscious level
Preconscious level
Unconscious part
Conscious level
24 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Preconscious level is described as that part of mind in which ideas and reactions are stored and
partially forgotten.
“I act Ryle summarizes the essential elements of the dualistic view of the
self—mind and body as distinct entities—first articulated by Plato and
therefore, I
then perpetuated in various incarnations through St. Augustine,
am” Descartes, and others. Under this view, the body is seen as a physical
entity, subject to the physical laws of the universe, whereas the mind
25 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
(soul, spirit) is a nonphysical entity and exempt from the laws of the universe. As a result, the body is
mortal and dies, whereas the mind is at least potentially able to continue existing beyond the death of
the body. According to Ryle, this dualistic view has serious implications for what we can know and not
know. Although each person has direct knowledge of his or her mind, it is impossible for us to have any
direct knowledge of other minds.
Ryle observes, these transactional events “can be inspected neither by introspection nor by
laboratory experiment. They are theoretical shuttlecocks which are forever bandied from the physiologist
back to the psychologist and from the psychologist back to the physiologist.” And in Ryle’s mind (note
the commonly used spatial metaphor!) there are even more serious implications of a dualistic
perspective
Behaviorism- The view that the “self” is defined by observable behavior.
Category mistake- Representing the facts or concepts as if they belonged in one logical category when
they actually belong in another.
In our everyday experience, we act and speak as if we have much more direct knowledge of
other minds and what they’re thinking without having to go through this tortured and artificial reasoning
process. We encounter others, experience the totality of their behavior, and believe that this behavior
reveals directly “who” they are and what they’re thinking. Ryle goes on to analyze how this apparent
conflict between the theory of Cartesian dualism (“the ghost in the machine”) and our everyday
experience of others is actually the result of confused conceptual thinking, a logical error that he terms a
“category mistake.”
PAUL CHURCHLAND
The philosopher Paul Churchland articulates such a vision in the following
essay. He begins by acknowledging that a simple identity formula—mental
states = brain states—is a flawed way in which to conceptualize the
relationship between the mind and the brain. Instead, we need to develop a
new, neuroscience-based vocabulary that will enable us to think and
communicate clearly about the mind, consciousness, and human experience.
He refers to this view as “eliminative materialism.”
PAUL CHURCHLAND (1942–) American
philosopher (Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Churchland’s central argument is that the concepts and
1969); Areas of interest include philosophy of theoretical vocabulary we use to think about
mind, philosophy of science, cognitive
ourselves—using such terms as belief, desire, fear,
neurobiology, epistemology, and perception.
sensation, pain, joy—actually misrepresent the reality of
Authored several works on mind, including The
minds and selves.
Engine of Reason, The Seat of the Soul: A
Philosophical Journey into the Brain (MIT, 1995).
All of these concepts are part of a
commonsense “folk psychology that obscures rather
than clarifies the nature of human experience.
Eliminative materialists believe that we need to develop a new vocabulary and conceptual framework
that is ground in neuroscience that will be a more accurate reflection of the human mind and self.
Churchland proceeds to state the arguments that he believes support his position.
Churchland’s point is that the most compelling argument for developing a new conceptual
framework and vocabulary founded on neuroscience is the simple fact that the current “folk psychology”
26 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
has done a poor job in accomplishing the main reason for their existence—explaining and predicting the
commonplace phenomena of the human mind and experience.
And in the same way that science replaces outmoded, ineffective, and limited conceptual
frameworks with ones that can Materialism: The Self Is the
Brain 141 explain and predict more effectively, so the same
thing needs to be done in psychology and philosophy of mind. “The physical brain and
NOT the imaginary mind
give us our sense of
This new conceptual framework will be based on and
self”
will integrate all that we are learning about how the brain
works on a neurological level. Although he believes strongly in
the logic of his position, Churchland recognizes that many people will resist the argument he is making
for a variety of reasons.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
For Merleau-Ponty, everything that we are aware of—and can possibleknows—is
contained within our own consciousness. It’s impossible for us to get “outside” of
our consciousness because it defines the boundaries of our personal universe.
The so-called real world of objects existing in space and time initially exists only
as objects of my consciousness. Yet in a cognitive sleight-of-hand, we act as if
the space/time world is primary and our immediate consciousness is secondary.
In cases when the two worlds conflict, scientists
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY (1908–1961) automatically assume that the scientific perspective is
Phenomenologist. In his major work The correct, and the direct experience of the individual wrong.
Phenomenology of Perception (1945) This is the difficulty we pointed out with the concept of the
Merleau-Ponty argues, like Husserl, that unconscious: it was considered by Freud and many of his
perception is fundamental to our knowledge
followers to be of such supreme authority that no
of the world consciousness is a dynamic
individual’s contrasting point of view can measure up to
form that actively structures our
experience.
the ultimate truth of the unconscious interpretation.
As a philosophical theory of knowledge,
phenomenology is distinctive in the sense that its goal is
not to explain experience, but rather to clarify our understanding of it. A phenomenologist like Merleau-
Ponty sees his aim of describing what he sees and then assuming that his description will strike a
familiar chord with us, stimulating us to say, “I understand what you’re saying—that makes sense to
me!” From this perspective, the responsibility of philosophy is not to provide explanations but to seek the
root and genesis of meaning, “to reveal the mystery of the world and of reason,” to help us think and see
things more clearly.
For example, to develop a clear understanding of your “being in love,” you need to delay using
elaborate psychological theories and instead begin by describing the phenomena of the experience in a
clear, vivid fashion, trying to uncover the meaning of what you are experiencing. Then you can begin
developing concepts and theories to help you make sense of the phenomena of “being in love.” The
danger of using theories prematurely is that you may very well
distort your actual experience, forcing it to conform to someone “Physical body is an important part
else’s idea of what “being in love” means instead of clearly of the self”
understanding your unique experience.
27 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
SELF-HELP:You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand the lesson:
1. Speaks, J. (2006). Ryle’s behaviorist view of the mind. Retrieved from www3.nd.edu/-
jspeaks/corses/2006-7/20208/ryle-behaviorism.html
2. Chafee, J. (2013) Who are you? Consciousness, identity and the self. In The philopher’s way:
Thinking critically about profound ideas (pp. 154-155). Boston, MA: Pearson
3. Otig, et al (2018): A Wholistic Approach in Understanding the Self, Mutya Publishing House
I. Identify what is being asked in each statement below. Write your answers before each
number.
____________________ 1. He asserted that “self” does not exist; instead, he stressed that
perceptions are only active for as long as an individual is conscious.
_____________________ 2. He believed hat self is not in the body, and he stressed that the body
an its qualities are rooted to the self.
_____________________ 3. He viewed that the immaterial soul does not exist because it cannot
be experienced by the senses.
_____________________ 4. He believed that the individual’s action defines his/her own concept of
the “self”.
_____________________ 5. He asserted that the soul is distinct from the body.
_____________________ 6. He introduces the idea of eliminative materialism.
_____________________ 7. He believes that the mind is not the seat of self but behavior, thus the
principle “I act, therefore, I am.”
_____________________ 8. He believes that the self is the brain.
_____________________ 9. The Phenomenology of Perception is the work of:
_____________________ 10. He believes that the physical brain and NOT the imaginary mind give
us our sense of self.
28 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Many of the scholars study and explain the self. Through their ideas, you may examine yourself and
determine whether you fit into the given descriptions.
Let’s Analyze!
29 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Belonging Recognition
A sense that someone A sense that you are
truly cares about you. acknowledged for
That you are in a mutual what you accomplish
and loving relationship and who you are. To
with another person. feel significant, that
you make an impact.
Freedom Self-Esteem
The need to have choice in The need to feel
your life, to have a sense competent & confident.
ofcontrol over the decisions The sense that you can
that direct your behavior. achieve results, make
To be free from a sense of good decisions, and you
external control. will stand by your
principles.
Fun
The need to have joy and Safety
laughter in your life. The
The need to feel
sense that we can
experience elation and light
physically
heartedness.decisions and psychologically safe.
that direct your behavior. Free from emotional and
To be free from a sense of physical threats or harm.
external control.
30 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Think about the people, places, and experiences in your life that are very special to you. This is
where you get your psychological needs met. Write two examples in each box of how you meet
this particular need.
Belonging Recognition
Self-Esteem Safety
Freedom Fun
31 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s Reflect!
32 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s
Discover!
Our Discussion to cover ULOb can be summarize by the following
key points below:
Your Turn. What did you learn about the different Philosophical Perspective on self?
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
33 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
5.
6.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
34 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Big Picture
Week 4-5.Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are expected to:
a. Recognize what sociology tells about understanding he self and others and appreciate your
own social experiences that have been particularly helpful in understanding the self.
b. Define and describe the different psychological concepts as well as the comparison of eastern
and western views of the self.
a. Big Picture in Focus: ULOa.Recognize what sociology tells about understanding he self
and others and appreciate your own social experiences that have been particularly helpful in
understanding the self.
Metalanguage
a. For you to demonstrate ULOa, you will need to recognize what sociology tells about
understanding he self and others and appreciate your own social experiences that have been
particularly helpful in understanding the self.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for the first three (3) weeks of the
course, you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the
succeeding pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus,
you are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
35 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
ROLES
Where have you taken the
responsibilities in your life?
SOCIOLOGY
“Not only is the self-entwined in society; it owes society its existence in the most
literal sense.”-Theodore Adorno
36 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Modernization has significantly changed society, and this has affected how an individual builds
and develops his or her self-identity. Pre-modern society was centered on survival. People behaved
according to social rules and traditions while the family and the immediate environment supervision on
how to get through life (Hermannsottir, 2011).
37 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
When you hear the term social network, you may immediately think of Facebook or Twitter.
You’re right! Those are types of online social networks! Let’s think offline for a moment though. In the
offline world, social networks refer to the social ties that link us together with other people. These ties
include your family, friends, acquaintances, classmates, colleagues, neighbors, etc. Can you think of a
spider web? The little lines of the web would represent social ties extending outwards from you to other
people you know. (Khan Academy, WEB.)
A social group is either organic or rational. An organic group is naturally occurring and its
highly influenced by your family. Usually formed in traditional families because there is a little diversity in
these communities. Organic motivation you joined these groups because your family is also a part of
it. The positive effect of organic groups is rootedness. This means the foundation of social network runs
deep, giving the person a sense of belongingness. The downside of that organic groupimply less
freedom and greater social conformity. You expected to act and behave according to your community’s
standards (Allan, 2012).
Rational groups occur in modern societies. These groups are formed as a matter of shared
self-interests; moreover, people join these groups out of their free will. Sociologist George Simmel called
this Rational motivation. It implies greater freedom, especially the freedom of movement. The
relationships between rational social networks is tenuous, and the person feels no meaningful
connection with the others (Allan, 2012).
According to Mead, three activities develop the self: language, play, and games.
Language develops self by allowing individuals to respond to each other through symbols,
gestures, words, and sounds.
Play develops self by allowing individuals to take on different roles, pretend, and express
expectation of others. Play develops one's self-consciousness through role-playing.
Games develop self by allowing individuals to understand and adhere to the rules of the
activity. Self is developed by understanding that there are rules in which one must abide by in
order to win the game or be successful at an activity.
38 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
This is Mead
ANTHROPOLOGY
“Indeed, much of the self is learned by making new memories out of old ones.” –
Joseph E. Ledoux
39 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Self as representation
The self-concept seems like a very private phenomenon. After all, people’s thoughts about
themselves are hidden and are often highly personal. Yet the self-concept is also very much a social
phenomenon. It has social roots (e.g., reflected appraisals, social comparison), it includes social
identities and roles, and it guides our perception of others and our behavior in social settings.
Self-presentation is not only a prevalent aspect of our lives, it is also a very important one. Our
success at leading others to believe we possess various characteristics has a profound influence on our
outcomes in life (Hogan & Briggs, 1986). Who we marry, who our friends are, whether we get ahead at
work, and many other outcomes depend, to a great extent, on our ability to convince people that we are
worthy of their love, their friendship, their trust, and their respect. Undoubtedly, this need to create a
positive impression is one reason that people spend billions of dollars a year on cosmetics and other
personal-appearance products. Self-presentational concerns also lead people to engage in behaviors
that enhance their appearance to others but simultaneously jeopardize their own physical well-being
(e.g., overexposure to the sun; excessive dieting) (Leary, Tchividijian, &Kraxberger, 1994). Self-
presentational concerns can even underlie selfdestructive behaviors, such as cigarette smoking and
substance abuse (Sharp & Getz, 1996).
Source:https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/802133383613095985/
40 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
SELF-HELP:You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand the lesson:
1. Elllenmers, N., Spears, R., &Doose, B. (2002). Self and social identity. Annual Review of
Psychology, 53, 161-186.
2. Golubović, Z. (2011). An anthropological conceptualization of identity. Synthesis Philosophica,
57(1), 25-43.
41 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
3. Markus, H., &Kitayama, S. (1991). Cultures and the Self: Implications for cognition, emotion and
motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224-253.
Let’s Evaluate!
A. True or False. Write T on the blank if the statement is true and write F if
it is false.
Rank the following social institutions according to what you value the most (1) to the one you
value the least (5). Explain your ranking below.
______ technology
______ government
______ church
42 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
______ family
______ school
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.
43 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s Analyze!
Consider Mead’s concept of the I and Me self. Using graphic organizer below,
make a list of your characteristics for each of these two categories. Which one
better describes your social self?
My Social Self
I Self Me Self
44 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s Reflect!
Make a short essay on how society, specifically your relationships with your
family, friends, and others, influences who are you today. Write it in the space
provided below.
45 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s
Our Discussion to cover ULOa can be summarize by the
Discover! following key points below
Mead suggests that the self has two divisions: I and the Me.
The I is the subjective element and the active side of the self,
whereas the me is the objective element of the self.
According to Mead, there are three different stages of the self-
development: Play, Language and Game.
Individuals tend to experience identity struggles when there is a
discrepancy between a person’s assumed identity and the
identity imposed by others and the society.
Your Turn. What are the three things you have discovered about your social self?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Which of the anthropological views of the self relates to your own belief? Explain how each view impact
your self-understanding.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
46 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
7.
8.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
47 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
b. Big Picture in Focus: ULOb.Define and describe the different psychological concepts as
well as the comparison of eastern and western views of the self.
Metalanguage
a. For you to demonstrate ULOb, Define and describe the different psychological concepts as well
as the comparison of eastern and western views of the self.
KEY TERMS
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for the first three (3) weeks of the
course, you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the
succeeding pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus,
you are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
PSYCHOLOGY
48 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
their development in the study of knowledge. Piaget's theory is based on the idea that the developing
child builds cognitive structures. • He believes that the child's cognitive structure increases with the
development. • Piaget's Theory of infant development were based on his observations of his own three
children.
What is Cognitive Development?
49 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Dominant Self-
Stage of Development Examples
Descriptions
✓ Observable
characteristics I am a girl.
Early childhood ✓ Demographic I have brown hair.
(approximate ages: 2-6) variables I have a younger brother.
✓ Specific interests and I like playing soccer.
activities
✓ General interests
I like sports.
Middle childhood ✓ Use of social
I’m smarter than Meredith.
(approximate ages: 7-11) comparison
I am nice.
✓ Interpersonal qualities
I am moody.
Adolescence (approximate ✓ Hidden, abstract
I am self-conscious.
ages: 12-18) psychological qualities
William James and the ME-Self; I-Self
James (1890) distinguished two understandings of the self, the self as “Me” and the self as “I”.
“The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook”, wrote by William James in the groundbreaking
50 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
masterpiece, The Principles of Psychology”. This distinction has recently regained popularity in cognitive
science, especially in the context of experimental studies on the underpinnings of the phenomenal self.
The goal of this paper is to take a step back from cognitive science and attempt to precisely distinguish
between “Me” and “I” in the context of consciousness.
This distinction was originally based on the idea that the former (“Me”) corresponds to the self
as an object of experience (self as object), while the latter (“I”) reflects the self as a subject of
experience (self as subject). It is not difficult to become captivated by James' conception of "self as
knower and self as known." After all, the distinction of self in terms of I and me is in some fashion
common-sensical. On other levels it is also charming and amusing. However, Bandura has pointed out
that "reflecting on one's own functioning entails shifting the perspective of the same agent rather
than reifying different internal agents or selves regulating each other." Bandura argues that people think,
act, and reflect on their actions.
Selfis divided into two parts:
1. I: knows things, including oneself
= Pure ego
I-selfis the pure ego. It is the subjective self. It is the “self” that is aware of its own actions. The
I-selfcharacteristically has four features. These are:
Characteristics Example
A sense of being the agent of the initiator “I believe my actions have an impact; that I cause
of behavior. an effect in my surroundings”
“This is how I am different from everything in my
A sense of being unique.
environment; I perceive there is only one ME.”
A sense of continuity “I am the same person from day to day”
“I understand .what is going on in me and around
A sense of awareness from being aware.
me; and I know I understand it.”
51 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Dimensions Characteristics
Physical appearance and extensions of it such as
Material
Clothing, immediate family and home.
Social skills and significant interpersonal
Social
relationships;
According to Rogers, human beings are always striving for self-actualization. When the needs of the
self are denied, severe anxiety may arise. Central to achieving to self-actualization is the development
of self-concept. In Roger’s view, the close (congruence) the ideal self to the real self, the more fulfilled
and happier the individual becomes. When the ideal self is far(incongruence) from the Ideal self, the
person becomes unhappy and dissatisfied (Rogers, C. 1950, 2000).
Rogers suggest two components of self-concept: thereal self and the ideal self.
The ideal self could include:
52 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Every person has three parts called “ego states” inhis or her personality.
People communicate with oone another assuming roles of any of these ego states:
53 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
1) Experiential self
• The theater of consciousness because it is the first to experience its beingness (the
state or fact of existing). It is also closely ties to memory.
2) Private self
• The narrator or interpreter. It is the self that narrates the unfolding events at the same
time tries to make sense of the experience.
3) Public self/persona
• It is the image you project to the public. This is the image that interacts with others and
will influence how others see you.
An individual think, feels and behaves similarly as that of the members of his or her community.
However, each community has its own standards, expectations and rules that shapes its members.
These differences are the reason people are markedly divergent. This divergence is evident in the
eastern and western concepts of the “self”.
“One of the most effective ways to learn about oneself is by taking seriously the cultures of
others. It forces you to pay attention to those details in life which differentiate them from
you.”
- Edward T. Hall
54 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
- Exhibits the favorable and unfavorable conditions inherent in personal freedom.it is where self-
expression and self-actualization are important ways of establishing who one is, as well as
finding satisfaction in the world.
The Historical Development of the Western Concept of Self
55 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
56 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Mental Formations- includes habits, prejudices, and predispositions, and volition or willfulness
Consciousness- awareness of or sensitivity to an object, but without conceptualization
The doctrine of anatman (Sanskrit; anatta in Pali) is the core teaching of Buddhism. According to
this doctrine, there is no "self" in the sense of a permanent, integral, autonomous being within an
individual existence. What we think of as our self, the "me" that inhabits our body, is just an ephemeral
experience.
The ultimate goal is Nirvana(enlightenment). The English word enlightenment sometimes refers to
heightened intellect and reason. The original Buddhists used the word bodhi, which means "awakened."
The word Buddha is derived from bodhi and means "the awakened one."
The chart that follows categorizes the Western and Eastern conceptualization of self, perspectives,
and approaches.
Comparative Matrix of Western and Eastern Approaches to
Understanding the Self
Has made use of reason rather Has trusted intuition and is often
SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE
than faith to purse wisdom associated with religious beliefs.
57 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Individualism Collectivism
a. The self is a distinct an a. The self is an integrated
autonomous entity; it is part of the universe and
an independent part of society
the universe and the b. Interdependence and
society. connectedness are core
b. Independence and self- values.
reliance over group c. No distinctions between
goals. personal group goals, or
c. Prioritize personal goals if there is a distinction,
CULTURAL FRAMEWORK
over group goals. the personal goals are
d. Characterized by subordinate to the group
exchange relationship. goals.
e. Uniqueness, sense of d. Characterized by
direction, purpose and communal relationship
volition are the e. Conformity and
acknowledge features of obedience are essential
self. social behaviors
f. Personal success is f. Duty towards others are
important important.
58 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
SELF-HELP:You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand the lesson:
1. Blaisdell, A. (2009). A biological definition of self-psychology. Principles of Gestalt Psychology.
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0052629
2. Ghallager, S. (2002). Philosophical conceptions of the self: Implications for cognitive science.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, pp. 14-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(99)01417-5
3. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=ojur
4. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ad90/386c365d2b46acb89493efc82ad98c5ff1e8.pdf
Let’s Evaluate!
2. Did the theories of the self-lead you to recognize your strengths and weaknesses?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
59 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
3. How does the lesson foster self-understanding and development?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
C. True or False. Write T on the blank if the statement is true and write F if it is false.
__________ 1. Eastern thought is pluralistic
__________ 2. There is a separation between philosophy and religion in Eastern thought.
__________ 3. The Eastern way of thinking is analytic-deductive.
__________ 4. The Western concept of individual freedom is seen as a double-edged sword.
__________ 5. The primary source of knowledge in Western philosophy is faith.
Let’s Assess!
A Portrait of Yourself
A. Sentence Completion Test:
• The best thing(s) I ever did was (were) _______________________________________
• I admire ________________________________________________________________
• I am motivated by ________________________________________________________
60 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• My dream is _____________________________________________________________
61 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s Reflect!
The Strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character have their roots in Western and Eastern
Traditions. Write an introspection essay about your character as a Filipino, using the following
guide questions.
1. What are your Western, Eastern, and a Filipino characteristic that can help you succeed in life?
2. Are you happy for having this combination?
3. How do you appreciate your uniqueness as Filipino? How do you feel as a Filipino?
My Reflection
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________.
62 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Let’s
Discover!
Our Discussion to cover ULOb can be summarize by the following
key points below
• What if you won a million dollars? What would you do with the windfall?
63 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• What if you could travel to any place in the world? Where would you go, why would you go there, and
who would you invite along?
• What If you were granted three wishes? What would you wish for?
• What if you had the power to give yourself a special ability? What talent or ability would you give
yourself and why?
• What if you had the chance to spend a day with anyone in the world? Who would you choose and
why?
64 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
65 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Big Picture
Week 6-7. Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are expected to:
e. Explain the meaning, nature, concept of the physical self.
f. Discover the different aspects and dynamics of sexuality, gender identity, sexual activity,
attachment and family planning techniques.
g. Familiarize and apply the discussion on consumerism.
h. Synthesize and analyze the different concepts regarding spirituality, religion, and rituals.
i. Familiarize and synthesize the concepts of the political self.
j. Discuss and explain the core difference between offline identity and digital identity.
d. Big Picture in Focus: ULOa.Explain the meaning, nature, concept of the physical self.
Metalanguage
b. For you to demonstrate ULOa, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of the physical self.
• Body Image - how one thinks and feels toward one’s body
• Self Esteem - about how you value yourself and how you feel others value you
• Cognitive Bias – error in reasoning, evaluating, remembering as a result of holding
on to one’s preferences and beliefs regardless of contrary information
Essential Knowledge
INTRODUCTION
We are living in a world where the material and immaterial self are
both represented. How is that possible? Thanks to advances in technology, we now have both a
physical world and our virtual reality. How do you view yourself in both worlds?
66 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
The current embedded idea of what is attractive, beautiful, or handsome is an unrealistic image,
which is genetically impossible for us to emulate. This unrealistic image is continually driven into our
minds by the media through ads, movies, and TV shows. The media is a very powerful tool in reinforcing
cultural beliefs and values. Although it is not fully responsible for determining the standards for physical
attractiveness, it makes escaping the barrage of images and attitudes almost impossible to escape.
A positive view of “self” involves understanding that healthy, attractive bodies come in many
shapes and sizes, and that physical appearance says very little about our character or value as a
person. We have to strive to know ourselves beyond our preconceived ideas of who we are.
1. Beauty is objective.
2. Beauty is subjective.
Before the 18th century, most Western philosophical views on beauty treated it as an objective
quality. For example:
67 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Aristotle asserted that the chief forms of beauty are order, symmetry, and
definiteness that can be demonstrated by mathematical sciences.
By the eighteen century, however, beauty was associated with pleasure as a personal preference.
Some philosophers who hold this view are:
68 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Researchers suggest that a person who is perceived as attractive makes more money than a
person of below-average attractiveness. In politics, voters who are not actively engaged in social and
political issues choose candidates based on “looks” 90% of the time.
These study results can be attributed to a cognitive bias known as the halo effect. The halo
effect refers to the tendency of people to rate attractive individuals more favorably for their personality
traits or characteristics as compared to those who are less attractive. It is a cognitive bias which is an
error in reasoning, evaluating, remembering, or any other mental process that is often a result of holding
on to one’s preferences and beliefs regardless of contrary information.
Meanwhile, evolutionary psychology found that faces hold certain fundamental and important
characteristics that could indicate a person’s quality as a romantic partner and as a mate.
• Prominent cheekbones
• Large eyes
• Small nose
• Taller forehead
• Smooth skin
• An overall young or even childlike appearance
Culture has a significant impact on how a person feels about himself or herself, as well as his or
her body image. Cultural traditions can either be a positive or a negative influence on body image and
on self-esteem. Body image is generally defined as how one thinks and feels toward one’s body.
Ideal standards of body sizes are culturally specific. Since the 1960s, ideal body sizes for white
American women have emphasized thinness. The Philippines is undoubtedly influenced by Western
culture, particularly American culture; a culture that generally tends to hyper-focus on dieting and body
appearance. Digitally retouched photos are the norm (i.e. Photoshop, filter), and this mentality can
negatively influence a person’s body image. A study reported that young Filipino women were
dissatisfied with their bodies that possibly stemmed from unreasonable weight concerns and extreme
drive for thinness.
69 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
The term self-esteem was coined by William James in 1800. He presented self-esteem as the
number of successes a person achieves in the domains of life that are important to him or her, divided
by the number of failures that occurred in those areas (The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and
Behavioral Science, 2002). In the 1960s, behavioral scientists defined self-esteem in terms of an
attitude concerning one’s worth as a person (Rosenberg, 1965). Today, self-esteem is about how you
value yourself and how you feel others value you. Self-esteem is important because it can affect
your mental health as well as how you behave.
If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way you are, even
if you not fit the popular notion of “beautiful” or “handsome”. This healthy attitude allows you to explore
some other aspects of growing up, such as developing good friendships, becoming more independent
from your parents, and challenging yourself physically and mentally. Developing these parts of yourself
can help boost your self-esteem.
“Do not judge a book by its cover”. You may have heard many people say this; you may have
said this yourself. However, though it is a wise thought from the conscious mind, your subconscious
mind will contradict you, and you will still find yourself judging people based on their looks on your initial
encounters.
Physical beauty is extremely important. You must also understand that you need to know the
correct definition of physical beauty so that your self-esteem will not suffer. The dictionary’s definition of
beauty is, “the degree to which a person’s physical traits are considered pleasing or beautiful.” Take
note that the definition did not indicate “who” determines what type of physical traits is attractive and
unattractive. Why? Because even though physical beauty is extremely important, the good news is that
physical beauty standards differ from one person to another.
70 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
A self-image problem happens when your looks do not match your beauty standards. For
example, if you believe that being thin is sexy and attractive, yet you are not thin then you might believe
you are unattractive even though there are others who find you attractive. The problem here is with
your own beauty standards and not with your looks. To have a positive self-image and a higher self-
esteem, you must fix your false beliefs about physical attractiveness first.
There is nothing wrong with enhancing one’s physical self. What is problematic is when a
person focuses too much on physical beauty and disregards everything else. Below are some tips on
how to take care for your body:
1. Healthy eating. You need to eat the right amount and combination of food to ensure your
health and sustenance. Following a healthy diet results in healthy skin, your ideal weight,
and better stamina.
2. Embracing a healthy lifestyle. Avoid drinking, smoking, and doing other unhealthy habits
to reduce the risk of illness and diseases and to make your immune system stronger.
Physical activities such as walking, running, going to the gym, and engaging in sports also
contribute to a healthier body.
3. Maintaining proper hygiene. Taking care of your body by consistently following a hygiene
regiment can also help you feel good about yourself. You can do this by regularly brushing
your teeth and proper grooming.
4. Being confident. Self-confidence is your best make-up and results in an optimal physical
well-being. Be secure in yourself, embrace a positive outlook toward various situations and
problems, and love and accept who you are.
ACTIVITY 2.1.On the next page, create a collage using your own pictures to show how you developed
from your oldest picture you can recover up to the present. There is no limit to how much images you
can use. For each picture, write a caption to tell a story about your own evolution. Focus on the
physical changes manifested while you were growing up. Be creative.
• Creativity :____/50
• Organization :____/20
71 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
72 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
1. What significant changes have you seen in yourself while growing up? What makes these changes
significant?
2. In your opinion, what factors contributed to those significant changes while growing up? How?
3. Considering how you look now; is there anything you wish to change? Why or why not?
73 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
IN A NUTSHELL
• The physical self refers to the body. The body’s ability to perform its functions gradually changes
through the years.
• Body image refers to how individuals perceive, think and feel about their body and physical
appearance. It can affect both the adolescent’s physical and psychological well-being.
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
9.
10.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
74 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
e. Big Picture in Focus: ULOb.Discover the different aspects and dynamics of sexuality, gender
identity, sexual activity, attachment and family planning techniques.
Metalanguage
c. For you to demonstrate ULOb, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of the sexual self.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for 6th and 7th week of the course,
you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding
pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus, you are
expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
“Self-love is about respecting and appreciating every single part of who you are, and being
proud to be you.” – Miya Yamanouchi, Embrace Your Sexual Self: A Practical Guide for Women
The female sex is considered the “fundamental” sex because if a particular chemical prompting
is absent, all fertilized eggs will develop into females. For a fertilized egg to become male, a cascade of
chemical reactions must be present initiated by a single gene in the male Y chromosome called the
SRY (Sex-determining region in the Y chromosome). Females do not have any Y chromosome; hence,
they do not have the SRY gene.
Both the male and female embryos have the same group of cells that will
potentially develop into male or female gonads or sex glands. However, the
presence of the SRY gene initiates the development of the testes while
suppressing the vital genes for female development.
75 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Puberty is the stage at which individuals become sexually mature. The outcome of puberty is
different for boys and girls, but the hormonal process is similar. Moreover, though the timing of these
changes varies for every individual, the sequence of changes for boys and girls is predictable, resulting
in adult physical characteristics and the capacity to reproduce.
Puberty can be separated into five stages. The characteristics for each stage vary for girls and
boys.
The ovaries enlarge and hormone production No visible signs of development occur; but
starts, but external development is not yet internally, male hormones become a lot more
visible. active. Sometimes a growth spurt begins at
this time.
The first external sign of puberty is usually Height increases, and the shape of the body
breast development. changes.
At first, breast buds develop. The nipples will be Muscle tissue and fat develop at this time.
tender and elevated.
The area around the nipple (the aureole) will The aureole, the dark skin around the nipple,
increase in size. darkens and increases in size.
The first stage of pubic hair may also be present The testicles and scrotum grow, but the penis
at this time. It may be coarse and curly or find probably does not.
and straight.
Height and weight increase at this time. The A little bit of pubic hair begins to grow at the
body gets rounder and curvier. base of the penis.
3 Approximately between the ages of 9 and 15: Approximately between ages 11 and 16:
Breast growth continues, and pubic hair gets The penis starts to grow during this stage. It
coarser and darker. tends to grow in length rather than width.
76 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Some girls notice that their aureoles get even At this time, the penis starts to grow in width,
darker and separate into a little mound rising too.
above the rest of the breast.
The testicles and scrotum also continue to
Pubic hair may begin to have more adult grow. Hair may begin to grow on the anus.
triangular pattern of growth.
The texture of the penis becomes more adult-
If it did not happen in Stage 3, menarche (first looking. Underarm and facial hair increases
menstruation) should start now. as well.
This is the final stage of development. Full Boys reach their full adult height.
height is reached, and young women are
ovulating regularly. Pubic hair and the genitals look like an adult
man’s do.
Pubic hair is filled in, and the breasts are
developed fully for the body. At this point, too, shaving is a necessity.
The term ‘erogenous zones’was popularized in the 1960s and 1970s to describe areas of the
body that are highly sensitive to stimuli and are often (but not always) sexually exciting. In this context,
“highly sensitive” means these areas of the body have a high number of sensory receptors or nerve
endings that react to stimuli - both pain and pleasure.
The Skin
The skin serves as the primary erotic stimulus. Two types of erogenous zones exist in the skin.
1. Nonspecific type
a. The pleasurable sensation felt from these regions is simply an exaggerated form of tickle.
77 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
b. Examples of this type of skin are the sides and back of the neck, the axilla (armpit,
underarm) and the sides of the thorax (chest).
2. Specific type
a. It is found in the mucocutaneous regions of the body or those regions made of both mucous
membrane and of cutaneous skin.
b. These regions favor acute perception (abrupt or sudden perception)
c. These specific sites of acute sensation are the genital regions, including the prepuce, penis,
the female external genitalia (vulva), the perianal skin, lips, and nipples.
Bear in mind that what feels great for you or one person does not mean others will like it too.
Each individual has their own kind of sensitivities. How your brain interprets what is happening with the
given part of the body influence your sexual response as well. For example, even if a particular part of
the body is packed with sensory nerve receptors, stimulation of this part may feel unpleasant if you had
negative experiences or you have negative ideas about that given part of the body such as in forced
sexual acts.
78 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
The sexual response cyclerefers to the sequence of physical and emotional occurrences
when the person is participating in a sexually stimulating activity such as intercourse or masturbation. In
general, both men and women experience these phases. However, they do not experience it at the
same time. For example, it is unlikely that a couple will orgasm simultaneously. Moreover, the intensity
of the sensation and the time spent in each phase also vary from person to person. William Masters and
Virginia Johnson, in late 1950s, pioneered the four-stage model of sexual response (also known as the
human sexual response cycle).
79 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Primarily, sex is the process of combining male and female genes to form an offspring.
However, complex systems of behavior have evolved the sexual process from its primary purpose of
reproduction to motivation and rewards circuit that root sexual behaviors. Ultimately, the largest sex
organ controlling the biological urges, mental processes, as well as the emotional and physical
responses to sex, is the brain.
• It is responsible for translating the nerve impulses sensed by the skin into pleasurable
sensations.
• It controls the nerves and muscles used in sexual activities.
• Sexual thoughts and fantasies are theorized to lie in the cerebral cortex, the same area used for
thinking and reasoning.
• Emotions and feelings (which are important for sexual behavior) are believed to originate in the
limbic system.
• The brain releases the hormones considered as the physiological origin of sexual desire.
The hypothalamus is the most important part of the brain for sexual functioning. This small area
at the base of the brain has several groups of nerve-cell bodies that receive input from the limbic
system. One reason the hypothalamus is important in human sexual activity is its relation to the pituitary
gland. The pituitary gland secretes the hormones produced in the hypothalamus.
1. Oxytocin
It is also known as the “love hormone” and believed to be involved in our desire to maintain
close relationships. It is released during sexual intercourse when orgasm is achieved.
The LH is crucial in regulation the testes in men and ovaries in women. In men, the LH
stimulates the testes to reproduce testosterone. In males, testosterone appears to be a major
contributing factor to sexual motivation.
4. Vasopressin
It is involved in the male arousal phase. The increase of vasopressin during erectile response
is believed to be directly associated with increased motivation to engage in sexual behavior.
They typically regulate motivation to engage in sexual behavior for females, with estrogen
increasing motivation and progesterone decreasing it.
Anthropologist Helen Fisher of Rutgers University proposed three stages of falling in love; and
for each stage, a different set of chemicals run the show.
The three stages of falling in love are:
Lust
This stage is marked by physical attraction. You want to seduce and be seduced by your object
of affection. Lust is driven by testosterone in men and estrogen in women. Lust, however will not
guarantee that the couple will fall in love in any lasting way.
Attraction
At this stage, you begin to crave for your partner’s presence. You feel excitement and energetic
as you fantasize about the things you could do together as a couple. Three chemicals trigger this
feeling: norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.
• Norepinephrine – responsible for the extra surge of energy and triggers increased heart rate,
loss of appetite, as well as the desire to sleep. Your body is in a more alert state and is ready
for action.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Dopamine – associated with motivation and goal-directed behavior. It makes you pursue your
object of affection. It creates a sense of novelty, where the person seems exciting, special, or
unique that you want to tell the world about his or her admirable qualities.
• Serotonin – thought to cause obsessive thinking. Low levels of serotonin are said to be present
in people with OCD. Study suggest that those who expressed they were in love and people with
OCD both had less serotonin transporter in their blood compared to those who did not express
they were in love and do not have OCD as well.
Attachment
Attachment involves the desire to have lasting commitment with your significant other. At this
point, you may want to get married and/or have children.
Factors that influence the notable gender difference on sexual desire include culture, social
environment and even political situation. One of the most notable gender difference on sexual desire is
that women place great emphasis on interpersonal relationships as part of the experience. Males, on
the other hand, enjoy a more casual sexual behavior.
Sexual orientation is defined as an individual’s general sexual disposition toward partners of the
same sex, the opposite sex, or both sexes. There has been much interest in sexual desire as an index
of sexual orientation. Historically, the most important indicator of same-sex (i.e., gay, lesbian, or
bisexual) orientation was same-sex sexual desire. More recent scientific studies, however, found that
same-sex desire or sexual orientation are more complicated than previously thought.
In the past, it was thought that gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals were the only people who
ever experienced same-sex sexual desire. However, it was found that completely heterosexual or
‘straight’ persons periodically experience same-sex sexual desires, even if they have little motivation to
act on those desires. It also did not appear to indicate that a completely heterosexual individual will
eventually want to pursue same-sex sexual behavior or will eventually consider him/herself lesbian, gay,
or bisexual.
Now, researchers generally believe that lesbian, gay, and bisexual orientations are
characterized by persistent and intense experiences of same-sex desire that are stable over time.
• Sex – a label that you’re assigned by a doctor a birth based on the genitals you’re born with and
the chromosomes you have. It goes on your birth certificate.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Sexual orientation – a person’s emotional and erotic attraction toward another individual;
inherentor immutable during emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to some other people –
attraction can be towards same or opposite sex.
• Gender identity – refers to one’s sense of being male or female; one’s innermost concept of
self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what
they call themselves.
What is the LGBTQ+?
LGBTQ+ is an umbrella or catch-all term for a wide spectrum of gender identities, sexual
orientations, and romantic orientations.
Research strongly suggest that sexual orientation is not a choice but a relatively stable
characteristic of a person that cannot be changed. Just as the majority of the heterosexual people
do not choose to be attracted to the opposite sex, the large majority of the LGBTQ+ people also
do not choose theirs. The only real choice that the LGBTQ+ community has to deal with is whether to
be open about their orientation or not.
• Sociocultural Factors – the Philippines and most of its Southeast Asian neighbors view
heterosexuality as the norm. In some countries, they are not as restrictive. For example, in New
Guinea, it is culturally expected for young boys to engage in sexual behaviors with any other
young boys because they believed it was essential to being a man. In Thailand, they recognize
more than two categories (aside from male and female) – male, female and kathoey which
roughly means transgender in Western cultures.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Family Influences – children whose parents adhere to strict gender-stereotyped roles are, in
general, more likely to take on those roles themselves as adults than are peers whose parents
provided less stereotyped, more neutral models for behaving.
• Urban Setting – large cities seem to provide a friendlier environment for same-gender interest
to develop and be expressed than rural areas. In rural areas, LGBTQ+ people experience:
o High levels of intolerance;
o Limited social and institutional supports; and
o Higher incidence of social isolation.
• History of Sexual Abuse – previous studies claimed that abused adolescents, particularly
those victimized by males, are more likely to become homosexual or bisexual in adulthood.
However, these studies were criticized for being non-clinical and unreliable. Some other
findings suggested no significant relationship that child abuse leads to same-sex sexual
orientation in adulthood.
It is also known as STI or sexually transmitted infection. It is acquired through sexual contact
where the organisms or viruses that cause STD are passed from person to person in blood, semen, and
vaginal or any other bodily fluids. STD can also be transmitted non-sexually such as: mother to infant
during pregnancy; blood transfusion; and people sharing needles for injection.
It is possible to contract STDs from people who seem perfectly healthy, and who may not even
be aware of the infection. STDs do not always cause symptoms, which is one of the reasons experts
prefer the term “sexually transmitted infections” over “sexually transmitted” diseases.
The Reproductive Health Law or the RH Law, is a law in the Philippines that guarantees access
to contraceptive methods, such as fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. Here are some
(not all) of the specific and regional objectives of the RH Law:
Specific Objectives:
• Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio (death of
mother during childbirth)
• Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.
• To have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse, the spread of HIV/Aids.
Regional Objectives
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Improve access to the full range of affordable, equitable, and high-quality family planning and
reproductive health services to increase contraceptive use rate and reduce unwanted
pregnancies.
Advantages Disadvantages
Mother Birth control health risks
• Enables her to regain her health after • Allergies to spermicides or latex
delivery. • Oral contraceptives can lead to hair loss
• Gives enough time and opportunity to and weight gain
love and provide attention to her • Use of diaphragms can lead to urinary
husband and children. tract infection
• Gives more time for her family and own
personal advancement. Possibility of pregnancy
• When suffering from an illness, gives • Family planning methods are not 100%
enough time for treatment and recovery. reliable.
• Other than abstinence (not engaging in
Children sexual intercourse), there is no birth
• Healthy mothers produce healthy control method (including the ‘calendar
children. method’) that is completely effective.
• Will get all the attention, security, love, • Sexually active couples should always
and care they deserve. consider the possibility of an unexpected
pregnancy
Father
• Lightens the burden and responsibility in Pregnancy after birth control
supporting his family. • It might take months for ovulation and
• Enables him time for his family and own the menstrual period to return to normal
personal advancement after stopping hormonal contraceptives
• When suffering from an illness, gives
enough time for treatment and recovery
It is the method that uses the body’s natural physiological changes and symptoms to identify the
fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle. Such methods are also known as fertility-awareness
methods. These methods are unreliable in preventing unwanted pregnancy although it is preferred by
people who do not wish to use artificial methods. It also does not protect against STDs including HIV.
85 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
a. Rhythm(calendar) method – the couple tracks the woman’s menstrual history to predict when
she will ovulate. To avoid unwanted pregnancy, couples avoid having penetrative sexual
intercourse during the time when the woman is likely to conceive; on the other hand, those who
want to get pregnant follow this method for an exact different reason.
b. Basal body temperature monitoring – relies on monitoring temperature changes throughout
the menstrual cycle, and changes in the body coincide with hormonal changes. Basal
temperature is your temperature when your body is fully at rest. You'll be most fertile during the
two to three days before your temperature rises.
c. Cervical mucus (ovulation) method – involves examining the color and viscosity of the
cervical mucus to discover when ovulation is occurring.
Through exclusive breastfeed, the woman is able to suppress ovulation. LAM prevents the
release of eggs from the ovaries (ovulation) when a mother breastfeeds her child as often as the baby
wants, day and night, and does not give the baby any other foods or liquids.
This is one of the oldest methods of contraception. The couple proceeds with sexual
intercourse; however, the man must release his sperm outside the vagina. Hence, he must withdraw his
penis the moment he ejaculates. This method is only 75% effectivebecause pre-ejaculation fluid that
contains a few spermatozoa may cause fertilization.
These are effective family planning methods that manipulates the hormones that directly affect
the normal menstrual cycle so that ovulation will not occur.
Oral Contraceptives
It is also known as the pill. Oral contraceptives contain synthetic
estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen suppresses ovulation while
progesterone decreases the permeability of the cervical mucus to
limit the sperm’s access to the ova. Research suggests that it can
impair a woman’s ability to recognize complex emotions.
86 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Vaginal Ring
It is a birth control ring inserted into the vagina and slowly releases
hormones through the vaginal wall into the bloodstream to prevent
pregnancy.With typical use, about eight in every 100 people using
the vaginal ring will get pregnant each year. When used correctly
however, the chance of you getting pregnant with a vaginal ring is
less than 1%.
Subdermal Implants
Subdermal contraceptive implants involve the delivery of a steroid
progestin from polymer capsules or rods placed under the skin.
The hormone diffuses out slowly at a stable rate, providing
contraceptive effectiveness for 1-5 years. It can be removed at any
time, followed by a quick return to fertility and it also eliminates the
need to interrupt sex for contraception.
Hormonal Injections
It is a contraceptive injection given once every three months. It
typically suppresses ovulation, keeping the ovaries from releasing
an egg. Hormonal injections also thicken cervical mucus to keep
the sperm from reaching the egg.If you have the injection during
the first 5 days of your menstrual cycle, you'll be immediately
protected against becoming pregnant. If you have the injection on
any other day of your cycle, you'll need to use additional
contraception, such as condoms, for 7 days.
Chemical Barriers
Chemical barriers, such as spermicides, vaginal gels and
creams, and glycerin films are also used to cause the death of
sperms before they can enter the cervix.You put it in your vagina
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
before sex to prevent pregnancy. It lowers the pH level of the vagina, so it will not become conducive for
the sperm. They cannot prevent STDs.
Diaphragm
Diaphragms are dome-shaped barrier methods of contraception
that block sperms from entering the uterus.The diaphragm is a
barrier that covers your cervix, stopping sperm from joining an egg.
They are made of latex (rubber) and formed like a shallow cup. It is
filled with spermicide and fitted over the uterine cervix.
Cervical Cap
A cervical cap is a silicone cup inserted into the vagina to cover the
cervix and keep sperm out of the uterus. Spermicide is added to
the cervical cap to kill any sperm that may get inside the protective
barrier. This is not a widely used method and few health care
providers recommend this type of contraception. It may cause
vaginal irritation and increase in the number of bladder infections.
Male Condoms
The male condom is a latex or synthetic rubber sheath placed on
the erect penis before vaginal penetration to trap the sperm during
ejaculation. Condoms can prevent STDs. If you use them correctly
every time you have sex, male condoms are very effective at
preventing pregnancy and the transmission of the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.
Female Condoms
It is a thin pouch inserted into the vagina before sex serving as
protective barrier to prevent pregnancy and protection from
sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Female condoms
create a barrier that prevents bodily fluids and semen from
entering the vagina.
88 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Surgical Methods
One of the most effective birth control methods is the surgical method. This method ensures
conception is inhibited permanently after the surgery.
• Vasectomy
o A surgical operation wherein the tube that carries the sperm to a man’s penis is cut. It is
a permanent male contraception method. This procedure preserves ejaculation and
does not cause impotence or erectile dysfunction since the vasectomy does not involve
anything in the production of testosterone.
• Tubal Ligation
o It is a surgical procedure for female sterilization involving severing and tying the
fallopian tubes. A tubal ligation disrupts the movement of the egg to the uterus for
fertilization and block sperm from traveling up the fallopian tubes to the egg. A tubal
ligation does not affect a woman’s menstrual cycle. A tubal ligation can be done at any
time, including after normal childbirth or a C-section. It is possible to reverse a tubal
ligation – but reversal requires major surgery and is not always effective.
It is important to note that most of the contraceptive methods discussed involve the females.
This indicates or may suggest that women should be more careful in choosing their potential mate to
avoid unnecessary risks that may be costly and life-threatening. It is not the man that gets the
responsibility to carry a child for nine months but the woman. Men should also be considerate in
discussing contraceptive methods with their partners because partaking in a family planning method
does not always guarantee a 100% chance of preventing pregnancy and the woman is almost always
the receiving end of the family planning program. Even the most effective contraceptive method only
offers 99% chance of not getting pregnant. Learning to have an exclusive sexual partner with
commitment to be together is better than having an unexpected child without any preparation.
ACTIVITY 2.3. Write an essay of what you have learned throughout the whole topic of the sexual self.
What is your sexual orientation and gender identity? How would you apply those knowledge in your life?
89 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
IN A NUTSHELL
• Primary sex characteristics are the physical characteristics present at birth which are directly involved in
reproduction while secondary sex characteristics develop during the onset of puberty.
• There are three components of love: lust, attraction, and attachment.
• Sexual orientation refers to a person’s sexual identity anchored on what gender they are attracted to.
90 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Contraception refers to the methods used to prevent pregnancy. Some can be used to prevent STIs.
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
11.
12.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
f. Big Picture in Focus: ULOc. Familiarize and apply the discussion on consumerism.
Metalanguage
d. For you to demonstrate ULOc, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of the material/economic self..
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for 6th and 7th week of the course,
you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding
pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus, you are
expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
In this age of digital technology, everything in our society is based upon the idea that
consumption should be as easy as possible. Shopping has become leisure and a way to pass time. Our
homes and our lives are more than full of things, stuff, gadgets, widgets, devices, etc. Consequently, our
consumption
“Consume” is defined as “use up, to spend wastefully, to destroy” (Gusdorf, 1978). The
definition shows that consumption has a negative connotation. There is, however, a positive side to
consumption that is often neglected. Behind consumption, there is production. Consumers keep
companies alive. These companies pay people whose earnings put food on the table. Such is the
pattern of consumption. Thus, it cannot be denied that consumption is important.
Conscious Consumption
Consumers are often portrayed as “victims,” exploited by greedy companies. However, you
should take note that every person has “free will”. Therefore, choices are important. As a consumer,
92 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
free will comes with responsibility and obligation. Conscious consumption is about practicing
responsible buying habits.
Psychological/Sociological Consumption
As mentioned earlier, for many people these days (with the younger generation as vulnerable
group) happiness seems attached to buying something. Consumption has become an addiction. Many
people have forgotten there are things in life that can bring true and lasting happiness, such as
spending time with family and/or friends; to have “me” time; enjoy nature; to read, etc.
It was argued that identity is a symbolic idea. It is an image we build for ourselves through
social interaction (Mach, 1993). Thus a person’s identity is dynamic and context-dependent. It is
improved through communication with others and through different ways that a person interacts within
the cultural atmosphere and social relations. Social relations of power and symbolic image of the world
both affect identity.
Meanwhile, studies have observed that every waking moment in a modern lifestyle has become
a cycle of “alternating time-space for work and time-space for consumption” (Sassatelli, 2007). Slater
(1997) outlined some main features and characters in consumer culture.
Consumerism is one of the strongest factors affecting modern people’s lives. The term
‘consumerism’ does not simply mean the constant barrage and intrusion of ads in our lives, but
everything that is connected to the modern society’s idea that to be happier and more successful, we
have to buy, buy and buy. We slip into a cycle of wanting more things – to get that new iPhone model,
get the latest gadget, wear the trendiest clothes, hang out in places where “cool” people go, etc. The
pursuit of these things take up our time, energy, and the money we do not have.
We also tend to compare ourselves with some other people. Social media reinforces this
tendency. Comparing ourselves with others (wanting to be like them or be in their position – such as
your favorite artists/models on Instagram) will lead us to constantly feeling dissatisfied and never happy
93 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
with what we have. This is also what consumerism wants because it makes people active consumers on
a regular basis. Thus, consumerism not only affects our behavior; it also affects our thinking
process.
CONSUMERISMis intrinsically woven into the fabric of modern society. Society needs a cultural
shift to move away from the culture of consumerism. Social changes do not happen overnight, therefore,
it is best to take immediate steps in your own life to release yourself from the grip of consumerism.
2. CONSUME LESS, LIVE MORE. Stop and think about the influences of consumerism in your
life.Think about what really matters to you and how you want to live it.Strive to live the life YOU
want, not how others think you ought to live.
94 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
“Get off the treadmill of consumption, replication, and mediocrity. Begin lifting the
weights of creativity, originality, and success.” ― Ryan Lilly
Roll smart, play smart.
ACTIVITY 2.4. Write TRUE if the statement is correct, and FALSE if it is incorrect. Write your answer on
the space provided.
1. Consumption has a negative connotation; however, its positive side is often neglected.
9. Consumerism is one of the strongest forces affecting modern people’s lives, specifically
their behaviors and thinking processes.
Activity 2.5. How would you apply what you have learned in this topic to your real-life situation?
Minimum of 100 words.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
__________________________________________________________________________________
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96 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
IN A NUTSHELL
• A person’s possessions including the body, family, clothes, money, house, car, and other tangible
objects make up his or her material self.
• It is important to avoid the trap of consumerism.
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
13.
14.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
Consume Identity
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Metalanguage
a. For you to demonstrate ULOd, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of the spiritual self.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for 6th and 7th week of the course,
you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding
pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus, you are
expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
Philosophy started the moment humans started to wonder (with just about anything). For the
longest time, humans have pondered on questions, like “Why do we die? Why bad things happen to
good people? Do we really have free will? Is the future determined? Does God exist?
As a college student, it is vital that you develop a healthy sense of wonder. Part of this curiosity
should be about the range of human beliefs. It is important, too, that you keep an open mind as you
seek to understand belief systems that may not be the same as yours.
Spiritual is defined as “relating or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or
physical things.” Religion and spirituality are both paths to God; however, they are different in their
approaches. A religious person is someone who believes in a god or group of gods and consciously
adheres to the beliefs of his/her religion. A spiritual person, on the other hand places little importance on
beliefs and traditions and is more concerned with growing and experiencing the Divine.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Sense of meaningless and lack of purpose in life can be significant factors in causing anxiety,
depression, and phobias;
• There is a growing body of evidence indicating that spiritual practices are associated with better
health and well-being;
• Spiritual fellowship can be a source of social support that may provide a sense of belonging
• A study found a strong association between church attendance and improved health, mood,
and well-being
Contemplative Practices
1. Meditation – mental exercises (focusing on one’s breathing or repeating a mantra) for the
purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
2. Prayer – a spiritual communion with God (or an object of worship) as in thanksgiving,
adoration, or confession
o may elicit a relaxation response, along with feelings of hope, gratitude, and
compassion – all of which have a positive effect on overall well-being
o rooted in the belief that there is a higher power that influences our life
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
3. Yoga – a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline. It teaches the suppression of all mind and
body activity so that the self may realize its distinction from the material world and attain
liberation.
o Ascetic - characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and
abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
o In Western Cultures – system of physical postures, breathing techniques and
sometimes meditation to promote physical and emotional well-being.
4. Journaling– often overlooked contemplative practice
o helps you become more aware of your inner life and feel more connected to your
experience and the world around you
o writing during difficult times may help you find meaning in life’s challenging and
help you become more resilient in the face of obstacles
The vast majority of the earth’s more than 7 billion people practice some form of religion. The
number of religions and spiritual traditions that the human population practices is estimate at a little over
4,000. The reasons and theories of humans’ having religion as just as many (if not more).
A 1990 research conducted by Steven Reiss, professor emeritus of psychology at the Ohio
State University, posited a theory on why people are attracted to religion. Religion, he said, attracts so
many followers because it satisfies all 16 basic desires that humans share (The 16 Strivings for God,
2016).
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Reiss claimed that we all share the same 16 goals, but what makes us different is how much we
value each one. For example, in social contact, religion attracts both the introvert and extrovert. For
extroverts, religion offers fellowship with others. For introverts, religion encourages meditation, private
retreats, and solitude.
The incredible amount of variation between different religions makes it challenging to decide
upon a concrete definition of religion that applies to all of them. Sociologists noted four dimensions that
seem to be present in varying forms and intensities in all types of religion (Dawson & Thiessen, 2014).
These are:
4. Unique social forms of community –religious beliefs and practices unite in one single
community called a Church, all those who adhere to them (Durkheim, n.d.).
RELIGIOUS
WHAT/WHO IS DIVINE EXAMPLE
CLASSIFICATION
Polytheism Multiple gods Hinduism, Ancient Greeks and Romans
Monotheism Single God Judaism, Islam, Christianity
Atheism No deities Atheism, Buddhism, Taoism
Animism Nonhuman beings Indigenous nature worship, Shinto
(animals, plants, and natural world)
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Judaism – characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to
Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets
o Religious life in accordance with the scriptures and rabbinic traditions
o Sacred text is Torah.
• Christianity – Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
o Jesus Christ serves as the focal point of the Christian faith.
o The word of God is written in the Bible.
• Islam – religious faith of Muslims who worship Allah as the sole deity and believes Muhammad
is His prophet.
o Holy Scripture of Islam is Koran.
• Hinduism –the world’s oldest religion
o Combines the beliefs, philosophy, and cultural practices of India.
o Guided by Vedic scriptures and believe in righteousness, the laws of cause and effect
o Believes in the cycle of life and death; reincarnation
o One supreme God called Brahmanwho has multiple manifestations as either a god or
goddess.
▪ Gods and goddesses can be spirit, trees, animals, and even planets
• Buddhism – refers to the teachings of Siddharta Gautama or Buddha
o Gautama was originally a follower of the Hindu faith, experienced enlightenment, or
Bodhi, while sitting under a tree.
o Buddha was awakened to the truth of the world, or the Dharma
o Buddha, an ordinary man, taught his followers towards the path of Enlightenment
o Buddhism does not believe in a divine realm or God as supernatural being, but instead
follows the wisdom of their founder
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
that souls are quasi-physical and can exist outside the body (such as in dreams and visions) and that
they can transfer from one body to another – such as in the case of modern possessions or sapi. They
also believe that souls persist after death and become ghosts, in the same way that modern Filipinos
believe in “multo.” Central to the traditions of our ancestors was the belief that animate and inanimate
creatures have a “life force” or the dungan.
Dungan is a life force, energy, as well as an ethereal entity, a spirit with a will of its own that
resides in the human body and provides the essence of life – similar to the Western concept of “soul”
(Magos, 1992). However, unlike the soul, the “dungan” can temporarily leave the body when the person
is asleep. Once “dungan” returns to the person’s body, he or she becomes fully conscious again. If any
other spirits harm the “dungan” while it is outside the body and cannot return, the person dies.
Meanwhile, our pre-colonial ancestors believed that aside from a “dungan,” a vital force also
occupies the body. The vital force was called “ginhawa” (translation: breath of life). Ginhawa was said to
be responsible for the heart’s ability to beat. It was believed that if ginhawa left the body, the person also
dies. Ginhawawas the breath of life while dungan was the conscious intellectual and emotional aspects.
What is the Difference between the Soul and the Spirit of Man?
The soul and the spirit are the two primary immaterial aspects ascribed to humanity. There are
different shades of meaning between the idea of the soul and the idea of the spirit from culture to culture
and religion to religion.
Here is a brief and general overview of the difference between a soul and a spirit:
• Etymology
o Old English for soul was “sawol” – “spiritual and emotional part of a person’s animate
existence”.
o Spirit is directly from Latin “spiritus” – “a breathing (respiration, and of the wind),
breath, breath of a god,” hence, “inspiration, breath of life.”
• Biblical Beliefs
o Soul refers to the conscious, the moral, and thinking part of a person.
▪ The soul is immortal; it will go to hell, purgatory, or heaven after the person
dies.
o Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Trinity.
• In Western Culture
o Soul – someone’s moral consciousness. E.g. a cruel killer could be said to have no soul
o Spirit – may refer to ghosts or any other supernatural beings
• In Eastern Culture
o Soul – the part of the person that has dharma
▪ Hinduism dharma – one’s obligation with respect to caste, social custom, civil
law, and sacred law
o Dharma incurs karma
▪ Karma (Hinduism/Buddhism) – the sum of a person’s actions in this and
previous states of existence.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
The general approaches to theories about the nature and origin of rituals are:
1. Origin approach;
2. Functional approach; and
3. History of religions approach.
➢ The origin approach was the earliest form to explain ritual. The basic premise of this approach is
that ritual behavior was part of the human evolution.
➢ The functional approach was to explain ritual behavior in terms of individual and social needs.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Classification of Rituals
Life crisis ritual is the transition of one mode or stage of life into another. These rituals often
define the life of an individual. They include rituals of birth, puberty (entrance into the full social life of a
community), marriage, conception, and death. For example, it is a Filipino tradition to bury the placenta
right after birth, and it is the father who is tasked to do this so that the family will always love and care
for each other.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
2. Do you believe in spirits? Supernatural forces? If yes, do you have a personal encounter or
experience with those forces? What did you do?
IN A NUTSHELL
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
h. Big Picture in Focus: ULOe.Familiarize and synthesize the concepts of the political self.
Metalanguage
a. For you to demonstrate ULOe, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of the political self.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for 6th and 7th week of the course,
you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding
pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus, you are
expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
The Filipino culture is a mix of both eastern and western culture. The beliefs and traditions of
pre-colonial Philippines were mainly an indigenous Malay heritage. The Malays made a large
contribution to Philippine history. The Malay temperament is a basic factor of a Filipino personality. It
can be best described as “being nice and pleasant to others.” Additionally, the important role of family in
Filipino culture stemmed from the strength of the Malay family clan that served as a strong security unit.
When the Spaniards colonized the islands, the Hispanic culture influenced the natives.
Christianity became the dominant religion, and a western-based social and political organization was
established in the Philippines. The Americans shaped the modern Filipino culture, and this is primarily
manifested by the widespread use of the English language in the Philippines today. It was from these
influences that formed the Filipino character. The brief occupation of the British (1762-1764) and the
(1942-1945), however, had no cultural influence in the Philippines at all.
Psychologist, educator, and former chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education, Dr.
Patricia B. Lucianan, wrote that the strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character are rooted in
factors, such as:
➢ Filipino home environment – Filipino children are taught to value family and give it primary
importance
➢ Filipino social environment – characterized by depending on one another to survive.
o This dependence on relationships and the struggle for survival make Filipinos group-
oriented.
➢ Filipino culture and language – openness to foreign elements with no basic consciousness of
our cultural core.
o The Filipino colonial mentality, such as the importance of the English language in our
educational system, wider following of Hollywood movies, songs, singers over Filipino
ones, is a manifestation of our attachment to foreign elements.
➢ Our colonial history – the culprit behind our colonial mentality.
o Unfortunately, most Filipino elites are of no help in setting an example of overcoming
colonial mentality because they are even more westernized in their ways.
➢ Philippine educational system – instrumental in molding the strengths and weaknesses of the
Filipino character
o Early on, children learn that well-behaved and obedient students are praised and
rewarded.
▪ This teaches passivity.
➢ Religion – taught us optimism and resilience
o also instilled in us fatalistic attitude
▪ A fatalistic person believes in destiny: whatever is meant to happen will happen
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
▪ If someone has a fatalistic attitude toward a situation, chances are that means
the person is expecting things to turn out badly and sees no point in trying to
change that outcome.
o Religion further reinforced our being passive and a conformist.
➢ Economic environment – the hard life drove Filipinos to work hard and take risks, such as
leaving their families to work abroad
o This further developed our ability to survive.
➢ Political environment – along with government structures and systems are fraught with
problems.
o For instance, the fact that political power is mainly in the hands of the elite and the lack
of a strong government presence enhances the Filipino’s already extreme family
centeredness.
o Economic and political environments are among the elements that have developed the
culture of corruption in the Philippines.
➢ Mass media – further reinforced our colonial
mentality
o Contents shown in ads, music,
movies, fashion, etc. are greatly
based on American pop culture.
o The emphasis on the superiority of an
imported brand or product through
mass media is, in fact, part of a
Filipino’s daily life.
➢ Leaders and role models - Filipinos highly respect authority
o Any person with authority is looked up to.
o When our leaders violate the law and when there is a lack of accountability for leaders
who break the law, the Filipino mindset is hugely affected in a negative way.
The Filipino traits listed here is certainly not exhaustive, but these are mostly what we have in
common. The strong aspects of the Filipino character are:
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Department of Arts and Sciences
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UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Aside from identifying the roots and strengths of the Filipino character, Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan
also pointed out our weaknesses. This is important because this enables the Filipino to identify the
areas that need improvement to grow and develop as a person. An informed and improved Filipino will
also result in a stronger and more progressive nation.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
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UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Extreme Personalism
o Filipinos find it difficult to separate objective tasks from emotional involvement.
o Palakasan system
▪ Filipinos want to get “special treatment” and will always look for inside
connections in most (if not all) of his transaction
o Family and friends are
given preference in hiring,
delivery of services, and Bukas ko na gagawin ang trabaho ko,
even in voting. tinatamad ako ngayon. Kaya ko
o Request from personal naman siguro, bahala na.
contacts are difficult to turn
down.
• Extreme Family Centeredness
o Family is valued above
anything and everyone
else.
o Extreme family
centeredness is
manifested in our political
system.
▪ Political dynasties
starting from
barangay level to
national positions
• Lack of Discipline
o Ningas cogon – projects starts with full enthusiasm and interest, but no sooner has it
started, the enthusiasm dies down, leaving things incomplete – madaling mawalan ng
interes.
o “Filipino time”–always late – we arrive late or start late
▪ This trait disregards the importance of time and adversely affects the Filipino
productivity.
• Passivity and Lack of Initiative
o This is due to the Filipinos’ high respect of authority and reliance on leaders to solve
the nation’s problems.
o We expect the government to solve the monstrous traffic jam; yet, traffic rules and
regulations are also blatantly ignored every day.
o Filipinos do not feel the need to initiate or contribute to the solution.
• Colonial Mentality
o Generally, Filipinos love anything foreign.
o We are slowly losing our cultural identity.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
o This colonial mentality is connected to our general feelings of inferiority where we think
foreigners, especially Westerners, are superior.
• The Kanya-Kanya Syndrome
o related to extreme personalism and extreme family-centeredness
o drive to fulfill interests is completely insensitive to the common good
o dampened our sense of community and cooperation
o Crab Mentality – Filipinos tend to pull others down to climb up and appear superior
• Lack of Self-Analysis and Self-Reflection
o Somewhat due to joyfulness of Filipinos; prefer fun over self-reflection
o As a nation, we easily forget the mistakes we have made; hence, we make the same
mistakes again.
o one reason why traditional policitians or “trapos” are always reelected into office
The Filipino character is full of contradictions. For example, our bayanihan culture coexists
comfortably with our kanya-kanya syndrome. Many of our strong points are in fact linked to our
weaknesses. Despite these weaknesses, however, there is still much good in the Filipino character.
What is important is that we know our values as a nation because these will help us grow and develop.
We need to understand our character as a Filipino because this the first step toward creating the future
we want as an individual.
Democracy is a government in which the supreme power is vested in and exercised by the
people directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free
elections. Although democracy has several flaws, it also uniquely possesses a number of features that
most people – whatever their basic political beliefs – would consider desirable. For example:
Democracy cannot be sustained if political attitudes and political culture of the citizens do not
have a participative attitude. Attitudes, such as having a sense of responsibility for society and
becoming concerned about human rights and human development, are important in establishing a
democratic culture. A study showed that personality traits factor in internalizing political attitudes
(Marcovic, 2009). For example, openness to experience and extroversion influence attraction to
democratic attitudes about family, education, and freedom of speech.
ACTIVITY 2.7.Identify what Filipino trait/attitude is being asked in each statement by choosing the
correct answer from the word bank. Write the answer on the space provided.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
IN A NUTSHELL
• The Filipino character is full of contradictions. For example, our bayanihan culture coexists
comfortably with our kanya-kanya syndrome
• Democracy is a government in which the supreme power is vested in and exercised by the
people directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically
held free elections.
• Democracy cannot be sustained if political attitudes and political culture of the citizens do not
have a participative attitude.
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
1
2.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
Democracy Fatalistic
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
i. Big Picture in Focus: ULOf.Discuss and explain the core difference between offline
identity and digital identity.
j.
Metalanguage
a. For you to demonstrate ULOf, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of the digital self.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for 6th and 7th week of the course,
you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding
pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus, you are
expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
The feeling of an inner self and an outer self generated the impulse to reveal oneself to others
in a believable manner. University professor and author Lionel Trilling’s (1997) analysis of literature
about the “self” and its relationship
with others distinguish sincerity
and authenticity. Sincerity refers to
the exposure in public of what one
feels privately. On the other hand,
an authentic person is one who
takes action based on some
internal standard and takes
responsibility for this freely chosen
action.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
People in these social domains exert different impacts on the formation of self, depending on
the stage of development of the child. Research has shown that parents have a dominant influence on
their children’s sense of self prior to adolescence. As a child grows older, the influence of peers
increases (Rosenberg, 1986).
The emergence of the Internet, however, adds a fourth domain-theonline life-to the social
world. The online life has definitely altered the dynamics of self-identity, especially for adolescents.
The self that is constructed online is generally called the digital self. The digital self is oriented
inward toward the world of thoughts and feelings because others cannot see the online user’s overt
attributes. It is narrative in nature because online users will only come to know the person primarily
through what that person tells them. It is retractablebecause others are unable to link the online self-
claims to offline identities. Finally, it is multiplicable because people can interact with one another in
different domains of the online world.
People are able to present themselves online in the manner that they want to. This process is
called self-presentation. Online self-presentation can be superficial and deceptive. People are more
likely to present their ideal self rather than their factual identity.
Self-presentation;
Impression Management – is the attempt to control or influence any other people’s perceptions. This
could be their perception of a certain person (including you), a material possession, or an event. There
are two main motives of attempting to manage the impression of others:
• Instrumental – this motive is to basically gain rewards and increase one’s self-esteem.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Impression-Management Strategies
• Self-promotion – proactive process in which a person actively says things or takes action to
show his or her competence to an audience (Rosenfeld et al., 1995).
• Ingratiation –the process by which someone tries to win the approval or acceptance of another.
o For example, if a woman wants to get her
mother-in-law to like her, she may “kiss up” to
her by giving her compliments or gifts. She may
also try to make herself appear more similar to
her mother-in-law in behavior and opinion.
• Exemplification – involves a strategic self-sacrifice so
that observers may recognize the dedication.
o An exemplifier often wants other people to
know how hard he/she has been working
because of the need to advertise his/her
behavior.
• Intimidation – involves showing off authority, power, or the potential to punish in order to be
seen by observers as someone who could be or is dangerous.
o It can increase the credibility of one’s threats and in turn enhances the probability that
the target will comply with the demands for agreement.
• Supplication – an approach where the individual exploits his/her weaknesses or shortcomings
to receive help or benefits.
• Internet use, in general, significantly affected social relationships and participation in offline
community life.
• More time spent online caused a decline in communicating with family members.
• Use of social networking sites (SNS) may possibly undermine subjective perception of well-
being and life satisfaction.
• Computer-mediated communication may
lead to the altered (and often wrong)
impression of the physical and personality
traits of the other users.
• All social networking platforms cause or at
least promote narcissistic behavior.
• Social networking is addictive.
• Chronic SNS users who have suddenly
stopped online social networking have been
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
observed to display signs and symptoms that at least partially resemble the ones seen during
drug/alcohol/nicotine abstinence syndrome such as anxiety, restlessness, irritability and poor
concentration.
Communication occurs during interaction, and our need to be connected and interact with
others is universal and avoidable – we are social animals after all. Communication is necessary in our
unending search for sense and meaning to our world.
➢ Social networks have broken the barriers of distance and time; of presence and visibility.
➢ They expand the possibilities of sharing and playing identities.
➢ They fulfill the most deeply felt human need of finding a psychological distinctiveness and self-
definition in a social context.
➢ Social validation can be achieved by receiving “likes” or “favorite”. It makes us crave for more.
Social scientists have given very different definitions of the concept of “private” and “public”.
Understanding the difference between these concepts will help in your study of the “self” (Baumeister,
2012):
• Private. The prevalent definition among social psychologists is “private” refers to mental events
in a person that are inherently unobservable by others.
• Public. What social psychologist consider as “public” are behaviors that are open to the
observations of other people.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
How do you know you are the same person you were as a
child? Is it because you remember yourself growing within the same
body you have now? Or is it because you perceive that you have the
same mind? What criteria can be used to confirm you are, in fact, a
“person’?
• The emphasis is on what the person has in common with the members of his or her group.
• It is created based on similarities with others.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
➢ Gender stereotypes existing in the offline environment are also present in the online world.
➢ Stereotypes – “a fixed, overgeneralized belief about a particular group or class of people”
(Cardwell, 2014).
Let’s test your memory
I. Identify what is being asked below. Write your answers before each number.
____________2. It is how people present themselves online in the manner that they want to.
____________7. This identity that evolves over the course of your life is the concept you develop
about yourself.
____________8. It is a person’s sense of who he/she is based on group membership.
____________9. It plays an essential role in shaping our conception of the world, our opinions, and
our values.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
II. Application
2. If you open your FB account, do you keep your identity public or private? Why?
IN A NUTSHELL
• The self that is constructed online is generally called the digital self.
• The use of technology is essential for individual survival and for communication with other
people.
• The internet plays an essential role in shaping our conception of the world, our opinions,
and our values.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
Self Impression
Digital Self Self Promotion Stereotype
Presentation Management
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Big Picture
Week 8-9. Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are expected to:
a. Discuss how to be better students using different study strategies and understand how the
human brain works during learning.
b. Identify short and long-term goals, discuss various sources of stress, compare and contrast the
different coping strategies, and apply positive coping strategies.
a. Big Picture in Focus: ULOa. Discuss how to be better students using different study
strategies, understand how the human brain works during learning, and how to make use of
self-regulation.
Metalanguage
For you to demonstrate ULOa, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of being a better student and metacognition.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for 8th and 9th week of the
course, you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the
succeeding pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus,
you are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
124 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Before going into trying to understand the relevant science behind the learning process, let’s
consider the nature of learning that is drawn from research. The Lawrence Hall of Science/UC Berkeley
NSF-WIDER Grant, outlined five points on the “learning” process:
1. Learning is active.
2. It builds on prior knowledge.
3. It occurs in a complex social environment.
4. Learning is situated in an authentic context.
5. It requires learners’ motivation and cognitive engagement.
Students grapple with so many issues in life. Many things compete for your attention. Thus, you
need to have an effective strategy in dealing with stress and fulfill your responsibilities at the same time.
But to do so, you need to know yourself first. Understand how the human brain works during learning.
Once you understand the biological processes, work on a mental strategy that will suit you best.
Learning is a lifelong process, and your college years are just a part of this process. How you
approach learning matters because it will definitely have an impact on the quality of your life in the
future.
At the end of this chapter, the students will be able to demonstrate various ways of managing
and caring for themselves.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Do you cram when you take the exam? Are your strategies effective when you study for your
exam? Do you get high scores in your exam using your strategies? If yes, that is good! But if not, then
let’s find out some of the techniques that may help you get better if not high scores in your quizzes and
exams.
Do you know the parts and functions of your brain? Let’s journey together to explore the
intricacies and mysteries of our brain for a better understanding and meaningful learning.
The nervous system is one of the most important systems in our body because it is the main
control and coordinating system of the body. It manages the voluntary and involuntary body
processes, especially during learning. It is divided into two major systems, the central nervous system
and the peripheral nervous system. Both systems are responsible for transmitting and receiving
information throughout the body.
Let’s examine the major parts and functions of the human brain.
126 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
You can also take the Left Brain/Right Brain Test Online at http://testyourself.psychtests.com
Metacognition:
(meta = “about” and cognition = thinking) Purposefully thinking about one’s own thinking
strategies – when people are able to “learn to think” and “think to learn”
Metacognition is a learning strategy that you use to understand and control your own performance.
• Are totally involved and aware of how you learn and what learning techniques or strategies
meet your needs.
• Evaluate how effective these strategies are for you.
• Implement the best plan of action for optimal learning.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
ACTIVITY TIME!
take the MAI here:
https://online.valenciacollege.edu/courses/96346/quizzes/160478?module_item_id=890682
Declarative Knowledge
• The factual knowledge the learner needs before being able to process or use critical thinking
related to the topic.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
129 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Activity time!
Create your own concept map.
131 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Reflective Writing
Reflective writing helps you make connections between what you are learning in your
homework/class content and with you how are integrating the content into your current learning
structures. Writing helps students observe themselves before, during, and after their reading, watching
and listening experience. Reflective writing can also take the form of jotting down your affective and
other personal reactions to learning the materials. Here are some prompts you can use for your
reflective writing experience:
• The most important part of the reading, video, or class is…
• The most useful or valuable thing(s) I learned today was…
• The most surprising or unexpected idea I encountered was…
• The ideas that stand out the most in my mind are…
• What I have learned today, I am able to connect to other courses in this way…
• Two ideas that I have found confusing are...
• “I learned a lot doing this assignment”. I agree (or disagree) because…
MANAGING YOUR OWN LEARNING: SELF-REGULATED LEARNING
What are the factors that you consider important in your learning? Is it the educator’s teaching
style? The learning materials? The classroom?
Although it is true that the teacher, books, and classroom help facilitate learning, it is actually
not the most important consideration in learning. Your primary concern in learning should be “you”.
Yes, “you” are the most important factor in your learning process. Are you motivated to do your learning
tasks? Are you confident in your ability to learn? Are you open to learn about ideas that challenge your
preconceptions?
Self-regulated learningis how students regulate their own emotions, cognition, behavior,
aspects of the context during a learning experience. Self-regulation, however, requires some degree of
choice or intentional selection of strategies to help you achieve a goal or behavior.
Self-Regulated Learners:
• Are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.
• Utilize metacognitive strategies (for example, you question your learning and you
monitor your own learning as well as your approach to academic tasks)
• Attribute any success or failure to factors within personal control.
132 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Cerebrum
Cerebellum
Brain Stem
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
IN A NUTSHELL
• Metacognition is the awareness of one’s thinking and the strategies one uses to learn.
• Self-regulated learning is the process in which students systematically direct their thoughts,
feelings, and actions toward the attainment of their academic goals.
133 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
Nervous Self-Regulated
Learning Metacognition
System Learning
134 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
b. Big Picture in Focus: ULOb. Identify short and long-term goals, discuss various sources of
stress, compare and contrast the different coping strategies, and apply positive coping
strategies.
Metalanguage
For you to demonstrate ULOb, you will need to have an accurate knowledge on the nature,
concept and meaning of being a better student and metacognition.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for 8th and 9th week of the
course, you need to fully understand the following essential knowledge that will be laid down in the
succeeding pages. Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus,
you are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other resources that are available in the
university’s library e.g. ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot
do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
-Edward Everett Hale
What is Self-Efficacy?
Self-efficacy refers to your belief in your capacity to perform necessary actions to product
specific performance goals (Bandura, 1977, 1986,1997). Self-efficacy is the reflection of your
confidence in the ability to exert control over your own motivation, behavior, and social environment.
Those with a high-sense of self-efficacy see a difficult task as a challenge that must be conquered
rather than a problem that must be avoided. This outlook fosters deep interest in performing any activity.
It sustains them to continue with their efforts in times of adversity.
135 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
What is a Self-Concept?
Self-concept is your idea of who you are (self) based on your personal beliefs and your
perceived notion of how other people see you. These personal beliefs could be your body image (“I’m
sexy”), your notions about yourself (“I am hardworking”), and how you tend to label yourself in different
situations (“I can be nasty if you push too far”).
Self-knowledge
136 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
What is Self-Esteem?
You know the importance of having a goal. But, are your daily actions bringing you closer to
your goal/goals? Are you planningyour goals correctly? What, “plan my goal”? What’s that?
As defined by professors Edwin Locke and Gary Latham (2006), a goal is “a level of
performance proficiency that one wishes to attain within a specific time period”. Locke and Latham
stated, “goal setting theory was based on the premise that much human action is purposeful, and it is
directed by conscious goals”. Goal-setting theory predicts that people will channel effort toward
accomplishing their goals, which will in turn affect performance.
Locke, who primarily developed the goal-setting theory, proposed three factors that will make
individuals highly motivated:
137 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
1. Clarity.When a goal is clear and specific, there is less misunderstanding about what behaviors
will be rewarded.
2. Challenge. People are often motivated by achievement. A goal that is too easy or too difficult
will not motivate the person to work hard on a task.
3. Commitment. A personally relevant goal will motivate a person to work on accomplishing it.
The harder the goal, the more commitment is required.
4. Feedback. Feedback provides opportunities to clarify expectations, adjust goal difficulty, and
gain recognition.
5. Task complexity. Just like setting a challenging goal, task complexity involves appropriate
balance.
SMART Goals
___________2. Carl Rogers is popularly known for his social learning theory and self-efficacy
concept.
___________3. Self-efficacy is your idea of who you are based on your personal beliefs and
your perceived notion of how others see you.
___________6. One principle of goal-setting theory is clarity, which motivates a person to work
on accomplishing the relevant goal with commitment.
___________7. SMART acronym for goals now stands for: Specific, Measurable, Assignable,
Relevant, and Time-Related.
138 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
___________10. Perceived task difficulty could alter the individual’s sense of self-efficacy.
In general, stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or
very demanding circumstances. It is a mental and physical response to the demands of your
environment (i.e., at home, school, work, etc.). it is normal to feel stressed. It is a universal, human
experience. What is more important is how you respond to stress.
Not all stress is bad for you. In fact, stress is good for human beings (to some degree) to
maintain an overall good health. The human body may tend toward a relatively stable equilibrium,
especially those maintained by physiological processes, yet it also requires stimulation to ensure
optimal functioning of the organs and tissues, such as the heart and muscles. How can stress be good?
When stress serves as a motivation for positive activities, then it is considered beneficial. Beyond its
optimal point, stress of any kind does more harm than good:
Eustress
o Considered as good stress
o A result from a situation or activity that you find motivating or inspiring
o Enjoyable and not threatening activity
Example: Find the nerve to talk to your crush.
Neustress
o “Neutral” stress
o A sensory stimulus that has no direct consequences or effect on the person
o A situation or activity that you do not find threatening yet not enjoyable
Example: Incidents you hear in the news.
Distress
o Situations or activities that you consider negative, harmful, threatening
o It could happen for just a short span of time or it could linger for prolonged periods (hours, days,
months, years)
Example: Being mugged on the streets or a long-standing family quarrel
Any situation, activity, or individual that gives you mental or emotional strain is a stressor. The
list of stressors is not only endless; it also various from person to person. Good stressors can make you
feel both nervous and excited at the same time (the so-called “butterflies in your stomach”). It can make
you worry about being liked or accepted. On the other hand, bad stress can cause you to feel angry,
petrified, or depressed. It can make you feel constantly on the edge. Other than the mental and
139 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
emotional strain, you also suffer pain, such as headache or you actually get sick, such as going down
with a fever. High levels of stress when unattended can contribute to mental health problems.
Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body
reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. People handle stress
differently. Symptoms of stress can vary
In general, signs and symptoms of stress fall under any of these three categories:
140 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Coping refers to the strategies you use to deal with real or imagined problems to protect
yourself against negative emotions.
Types of Coping
• Problem-focused coping
o It targets on controlling or changing the source of stress.
o It tackles the source in a practical manner.
o Strategies include employing problem-solving techniques; time management; getting
relevant social support.
• Emotion-focused coping
o It involves lowering, if not eliminating, negative emotional responses (i.e., embarrassment)
o It is an option when the source of stress is external and beyond the person’s control
o Strategies include distraction, talking out or verbalizing your problem, prayer and meditation
• Cognitive coping
o It involves a conscious intellectual activity of managing stressful situations
o You use your mind to combat stress-inducing thoughts.
1. Reframing – changing the way you view experiences or events, ideas, concepts and emotions
to find alternatives that are more positive.
2. Challenging negative thinking – questioning the rationality of your negative thoughts. You
take control of your thoughts and stop negative thinking. You replace negative thoughts with
positive affirmations.
3. Positive self-talk – sometimes referred to as “positive affirmations,” you talk to yourself in a
positive manner.
4. Count to ten- giving you time to gain control of your emotions. It allows you to rethink the
situation and find a better coping strategy.
5. Cost-benefit analysis – asking yourself how beneficial your thoughts, emotions, or actions are.
“Is it worth it?”
6. Smell the roses – a way of telling yourself to relax. It is about taking a conscious effort to
appreciate the usually neglected aspects of life
7. Using imagery/visualization – imagery as a relaxation tool. You find that place in your mind
where feel happy. Remember pleasurable experiences. This is more effective when combined
with breathing exercises.
141 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
What is social stress? It is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from
adverse or very demanding circumstances arising from the person’s social environment relationships
(Sattler & Kirsch, 2014). There are several sources of social stress, and they can affect almost every
area in your life. Social stress gets aggravated when you have little capability to change your
circumstances.
The sources of social stress include (but are not limited to):
Emile Durkheim’s book Suicide, shows how social organization of groups influence the
individual behavior of their members. Durkheim hypothesizes that the extent to which an individual is
integrated within a group affects the likelihood of suicide.
• Egoistic suicide – occurs when a person feels he or she is not accepted by or does not belong
to society. The social bond is very weak.
• Altruistic suicide – occurs when a person ends his or her life for others.
• Anomic suicide – is linked to disillusionment and disappointment.
1. Life Events – important, specific experiences the interrupt an individual’s usual activity/routine
that he/she needs to adjust to.
2. Chronic Strains – problems that have been occurring for some time; the person’s social role is
strained and threatened.
Common types of role strains (Copelton, 2000)
1. Role Overload. The role demands on an individual exceeds his or her capacity to handle.
2. Interpersonal Conflicts within Role Sets. These are problems and difficulties that arise in a
relationship (i.e., wife-husband, parent-child, and worker-supervisor)
142 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
3. Inter-role Conflict. The demands of two or more roles held by a person are incompatible, and
the demands cannot simultaneously be met. For example, as a working student, your work shift
suddenly changed and this ran in conflict with your class schedule.
4. Role Restructuring. Long-established patterns undergo considerable change and the person
needs to adapt/adjust.
Coping refers to personal responses that can be activated when stressful circumstances
arise. Coping refers to things people do to prevent, avoid, or control emotional distress.
1. Eliminate or modify the stressful situation so that it will not be a continuing problem.
2. Control the meaning of the problem, by “cognitively neutralizing” the situation.
3. Control the stress created by the situation (e.g., through stress-management techniques)
• Social Class– those who are in the lower social class have higher mental and emotional stress
than those who are affluent. Three common factors are: inadequate financial resources,
greater use of ineffective coping strategies, and less access to social support.
• Race– a person’s ethnicity is relevant to his/her stress response.
• Gender – women were found to have higher rates of psychological distress and depression
compared to men.
o Women tend to be delegated to the caregiver role more than men.
o Women are more inclined to be emotionally involved in the lives of the people around
them.
o Women introject rather than express anger. Introjection is a person’s ability to take in
the expectations and projections of others and take these as the person’s own.
143 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
TAKING CARE OF THE SELF: THE NEED FOR SELF-CARE AND COMPASSION
Maslow called the four bottom levels (physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem) as
deficiency needs because a person does not feel anything if these needs are met, but he/she becomes
anxious if these needs are not met. On the other hand, the fifth level (self-actualization) according to
Maslow was a growth need because it enables the person to reach his or her full potential as human
being.
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Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
Maslow’s theory holds that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs. Thus, lower
needs take precedence over higher needs, and they must be satisfied first. If a need is unmet, the
person feels agitated, and this motivates him or her to act and find ways to satisfy the need. Maslow
further stated that a person could only move up to the higher level of need once the lower level is
securely met, and only then will a person be motivated to work on self-actualization.
Self-care, as described by the University of Kentucky, entails taking deliberate acts of looking
after your mental, emotional, and physical health.
145 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
• Every time you are stressed you say, “I had a rough day, so I’m going for a drink to unwind.
Self-care!”
• Every time you like something. “This is really not in my budget, but I should not deprive myself
‘coz you know, self-care!”
Or, “I am so hungry, but I’m on a diet so I won’t eat. Taking care of my weight is self-
care!”
These notions of self-care are oversimplified. Proper self-care is taking a very active and
powerful choice to engage in activities that will result in acquiring or maintaining optimal health that
cover the physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual components.
Self-care is vital for the management of daily stressors and challenges, as well as overall health
and wellness. Self-care is neither overindulging nor unnecessarily depriving yourself. The keyword to
self-care is balance; being good to yourself will enhance the likelihood of living to your fullest potential.
Human beings are actually wired for compassion, rather than self-interest, according to
scientific research. Compassion, framed as an emotion, is the felt response to perceiving suffering that
involves an authentic desire to ease distress. It is a kind and caring emotional response to perceived
suffering that acknowledges the shared human experience of imperfection, and that involves an
authentic desire to help.
Research suggests that compassion may have ensured our survival because of its tremendous
benefits for both physical and mental health and overall well-being. It suggested that connecting with
others in a meaningful way helps us enjoy better mental and physical health and speeds up
recovery from disease(Diener & Seligman, 2013) and even lengthen our lifespans (Brown &
Konrath, 2013). The possible reason for such benefits in psychological well-being is the fact that the act
of giving results in a pleasurable feeling as evidenced by a brain-imaging study. The parts of the brain
that are active when a person experiences pleasure, such as eating favorite desserts or receiving
money, were found to be equally active when the person is doing acts of kindness, such as giving food
to a homeless person or donating a charity (Grafman, 2013; National Institutes of Health, 2013).
146 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
_______________2. It is considered as good stress since the activity is not threatening but inspiring
or motivating the person.
_______________4. It is a coping strategy wherein you find that place in your mind where you feel
happy.
_______________7. Talking or verbalizing your problem is one strategy of this coping mechanism.
_______________9. It is a coping strategy where you ask yourself how beneficial your thoughts
are.
_______________10. A principle in goal setting that states that people are motivated by
achievement.
147 | P a g e U n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e S e l f : W e e k 1 - 9
Department of Arts and Sciences
Psychology-GE 1
UM Digos College
Roxas Extension, Digos city
Telefax: (082) 553-2914
IN A NUTSHELL
• Motivation directs a person’s behavior toward a particular goal. A goal is the object toward
which the behavior is a directed, usually within a specified period of time.
• Albert Bandura defines self-efficacy as the people’s belief that they can successfully perform
behaviors that will produce desired effects.
• People cope with stress through problem-, emotion-, and cognitive-focused coping.
• People who are high in self-compassion treat themselves with kindness, care, and
understanding when they experience stressful events.
Q & A List
This section is a place for you to raise your questions and queries that you fell the instructor should give
attention to. Feel free to ask relevant questions related from the course here. This Q & A portion helps the review
of concepts and essential knowledge.
Questions/Issues Answers
1
2.
3.
4.
5.
Keywords Index
This section lists down the keywords for easy recall of concepts.
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