PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Personal development is a lifetime process marked by laughter, sweat and tears

• It is the journey of an individual toward self-discovery and self-acceptance

• Adolescent is the time of discovery and experimentation that brings joy and freedom to the person

• It is the time in our life when we discover, mold, and find our identity that we will bring to the future.

• One of the most important changes is the introduction of the subject Personal development, which aims to help
senior high school students clarify the values that define who they are and what they want to be, discover their
strengths and weaknesses, interests and passions, realize their innate skills, embrace their weaknesses as
challenges to face and work on.

• At the end of the senior high school, the individual will decide on the career path or choice that he or she will take.

• To decide on this, the individual should have a good grasp of his or her self-concept or self-identity.

• To you dear students, may you discover and create the best version of the person you want to become.

• We will celebrate and cheer for you as you go through your life journey.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developmental Scientists identified the three aspects or domains of human development ( Papalia and
Feldman, 2012):
• 1. Physical development – which covers the growth of the body, and the brain, motor and sensory
skills, and even physical health.
• 2. Cognitive development- covers our capacity to learn, to speak , to understand, to reason and to
create
• 3. Psychosocial development – which includes our social interactions with other people, our emotions,
attitudes, self-identity, personality, beliefs and values.
While human development covers the whole lifespan of human existence in relation to the three domains,
(personal, cognitive and psychological...) Personal development is one’s own development and growth within
the context of the three aspects of human development.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Heredity – inborn traits passed on by the generations of offspring from both sides of the biological parents’
families
Environment- is the world outside of ourselves and the experiences that result from our contact and interaction
with this external world
Maturation – is the natural progression of the brain and the body that affects the cognitive (thinking and
intelligence) Psychological (emotions, attitude and self-identity) and social (relationships) dimensions of a
person
The influence of physical maturation over a person’s development is most pronounced during his childhood
and adolescent stages.
IS IT PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT OR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT?
• You must be familiar with the term Personality Development – and must have heard of learning places
where you could enroll to learn skills like table manners, proper etiquette when talking, how to sit
properly on any, how to dress appropriately and the like. Training in these skills bring about noticeable
transformation and improvement in one’s personality.
THE WORD PERSONAL IS DEFINED AS
• - belonging or relating to a particular person; made or designed to be used by one person
THE WORD PERSONALITY IS DEFINED AS
• - The set of emotional qualities, ways of behaving, etc. that makes a person different from other people.
• -Attractive qualities that make something interesting or unusual or uninteresting or pleasant to be with.
THE WORD DEVELOPMENT IS DEFINED AS
• - The act or process of growing or causing something to grow or become larger or more advanced.
 • - The act or process of creating something over a period of time
From these definitions, we can see that there is a major difference between personal and personality. So we
will explore together what personal development is all about and why this is important in our lives.
SO WHAT IS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Personal development may be defined as a process in which persons reflect upon themselves, understand
who they are, accept what they discover about themselves and learn new set of values, attitudes and behavior
and thinking skills to reach their fullest potential as human beings.
According to Zorka Hereford- defined Personal Development as “the process of striving to be the best that you
can be in order to reach and realize your full potential. It is a journey of self-discovery, self-improvement and
self-realization.”
ORIGINS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
• The evolution of the understanding of human development – started when the first Homo sapiens
walked the face of the earth. Cavemen draw figures on the wall to talk about their experiences- the act
of drawing can deemed as an attempt toward creative expression and narration.
• Western philosophers, particularly the Greek thinkers– when questions about the self and about being
human were started to be asked.
• Plato- argued that building character, as much as intelligence, is what education is all about.
• Eastern thought – have understood personal development through another concept. ( like Confucius)
• The great Chinese being will always desire to become the “superior man” not just to his peers and
followers, but to himself most especially. These all are product of your personal development.
• Even religions may have influenced personal development- in what WAY? Through their adherence to
many rituals in self-discipline, meditation, prayer, physical exercises such as yoga and even fasting,
these are all have influence because one’s personal development
PSYCHOLOGY AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
• Psychology, being the study of human thinking and behavior serves as a foundation for personal
development.
• The contemporary understanding of personal development started during the flourishing of Humanistic
and Positive Psychology in the 1950’s, which dealt with personal growth and meaning as a way of
reaching one’s fullest potentials.
• The two proponents of Humanistic Psychology were Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.
• Abraham Maslow, theorized the five stages of human development based on the hierarchy of needs,
peaking on what he termed as” self-actualization” (physiological needs, safety, love and belonging,
esteem, self-actualization)
• Carl Rogers – theorized that individual has within himself the capacity and the tendency, to move
forward toward maturity.
 • After 1970’s – Psychology more focused or emphasized in diagnosing, treating psychological disorders
two psychologists refocus this emphasis of psychology from disease model toward what is good and
positive about human persons. And they are MARTIN SELIGMAN & MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI.
• They stressed that human nature has its good and positive strengths, as well as its inadequacies and
weaknesses
• While personal development falls within the realm of psychology, it cannot be detached from the
development of the brain and the rest of the physical body.
• Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and early adulthood. It is widely believed that
the adolescent age spans from 11 or 12 up to age 18.
• Adolescence starts with the biological changes called puberty. The physical body undergoes growth
spurts at this time, for both make and female, leading toward physical maturity.
• Biological changes bring about cognitive (thinking, reasoning) and affective (feelings and emotions)
changes.
CONCEPT OF SELF
• SELF - Is the union of elements, namely: body, thoughts, feelings or emotions that constitute the
individuality and identity of a person.
• BODY – constitute your physical abilities, your health and your posture and poise.
• THOUGHTS – the way you think, and how you perceive things around you affect how you feel about
them
• Emotions and sensations you experience prompt you to act and behave the way you do.
• The union of these elements make up your character or personality and essentially distinguishes you
from others.
• If you were asked to describe yourself, you may probably talk about your physical characteristics, your
interests, your hobbies, your skills and abilities, or even your beliefs.
• Physical attributes such as height and skin complexion, as well as your psychological characteristics
such as temperament, may be inherited from your parents, some may have brought about by the
environmental factors.
• No two individuals are exactly alike. Thus, you are unique, and that makes you special.
• Self-actualization – refers to the achievement of your potential through creativity, independence, and an
understanding of the real world.
SELF - AWARENESS
• “Being reflective helps you understand and improve yourself.”
• Self-awareness starts with assessing yourself.
• There are components which are important in assessing yourselves.
• INTROSPECTION – or your ability to reflect and think about your own thoughts, feelings and actions, is
essential in understanding and improving yourself. ( Writing Journal is one way of helping you
introspect)
• Self-Awareness allows you to identify your strength and weaknesses, which empower you to actualize
your potentials to the fullest and to value yourself more, thus helping you reach your goals.
• Self-Awareness is attained through self-assessment which composed of personal observations and
self-reflections.
• Listening to feedback is important because it allows you to validate your perceptions of who you are.
• Not all kinds of feedback are positive. Criticism – negative feedback
• By becoming aware of yourself, you are more equipped to accept yourself and more open for self-
improvement. As your self-awareness increases, so does your sense of security because you trust
yourself and you feel secure as to who you are.
• This, in turn, promotes your capacity to establish healthy relationships with others.
• Finally, self-awareness gives you a clearer direction in achieving your goals in life.