UNIT 1

Introduction
Knowing and understanding oneself is critical to being an effective team member as well as being successful in life,
work, and relationships. It is one of the most important factor to define your whole personality because it influences
everything you do, and it changes and evolves over time.

The purpose of this module is to help you deepen your understanding and appreciation for who you are as a person.
You will explore how you see yourself through the lenses of personal identity, your skills and talents, roles, values,
personal core, and how you meet your psychological needs. You will also examine how you respond to the pressures
of changes and transitions in your life.
You will have an opportunity to examine how your personal identity has been shaped by a variety of people and
experiences. You will also have opportunities to think about and discuss your values, interests, hopes for the future,
as well as, your strengths and challenges. You will learn about how your psychological needs are the primary source
that motivates and drives your behavior. You will also learn critical knowledge about change and how important it is
in today’s workplace to be adaptive and to embrace change as a personal and professional growth experience.

As we progress in our lessons, you will be invited and encouraged to take risks, to step outside your comfort zone,
and to challenge your thinking and the thinking of others. You will be engaged in reflection, partner activities,
storytelling, discussion groups, self-assessment, and giving and receiving feedback.

Learning Outcomes
A. Exemplify awareness, understanding, appreciation and acceptance of the Self;
B. Explain the fundamental concepts of the Self and the basic dynamics of self-development;
C. Identify values that perfectly fit with self-change and acceptance;
D. Model the imbibed values as part of self-acceptance

Activating Prior Knowledge

Think about this:

Do I know myself as others know me?

Am I aware of my characteristics as others are aware of?

Are my characteristics that I know also known to others?

Are there characteristics (about me) that others know that I am not aware of?

Now, you probably are a little bit confused about who you are now. Our lessons

will unearth many excellent qualities about you that you may have overlooked

over the years.

Topic 1. KNOWING ONESELF

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

A. Identify characteristics as selling points about you;

B. Emulate values from parents’ lessons checking on your character;
C. Exemplify awareness, understanding, appreciation and acceptance of the Self;
D. Explain the fundamental concepts of the Self and the basic dynamics of self-development.

Presentation of Content

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Understanding the self is the awareness of and the ability to understand one’s own thoughts and actions. It entails
the ability to attain insights into one’s attitudes, motives, defences, reactions, together with the weaknesses and
strengths. It is subjective sense of the self and a complex mixture of conscious and unconscious thoughts, attitudes
and perceptions.

Understanding self represents the sum total of people’s conscious perception of their identity as distinct from others.
The self is not a static phenomenon but continues to develop and change throughout lives—(George Herbert Mead)

Self-understanding has been recognized as a competency for individuals to function efficiently in any group of
organization. It influences the individual’s ability to make key decisions about self and other people around him.
Understanding self equips individuals with making more effective career and life choice, the ability to lead, guide
and inspire with authenticity.

SELF-CONCEPT

It is the set of beliefs that would hold about who we are. It is the sum total of an individual’s beliefs about his or her
own personal attributes. It is basically the individual’s image of the kind of person he or she is which includes the
awareness of being (what I am) and awareness of function (what I can do). Self-concept includes not only our
perceptions of what we are but also of what we think, we ought to be and would like to be. The latter component of
the self is called the ideal self that represents the self-concept that an individual would ideally want to possess.
Source: Slideshare.net produced by: Sabnam Basu

Our self-concept is “what we perceive ourselves to be,” and involves aspects of image and esteem. How we see
ourselves and how we feel about ourselves influences how we communicate with others. What you are thinking now
and how you communicate impacts and influences how others treat you. Charles Cooley calls this concept the
looking-glass self. We look at how others treat us, what they say and how they say it, for clues about how they view
us to gain insight into our own identity. Leon Festinger added that we engage in social comparisons, evaluating
ourselves in relation to our peers of similar status, similar characteristics, or similar qualities.

The ability to think about how, what, and when we think, and why, is critical to intrapersonal communication.
Animals may use language and tools, but can they reflect on their own thinking? Self-reflection is a trait that allows
us to adapt and change to our context or environment, to accept or reject messages, to examine our concept of
ourselves and choose to improve.

2. 3.
known to others not known to or
but not to me to others

1. 4.
known to me and known to me but
to others to others

In the first quadrant of the figure, information is known to you and others, such as your height or weight. The second
quadrant represents things others observe about us that we are unaware of, like how many times we say “umm” in
the space of five minutes. The third quadrant involves information that you know, but do not reveal to others. It may
involve actively hiding or withholding information, or may involve social tact, such as thanking your Aunt Martha
for the large purple hat she’s given you that you know you will never wear. Finally, the fourth quadrant involves
information that is unknown to you and your conversational partners. For example, a childhood experience that has
been long forgotten or repressed may still motivate you. As another example, how will you handle an emergency
after you’ve received first aid training? No one knows because it has not happened.
Source:https://courses.lumenlearning.com/

Topic 2. TWO WAYS IN WHICH WE PERCEIVE OURSELVES

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

A. Identify the different concepts about self;

B. Give examples of negatives thoughts that most likely to ruin plans;
C. Explain how negative thoughts may be turned into positive motivations

Presentation of Content

POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT:

People with positive self-concept believe in themselves are confident about their ability to deal with problems, make
decisions and feel equal with others, have respect for themselves and expect it from others. These are the people
who are realistic in the assessment of themselves and can admit to a wide range of feelings, behaviours and needs.

NEGATIVE SELF-CONCEPT:

These are the people who see themselves as failures and have negative, pessimistic image of themselves who begin
to act their part. These negative feelings feed on themselves and become a downward spiral, gradually
encompassing all of the people’s thoughts, actions and relationships. People with negative self-concept tend to
complain constantly and find it difficult to accept criticisms.
Source: Slideshare.net produced by: Sabnam Basu

Topic 3. ASPECTS OF SELF-CONCEPT

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

A. Identify the different aspects of self-concept;

B. Give examples of cognitive aspects which are important in the intellectual development;
C. Explain how behavioural aspects may interfere with the cognitive development

Presentation of Content
1. COGNITIVE ASPECT: SELF SCHEMA
Self-schemas are cognitive generalizations about the self, derived from past experience, that organize and guide the
processing of self related information.

2. AFFECTIVE/EVALUATIVE ASPECT: SEL-ESTEEM

The self-esteem reflects the perceived the difference between an individual’s actual self-concept (who I think I
really am) and some ideal self-image (who I would really like to be).

3. BEHAVIORAL ASPECT: SELF PERCEPTION

In Darn Bem (1972) influential self-perception theory reflects, we observe our behaviour and our situation in which
it took place make attributions about why the behaviour occurred and draw conclusions about our won characteristic
and disposition. In other words, we understand ourselves the same way we perceive and understand others.

COMPONENTS OF SELF-CONCEPT
 BODY IMAGE

SELF- ROLE
SELF-ESTEEM PERFORMANCE
CONCEPT

PERSONAL
IDENTITY

SELF-IDENTITY

A sense of personal identity is what sets one person apart as a unique individual that includes a person’s name,
gender ethnic identity, family status, occupation and roles. One’s personal identity begins to develop during
childhood and is constantly reinforced and modified throughout life.

BODY IMAGE

Body image is an attitude about one’s physical attributes and characteristics, appearance and performance. It is
dynamic because any change in the body structure or function, including the normal changes of growth and
development can affect it.

In simple terms, body image is:

“…the perception that a person has of their physical self and the thoughts and feelings that result from that
perception.” (National Eating Disorders Collaboration)

As this definition shows, body image isn’t just one unidimensional construct. It’s made up of four aspects:

1. Perceptual body image: how you see your body

2. Affective body image: how you feel about your body
3. Cognitive body image: how you think about your body
4. Behavioral body image: the way you behave as a result of your perceptual, affective, and cognitive body
image (NEDC, 2017)

When your body image is positive, you are able to accept, appreciate, and respect your body (NEDC, n.d.). You
won’t necessarily avoid feeling any insecurities or think your body is perfect, but you will be able to acknowledge
any insecurities for what they are and believe that your body is perfect for you.
https://positivepsychology.com/

SELF-ESTEEM

Self-esteem if the judgement of personal performance compared with the self-ideal. It is derived from a sense of
receiving and giving love and being respected by others.

Self-esteem refers to a person's beliefs about their own worth and value. It also has to do with the feelings people
experience that follow from their sense of worthiness or unworthiness. Self-esteem is important because it heavily
influences people's choices and decisions. In other words, self-esteem serves a motivational function by making it
more or less likely that people will take care of themselves and explore their full potential. People with high self-
esteem are also people who are motivated to take care of themselves and to persistently strive towards the fulfilment
of personal goals and aspirations. People with lower self-esteem don't tend to regard themselves as worthy of happy
outcomes or capable of achieving them and so tend to let important things slide and to be less persistent
and resilient in terms of overcoming adversity. They may have the same kinds of goals as people with higher self-
esteem, but they are generally less motivated to pursue them to their conclusion.
https://www.mentalhelp.net/

COMPONENTS OF SELF-ESTEEM
https://www.teljeunes.com/

Self-confidence (feeling of security)

This is the foundation of self-esteem. If we feel secure with our family, if we feel loved and our
needs are met, our self-esteem develops. That’s when we try to take our place and dare to try new
things and new experiences. For example, when we learn to walk, we fall down the first few times,
but with encouragement, we develop our confidence and try again!

Identity
 This is the knowledge we have of ourselves. By experimenting, learning, and getting feedback
from the people around us, we come to identify our characteristics, abilities, needs, and feelings.

Identity can be divided into several parts: including physical (the representation that each person has
of their own body) and social (how I come into contact with other people, the groups I associate
with, my economic situation, my place as a student, worker, teen, how I act with my girlfriend or
boyfriend, which sex attracts me, etc.).

Feeling of belonging
We all belong to several groups: family, friends, school, sports team, etc. We also define ourselves
by belonging to these groups, by the relationships we have with other people and the experiences we
have in these groups: feeling like part of a group, feeling solidarity, seeking out the other group
members, communicating well, sharing, etc. The various groups we belong to allow us to feel
understood and know that there are people who are like us.

Feeling of competence
To feel competent, we need to have different experiences, succeed and fail, and learn new things.
The feeling of competence is related to motivation: a person is motivated when they face challenges
that they are able to meet. Success results in a feeling of efficacy and pride that promotes self-
esteem and pushes the person to accept new challenges.

Self-esteem is not carved in stone. It changes and stabilizes based on the people we meet and our life
experiences. Although it can be a challenge during adolescence, one thing is certain: the more
different situations we face, the more we learn about ourselves and the better we know who we are
and who we want to identify with, what we don’t want to repeat, and what we want for our lives.

ROLE PERFORMANCE

Role refers to a set of expected behaviours determined by familial, cultural and social norms. The level of self-
esteem is dependent upon the self-perception of adequate role performance in these various social roles.
Source: Slideshare.net produced by: Sabnam Basu

ACTIVITIES OF TOPIC 1

Application:

Complete this table showing you as a person. Put a check mark where a characteristics is known. Add
more cells if needed.

Characteristics Known to you Known to others You do not know

and others

Feedback

Activity:
Draw yourself in a family where you exemplify attributes you have learned from this lesson. Does your nominal
position in your family matters if you wish to influence your siblings about being part of a change? Why?

ACTIVITY 1
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 The Masks We Wear

People often compare themselves to others. They also wear different masks put on different faces, depending in the
particular norms of the social situation they are in. Masks provide a comforting way for them to hide their true
selves and fit in and they serve as a protective barrier to avoid getting hurt. Teenagers, in particular, often go through
tumultuous times and experience a roller coast of emotions, leaving them more vulnerable to loss of identity. This
activity allows participants to analyse, demonstrate, and explore the different ways they act around the important
people in their lives.

Materials
 Paper plates (at least 3 for each person)
 Magazines or newspapers
 Pencils or pens, coloured markers/felt pens
 Optional: Craft (paddle pop) sticks, glue or tape

Procedure
1. Why do people wear masks?
2. Prepare the materials and decorate three masks, with each mask representing how you present yourself most
often.
3. Discuss your masks and how you change from day to day and situation to situation

Application:

1. Which mask do you feel most comfortable in?

2. Which mask would you like to get rid of?
3. How will you use what you have learned today?

Feedback

1. Are you challenged to wear mask in different situations? Why?

2. Do you live in an environment that requires changes of masks when need arises? Why?

ACTIVITY 2
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Self-Portraits

Rationale
Self-portraits offer people a creative outlet to express how they view themselves

in a non-threatening format. In addition, self-portraits will provide you with a deeper understanding of everyone’s
background.

Materials
 A copy of the self-portrait hand-out for each.
 Pencils, pens, crayons or coloured markers/felt pens
Procedure
1. Close your eyes and picture yourself by considering how you feel about your body, home life, school,
friends and social activities.
2. Now you are asked to draw your image to the best of your ability and after which describe your self-
portrait.

Discussions:
1. How is your portrait different from the image you project to others?
2. What is a step you are willing to take to improve your vision of yourself?
3. How will you use what you have learned today?

ACTIVITY 3
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Today I Choose….

Everything we do in life is a choice. Every choice has a consequence. The consequence can be positive or negative.
Young people often find it more difficult to think about the ramifications of their decisions. The pressures and
uncertainties during times of trouble can lead to poor choices. This activity focuses on the importance of thinking
through and planning to help promote healthy decision making.

Materials
 A copy of the My Life is a Choice hand-out for each participant
 Pencils or pens

Procedure
1. Think of a choice/s you make every day.
2. A copy of the My Life is a Choice hand-out is given to you. .
3. Complete the hand-out and see how many things you actually choose to do in one day.
Discussion Questions
 Can you name a few difficult situations in which making a good choice may be a struggle for many people
today?
 Why do you think these situations are so difficult?
 How would you advise someone to handle these difficult situations?
 How will you use what you have learned today?

ACTIVITY 4

MY SELF-ESTEEM BINGO
Discuss each of the items in the bingo box.

SELF ESTEEM BINGO

Talk of three things Share a happy Talk about your The best way to Describe your most
you are grateful for event in your life hang out with pamper myself is quiet time
friends ……

My favourite part of Mention a way Talk someone you Say something A favourite memory
the day where you can admire positive about of mine is when
manage your anger yourself ……

I am happiest Name something FREE I feel best when Share a

when…. you would like to people….. characteristic you
be better at admire in yourself

Share the greatest I feel good about Describe your Your greatest Describe your
compliment you myself …… perfect vacation personal greatest strength
ever received accomplishment that
you are proud
Share something I am good at ….. Share a Name a person who Describe your most
you would like to characteristic you can motivate you the enjoyable outdoor
do but haven’t yet admire in others most activity