LIFE ORIENTATION

GRADE : 8 TERM : 1 WEEK 1 1 HOUR

CONCEPTS:
 Self-concept and self-motivation
Factors that influence self-concept formation and self-motivation
 Media
 Environment
 Friends and peers
Self-concept
Self-concept means that you like yourself, feel accepted by your family and friends and believe that there
are things that you can do well. Self-concept is how an individual views who they are based on their
habits, skills and temperament. In other words, it is how you see yourself and the things you know about
yourself such as strengths and weaknesses. This includes how you think others see you. Self-
concept plays an important part in our overall wellness. It affects the ways we look at our body, how we
express ourselves and interact with our friends, and it even influences how we make decisions.
According to Carl Rogers, self-concept has three components: self-image, self-esteem, and the ideal
self.

Your self-concept is the way you fell and think about yourself. Several factors influence the formation of
your self-concept, such as:

 the way you see yourself-self-image

 the way you believe other see you
 the feedback you get from people around you
 your life experiences and what you learn from them

Our self-concept underlies all our behaviour. Our self-concept is a motivating or inhibiting factor in the
way we go through life.

The development of a positive self-concept at an early age empowers the child to feel competent, try
new things, and strive for success. On the other hand, self-esteem is an attitude or view that an
individual has about him or herself. Having a clear concept of who we are helps us to reach our potential
and our goals. Your self-concept can change and develop as you grow older. How you see yourself is
often linked to life experiences you gained over time.

environment
media self-concept culture
community external factors beliefs
relationships religion
Self-motivation

Self-motivation is the force that keeps pushing us to go on – it's our internal drive to achieve,
produce, develop, and keep moving forward. When you think you're ready to quit something, or you
just don't know how to start, your self-motivation is what pushes you to go on. Self-motivation is
therefore linked to self-concept. If you have a positive self-concept you become motivated to achieve
things that are important to you. When you achieve your goals, you feel good and this boosts your
self-concept.

ACTIVITY
Find out how self-motivated you are. Tick the relevant column.

QUESTIONS 1 2 3
Yes. Often Sometimes Seldom
1.Do you have a plan action for every day

2. If you do make a plan, do you stick to it?

3.Do you aim to achieve certain results in a test or exam?

4.Do you never put off doing tasks so that you can take part
in other activities instead ?
5.Are you not easily distracted when working towards your
aim?
6.Do you find it easy to work on things you do not like or that
are difficult in order to achieve your goal?

Now get your results here:

a. If you have ticked Column 1 for each question you are very self-motivated.
b. If you chose mainly Column 2, you are fairly self-motivated, but need to tighten up a few aspects.
c. If you chose Column 3, you are not self-motivated yet. Maybe you have not set yourself goals. It is
time you make a few changes.
Factors that influence self-concept formation
1. Media
Media is the communication channel providing news, information and feature stories to the public by
way of newspapers, magazines, social media and the Internet, television and radio. It is also a
platform where advertisements which show images of good-looking people who are famous or
successful are seen. These advertisements give the impression of the ideal person and play a role in
shaping our ideas about what we should look like, what we should be doing, how we must dress and
how to be successful. As humans we become a product of the environment we live in and have been
raised in. You rely on the moral values you have been raised with to make decisions in life. The
media in its various forms can influence us negatively by steering us away from the morals we have
been raised with. Adolescents can easily develop a negative self-concept die to the effects of the
mass media. Unfortunately messages from the media do not reflect the average population or
lifestyle and it can lead to dissatisfaction with yourself or your life.

2. Environment
Our environment includes our home, school and the community at large. The environment tends
to influence every aspect of our life, including our self-concept. If we are in a stressful and overly
demanding environment, it can often contribute to low self-esteem. On the other hand, if we
experience acceptance and success we become confident about our abilities and thus develop a
positive self-concept. Every part of our life can be affect by it, but the person that has the most
control over your self-esteem is you. Children develop a healthy self-concept when they are actually
given the opportunity to explore their environment. Through their interaction with the environment
and the people around them, children begin to think of themselves as someone belonging
somewhere, someone that is part of the environment of being worth-wile and a good person and a
valuable part of a specific group.

3. Friends and peers

People are social beings who need to belong. This is the reason why teenagers also need to make
friends. These friends and peers have though a big influence on us for we continually need their
approval. Their criticism or praise influenced our actions and how we see ourselves. We do things we
know they approve even though we do not feel hundred percent sure just to feel important and good
about ourselves. Your self-concept develops through communication with others. A healthy self-
concept helps a child to have a better relationship with his friends and family. He can control his
behaviour and get along with other people. Children are very much influenced by their friends. Social
experiences help shape a child’s values and also his or her personality. How you see yourself affects
how you reacts to situations. It is important to talk to yourself as far as social relationships are
concerned. Friends and peers must develop an ability to respect others talents and help them if they
are not doing so well in certain areas. When friends and peers react to you in a positive way, it can
help you believe more in yourself, because the praise makes you feel good and worthy.

Activity
Media perfect
A major factor that influences how we see and feel about ourselves is the media. The
different types of media we are exposed to play a powerful role in our self-concept
formation and motivation.
We are surrounded by images in advertisement, magazines, television and billboards,
showing us how we should look, how we should feel, what we should eat and even
who our friends should be. If we do all these things then we should have perfect lives
and “look perfect”.
What happens to your self-concept when you realise that you are not the “perfect”
person these images say you should be?
We are all different, unique individuals, so our idea of perfect might be very different to
someone else’s idea of perfect. In your exercise books, complete these tasks:

 Write down 5 phrases to describe a person whom you believe “looks perfect”.
 Cut out 2-3 pictures from a magazine or a newspaper of people you think have
the “perfect look”.
 Stick the pictures in your class book
 Look at your friends/class mates pictures. Are they the same as yours? Do you
think they look “perfect”?
 Are you motivated in any way when you look at these pictures? How?
 What did you learn from this exercise?
 Discuss your thoughts with the rest of the class.
GRADE 8 TERM 1 WEEK 2 1 HOUR
Factors that influence self-concept formation and self-motivation
 Family
 Culture
 Religion
 Community
4. Family
The first people that we develop relations with are our family members such as parents, siblings,
grand- parents, uncles and aunts. When they show us love and praise, we develop a positive self-
concept. The way family members relate to one another and operate together as a social
group can shape a child's self-concept, socialization, and cultural identity. As we grow older we may
also need advice of the older siblings in decision making and even turn them into role models.
Parents who love, appreciate and support their children, will help their children to cope with all the
challenges while growing up. A child’s self-concept starts to develop at birth when they develop an
emotional bond. Parents and family can help build a positive self-concept by praising children and
making them feel that they are worthy. Parents who are interested in their children talents and
hobbies also help build their children’s self-confidence and sense of worth. Building a child’s self-
concept is by teaching a child social skills and how to make and keep friends and to help their
children to manage their feelings and solve problems. Parents who to negatively about an
adolescent’s appearance, skills or abilities only break a child’s self-esteem. If parents compare
children with others or criticise them the whole time, it makes them feel worthless.

5. Culture
Culture is a word for the 'way of life' of groups of people, meaning the way they do things. A family
and community’s cultural values shape the development of its child's self-concept. Culture shapes
how we each see ourselves and others. For example, some cultures prefer children to be quiet and
respectful when around adults. This does not indicate that a quiet child lacks self-confidence. Other
cultures like Zulu, takes that it is sign of disrespect when a child looks an adult in the eye. Our culture
plays an important role in the development of our self-concept. In our multi-cultural country it is
important to be aware of different cultures and how these shape our identity. Teens from a specific
background and culture it will be important to be very independent and have a strong self-esteem

6. Religion
Religion as the belief in and worship of God or gods. Religion helps in creating an ethical framework
and also a regulator for values in day to day life. This particular approach helps in character building
of a person. Religion helps in building values like love, empathy, respect, and harmony. Depending
on where you live, religion may also make you feel better about yourself by making you feel part of
your larger culture. People who are religious are believed to have higher self-esteem and better
psychological adjustment than people who aren't. Churches teaches us to have a positive self-image.

7. Community

Being part of the community help you to form a positive self-concept. Teens who feel that they are
part of a special family in a certain community, where religious and cultural values are shared, feel
more self-confident and connected. The culture in which grows up will influence how strong
community involvement is in his or her life. If someone is born in a poor agricultural community, it
may be expected that he or she becomes very involved in the community. This person will learn how
to help on the farm or help to sustain in the whole community.

ACTIVITY 1 Study the statements made by these teenagers and answer the questions below

a. Classify the statements according to the factor that influenced them.

 __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

b. Which of the factors above influence the way you feel? List them.
__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

c. Which other factors, except those indicated by the teenagers above, do you think can influence
teenagers self-concept.
__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

GRADE 8 TERM 1 WEEK 3 1 HOUR

CONCEPT: Positive self-talk

 Individuality and uniqueness and personal achievements

 Strategies and skills to extend personal potential

Positive self-talk

Self-talk is your internal dialogue. It's influenced by your subconscious mind, and it reveals your
thoughts, beliefs, questions, and ideas. Self-talk can be both negative and positive. It can be
encouraging, and it can be distressing. Much of your self-talk depends on your personality

Positive self-talk makes you feel good about yourself and the things that are going on in your life. It's
like having an optimistic voice in your head that always looks on the bright side. ... Negative self-
talk tends to make people pretty miserable and can even impact on their recovery from mental health
difficulties.

Guidelines for positive self-talk

a. Speak to yourself respectfully and in a positive way

b. Focus on what makes you special and unique as an individual
c. Remind yourself of your achievements and praise good work
d. Be confident about achieving your aims
e. Treat yourself with kindness and encouragement. Don’t speak yourself down
f. Be gentle with yourself and forgiving yourself when you make mistakes
g. See you mistakes as an opportunity to learn
h. Acknowledge that you are a unique person
i. Acknowledge that you have potential
Individuality and uniqueness and personal achievements

It is important to feel that you are part of a group and that you belong somewhere. Your talents, your
uniqueness and your contribution are important. We do NOT all have the same, dress the same, talk
the same, behave the same or believe the same in order to fit in. People can “lose themselves” if they
try too hard to blend in or fit into a certain group.

You have skills, talents and abilities that are part of YOUR-make-up. That is what makes you an
individual. Use your uniqueness to contribute to your environment or group or community. That way
you will become part of a team, which will increase your sense of self-worth and therefore boost your
self-concept.

Get more self-confidence

If you don’t have enough self-confidence, you will criticise yourself constantly and focus on your failure.
You will tell yourself the whole time what can go wrong in your life. Negative self-talk won’t do you any
good. You have to practice self-talk to boost your confidence.

Strategies and skills to extend personal potential

Personal achievements

It is important to have a support system if friends and family to keep building your self-confidence and
self-esteem. To have personal goals and then achieve those goals brings a lot of good feelings and
satisfactions. It makes you feel good and happy. The key to being happy is to live in the present.

Knowing your potential helps you to understand what you are good at and what you can achieve.
These are two types of potential:

 Hidden potential: abilities and talents that you are not even aware of
 Known potential: abilities and talents that you know you have

Identify your potential-what you are capable of your skills, talents and abilities. Know your strengths
and limitations. Understand yourself and develop a positive self-concept, move from negative thoughts
to positive thoughts. Set goals and work towards achieving them. Develop your strengths and talents,
improve on weaknesses.

Strategies and skills to extend personal potential

Identify your talents and strengths (Get to know yourself)-Notice your thoughts about yourself. For
example, you might find yourself thinking ‘I’m not clever enough to do that’ or ‘I have no friends’. When
you do, look for evidence that contradicts those statements. Write down both statement and evidence,
and keep looking back at it to remind yourself that your negative beliefs about yourself are not true. It is
also a good idea to write down positive things about yourself, such as being good at a sport, or nice
things that people have said about you.
Look for mentors- Find someone who is willing to spend their time and attention to develop your skills.
Work hard- Hard work pays. Put some effort into everything you do to achieve your goal.
Have patience- Good things are worth waiting for. It is important to keep working hard and being
patient.
Show determination- Keep working hard and not giving up even when things don’t go as planned. Not
giving up is key.
Have commitment- Stay committed to your goals. Do not let any hurdle to stop you achieve them.
Develop organisational skills- For you to be organised you need to plan your activities properly.
Learn from your mistakes- Do not let your mistakes discourage you, instead use them as lessons to
better your goal achievement.
Have confidence in yourself- Don’t doubt yourself. Believe in yourself and your goals. See yourself
achieve them.
Stay realistic- Set realistic goals to avoid disappointments and worry.

ACTIVITY 3

Read the following Case Study:

Lindi is in Grade 8. She has a good voice and enjoys singing in the school choir. She goes to the
choir practice twice a week. She also sings in her church choir on Sundays. Lindi’s goal is to sing
solo at the inter-school music festival in six weeks’ time. If she does this there is a chance that she
could be chosen for the province’s youth choir.
“I’ll have to do extra singing training before school and at home in the evenings so I’ll have less time
for homework. I won’t be able to go out much with my friends because I’ll have to practice over the
weekends too” said Lindi. “I know I have to be organised and disciplined. I mustn’t give up if I have a
bad day. It will be worth it in the end” she said.

Questions
a. i) What ability does Lindi have?____________________________________________
ii) What is her goal?_____________________________________________________
 iii) Is Lindi self-motivated to achieve her goal? Give reason for your answer.

____________________________________________________________________

iv) Give an example of self-talk in Lindi’s story

____________________________________________________________________

b. Complete the following sentences:

 I am unique because ______________________________________________

 I am special and valuable because ___________________________________
 The thing I have done and proud of is _________________________________
 I have the potential to _____________________________________________

c.What are your interests and passions? (What do you like and love doing?)

____________________________________________________________________

d. What are your strengths and abilities? (What are you good at doing?)
____________________________________________________________________

e. Set yourself a goal for developing the ability or strength you want to achieve by:
 The end of 2023__________________________________________________
 The end of 2024 _________________________________________________
 The time you have finished school ___________________________________

f. Inset the goals you have set in (e) above and complete the table below:

Goal Who will help me What action must I take

1.

2.

3.