GOAL-

SETTING
THEORY
 At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Understand the theoretical
underpinnings for how to manage and
care for the different aspects of the self

Acquire and hone new skills and

learning for better managing of one’s
self and behaviour

Apply these new skills to one’s self

and functioning for a better quality of
life
 INTRODUCTION
 Goal-setting is something most people recognize as necessary for their success. By
understanding this theory, students can effectively apply it to the goals they set.

 They best way to set goals is to look

into the pioneering research of
Dr. Edwin Locke, and another
researcher who studied the effect
of goal setting in the workplace,
Dr. Gary Latham. His results
supported exactly what Locke
had found, and the inseparable
connection between goal setting
and workplace performance. (Dr. Edwin Locke & Dr. Gary Latham)
 GOAL-SETTING THEORY
 In 1990, Locke and Latham published their seminal work, “A
Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance.” They reinforced
the need to set specific and difficult goals.

 There are five (5) Principles of Goal Setting

1. Clarity
2. Challenge
3. Commitment
4. Feedback
5. Task Complexity
 5 PRINCIPLES OF GOAL SETTINGS
To motivate, goals must have:

1. Clarity – clear goals are measurable and

unambiguous. When goal is clear and
specific, with a definite
time set for completion,
there is less misunderstanding
about what behaviors will be
rewarded.
 5 PRINCIPLES OF GOAL SETTINGS
2. Challenge – one of the most important characteristics of goals is the
level of challenge. People are often motivated by achievement, and
they’ll judge a goal based on a significance of the anticipated
accomplishment. When one knows that what
he/she does will be well received, there is
a natural motivation to do a good job.
When setting goals, make each goal
a challenge.

 If an assignment is easy and not viewed as

very important, then the effort may not be impressive.
 5 PRINCIPLES OF GOAL SETTINGS
3. Commitment – goals must be understood and agreed upon if
they are to be effective. It means that goals should be consistent
and in line with previous expectations. The harder the goal, the
more commitment is required.

 If a goal is easy, there’s no need

for a lot commitment to get it done.
Working on a difficult assignment
means more likely to encounter
challenges that require a deeper
source of inspiration and incentive.
5 PRINCIPLES OF GOAL SETTINGS
4. Feedback – this provides opportunities to clarify
expectations, adjust goal, difficulty, and gain
recognition. It is important
to provide benchmark
opportunities or targets,
so individuals can determine
for themselves how they are doing.
 5 PRINCIPLES OF GOAL SETTINGS
5. Task Complexity – for goals or assignments that are highly complex, take special
care to ensure that the work doesn’t become too overwhelming. People who work in
complicated and demanding roles probably have a high level motivation already.

 However, they can push themselves too hard if

measures are not built into the goal expectations
to account for the complexity of task.

It is therefore important to do the following:

 Give the person sufficient time to meet the goal

or improve performance.
 Provide enough time for the person to practice
or learn what is expected and required for success.
 TAKING CARE OF ONE’S HEALTH
1. Stressors and Responses –Humprey, Yow & Bowen, described stress as any
factor that makes adaptation to an environment difficult for the individual
to maintain a state equilibrium between himself and that external
environment.

 It includes physical and mental response

to meet the demands of the stressful
event (Richlin-Klonsky & Hoe)

 These events or conditions that put a strain on

the individual are called stressors (Santrock, 2003).
 STRESSORS AND RESPONSES
 In addition, stressors are situations that are experienced as perceived
threat to one’s well-being or position in life, when the challenge of
dealing wit which, exceeds the person’s perceived available resources
(Scott, 2017).

 There are two (2) broad categories of stressors, according to the

Center for the Studies on Human Stress (2017):

1. Physiological Stressors
2. Psychological Stressors
 STRESSORS AND RESPONSES
Two (2) broad categories of stressors:

1. Physiological Stressor – are those that put strain on the body (very
cold/hot temperatures, injury, chronic illness, or pain.) The process of
physiological stress response starts from
the moment the body realizes the
presence of the stressor, followed by
the sending of signals to the brain,
and to the specific sympathetic and
hormonal responses to eliminate,
reduce or cope with the stress.
 STRESSORS AND RESPONSES
 When your body senses that a particular stressor is present, signals about
that stimulus are sent to your brain. The master gland called the
hypothalamus is then alerted to arouse the Autonomic
Nervous System (ANS). The ANS is the system which
controls most of the major organs of your body:
the heart, lungs, stomach, glands
and even the blood vessels.
With these organs, you’ll readily
notice that the ANS is responsible
for the unconscious regulation of
the heart beat and breathing.
 STRESSORS AND RESPONSES
2. Psychological Stressor – are events, situations, individuals, comments, or anything we
interpret as negative or threatening.

 It occurs when you are under pressure or having difficulty coping with a situation or
stimulus. Think of it as your emotional response to stressful events. The anxiety and
incompetence that you felt as a result of receiving a 'D' on your midterm exam is an
example of psychological stress.

Some common psychological stressors are:
 Unrealistic beliefs and expectations. Perfectionism.
 Excessive worrying. Low self-esteem.
 Loss of employment. Exams.
 Unhappy childhood.
 Money problems.
 SOURCES OF COPING
2. SOURCES OF COPING – the term, coping, according to Lazarus &
Folkman (1984), is the process of attempting to manage the
demands created by stressful events that are appraised as taxing or
exceeding a person’s resources.

 Among the coping resources to improve

the ability to manage stressful events
and better health outcomes include
optimism, psychological control or mastery,
self-esteem and social support.
 SOURCES OF COPING
Coping Resources:

 Optimism – outcome expectancies that good things rather than bad

things will happen to the self
 Personal Control/Mastery – whether a person feels able to control or
influence outcomes
 Self-Esteem – that is positive and high, is also protective against
adverse mental and physical health outcome, thereby contributing
to better psychological well-being.
 Social Support – perception or experience that one is loved and cared
for by the others.
 
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
3. TAKING CARE OF THE SELF: THE NEED FOR SELF
CARE AND COMPASSION
 SELF-CARE – is engaging in activities and behaviors that have a positive effect on
one’s mental health and physical health (Greene, 2017). There’s a bit of “reverse golden
rule” aspect to the practice; that is to treat yourself on compassionately as you treat
others.

 Self-care also encourages you to maintain a

healthy relationship with yourself so that
you can transmit the good feelings to others.
You cannot give to others what you don't
have yourself.
 
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
Reasons why self-care is necessary:

 It increases sense of self-love, allowing appreciation and acceptance of

who a person is.

 It promotes feelings of calm and relaxation, serving as a way to refocus

and come back to daily life refreshed and ready to take on anything.

 It improves both physical and mental health

by reducing the effects of prolonged stress
on mind and body
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
WAYS TO ENGAGE IN SELF CARE:

 Physical Self-Care – eating well, exercising regularly, prioritizing

sleep and taking care of health.

 Emotional Self-Care – managing anxiety, anger, sadness, and other

emotions. Setting boundaries with people
who are not positive or supportive. Spending
time alone to rest and recharge.

 Spiritual Self-Care – volunteering, connecting

with nature, meditation, mindfulness.
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
 To take care of the self is also to delve into compassion, for the self needs
to seek its deeper meaning. Everyone has had that share of loving-
kindness; meaning wishing happiness for another person.

 Compassion – is wishing for that person to be free from suffering

(Gerner, 2009). It literally means “to suffer together”.

 Among emotion researchers, compassion is

defined as the feeling that arises when you
are confronted with another’s suffering and
feel motivated to relieve that suffering
(Greater Good Science Center, 2017).
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
 To take care of the self is also to delve into compassion, for the self needs
to seek its deeper meaning. Everyone has had that share of loving-
kindness; meaning wishing happiness for another person.

 Compassion – is wishing for that person to be free from suffering

(Gerner, 2009). It literally means “to suffer together”.

 Among emotion researchers, compassion is

defined as the feeling that arises when you
are confronted with another’s suffering and
feel motivated to relieve that suffering
(Greater Good Science Center, 2017).
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
There are four (4) various forms of compassion and why they are
important, Paul Ekman (2010) enumerates:

1. Familial Compassion – is the seed of compassion, planted through the

caregiver-offspring bond. It raises very interesting questions
about people who were brought up without
a single caregiver, or who were brought up
with a parent who had a very distant attachment.

What is their capacity for compassion?

- Without the seed, the flower won’t grow.
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
2. Global Compassion – was exemplified by the response to the
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. People around the world
extended assistance to the strangers, or different races and
skin colors. Now, that not everyone has it, a lot of people
acted, and a lot of people didn’t.

How does one cultivate global compassion?

- Consider the survival of children and
grandchildren, because planet earth
won’t survive without global compassion.
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF

3. Sentient Compassion – is when one extends feelings

of compassion towards cockroaches, toward any living
being.

 When people get sentient,

they also got global; sentient
is the highest moral virtue.
 TAKING CARE OF THE SELF
4. Heroic Compassion – is like altruism with a risk. It has two (2)
forms:

 Immediate Heroic Compassion - is when, without thought,

one jumps onto the MRT tracks to
rescue someone. It is impulsive.

 Considered Heroic Compassion – isn’t done

impulsively; it is done with thought, and
it can be maintained for many years.