UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

CHAPTER 2:
UNPACKING THE SELF
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. explain the concept of physical self;

2. discuss ways on how to observe physical self-

care;

3. enumerate practical tips on how to practice

mental self-care; and

4. describe ways on how to perform emotional self-

care.
Physical Self
Shavelson described the total self or general self as being
made up of:
1. Academic self – influenced by the learning process and
the individual’s emotions, behavior and experiences
during the learning process.
2. Non-academic self – shaped by an individual’s social
self, emotional self, and physical self.
a. Social self – greatly influenced by parents, colleagues,
friends, and acquaintances among others.
b. Emotional self – the person’s experiences of joy, anger,
fear, anxiety, and other emotions.
c. Physical self – affected by involvement in sports,
exercise, and other activities that enhance the physical body
(Medišauskaite 2009)
K.R. Fox (2000) emphasized the factors that encompass
physical self-esteem, which include sport competence,
attractive body, physical power, and physical condition, and
how they actually shape the global self-esteem.

Physical self is the amazing vessel, complex, woven and

knitted, finely tuned creature in which we interact with our
environment and fellow beings. The physical self is the
concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the person that
can be directly observed and examined. It is composed of
systems that receive and respond to various external and
internal stimuli.
▪ Freud’s concept of
self and personality
makes the physical
body the core of
human experience.
▪ He stated that ego is
first and foremost a
body ego.
▪ Reich emphasized the
unity of the mind and
body.
▪ The body is central to all
dynamic psychological
functioning.
▪ It plays a very important
role in storing and
channeling the bioenergy,
which is considered as the
basis of human existence
and experience.
▪ Erikson considered experience
as firmly associated on the
ground-plan of the body.
▪ He stated that organs of the
body are essential during the
early developmental stages of
a person.
▪ The formation and
development of the physical
and intellectual skills greatly
influence the ability of the
individual to choose his role
in the society and be fulfilled..
▪ Physical health is directly
correlated to the competence
of children.
▪ Healthy children are more
competent and therefore, will
become more capable of
acquiring complex skills than
children who are
undernourished and sickly.
▪ He also highlighted the
incessant interplay of the
body, psychological processes,
and social forces (Singh 2020).. .
▪ Maslow provided the Hierarchy
of Needs about our physical
bodies.
▪ Once the physiological needs
are met, the person becomes
dedicated in attaining the
higher-order needs. That is why
he emphasized that we give due
attention to all the needs of the
body.

Abraham Maslow
▪ A well-nourished , loved,
respected individual
experiences fulfillment.
▪ On the other hand,
deliberate, self-denial and
rejection of the body’s basic
needs will result to an
inactive, crippled organism.

Abraham Maslow
▪ Psychologists
Psy
have their own ▪ Without the
views of the tangible,
physical body. responsive
But one thing is physical body,
common and we could not
that is the enjoy the
important role pleasures of the
of the physical world.
body plays for
the totality of
our being.
 ▪ Some showed outright
▪ Religious groups
rejection of the body,
around the world
because they consider it
also have varying
as the source of desires
concepts regarding
and attachments, while
the physical body.
others give due respect
One that draws
and importance to the
attention is the
physical body, because
varying idea from
they attribute it as the
the Indian
main instrument for
tradition.
spiritual growth and self-
realization.
▪ Indian tradition ▪ Furthermore, the concept
of the Middle path from
also appraised
the Buddhist tradition is
growth and vital in one’s attitude
enlightenment as toward the body.
the whole-body ▪ They believed that the
event, which is body deserves love and
only possible if respect, so there should
one has a pure be neither full indulgence
of one’s desire nor
and strong body.
extreme asceticism or
self-denial.
1. PERSONAL FACTORS (4)
a. Introspection and Self-reflection
Introspection is the process by which one
observes and examines one’s internal state
(mental and emotional) after behaving in a
certain way.
• Studies, however, show that
introspection is limited because
people are commonly motivated
to keep unwanted thoughts and
experiences out of memory and
consciousness.
b. Self – Perception Theory – self-
perception theory explains that since one’s
internal state is difficult to interpret, people
can infer their inner states by observing
their own behavior.
• c. Self – Concept is a
cognitive representation
of self-knowledge which
includes the sum total of
all beliefs that people
have about themselves.
Self-concept is a collection of all
individual experiences involving one’s
characteristics, social roles, values,
goals and fears. Thus, it pertains to all
characteristics the person enumerates
when asked to describe who he is.
•Physical
self–concept is
the individual’s
perception or
description of his
physical self,
including his
physical
appearance.
d. Personal Identity – the concept of a
person has about himself that develops over
the years including aspects of his life that he
was born into like family, nationality, gender,
physical traits, the choices he makes (e.g. what
he does for a living, who his friends are and
what he believes in.
2. SOCIAL FACTORS (5)
a. Attachment Process and Social Appraisal
According to Bowlby (1969), people learn about
their value and lovability when they experience
how their mothers or caregivers care for them
and respond to their needs.
Caregiving that is consistent and that
appropriately responds to the infant’s needs
promote positive self-concept; whereas caregiving
that is neglectful and unresponsive creates a
negative self-concept.
The person ends up believing that he is not worthy
and that others cannot be trusted. This is developed
prior to achieving self-awareness
b. Maintaining, Regulating and Expanding
the Self in Interpersonal Relationships –
The sense of self is continuously shaped through
ongoing interaction with others or with significant
relationship partners. They act as “private
audiences” with whom people carry an internal
dialogue. Oftentimes, however, people are not
aware that they are being influenced by these
private audiences.
c. The Looking Glass Self Theory – The
view of oneself comes from a compilation of
personal qualities and impressions of how
others perceive the individual. In looking glass
self, the self-image is shaped and reflected
from the social world. Other people’s reaction
would serve as a mirror in which people see.
Other people’s reaction would serve as a mirror in
which people see themselves particularly the way
in which they are perceived and judged by others.
Later in life, people internalize other people’s
appraisal of them through more cognitively
reflected processes.
Reflected Appraisal – are inferences regarding
other’s appraisal of a person.
d. Social comparison – Hewstone et.al
(2015) cited the work of Leon Festinger in
1954 and introduced another way of
understanding oneself by comparing one’s
traits, abilities or opinions to that of others.
SOCIAL COMPARISON – a process of comparing
oneself with others in order to evaluate one’s own
abilities and opinions.
Two Types of Comparison:
1. Upward social comparison – happens
when an individual compares himself to
others who are better than him.
Examples :
An adolescent male who values a well-built, muscled
physique compares himself to one who is a body
builder to inspire him to do workouts to get the abs
that he desires.
On the negative, when an individual compares
himself with someone better than him, he may
experience inferiority, envy or frustration.
• 2. Downward social
comparison – happens
when an individual
compares himself to
someone who is in a worse
situation than he is
especially when he is feeling
so low. This may make
himself feel better knowing
that he is more fortunate
than this person.
On the other hand, comparing oneself to a less
fortunate person may give rise to feelings of
superiority and arrogance.
Facebook is the biggest venue of social comparison.
For a person to have a healthy self-image, it is
important to never compare oneself to others. One
should rather set realistic standards for himself.
• e. Social Identity Theory
(Collective Identity) - formulated
by Tajfel and Turner in 1979, it
provides a framework about how
people achieve understanding about
themselves by being a member of
their group. People need positive
social identity. This is why they
connect to a wider social network.
This idea assumes that as a member of their group, they will
not be discriminated against by an out-group. Membership in
the group enhances their self-esteem because they feel secure
with the shield of the group membership where they belong.
 Taking Care of our Physical Body
▪ The physical body has been considered as the “real home”,
“temple”, or “vehicle”. It is the only one that we have
throughout our entire lives and is also the one most intimate
to us.
▪ Our physical body is our instrument so we can perform
our daily tasks. It is through this body that we can
interact with other people, with other living organisms,
and with the rest of our surroundings.
▪ It is very vital that we take good care of every single
structure that makes up our bodies. We have to make sure
that it can function well. When we take good care of it, we
are not only referring to the external part, but even the
internal components of the body.
▪ Self-care is the intentional, planned, and actual act of taking
the time to attend to our basic physical, mental, and emotional
needs (Brzosko 2018). It is quality rest that we can offer to our
bodies in order to replenish the lost energy utilized in performing
our daily activities. It is an act of love and kindness for
ourselves.
▪ Self-care occurs in three levels: physical, mental, and
emotional. Taking care of the physical body also entails
taking care of our mental and emotional lives. They should
go hand in hand. We cannot be physically fit and healthy,
yet emotionally unstable and mentally disturbed.
▪ We should be healthy in all the three aspects. In fact, health
starts from within and it then manifests outside. Our good
health springs from the mind, which stimulates the heart, and
the heart energizes the physical body.
Physical Self-Care
▪ This aspect of self-care is
the simplest one and is
very common nowadays.
There are three basic
aspects of physical self-
care: good nutrition,
sufficient amount of
recovery time (rest and
sleep), and necessary
exercise.
 Physical Self-Care
▪ Individuals have their own ways of taking care
of their body depending on the specific need and
preferences. Some go for massages, taking long
baths, going on long bike rides, hiking or engaging in
a skin care regime.
▪ Teens and adults nowadays are becoming fond of doing some
special skin care sessions or are using special skin care
products to improve the quality of their skin. Others, also have
changed hairstyle from time to time to follow the trend.
Consequently, we have our own ways to take care of our
physical bodies. But, let us make sure that these are really
beneficial and they will not cause us to suffer unnecessary
problems later in life.
 Mental Self-Care
Our thoughts can be confusing
and complex sometimes.
For instance, you may be
happy and then a certain
memory pops up and your
happy thoughts suddenly
changed. The memory cause
you to be anxious and worried
Such instances are
unintentional and we cannot
fully explain such
phenomenon.
 ▪ Mental self-care is a two-fold
Mental Self-Care process, according to Brzosko
(2018). The first step is taking
time to consistently break
down what you are thinking
and why you are thinking that,
because the moment you
manage to notice your
thoughts, they will not have
the power to direct your life
without you even noticing.
As we become conscious with our thinking, we can actually
choose where to focus our thinking. We can choose to center our
thoughts on something positive. We can think of an idea, an
activity, or place that energizes us the most.
 ▪ It is not helpful if we
will meditate on
negative words,
▪ The second
negative experiences,
step is to
and negative people
cultivate that we have
those mental encountered.
habits and We are just wasting
thoughts that our precious time
benefit us. with those negative
Keep those thoughts.
thoughts that
improve our
well-being.
Other tips for improving our mental health habits as
suggested by Brzosko (2018):

Focus your attention

on the present
moment.

Practice gratitude

Exercise patience.
Learn to accept what
is already happening.
Moreover, our relationship
with others can also be
improved if we keep in mind
that it is actually better to
give something to others
than to receive. As the
golden rule teaches us, let us
do to others what we want
others to do to us. If these
thoughts will be engraved in
our minds, our lives will be a
lot better.
Emotional Self-Care
In his book, The Presence Process, Michael Brown stated
that all emotions are essentially “energy in motion”.
They are neither good nor bad. They are just energy.
(Brzosko 2018).
People have come up with standardized names for those
emotions or energies such as fear, anger, anxiety, sadness,
happiness, excitement and thrill among others.
We also classified them as “desired” for the positive
emotions and “unwanted” for the negative ones. Because
we can feel or experience all these kinds of emotions, it is
unfair to be “right” or “wrong” based on the way we feel.
 Emotional Self-Care
A very important step in
dealing with our emotional
self is to recognize the
validity of our emotional
state. We will surely benefit
from this initial step, because
it is something that is already
happening.

▪ An attempt to hide or disregard the current emotional

state will just bring additional tension.
Emotional Self-Care
▪ It is, of course, easier to
accept some feelings over
others. Most of the time, it is
easy for us to recognize and
embrace emotions like peace,
love, excitement, happiness,
gratitude and hope. However,
it takes more time and
effort to accept fear, regret,
sadness, anxiety, and the like.
Emotional Self-Care
After recognizing the
emotion, we can either
alter the emotional state
or we do not.

Ex. You might be feeling sad or lonely because an

unexpected event just happened. Because you do not
want to stay sad, you change your circumstance, so
you can also change the emotion and decided to invite
your friends for a movie or dinner, take a stroll in the
park, or eat your favorite dish.
 Emotional Self-Care
On the other hand, the
second option tells us that
we can actually detach the
mental interpretation from
the emotion itself. We can
gradually get to the root of
the feeling.

Ex. It is my friend’s fault

why I feel angry today,
because she did not join
me in the party!
 Emotional Self-Care
Consequently, we integrate the emotions as a
valid part of our experience, not being worse nor
better than others. With these, we will no longer
seek some feelings over others. We simply believe
that all emotions have their root cause and that
they are valid.
Sometimes, we just need to be cautious and
mindful of these emotions, so that they will not
cause negative impact to our daily activities and to
the way we interrelate with other people around us.
 Activity: Wellness
Directions: The use of routine wellness programs/lifestyle is
becoming famous among teenagers and adults
nowadays. Search for an existing mobile app or
Ex. online activity about wellness. Discuss the
mechanics and the benefits of subscribing to that
program (three only).
Mechanics: As soon as a person enters the app, Calm asks for their
goals to make personalized content recommendations (reduce anxiety,
develop gratitude, increase happiness, improve performance, self-esteem etc).
Benefits: Subscribers to Calm can access an array of different features,
including the following: meditations, sleep stories, calm music, calm master
classes, calm kids and body, the spark, breathing exercises and
check-ins. Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/calm-app#_noHeaderPrefixedContent
 MARKINGS
Pts. Description
20 With 3 wellness programs ; answered in relation to the
topic; followed instructions; submitted on time.
12 With 3 wellness programs; answered in relation to the topic;
followed instructions; submitted late.
10 With 2 wellness programs ; answered in relation to the
topic; followed some instructions; submitted on time.
8 With 2 wellness programs ; answered in relation to the
topic; followed some instructions; submitted late.
5 With 1 wellness program ; answered in relation to the topic;
followed some instructions; submitted on time.
3 With 1 wellness program ; answered in relation to the topic;
followed some instructions; submitted late.
0 Answers were plagiarized.