Understanding The Self (GEED 10023) PDF

**UNDERSTANDING THE SELF** **(GEED 10023)** **COMPILED BY:** **JONNA V. GRUEZO** **Faculty** **TABLE OF CONTENTS** **UNIT 1 -- DEFINING THE SELF** Lesson 1 The Self from various Philosophical Perspective...... 2-4 Lesson 2 The Self, Society and Culture...... 4-5 Lesson 3 The Self as a Cogni...

**UNDERSTANDING THE SELF** **(GEED 10023)** **COMPILED BY:** **JONNA V. GRUEZO** **Faculty** **TABLE OF CONTENTS** **UNIT 1 -- DEFINING THE SELF** Lesson 1 The Self from various Philosophical Perspective...... 2-4 Lesson 2 The Self, Society and Culture...... 4-5 Lesson 3 The Self as a Cognitive Construct...... 5-6 Lesson 4 The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts...... 6-7 **UNIT II -- UNPACKING THE SELF** Lesson 5 The Physical and Sexual Self...... 9-12 Lesson 6 The Material and Economic Self...... 12-13 Lesson 7 The Spiritual and Religious Self...... 13-15 Lesson 8 The Political Self...... 15-16 Lesson 9 The Digital Self...... 16-18 **UNIT III -- MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF** Lesson 10 Learning to be a Better Learner...... 20-21 Lesson 11 Setting Goals for Success...... 21-22 Lesson 12 Less Stress, More Care...... 22-24 **UNIT 1 -- DEFINING THE SELF** **OVERVIEW:** "Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." For a more meaningful understanding of the self. Numerous studies have been conducted and various approaches have been developed from concepts about it. Philosophers from ancient to contemporary times sought to describe the essential qualities that compose a person's uniqueness. Sociology sees the self as a product of social interaction, developed over time through social activities and experiences. Anthropology views self as a culturally shaped construct or ideas. Psychology sees the self as having characteristics or properties that can be used to describe it. Different culture and varying environment tend to create different perceptions of the self. And one of the most common distinctions between cultures and people is the Eastern vs. Western dichotomy. Eastern and Western civilizations have always sought to understand the self. Their views, however, stand on different perspective. **LEARNING OUTCOMES**: *After successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:* 1. Differentiate the views of self from the various philosophers across time and places. 2. Define society and culture. 3. Compare the self from the views of the eastern and western thoughts. **COURSE MATERIALS:** **Lesson 1.** *THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE* 1. **Socrates** 2. **Plato** a. b. c. 3. **St. Augustine** 4. **Thomas Aquianas** - - 5. **Rene Descartes** - - 6. **John Locke** 7. **David Hume** - - 8. **Immanuel Kant** - - 9. **Gilbert Ryle** 10. **Maurice Merleau-Ponty** **Lesson 2.** *THE SELF, SOCIETY AND CULTURE* **Society** -- a *group of people who share a common culture*, occupy a particular territorial area and feel themselves to constitute a unified and distinct entity. **Culture** -- that *complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs and other capabilities and habits* acquire by man as a member of society. **The self is commonly defined by the following characteristics;** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Social constructionists argue of a merged view of the person and their social context where the boundaries of one cannot easily be separated from the boundaries of the other. Social constructivists argue that the *self should not be seen as a static entity that stays constant through and through*. Rather the self has to be seen as something that is unceasing flux, in constant struggle with external reality and is malleable in its dealings with society. The *self is always in participation with social life and is truly multifaceted.* **Two Sides of Self(social self)** **Mead** proposed *two interactive facets of the self*. - - According to **Marcel Mauss**, every self has two faces. - - **Lesson 3.** *THE SELF AS A COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT* **Self** -- the sense of *personal identity* and of who we are as an individuals. 1. - - 2. - - - - 3. - - **Other concept similar to self are;** - - - - - - - - However one cannot fully discount the effects of society and culture on the formation of the self, identity and self concept. Social interaction always has a part to play in who we think we are. This is not nature versus nurture but instead a nature and nurture perspective. Under the theory of symbolic interactionism, *Goerge Herbert Mead argued that the self is created and developed through human interaction*. There are *three reasons why self and identity are social products*. 1. 2. 3. We learn about ourselves, the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as our social status by comparing aspects of ourselves with other people. The more common types of comparing ourselves with others are **downward social comparison**, where we create a positive self concept by *comparing ourselves with those who are worse off than us*. Another is the **upward social comparison**, which is *comparing ourselves with those who are better off than us*. Social comparison also entails what is called *self evaluation* maintenance theory, which states that we can feel threatened when someone outperforms us, especially when that person is close to us. **Lesson 4.** *THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS* **Western Concept of Self** *Frank Johnson* outlined four categories on how the term self is used in contemporary western discussion. - - - - Western perspective always focus on *looking toward the self*. You *compare yourself in order to be better*, you create associations and bask in the glory of that group for your self-esteem, you put primacy in developing yourself. Western thought looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct from the other person. They talked more about their personal attributes when describing themselves. The western culture is what we would call an **individualistic culture** since their focus is on the person. *They may seem to have loose associations or even loyalty to their groups*. Competition is the name of the game and they are more likely straightforward and forceful in their communication as well as decision. Westerners also emphasize more on the value of equality. **Eastern Concept of Self** - - - **ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENTS:** I. Identify and write the word/s of the correct answer. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_1. It refers to the common stuff that makes up everything in the universe. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_2. It is the thing that thinks. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_3. It is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs and other capabilities and habits acquire by man as a member of society. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_4. It refers to a person's sense of who he is and a person's basic identity. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_5. The sense of personal identity and of who we are as an individuals. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_6. It is the person you actually are. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_7. The tendency to see reality as an aggregate of parts, the self is an observer separate and distinct from external objects. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_8. It is a quality of western thinking where self-expression and self-actualization are important ways of establishing who one is as well as in finding satisfaction in the world. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_9. A group of people who share a common culture, occupy a particular territorial area and feel themselves to constitute a unified and distinct entity. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_10. It is composed of personal characteristics, social roles and responsibilities as well as affiliations that define who one is. II\. In your own words, answer the questions: 1. If you are who you are, then who are you that makes you who you are? 2. What are the influences of the society and your family in your development as an individual? 3. What are the top five adjectives that describe your self and discuss why is it so? **UNIT II -- UNPACKING THE SELF** **OVERVIEW:** "Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself, that's when you're most beautiful." Unpacking the self is a gradual unfolding, a growth process, in which the aspects that surround the self and identity develop in an integrated and healthy way. To understand the self requires one to understand the different aspects that make up the self and identity. A positive view of self involves understanding that healthy, attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes. And that physical appearance says very little about our character of value as a person. Belk(1988) stated that "we regard our possessions as part of our selves. We are what we have and what we possess." Our wanting to have and possess has a connection with an aspect of the self, the material self. The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of self. The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the expressions of religion, its belief and practices. Nowadays, more people are becoming active in using the Internet for research , pleasure, business, communication and the social media. People assume different identities while in the cyberspace and act differently when they are online and offline. People have online identity and real identity. **LEARNING OUTCOMES:** *After successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:* 1. Describe the different self within a person. 2. Enumerate different religions. 3. Discuss the characteristics of a digital self. 4. Compare natural and artificial methods of contraception 5. Name the Filipino markers. **COURSE MATERIALS:** **Lesson 5.** *THE PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL SELF* **Puberty** -- is the *stage of development* at which individuals become sexually mature. It is the period of life when the reproductive organs grow to their adult size and become functional under the influence of rising levels of gonadal hormones. **Diseases Associated with the Reproductive System** Infections are the most common problem associated with the reproductive system in adults. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **Sexually Transmitted Diseases** STD's are infections *transmitted from an infected person to an uninfected person through sexual contact*. It can be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. Also known as S*exually Transmitted Infections (STI)*. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. **Sexual Problems** \- may be classified as physiological, psychological and social in origin. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. **The Erogenous Zones of the Body** Erogenous zones refer to the *parts of the body that are primarily receptive and increase sexual arousal when touched in a sexual manner*. It describe areas of the body that are highly sensitive to stimuli and are often sexually exciting. Some of the commonly known erogenous zones are the mouth, breasts, genitals, anus, skin, neck, thigh, abdomen and feet. **Human Sexual Behavior** \- Is defined as any activity -- solitary, between two persons or in a group -- that includes sexual arousal. **Types of Human Sexual Behavior** 1. 2. **Human Sexual Response** Refers to the sequence of physical and emotional occurrences when the person is participating in a sexually stimulating activity. **Four Phases of the Human Sexual Response Cycle** 1. 2. 3. 4. **Roles of Hormones in Sexual Activity** The hypothalamus is the most important part of the brain for sexual functioning. The pituitary gland secretes the hormones produced in the hypothalamus. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **The Three Stages of Falling in Love** 1. 2. 3. **Other Concepts** - - - - - - - - **Family Planning** \- allows both men and women to make informed *choices on when and if they decide to have children*. **Natural and Artificial Methods of Contraception** **Natural Method** Natural family planning method (NFP) is the method that uses the body's natural physiological changes and symptoms to identify the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle. Also known as *fertility-based awareness method*. 1. 1. 2. 3. 2. 3. **Artificial Method** Hormonal contraceptives are an effective family planning method that manipulates the hormones that directly affect the normal menstrual cycle so that ovulation will not occur. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1. 2. 3. 8. 9. 10. 11. **Surgical Methods** 1. 2. **Lesson 6.** *MATERIAL AND ECONOMIC SELF* **Belk** stated that "we regard our possessions as part of our selves. We are what we have and what we possess". The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who we are, our self-concept, our past and even our future. **William James** wrote in his book that understanding the self can be examined through its different components. These *components* are; 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 2. 3. As **James** described self; "a man's self is the sum total of all what he can call his". Possessions then become a part or an extension of the self. **Main Features and Characters in Consumer Culture** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. **The Problem with Consumerism** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. **Avoid the Trap** 1. 2. **Consumerism** -- the consumption of material goods and services *in excess of one's basic needs*. **Consumer Culture** -- a social system in which consumption is do*minated by the consumption of commercial products*. **Consumerist Society** -- one in which *people spend a great deal of time, money and energy* to consume commercial products, goods and services. **Materialism** -- refers to *giving more importance to material possession* than intangible values. **Lesson 7.** *THE SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS SELF* **Religion** -- a set of *cultural beliefs and practices of human beings in relation to that in which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine or worthy of special reverence.* **Spiritual** -- is defined as *relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul* as opposed to material or physical things. **Religious Person** -- is *someone who believes in a god or group of gods* and consciously adheres to the beliefs of his religion. **Spiritual Person** -- places little importance on beliefs and traditions and is *more concerned with growing and experiencing the Divine*. **Contemplative Practice** -- a method to *develop concentration, deepen understanding and insight and cultivate awareness and compassion*. **Examples of Contemplative Practices** 1. 2. 3. 4. **The Four Dimensions of Religion** 1. 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. 3. 4. **The Major Religions** 1. **Five Major Festivals** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 2. 3. **Five Pillars of Islam** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 4. 1. 2. 5. 1. 2. **Lesson 8.** *THE POLITICAL SELF* Who is a Filipino? According to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino citizens are "those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines, those born before January 17,1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority and those who are naturalized in accordance with law". **Strength of the Filipino Character** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. **Weaknesses of the Filipino Character** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. **Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan** wrote that the *strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character are rooted* in the following. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. **Filipino Values and Traits** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. **Filipino Markers** 1. 2. 3. 4. **How to be a Good Filipino** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **Lesson 9.** *THE DIGITAL SELF* Lionel Trilling's analysis of literature about the self and its relationship with others distinguished sincerity and authenticity. Sincerity refers to the exposure in public of what one feels privately. It is the virtue of one who communicates and acts in accordance with the entirety of their feelings, beliefs, thoughts and desires in a manner that is honest and genuine. Authenticity is a philosophical concept that denotes the genuine, original, true state of human existence. An authentic person is one who takes action based on some internal standard and takes responsibility for this freely chosen action. The social world of a western-influenced society, like the Philippines, consists of three domains; family, school and neighborhood. The emergence of the internet adds a fourth domain- the online life- to the social world. **Digital Self** -- the self that is *constructed online*. **Characteristics:** 1. 2. 3. 4. **Self-presentation** -- people are *able to present themselves online* in the manner that they want to. **Self-presentation Behavior** -- is any *behavior intended to create, modify or maintain and impression* of ourselves in the mind of others. **Impression Management** -- is the *attempt to control or influence* any other people's perceptions. **Strategies:** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **Online Identity** -- is actually the *sum of all* our characteristics and our interactions. **Partial Identity** -- is a *subset of characteristics* that make up our identity. **Persona** -- is the *partial identity* we create that *represents ourselves in a specific situation*. **Personal (individual) Identity** -- is the interpersonal level of self which *differentiates the individual as unique from others*. The concept you develop about yourself that evolves over the course of your life. **Social Identity** -- is the level of self whereby the *individual is identified by his group memberships*. It is a person's sense of who he is based on group membership. **Private** -- refers to mental events in a person that are *inherently unobservable* by others. **Public** -- are behaviors that are *open to the observations* of other people. **ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENTS:** I. Write the word true if the sentence is correct, otherwise write the word false. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_1. STD's are infections transmitted from an infected person to an uninfected person through sexual contact. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_2. Hormonal contraceptives are an effective family planning method that manipulates the hormones that directly affect the normal menstrual cycle so that ovulation will not occur. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_3. Material self is about our bodies, clothes, immediate family and home. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_4. Materialism refers to giving more importance to material possession that intangible values. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_5. Spiritual is defined as relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_6. Digital self is the self that is constructed online. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_7. Religious person is someone who believes in a god or group of gods and consciously adheres to the beliefs of his religion. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_8. Impression management is the attempt to control or influence any other people's perceptions. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_9. The religious faith of Muslims who worship Allah as the sole deity and believes in Muhammad as his prophet is known as Islam. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_10. Rituals are the repeated physical gestures or activities used to reinforce religious teachings, elicit spiritual feelings and connect worshippers with a higher power. II\. Enumerate the following: 1\. Majors Religion of the World a. b. c. d. e. 2\. Family Planning Methods. a. b. c. d. e. 3\. How to be a Good Filipino. a. b. c. d. e. III\. Answer the following in your own words. 1\. Is physical beauty important? Why? 2\. Describe how do you practice your faith? 3\. How often do you stay online? Why? **UNIT III -- MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF** **OVERVIEW:** Knowing the self is not enough, since "who you are" is partly made up of your choices, you must also have the ability to choose especially to be a better "you". Life as a college student is not easy. You need to learn how to manage your responsibilities. Learning is not just about lectures and homework. Learning could also occur outside the confines of a classroom. We use the term "learning" all the time in our everyday life. What is important is that you learn how to learn these things. **LEARNING OUTCOMES:** *After successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:* 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **COURSE MATERIALS:** **Lesson 10.** *LEARNING TO BE A BETTER LEARNER* Knowing the self is not enough. Who you are is partly made up of your choices, you must also have the ability to choose especially to be a better you. Learning is an active process of engaging and manipulating objects, experiences and conversations to build mental models of the world. **Metacognition** -- *thinking about thinking*. It is a learning strategy that you use to understand and control your own performance. **Elements:** - - - - - **Metacognitive Skills:** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **Types of Metacognitive Learner** 1. 2. 3. 4. - - The goal of metacognition is for the students to be self-regulated learner. They should have the capability to study things on their own as well as accurately evaluate their progress. - - **Lesson 11.** *SETTING GOALS FOR SUCCESS* What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve. One of the featured quotes about success is; "by taking the time to stop and appreciate who you are and what you have achieved you actually can enhance everything about you. Self-acknowledgement and appreciation are what give you the insights and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments." **Albert E. Bandura's Self-efficacy** - - - Those with a high sense of self-efficacy see a difficult task as a challenge that must be conquered rather than a problem that must be avoided. Self --efficacy theory is based on the assumption that psychological procedure serve as a means of creating and strengthening expectations of personal efficacy. Self-efficacy comes into play when there is an actual or perceived threat to one's personal safety or one's ability to deal with potentially aversive events. **Carol S. Dweck's Fixed and Growth Mindset Theory** - - Fixed-mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on their basic abilities, while growth-mindset individuals do not mind or fear failure as much because they realize their performance can be improved and learning comes from failure. **Edwin A. Locke's Goal Setting Theory** - Goal setting theory was based on the premise that much human actions is purposeful and it is directed by conscious goals. It predicts that people will channel effort toward accomplishing their goals, which will in turn affect performance. **Principles of Goal Setting** **Goals must have:** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **Smart Goals** **S** -- specific **M** -- measurable **A** -- assignable/attainable **R** -- realistic/relevant **T** -- time related **Lesson 12.** *LESS STRESS, MORE CARE* Stress is often described as a feeling of being overwhelmed, worried or run-down. It can affect people of all ages, genders and circumstances and can lead to both physical and psychological health issues. **Stress** -- is any *uncomfortable emotional experience* accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes. - - **Three Kinds of Stress** 1. 2. 3. **General Stress Syndrome Components** 1. 2. 3. **Stressor** -- any situation, activity or individual that *gives you mental or emotional strain*. **Types of Stressor** 1. 2. 3. 4. **Social** **Stress** -- it is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances arising *from the person's social environment relationships*. **Sources of Social Stress** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. **Signs and Symptoms of Stress** 1. 1. 2. 3. 2. 4. 5. 6. 3. 7. 8. 9. **Types of Coping** 1. 2. 3. **Technique to Counter Chronic Stress** 1. 2. 3. **The Need for Self-care and Compassion** **Self-care** -- entails taking deliberate acts of *looking after your mental, emotional and physical health*. **Compassion** -- is the felt response to perceiving suffering that involves an *authentic desire to ease distress*. **Self-compassion Theory** -- entails being *warm and understanding toward ourselves* when we suffer, fail or feel inadequate. **Self-care Therapy** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. **ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENTS:** I. Fill in the blanks, write the word/s of the correct answer. 1\. Metacognition refers to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ about thinking. 2\. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ variable refers to what strategies or skills you already have in dealing with certain task. 3\. Reflective \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_reflect on their thinking while they are using the strategies and adapt metacognitive skills depending on their situation. 4\. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_refers to your belief in your capacity to perform necessary actions to produce specific performance goals. 5\. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_is a level of performance proficiency that one wishes to attain within a specific time period. 6\. Growth \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_is where people believe that success is based on hardwork, learning, training and perseverance and they have a growth theory of intelligence. 7\. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is any uncomfortable emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes. 8\. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ any situation, activity or individual that gives you mental or emotional strain. 9\. Self-\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ entails taking deliberate acts of looking after your mental, emotional and physical health. 10\. Social \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_it is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances arising from the person's social environment relationships. II\. Answer the following. 1. Why is it important to set goals? 2. What are your short-term and long-term goals? 3. When was the last time you feel stress? How did you cope with the stress? **REFERERENCES:** - Alata, Eden Joy P., et. al. (2018). Understanding the Self. REX Bookstore. - Monilla, Ma. Jocelyn G., et. al. (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc. - Otig, Vergie S., et. al. (2018). A Holistic Approach in Understanding the Self. Mutya Publishing House, Inc.