Module 1: The Self from

Various Perspectives

Topic 3 – The Self as Cognitive Construct

Learning Activities

1. Activity
A. This activity has two parts that try to compare how we look at ourselves against
how people perceive us depending on how we present ourselves to them. For the
first part, list 10 to 15 qualities or things that you think define who you are around
the human figure representing you.
1. Stubborn
2. I’m clumsy
3. I’m artistic
4. Full of positivity
5. Has a pure heart
6. A one call away friend.
7. A silent and shy type of person.
8. A person who always procrastinates.
9. There are times that I’m hot headed.
10. A person who still have a bit of childishness
11. I can’t raise my voice even when I'm mad.
12. I may be tough when you see me but I’m fragile.
13. I always help when someone needs it as much as I can.
14. I’m a daughter who always wanted to make my parents proud.
15. I always show my true and genuine smile to the people around me.
B. For the second part, in the space below, ask 7-10 of your friends through chat or text
with the question “who do you think I am based on what you see me do or hear me
say? List the qualities you have collected from your friends.
 1. Artistic
2. Clumsy
3. A one call away friend.
4. A woman that has a pure heart.
5. A silent and shy type of person.
6. A hot-headed person sometimes.
7. A person who always procrastinates.
8. A serious person but childish sometimes.
9. Always there when someone needs help.
10.An independent woman who can stand on her own.
11.The way she smile shows that it’s true and genuine.
12. A person who never gives up on any difficulties in life.
13. A person that is good at handling emotions in every situation.
14. A daughter who’s willing to do everything just to make her parents
proud.
15. A person who doesn’t even know how to raise her voice when she’s mad.

2. Analysis
Compare what you wrote about yourself to those messages by your friends. What aspects are
similar and what are not? What aspects are always true to you? What aspects are sometimes true
or circumstantial? What aspects do you think are not really part of your personality? Write a
reflection paper about it.

Most of the time in our daily lives, we are often with our friends rather than other people . They
are the one who are in there beside us when we leave home. And because of that, we used to be
with them, they used to be with us, we used to know each other, and by that time we used to
observe what qualities each of us have. So here are some comparisons on how they used to
know me and how I used to know myself.

The aspect that are similar on how I describe myself against how people describe me based on
what they see me do or hear me say that I think that are true about me, first, is being an artistic
since I was a child I always see my father doing some paintings and drawings that I think I
inherit it from him. Also, having a pure heart, showing my genuine smile to everyone, a one call
away friend to everyone and extending my arms
to those people who need help as much as I can because that’s how my parents raised me.
Additionally, being a childish, silent or shy type of person sometimes, how clumsy I am with the
things that I do and how I procrastinate not only in my studies but also with other important
things that’s I think one of the qualities that I need to avoid. For me, the aspect that is always true
about myself is being a woman who can easily break or fragile even though it’s small things I
can easily cry and being a stubborn as always .
Lastly, a daughter who always wanted to make my parents proud because it’s my way to pay for
their sacrifices for me.

With the qualities that my friends said about me I think there's a few that I can say that it’s true
but circumstantial or sometimes it happened according to circumstances such as being a hot
headed and a serious type of person. Also, with all those things that they said I think being an
independent woman and good at handling emotions is not really part of my personality because I
always depend on people around me which I can say is a bad quality that I have. I can’t also
handle my emotions because I can easily break whenever there’s a problem.

Activity and analysis is from the teacher‘s manual of Understanding the Self textbook of
Alata, E.J., et al. (2018).

References

Alata, E.J., et. Al. (2018) Understanding the Self. Rex Books Store. ISBN.
13:9789712386701