Midterm Module GEC 1
Midterm Module GEC 1
Midterm Module GEC 1
B. Lesson Introduction:
Who are you? What is your name?
Before we even had to be in any formal institution of learning, among the many things that we
were first taught as kids is to articulate and write our names. As we grew up, we were told to refer back to
this name when talking about ourselves. Our parents may have painstakingly thought about our names.
Should we be named after a famous celebrity, a respected politician or historical personality, or even a
saint? Were you named after one of them?
Our names represent who we are. Human beings attach names that are meaningful to birthed
progenies because names are supposed to designate us in the world. Likewise, when our parents call our
names, we were taught to respond to them because our names represent who we are.
As a student, you are to always write your names on your answer sheets, projects, or any output for
that matter. Your name is a term assigned to label you as an individual and is what you carry with you as
your identity.
On the other hand, the self is not a static thing that one is simply born with like a mole on one’s face
or is just assigned by one’s parents just like a name. Everyone is tasked to discover one’s self. Have
you truly discovered yours?
Analysis:
It is easy to access factual information about ourselves: name, age, date of birth, parents’ names,
etc. But, it is actually difficult to pull out those that are truly important or essential: What distinguishes you
from others? What makes you unique?
You, as you, should know yourself better and deeper than anyone else. We lack the time to
examine ourselves – most of our days are filled with responding to the expectations of others, doing
norms that are dictated by the society, and establishing things that are set for us by our biological and
socio-economic conditions (These are normal, but could sometimes detach us from the core of our
identity).
Since the ancient until the postmodern times, philosophers and scholars grappled to understand the meaning
of life. They have attempted to answer the question “Who am I?” Let’s find out these ideas that may have
influenced the ways we look at our lives today.
The focus of Plato is on the harmony of these three components of the soul. When the ideal state is
attained (meaning when the three components are working in harmony with each other), the person’s soul
becomes just and virtuous. Imagine that you plan to travel by using a chariot being pulled by two horses. How can
you arrive at your intended destination? Of course, your chariot must have wheels and the two horses must
gallop harmoniously with each other. Take these three elements (the chariot and the two horses) as the three
components of the soul, working in harmony to achieve the ideal state. Plato called this giving JUSTICE to your
human person.
He believed that happiness exists only in God’s love. Therefore, according to him, the goal of every human
person is to attain communion and bliss with God by living his life on earth in virtue. He created, in his book “The
Confessions”, a theology of self—a total, complete view of the self in relation to God.
Do you also consider your relationship with your God a basis in examining yourself?
This view is called Hylomorphism. It asserts that individual organisms are composed of matter (body) and
form (soul) which only exist in relation to one another. Humans are composed of a united, inseparable union of
components of self rather than divided, dualistic self. It also asserts that the soul (anima) is what separates living
thing (e.g. humans) from non-living ones. The soul is what enlivens the body. For living things, to live is to exist.
So the soul is that by which the human body actually exists. Now a form is this sort of thing. So the human soul is
the form of the body. (Aquinas, De anima, 1, 369)
The essence of existing as a human identity is the possibility of being aware of our selves: Being self-
conscious in this way is integral to having a personal identity. Having a self-identity and being self-conscious are
mutually dependent on one another.
Do you believe that your self is more than or even beyond your physical sense of yourself?
By doing so, you can have a clearer understanding of what “being in love” is all about, by using the concepts
based on the reality of your lived experiences.
Try doing that in other phenomenon of your experiences such as:
• Being the eldest/youngest/only child
• Poverty
• Living with a broken family
• Being a teenager
• Being a member of LGBTQIA+ community, etc.
Look for a Pair and collect at list 30 (Thirty) some old things related to history, you can find in your respective
home, and classify it if it is a primary, secondary or tertiary source. Provide Pictures of your collected old
things, a short description. Present your output in the class once you finished it.
III. IncUlcAting Concepts (Inputs/Lesson Proper) A. What is the
Self?
1. The self is seen as separate, self-contained, independent, consistent, unitary, and private (Stevens, 1996
as cited by Villafuerte, et al., 2018). Now, let us discuss each characteristic of the self by looking at the table
below.
Characteristics of the Self
Description
(Stevens, 1996)
Separate Each self is distinct or different from other
selves. The self is unique and has its own
identity; one cannot be another person.
“There is only one YOU in this world.”
Self-contained One’s own thoughts, characteristics, and
ability to make decisions are all unknown
to other selves.
The last characteristic of the self, its being private, suggests that the self is isolated from the
external world. It lives within its own world. However, there is this potential clash between the self and the
external reality (social situations). These social situations somehow influence and predict what the self
might be, what it can be, and what it will be. From this standpoint, you may see that the self is at the
mercy of external circumstances that bump and collide with it. Hence, the self is ever changing and
dynamic, allowing external influences to take part in its shaping. The concern of this lesson is in
understanding this vibrant relationship between the self and external reality and this is known as
the social constructionist perspective (Stevens, 1996 as cited by Villafuerte, et al., 2018).
Note: The social constructionist perspective will be discussed further on the later part of this lesson.
Delocalization is defined as the process by which the restrictions of our environment are removed. It
is described as the sense of freedom from the traditions, belief systems, and culture that once restricted
us. We now have the freedom to choose what we want. One example is the change from the traditional
conservative clothing styles, to the modern shorter clothing styles.
Modernization or the destruction of the traditional way of life “delocalizes” the self.
Can you now identify the differences between these two societies? Can you see and analyze the type
of society that shaped your “self” and the type of society that shaped the “selves” of your parents?
For further readings, please see page 19 of the book, Understanding the Self, by Villafuerte, et al.
(2018).
3. The Self as Necessary Fiction Self for Nietzsche, is the sum of individual’s actions, thoughts and
feelings. Self is nothing more than a metaphor (a symbol or image), a representation of something
abstract. Self is symbolic. It is possible for us to remember something even if we have not experienced it.
Self has continuity even if it is only in memory. A true given self is not what unites these experiences, but
it is the presumed unity of these experiences that gave rise to a concept of the self (Villafuerte, et al.,
2018, p. 19).
Self is a narrative, a text written and rewritten. Self is a story. It is dynamic. It is a product of modern
discourse that is historically and socially imprisoned by what is acceptable in the society. The self in post
modernity is even more complicated by electronic mediated virtual interaction of cyber self such as
change in appearance (in the cyberspace). This gave rise to the digital self.
According to N. Green, the self becomes digitalized in cyber space or in virtual reality, so we have a
virtual version of who we are. Our “digital self” is the self that is seen in websites or social media—
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Is self a story? Is self a drama? How about you? What is your story and what is your drama?
With the self becoming pluralized due to the influences of post-modernization and virtual reality, how do
you form your sense of self?
There are several theories formulated to explain the sociological perspectives of the self. Take a look at
the concepts and learn how these can help you realize how you have become as you are because of your
social reality and what you can do to help you define your “self”.
According to Mead, the self has two components: “I” and “me”.
Note: When the individual can view himself/herself from the standpoint of the generalized other, self-
consciousness is attained.
Your mind or your stream of thought is the internalized dialogue or interaction between the “I” and
the “me”.
For Mead, existence in a community comes before individual consciousness. One must first
participate in the different social positions within society and only subsequently can one use that
experience to take the perspective of others and become self-conscious (Boundless, 2016 as cited by
Villafuerte, et. al, 2018)
Take time to consider looking at your “me”. For example, are some things in your “me” telling you
that you are not good enough in singing because you were told that you sing like a frog? But deep inside,
your “I” is telling you that you can sing well. You may focus on your own situation and see if there are
conflicts in the interaction or dialog inside you between your “I” and “me”.
The concept of looking-glass self states that part of how we see ourselves comes from our
perception of how others see us (Cooley, 1902 as cited by Villafuerte, et. al, 2018).
• How we see ourselves does not come from who we really are, but from how we believe
others see us (Isaksen, 2013). Meaning, the degree of personal insecurity you display in
social situations is determined by what you believe other people think of you.
• The person’s self grows out of a person’s social interactions with others.
• It is internalizing other people’s appraisals of ourselves.
Sometimes, the influence of other people’s appraisal of ourselves on our selfconcept may be so strong
that we end up internalizing them.
• Labeling bias occurs when we are labelled by other people, and these labels affect how
other people perceive us (Foxx & Stinnett, 1996). For example, if a person is diagnosed
with depression, the way we look at the person is affected by the label.
o When those expectations/labels start to become self-fulfilling prophesies, self-
concept and even behaviors start to align with them.
• Self-labeling may occur if there is repeated labeling and evaluation by others.
o Happens when we adopt other’s labels explicitly into the selfconcept.
o For example, when we are labelled as the class mathematician, we tend to embody
that identity.
• Internalized prejudice occurs when individuals turn prejudice directed toward them by
others onto themselves. This may be experienced by those who self-label. o Found to
predict more negative self-concept and poorer psychological adjustments in members of
various groups, including sexual minorities (Carter, 2012) and racial minorities (Szymanski
& Obiri, 2011). o Labels used by wider society to describe people negatively can be
positively reclaimed by those being labeled. These results indicate that individuals who
incorporate a formerly negative label into their self-concept in order to reclaim it can
sometimes undermine the stigma attached to the label.
• So, how can one stand against negative labelling?
How do you see yourself? Try to examine your perception of your “self”. Examine if there are some
labels assigned to you which had become part of how you see yourself but later on, you have discovered
them as unreasonable.
3. Social Comparison Theory: Our Sense of Self is Influenced by Comparisons with Others
Self-concept and self-esteem are also heavily influenced by the process of social comparison
(Buunk & Gibbons, 2007; Van Lange, 2008 as cited by Villafuerte, et. al, 2018).
• According to Festinger (1954) as cited by Villafuerte, et. al. (2018), social comparison;
o occurs when we learn about our abilities and skills, about the appropriateness and validity of
our opinions, and our social status by comparing our own beliefs and behaviors with those of
others
o These comparisons can be with people who we know and interact with, with those whom we
read about or see on TV, or with anyone else we view as important.
o However, the most meaningful comparisons we make tend to be with those who we see as
similar to ourselves.
For example, a woman compares herself with another woman, or an engineering student
with an engineering student, or a singer with another singer.
Social comparison occurs primarily on dimensions on which there are no correct answers or objective
benchmarks (standards) (Villafuerte, et. al., 2018).
• In social dimensions where there are no standards or bases on what are socially acceptable or
correct, we rely only on the beliefs of others for information. o Answers to questions such as “What
should I wear to the interview?” or “What kind of music should I have at my wedding?” are frequently
determined at least in part by using the behavior of others as a basis of comparison.
• We also use social comparison to help us determine our skills or abilities—how good we are at
performing a task or doing a job, for example.
o When you and your classmates ask your teacher for the passing score or the class average on
an exam, you are also seeking to use social comparison to evaluate each of your own
performances.
1.a. The following are the concepts of social constructivism about the self: The self is not
static. It undergoes constant change.
• The self is in constant struggle with external reality and is easily influenced in its dealings with
society.
• The self is always in participation with social life and its identity subjected to influences from here
and there.
• The self is made though the socialization process.
The individuals are not just unfortunate victims of socialization. Rather, the individual is an active
agent that negotiates for the definition of himself.
• Self is acquired through language, like symbols.
• We construct ourselves through socializations agents (e.g., home).
• Language is another aspect of social constructionism.
• Filipino is a very interesting language. Let us take for example “I love you” and the Filipino
translation which is “Mahal kita”. What makes the Filipino version interesting is the layers of
meaning that our words carry. The term “I love you” is very explicit; the speaker wants to express
his/her love to the receiver “you”. Likewise, in “Mahal Kita”, the receiver is obviously “kita” but the
meaning of “mahal” in the Filipino language may mean “expensive”, “valuable”, “precious” which
suggests that love is something that is valuable and precious.
• Language is the salient part of culture. The unending terrain of metamorphosis of the self is
mediated by language.
• For Mead and Vygotsky, human persons develop with the use of language acquisition and
interaction with others.
• Another concept of social constructionism is the behavior of people such as Japanese humility
and Filipino hospitality. Japanese are known for being very humble people, just like how Filipinos
are known to be very hospitable and welcoming people. (Villafuerte, et al., 2018)
So how do children grow up and become social beings? How can a boy turn out to be just like an ape?
How do twins coming out from the same mother turn out to be terribly different when given out for
adoption?
1.b. According to Nietzsche, the unity of the self if not pre-given but accomplished through conscious effort
of transforming the self as a beautiful work of art (Villafuerte, et al., 2018).
1.c. On the other hand, according to Rorty, there are contingencies of selfhood that we need to work on
(Villafuerte, et al., 2018):
• Conceal the “ugly” part of the self by reinterpreting the overall aesthetic contours of the
self. It means writing again the description of one’s self. Redescribing one’s self is just
a way of interpreting and describing again the past.
Important: More than a person’s givenness (personality, tendencies, propensities, etc.), one is
believed to be in active participation of shaping the self. Recent studies indicate that men and
women in their growth and development engage actively in the shaping of the self (Alata, et al.,
2018).
Agents of Socialization
The sociological basis for the relationship between the self and the social world focus on the
different institutions and powers at play in the society (Alata, et al., 2018).
a. Family
The most prominent institution
The impact of family life is still deemed as a given in understanding the self.
In trying to achieve the goal of becoming a fully realized human, a child enters a system of
relationships, most important of which is the family.
Human persons learn the ways of living and therefore their selfhood by being in a family.
It is what a family initiates a person to become that serves as the basis for this person’s progress.
Without a family, biologically and sociologically, a person may not even survive or become a
human person.
Implications:
A newborn baby will always depend on his/her parents for sustenance. In discovering the true self, the
child will enter his/her first set of relationships which can be found in the family.
Living and surviving can be learned from the family. Skills such as cooking, cleaning and taking care of
oneself can be learned within the family through parents or siblings. The family will initiate what the person
will become. A spoiled child will carry that behavior in school; a poorly-disciplined child at home will also be
a poorly disciplined student in school. Through imitation, babies internalize ways and styles such as
language and behavior.
Kids raised in a respectful environment grow up being respectful; religious families raise religious children
as well. Learning can be conscious such as being taught proper table manners and ways of speaking to
elders, and can be taught through reward and punishment system. If a person is not aware of simple
manners or good manners and right conduct, he/she failed to internalize as a child due to parental failure
or poor parenthood.
Without a family, sociologically and biologically, a person may not survive or become a human person.
Just like Tarzan who grew up ape-like because he was raised by apes.
A common plot in Filipino teleseryes is the swapping of children in hospitals where the good child went to
the bad parents and vice versa. The good child becomes bad because of the bad environment that the
child is growing-up in.
b. School
Teachers and other students are the source of expectations that encourage children to think
and behave in particular ways.
c. Religion
Children tend to develop the same religious beliefs as their parents.
d. Peers
For children, peer culture is an important source of identity. Through interaction with peers,
children learn concepts of self, gain social skills, and form values and attitudes.
e. Media
Television, social media and other digital social platforms become the source of standards that
shape the way of life of the present generation.
a.1. Personne- different versions of our self that changes depending on our environment or the
situation.
a.2. Moi- the basic identity or the real essence of the person. These are the permanent
characteristics of the person
b. Social Roles
Social roles specify the part or position of a person in a society. It also specifies behavior expected
to be exhibited by an individual in practicing his or her role. The self is multifaceted.
Consider a man named John:
- As a Social Science Professor in the University of Antique, John behaves in a way that the students
respect him
- As a father and a husband, John behaves in a way that his children will follow what he says and his
wife will treat him as her lover
- As a church lector, John uses the appropriate language and dresses formally so that his fellow
church-goers will treat him with respect and acknowledge his authority
The example of John explains that each person needs to adjust according to the environment that
the person is in. He/she has to dress, speak, and behave accordingly. This constant change in behavior
is natural, acceptable, and expected of us. We are expected to adapt and adjust if our environment
changes.
Gender is part of the selfhood that one cannot just dismiss. A person maneuvers through society
and identifies him/herself by taking note of gender identities.
The gendered self is also shaped with the particular context of time and space. The sense of self
conforms to what is socially acceptable which is dangerous and detrimental to the goal of finding your true
self because gender has to be personally discovered and asserted, not dictated by culture and society.
GEC 1 (Understanding the Self)
Lesson 3: PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEWS OF SELF
MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY: This activity aims to help you see who you are through the eyes of others and
then will give you the opportunity to compare and validate what you have thought defines who you are. This
is a three-part activity that is hoped to help you further identify the different selves you may have. Part 1 is
focused on the qualities or characteristics that you think you possess. On the other hand, Part 2 is focused
on the qualities or characteristics that other people observe about you. Finally, Part 3 is containing question
that will help you analyze the results of Part 1 and Part 2.
Things needed:
1. two sheets of bond paper (short-sized)
2. writing pen
What to do:
1. Download the activity sheets for the Activity 1 of Lesson 3.
2. Write your name on the spaces provided in each activity sheet.
3. Inside the circle on the center of each piece of bond paper for Part 1 and Part 2, paste your
picture or draw your image.
4. For the first part, list at least ten (10) qualities or characteristics that you think define who you are.
Write them inside the shapes around your picture or drawing. Write your responses as quickly as
possible. Do this within five minutes.
5. For the second part, let at least ten (10) persons, such as family members, friends, relatives or
neighbors write qualities or characteristics that they observe about you on the spaces provided
around your picture or drawing. Then, ask them to write their names and their relationship to you
at the back of the activity sheet for part 2.
Analysis: Write your answers to the following questions on the analysis part of the activity sheet.
1. Compare what you wrote about yourself (Part 1) to those written by others (Part 2).
Which qualities or characteristics are similar to what you have written?
2. Which qualities or characteristics are different or not similar?
3. Which qualities or characteristics (from both parts 1 and 2) are always true about you?
4. Which qualities or characteristics (from both parts 1 and 2) are sometimes true or circumstantial?
5. Which qualities or characteristics identified by others about you are not really parts of your
personality?
Note: Prepare to submit this activity to the specified platform by your instructor in this subject.
The “self” and “identity” are seen by the theorists in psychology as mental constructs which are
created and re-created in the memory and current researches point to the frontal lobe of the brain as the
specific area associated with processess concerning the “self” (Elmore, et al, 2012 as cited by Alata, et
al., 2018). Several psychologists tend to look deeper into the mind of the person to theorize about the
self, identity, self-concept and even personality. However, they found out that to understand the person
is to look also at the effects of the environment to the formation of the self, identity, and self-concept. It
is because social interaction always has a part to play in who we think we are and this is now the
nature-and-nurture perspective (Alata, et al., 2018).
Here are some of the ideas by some theorists in psychology which led to the understanding of the
self. While you read through, kindly jot down in your notebooks some questions you may have in mind
which you may post for further clarification in the LMS or other platform being used for instruction.
• The self as known (or the empirical self) • The knower (or pure ego)
• The consciousness itself
o The physical characteristics as well as o The thinking, acting, and feeling self.
psychological capabilities that make
who you are.
• It includes the influence of our body Revolves around goals and ambitions
image intrinsically, how we see in life. This is what our parents have
ourselves, which is very important to taught us to consider:
good psychological health.
o what we admire in others, o
o In other words, we might perceive what our society promotes o
ourselves as a beautiful or ugly, what we think are in our best
good or bad person. interest.
In order to actualize (complete realization of one’s potential), enhance and maintain the self,
Rogers (1959) believed that people are encouraged by an innate tendency which is the one basic
motive of self. His entire theory is thus developed on actualizing tendency (Schultz & Schultz, 2013).
A wide gap between the ideal self and the real self indicates incongruence and an unhealthy
personality (Feist, et al., 2013 as cited by Villafuerte, et al., 2018). Hence, alignment between the
real self and the ideal self is necessary.
IMPLICATION:
If the way that I am (the REAL SELF) is aligned with the way 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 the real self, the greater is the level of
resulting distress.
In the scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest, how aligned is your real self to your ideal self?
Theorists believed that there is no one answer to the question, “Who am I?” as one person can
undergo several transitions in his life and create multiple versions of himself. However, there is still the
contention of the importance of mental well-being, of maintaining a unified, centralized, coherent self.
Multiple Self Unified Self
Not discovered, but created in our What makes us distinct from others.
relationships with other people.
Is it possible to have a unified self despite the fact that we experience “shifts” and “morphs” as we interact
in different social situations and as we undergo several transitions in our lives?
• Has a sense of integrity and connected • Used when a person has to comply
wholeness with external rules such as being
polite or in following social codes.
B. Now, let us take a look at the concepts related to the psychological views of the self.
1. Identity
- It is composed of one’s personal characteristics, social roles and responsibilities as well as
affiliations that defines who one is (Elmore, et al, 2012, 69 as cited by Alata, et al., 2018, p. 29).
2. Self-concept
- It is basically what comes to your mind when you are asked about who you are (Elmore, et al,
2012, 69 as cited by Alata, et al., 2018, p. 29).
- It refers to the knowledge of the self which was constructed through experiences or insights out of
such experiences.
- It is defined in a wide way as the individual`s tendency to act in ways which actualize himself, lead
to his differentiation and a group of experiences, accordingly, are differentiated and symbolized in
conscious awareness as self experiences, the sum of which establishes the individual`s self-
concept.
3. Self-schema
- The concept by Carl Rogers which refers to our own organized system or collection of knowledge
about who we are.
- Self-schema includes the following about you:
your name
your family
your nationality
your religion
your hobbies
your interests
your work
your course
your age
your physical characteristics, etc.
- Your schema is your mental pattern or an organization or conceptual pattern in your mind about
your “self” and your “identity” which undergo changes throughout time (Gleitman, Gross, and
Reisberg, 2011, 616; Jhangiani and Tarry, 2014, 107-108 as cited by Alata, et al., 2018, p. 30).
4. Self-awareness
- It is a clear and realistic view of one’s self.
- There are times when we are aware of our self-concepts.
- Self-awareness may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances and our next course
of action.
Example: You are a student interested in basketball but you are also academically
challenged in most of your subjects. Your ideal self may be to practice more and play with the
varsity team but you also ought to pass your subjects as a responsible student.
5. Self-esteem
- refers to the positive or negative perception or evaluation of oneself. It is a person’s overall self-
evaluation or sense of self – worth.
- Our group identity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our self-esteem.
C. The Self as Proactive and Agentic Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory takes an agentic view of
personality which means that humans have the capacity to exercise control over their own lives.
If you have a high sense of self-efficacy, you tend to accept challenges and complete your goals
regardless of the trying circumstances that you are facing. Since you have actually that power to influence
your own actions to produce desired consequences in your life, there is that need to be intentional by
consciously acting in your environment in a manner that permits growth toward psychological health (Alata,
et al., 2018).
How important is self-efficacy to you as you strive to align your real self to your ideal self?
Note to the teacher: For the suggested rubric, you may refer to the attached file containing the rubric for
essays.
1. Our personal characteristics and responsibilities and other things that define who we are composed our
_____________.
A. identity. C. personality.
B. self-concept. D. self.
2. Your knowledge of your “self” formed through experiences or understanding gained out of such
experiences is referred to as ____________.
A. identity. C. self-concept.
B. personality. D. self.
3. According to William James, the aspect of the self that is the knower and is the thinking self is the
_____________.
A. true self. C. me-self.
B. false self. D. I-self.
4. Which of the following statements best describes what the real self is? A. It refers to the self-worth.
B. It is dynamic and changing.
C. It is what we envision as we want to be.
D. It is about the learned societal standards.
5. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the unified self? A. It is the consistent aspect of the self.
B. It is what makes one distinct from others.
C. It is created in our relationships with other people.
D. It is being connected with one’s selfhood and identity.
Do a research and make a list of at least ten (10) tips that can help boost your self-esteem and improve
your self-concept. Then, put these ten tips in a poster, in an infographic or in a bulletin board. Place this in a
conspicuous place in your room for you to be reminded of what you need to do to strengthen your true self.
Note: Analyze which of these tips may have the opposite or bad effect/s which, in turn, can make a person
become arrogant and conceited (narcissistic). Revise or modify the statements to make them become more
helpful to you as you aim to become a better person and a better member of your society.
Note to the teacher: For the suggested rubric, you may refer to the attached file containing the rubric for outputs.
However, this activity is optional and can be done away with.