Reading PERDEV.pdf

Reading: SELF-CONCEPT Imagine yourself looking into a mirror. What do you see? Do you see your ideal self or your actual self? Your ideal self is the self that you aspire to be. It is the one that you hope will possess characteristics similar to that of a mentor or some other worldly figure. Your act...

Reading: SELF-CONCEPT Imagine yourself looking into a mirror. What do you see? Do you see your ideal self or your actual self? Your ideal self is the self that you aspire to be. It is the one that you hope will possess characteristics similar to that of a mentor or some other worldly figure. Your actual self, however, is the one that you actually see. It is the self that has characteristics that you were nurtured or, in some cases, born to have. The actual self and the ideal self are two broad categories of self-concept. Self-concept refers to your awareness of yourself. It is the construct that negotiates these two selves. In other words, it connotes first the identification of the ideal self as separate from others, and second, it encompasses all the behaviors evaluated in the actual self that you engage in to reach the ideal self. The actual self is built on self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is derived from social interactions that provide insight into how others react to you. The actual self is who we actually are. It is how we think, how we feel, look, and act. The actual self can be seen by others, but because we have no way of truly knowing how others view us, the actual self is our self-image. The ideal self, on the other hand, is how we want to be. It is an 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. There is negotiation that exists between the two selves which is complex because there are numerous exchanges between the ideal and actual self. These exchanges are exemplified in social roles that are adjusted and re-adjusted, and are derived from outcomes of social interactions from infant to adult development. Alignment is important. If the way that I am (the actual self) is aligned with the way that I want to be (the ideal self), then I will feel a sense of mental well-being or peace of mind. If the way that I am is not aligned with how I want to be, the incongruence, or lack of alignment, will result in mental distress or anxiety. The greater the level of incongruence between the ideal self and real self, the greater the level of resulting distress. Personal development modules ultimate aim is greater self-knowledge that will lead to higher alignment between these two personality domains. Reading: PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS Personal eIectiveness means making use of all the personal resources – talents, skills, energy and time, to enable you to achieve life goals. Your knowledge of yourself and how you manage yourself impacts directly on your personal eIectiveness. Being self-aware, making the most of your strengths, learning new skills and techniques and behavioral flexibility are all keys to improving your personal performance. Our personal eIectiveness depends on our innate characteristics – talent and experience accumulated in the process of personal development. Talents first are needed to be identified and then developed to be used in a particular subject area (science, literature, sports, politics, etc.). Experience includes knowledge and skills that we acquire in the process of cognitive and practical activities. Knowledge is required for setting goals, defining an action plan to achieve them and risk assessment. Skills also determine whether real actions are performed in accordance with the plan. If the same ability is used many times in the same situation, then it becomes a habit that runs automatically, subconsciously. Here are some skills that will greatly increase the eIiciency of any person who owns them: 1. Determination. It allows you to focus only on achieving a specific goal without being distracted by less important things or spontaneous desires. It may be developed with the help of self-discipline exercise. 2. Self-confidence. It appears in the process of personal development, as a result of getting aware of yourself, your actions and their consequences. Self- confidence is manifested in speech, appearance, dressing, gait, and physical condition. To develop it, you need to learn yourself and your capabilities, gain positive attitude and believe that by performing right actions and achieving right goals you will certainly reach success. 3. Persistence. It makes you keep moving forward regardless of emerging obstacles – problems, laziness, bad emotional state, etc. It reduces the costs of overcoming obstacles. It can also be developed with the help of self- discipline exercise. 4. Managing stress. It helps combat stress that arises in daily life from the environment and other people. Stress arises from the uncertainty in an unknown situation when a lack of information creates the risk of negative consequences of your actions. It increases eIiciency in the actively changing environment. 5. Problem-solving skills. They help cope with the problems encountered with a lack of experience. It increases eIiciency by adopting new ways of achieving goals when obtaining a new experience. 6. Creativity. It allows you to find extraordinary ways to carry out a specific action that no one has tried to use. It can lead to a decrease or an increase of costs, but usually the speed of action is greatly increased when using creative tools. 7. Generating ideas. It helps you achieve goals using new, original, unconventional ideas. Idea is a mental image of an object formed by the human mind, which can be changed before being implemented in the real world. For generating ideas you can use a method of mental maps, which allows you to materialize, visualize and scrutinize all your ideas, which in turn contributes to the emergence of new ideas. These are just some, but the most important personal eIectiveness skills which make the achievement of any goal easier and less costly. Reading: BUILD ON YOUR STRENGTHS AND WORK ON YOUR WEAKNESSES Most failures emanate from weaknesses that are not recognized or probably recognized but not given appropriate attention or remedy. This could be a weakness in communications, personality or ability. Instead of giving up or indulging in self-pity, take action. Go for speech lessons, get skills upgrading, attend personality development sessions or whatever appropriate remedies to your perceived weakness. nstead of simply focusing on your weaknesses, recognize your own talents and abilities, build on them, utilize them to your greatest advantage. This is where you can build your name and popularity. Handicapped people like Jose Feliciano and other blind singers did not brood over their physical handicap. They recognized that they have a golden voice so they search for ways to enrich that talent and now they have won international fame in the field of music. Reading: Story: YOU NEED TO TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR FUTURE There are three kinds of people in this world: The first is the Moviegoer. This person watches the movie of their lives, admires some parts and criticizes others. Aside from that, they do nothing else. All she says the whole day is, “I like this thing and but I don’t like that thing.” The Moviegoer feels she has absolutely no control of their lives --- except to comment about it. Moviegoers are the most pathetic, miserable people in the world. The second is the Actor. This person does not only watch the movie of her life. She actually realizes she’s the Actor – and can control a big part of her life. She can actually make or break the movie – by how well she delivers her lines and how she portrays her character. Actors are a happy bunch, realizing they’re the start of the show and enjoy some level of control. But many times, they wish the movie would end in another way – but realize that they have no say in such things. The third is the Scriptwriter. This person does not only watch, and she doesn’t only act, but she actually creates the entire movie from her mind. She determines what she will say, what she will do, and how the movie will end. She realizes she has enormous control over her life, and sees to it that the movie of her life will turn out beautiful. Who are you among these three people? Do you merely watch your life go y? Or do you act out a script that you feel has been handed to you? Or do you write the script and make your life beautiful? By the way, the Producer of the movie is God. He tells you, “Make the movie beautiful, and I will give you all that you need for success.” Reading: THE POWER OF JOURNAL WRITING: UNFOLDING YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY The purpose of journal writing is to help you become the Scriptwriter of your life. There are four (4) practical reasons to maintain a journal: 1. It is cost-eIicient and available. Emotional stress can be dealt in many ways  like talking to a friend over a cup of coIee, eating, travelling, shopping, painting and many more but writing is the most inexpensive. Notebook and pens are easy to find, available and do not cost so much. 2. It is preventive and pro-active. Writing yields self-awareness. When you write, you can discover your strengths and limitations. You will know what your reactions are in diIerent situations and what better ways to prevent, avoid, or face your fears. 3. It is creative and productive. Journal writing expounds your imagination. You can see various dimensions of your problem, diIerent points of view and better solutions. 4. Lastly, it is personal and private. Unless you want to share your stories, you have the choice to keep them to yourself. Writing is your time alone. It is your way of loving yourself. You will not be judged by your writing. Reading: ASPECTS OF THE SELF The self-concept is represented by several aspects of the self. It is conceived as collection of multiple, context-dependent selves. This construct believes that context activates regions of self-knowledge and self-relevant feedback aIects self-evaluations and aIect. A deeper look on the diIerent aspects of self can identify specific areas for self-regulation, stability and improvement. In a nutshell, an individual is composed of three basic but very diIerent aspects of the self. They are the physical or tangible aspects as they relate to the body, the intellectual and conscious aspects as they relate to the mind, and the emotional and intuitive aspects as they relate to the spirit. All three aspects of the self-work together in perfect harmony when attention is paid to all three simultaneously. Many individuals put a strong emphasis on the physical aspect of the self. The body is tangible, obvious, and we respond to it easily. More time and money is spent on enhancing the physical component than either of the other two aspects. This does not mean, however, that the body is healthy or strong. The body provides a place to house the spirit (often experienced as feelings) and the mind (often experienced as thought). It may be important to some that their mind be prominent and well educated. The mind is important, as it is the part of the self that directs the other two aspects. The mind learns what to do and communicates the information to the body and the feelings. What the mind believes, the body manifests or acts on, and the emotions feel, or respond with. People store both healthy and destructive thoughts and beliefs and responds to life's circumstances in the most prominent manner. The mind provides access creativity and serenity which are necessary for such processes as prayer, forgiveness, acceptance, and passion. The human emotions are the most feared aspect of the self, as individuals are reluctant and unprepared to manage them. Managing feelings is like trying to hold water in the palm of your hand. They are illusive and deceptive. A decision made under emotional stress and strain usually impacts emotions negatively. Negative emotions that are not managed are stored and repressed. Repression is destructive to a content self since all feelings, not only negative ones are stored away. Accessing feelings when they are needed now becomes diIicult, leaving the individual numb and hopeless. For instance, a girl realizes that she is giving much attention on the physical aspects and less attention on her intellectual self. In this way, she can discover how much money and time spent maintaining her physique and its consequences in her grades. By this honest evaluation of herself, she can plan eIective actions to improve her study habits. She can start seeking for help and for related books to read or browse articles to help her improve her study habits. Reading: DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES Human Development focuses on human growth and changes across the lifespan, including physical, cognitive, social, intellectual, perceptual, personality and emotional growth. The study of human developmental stages is essential to understanding how humans learn, mature and adapt. Throughout their lives, humans go through various stages of development. The human being is either in a state of growth or decline, but either condition imparts change. Some aspects of our life change very little over time, are consistent. Other aspects change dramatically. By understanding these changes, we can better respond and plan eIectively. Developmental Stage Characteristics 1. Pre-natal- (Conception to birth) Age when hereditary endowments and sex are fixed and all body features, both external and internal are developed. 2. Infancy (Birth to 2 years) Foundation age when basic behavior are organized and many ontogenetic maturation skills are developed. 3. Early Childhood (2 to 6 years) Pre-gang age, exploratory, and questioning. Language and Elementary reasoning are acquired and initial socialization is experienced. 4. Late Childhood (6 to 12 years) Gang and creativity age when self-help skills, social skills, school skills, and play are developed. 5. Adolescence (puberty to 18 years) Transition age from childhood to adulthood when sex maturation and rapid physical development occur resulting to changes in ways of feeling, thinking and acting. 6. Early Adulthood (18 to 40 years) Age of adjustment to new patterns of life and roles such as spouse, parent and bread winner. 7. Middle Age (40 years to retirement) Transition age when adjustments to initial physical and mental decline are experienced. 8. Old Age (Retirement to death) Retirement age when increasingly rapid physical and mental decline are experienced. Reading: HAVIGHURST`S DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS DURING THE LIFE SPAN Robert J. Havighurst elaborated on the Developmental Tasks Theory in the most systematic and extensive manner. His main assertion is that development is continuous throughout the entire lifespan, occurring in stages, where the individual moves from one stage to the next by means of successful resolution of problems or performance of developmental tasks. These tasks are those that are typically encountered by most people in the culture where the individual belongs. If the person successfully accomplishes and masters the developmental task, he feels pride and satisfaction, and consequently earns his community or society’s approval. This success provides a sound foundation which allows the individual to accomplish tasks to be encountered at later stages. Conversely, if the individual is not successful at accomplishing a task, he is unhappy and is not accorded the desired approval by society, resulting in the subsequent experience of diIiculty when faced with succeeding developmental tasks. This theory presents the individual as an active learner who continually interacts with a similarly active social environment. Havighurst proposed a bio psychosocial model of development, wherein the developmental tasks at each stage are influenced by the individual’s biology (physiological maturation and genetic makeup), his psychology (personal values and goals) and sociology (specific culture to which the individual belongs).