Personal

Development
LESSON 1:
KNOWING ONESELF
OBJECTIVES
1. Explain that knowing oneself can make a person accept his/her
strengths and limitations and dealing with others better.
2. Share his/her unique characteristics, habits, and experiences.
3. Appreciate and value oneself.
DEFINING THE CONCEPT OF SELF
SELF is the sum total of who a person is; a
person’s central inner force, common to all
human beings and yet unique in each, which is
the deep source of growth.

Every individual possesses a “self” which is the

representation of one’s identity which distinguishes him or
her from other identities.
DEFINING THE CONCEPT OF SELF
SELF – is the union of elements:
body + thoughts + emotions and sensations
= Character or Personality
ELEMENTS OF SELF
 Body – Physical attributes, health, posture and poise
 Thoughts – the way you think, and how you perceive things
around you
 Emotions and sensations – things that you experience prompt
you to behave the way you do.
Personality is: Who we are and what we do when
everybody is watching.
Character is: Who we are and what we do when
nobody is watching.
SELF CONCEPT
A person’s subjective description of who the
person thinks he or she is; filtered by your own
perceptions..e.g. You may have a great singing
voice, but you may not believe in it enough to
think of yourself as a singer. Thus it refers to
your awareness of yourself.
SELF-ESTEEM

-Depends on what we perceive to be worthwhile and/or

valuable
-An individual's subjective evaluation of their own worth
-It is more situational approach in terms of attitude because
self-esteem is how we value ourselves, given the negative or
positive feedback we receive.
TWO CATEGORIES OF SELF-CONCEPT
ACTUAL SELF
- Refers to the characteristics that we believe we
possess; it may include the roles we perceive we
inhabit, the words we use when we describe
ourselves, and how we believe others perceive
us
- It is built on self-knowledge. The actual self is
who we actually are.
IDEAL SELF
-Refers to how we want to be; idealized image that we
have developed over time, based on what we have
learned and experienced
- The ideal self could include components of what our
parents have taught us, what we admire in others, what
our society promotes, and what we think is in our best
interest.
 FOUR WAYS ON HOW TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES

1. Looking Glass Self

-Describes the process wherein individuals base
their sense of self on how they believe others view
them. Using social interaction as a type of “mirror”,
people use the judgements they receive from others to
measure their own worth, values, and behavior.

Charles Horton Cooley

 FOUR WAYS ON HOW TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES

Looking Glass Self

- It is a psychological concept created by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902. It states that a
person’s self grows out of society’s interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of
others. Finally, we develop our self through the judgements of others.
- It is described as our reflection of how we think we appear to others.
FOUR WAYS ON HOW TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES
 FOUR WAYS ON HOW TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES

2. Introspection
-Refers to an observation and sometimes, a description
of the contents of one’s own consciousness. Meaning it is
your ability to reflect and think about your own thoughts,
feelings, and actions/self-assessment.

Edward Titchener
 FOUR WAYS ON HOW TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES

3. Social Comparison
- phenomenon where we can compare ourselves to
people who are better than us- “upward
comparisons”-or worse than
us-“downward comparisons”

Leon Festinger
 FOUR WAYS ON HOW TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES
4. Self Perception
-It refers to the way in which people come to
understand their own attitudes and beliefs based on their
behavior in given situations. People develop attitudes and
opinions by observing their own behavior and drawing
conclusions from it.

Daryl Bem
 IDENTIFYING YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

In identifying your strengths, you are more empowered to do developmental tasks and equipped
with skills essentials in making wise decisions in life. These includes:
Your capacity to establish mature relationships with others
Emotional independence
Your ability to demonstrate responsible behaviors
You are able to analyze complex situations logically and sensibly.
You can be more confident in doing your tasks and become more competent in achieving your goal.
IDENTIFYING YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Determining your weaknesses gives you the opportunity to know your limitations or
boundaries. But becoming more aware of your weaknesses is not the end goal of self-
development; rather it is its starting point.
You must:
Find ways to enhance your capabilities
Develop your knowledge and skills through better study habits
Develop positive attitudes in dealing with life challenges.
IDENTIFYING YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Remember that when you understand yourself, you do not only come to appreciate
and value who you are; understanding yourself also helps you to respect others and
relate with them more meaningfully. When you know yourself more, you are
empowered to cope well with the demands in school, at home, and of your relationships
with others.
“You can’t be a self by yourself.”
ACTIVITY 1: A “ME” Tree
ACTIVITY 1: A “ME” Tree
General Instructions:
1. Draw or paste a picture of a tree as similar as the picture provided.
2. On your drawing, write/ draw symbols/ or paste pictures of all of your strengths and talents/abilities- one
strength or talent per root.
3. On branches/ write/ draw symbols or paste pictures of all your accomplishments and successes- one per
branch.
4. Some roots and branches should be left empty so that new elements can be added as they happen in the
future.
5. Lastly, write your name on the trunk of the “Me Tree”