Personal Development Chapter 1

Study Notes

Self-Development is a process of discovering oneself by realizing one's potentials and capabilities shaped over time through formal education or environmental factors.
It is also referred to as Personal Development.
Carl Rogers believed that our self-concept is made up of three parts: Actual Self, Ideal Self, and Self-Esteem.

Actual Self: our self-image, the one we actually see, including attributes like physical characteristics, personality traits, and social roles.
Ideal Self: our overall self-image, the one we aspire to be, possessing characteristics we really want to have.
Self-Esteem: our subjective sense of value or personal worth, affecting how we feel about ourselves.

Self-Awareness is the state of having knowledge about our existence as unique individuals, recognizing our values, beliefs, traits, behaviors, and feelings.
The Known Self: things we know about ourselves, and others know about us, like our talents, skills, and weaknesses.
Blind Spot: actions and behaviors others know about us that we are not aware of.
Hidden Self: feelings, ambitions, and opinions we choose to hide due to fear of negative reactions from others.
Unknown Self: skills, behaviors, and undiscovered talents unknown to us and others.

Id: the primitive and instinctual part of the mind, containing sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories, operating on the pleasure principle.
Ego: the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego, operating based on the reality principle.
Super-ego: the moral conscience, incorporating the values and morals of society, aiming to control the id's impulses.

Id: tempted to cheat on a test for a good grade without effort.
Ego: weighs pros and cons, realizing that getting caught would result in severe consequences, so chooses to study.
Super-ego: remembers ethical teachings about honesty and fairness, deciding to study because it's the right thing to do.