Personal Development

Lesson 1: Knowing Oneself 2. Actor – this person does not only watch the
movie of her life. She actually realizes she’s
“The first and most important lesson in personal the Actor; and can control a big part of her
development is knowing oneself.” life.
3. Scriptwriter – this person creates the entire
Personal Development movie from her mind. She determines what
 Understanding of one’s physiological, she will say, what she will do, and how the
psychological, spiritual, and social movie will end. She realizes she has enormous
development to understand one’s thoughts, control over hel life.
feelings, and behaviors, and making important
decisions toward becoming a better person. How to Get to Know Yourself?
1. Introspection
Self  Also known as Self-Analysis.
 In philosophical terms, it is the being which is  It is the examination of one’s own
the source of a person’s consciousness. conscious thoughts and feelings.
 The “self” is the essence of a person.  It is closely related to human self-
 It is the agent responsible for an individual’s reflection and self-discovery.
thoughts and actions. 2. Self-Reflective Journal
 It is a journal that is geared toward
Self Concept helping you understand more about
 Self-concept is the person’s perception and the inner workings of yourself.
beliefs about himself/herself. To be aware of 3. Personality Test
oneself is to have a concept of oneself.  It is a tool used to assess human
 Self-concept develops, in part, through our personality.
interaction with others.  Personality testing and assessment
 Self-concept is not static. refer to techniques designed to
measure the characteristic patterns
The 3 Different Components of Self-concept of traits that people exhibit across
1. Self-worth – also called self-esteem, is the set various situations.
of beliefs we hold about ourselves. How
much you like, accept, and value yourself all Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
contribute to your self-concept.  Around 1940 a mother-daughter team
2. Self-image – is how we see ourselves, such as (Katharine C. Briggs and her daughter Isabel
whether we see ourselves at this moment in Briggs Myers) developed this instrument.
time. Attributes like physical characteristics,  It is based on Carl Jung’s theory of
personality traits, and social roles all play a psychological type.
role in your self-image.  MBTI inventory is one of the world’s most
3. Ideal Self – is the person we would like to be. widely used psychological instruments.
This person has the attributes or qualities you
are either working toward or want to possess. Lesson 2: Developing the Whole Person
It’s who you envision yourself to be if you
were exactly as you wanted. Holistic Development
 Holistic Development refers to the improvement
and enhancement of an individual's totality as a
Carl Rogers’ Theory of Personality and Congruence
person.
 Incongruent – the self-image is different to  It must involve the physiological, cognitive,
the ideal self. There is only a little overlap. psychological, social, and spiritual aspects.
Here self-actualization will be difficult.
 Congruent – the self-image is similar to the Aspects of Holistic Development
ideal self. There is more of an overlap. This 1. Physiological Development
person can self-actualize.  It relates to the growth and skill of development
in the body, including the brain, muscles, and
There are three kinds of people in this world: senses.
1. Moviegoer – This person watches the movie  Adolescents grow to reach their adult height and
their bodies begin to resemble adult bodies in size,
of their , admires some parts and criticizes
shape, and body composition.
others.
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Physical Changes during Adolescence  During the adolescence stage, adolescents' clamor
 Girls for independence is evident.
- starts about 10 or 11 years, but they might Stages of Psychosocial Development
start as young as 8 years or as old as 13 years  Erik Erikson maintained that personality develops
- breast development in a predetermined order through eight stages of
- changes in body shape and height psychosocial development.
- growth of pubic and body hair  During each stage, the person experiences a
- start of menstruation psychosocial crisis that could positively or
 Boys
- start around 11 or 12 years, but they might
start as young as 9 years or as old as 14 years
- growth of the penis and testes
- changes in body shape and height
- growth of body and facial hair
- changes to voice
Biological Determinism - The idea that most human
characteristics, physical and mental, are determined at
conception by hereditary factors passed from parent to
offspring.
Genes - hereditary factors that carry the traits that were
contributed by the parents.
“Young people start to show physical changes at widely
varying times”
2. Cognitive Development
 It means the development of the ability to think
and reason.
 There's a considerable advancement in
adolescents' thinking skills. Yet, the brain's frontal
lobe, which enables humans to control sexual and
emotional impulses, is not fully developed. negatively affect personality development.
Cognitive Development Theory - Jean Piaget suggests that
children move through 4 different stages of intellectual
development which reflect the increasing sophistication of
children's thought.
1. Sensorimotor (0-2 years) – The infant explores the
world through direct sensory and motor contact.
Object permanence and separation anxiety during
this stage.
2. Pre-Operational (2-6 years) – The child uses
symbols (words and images) to represent objects
but does not reason logically. The child also has
the ability to pretend. During this stage, the child 5. Spiritual Development
is egocentric.  It is not about becoming, more spiritual, it is about
3. Concrete Operational (7-12 years) – the child can realizing or becoming more aware of one’s
think logically about concrete objects and can natural, innate spirituality.
thus add and subtract. The child also understands  Adolescents begin to have interest in spiritual
conservation. concerns. They start pondering on questions
4. Formal Operational (12 years-adult) – the concerning existence, essence, spirituality, religion,
adolescent can reason abstractly and think in and God.
hypothetical terms. “Spirituality is a very personal experience. It is not the same
3. Psychological Development as having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual
 It is the development of human beings' emotional without having a particular faith.”
capabilities and social functioning over the course
of a normal life span. Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior
 This generates changes in the way adolescents feel Thoughts
and think about themselves, others, and their  Thoughts also known as cognition may refer to the
surroundings. ideas or arrangements of ideas that result from
4. Social Development thinking, the act of producing thoughts, or the
 It refers to how people develop social skills across process of producing thoughts.
the lifespan. Feelings

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 Feeling denotes a state of consciousness, such as

that resulting from emotions, sentiments or
desires.
 Feelings are usually mild emotional states.
Behavior
 Behavior are our actions or the ways in which we
present ourselves to others.
 Our behaviors outwardly reflect how we are feeling
on the inside.
Situation Thoughts Possible Possible
Feelings Behavior
You entered “No one in -unhappy -stay at the
the class this -scared back
and no one classroom -talk to your
bothered to like to be classmates
offer you a with me”
seat or talk
to you.

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personal relationship with others regardless of

Lesson 3: Developmental Stages in Middle and Late their sex/gender.
Adolescence 2. To adopt socially approved masculine or
feminine adult roles - As an adolescent, you
Adolescence must decide for yourselves the roles you wish
 Adolescence comes from the Latin term to exhibit and carry out.
“adolescere” which means “to grow up”. 3. To accept your physical self and to use your
 Adolescence is defined as a developmental body effectively - It is essential that you
stage of transition from the period of puberty recognize these transformations in your
to the legal age or age of maturity. bodies and strive to take good care of
yourselves.
The Generations 4. To achieve emotional independence - It
1. Baby Boomers – 1946-1964 entails carefully analyzing options and
2. Generation X – 1965-1976 consequences before exhibiting an emotion or
3. Millennials – 1977-1995 coming up with a decision.
4. Gen Z – 1996-Present 5. To develop your personal attitude toward
marriage and family living - Adolescent have
Early Adolescence to acquire knowledge about entering married
 This is the first stage of adolescence that life, building a family, and child rearing.
occurs from ages 10 to 13 6. To select and prepare for an occupation -
 At this stage an individual starts to observe Adolescence is supposedly studying, preparing
the rapidly changing physical attributes. for the future, and improving his abilities,
 They start to feel being, shy and conscious at skills, and expertise.
the mere presence of the opposite sex. 7. To acquire a set of standards as a guide to
 They start to demand for privacy behavior - This developmental task involves
 Most would engage in risky behaviors identifying principles in life to live by or
 Peer influence becomes so great selecting models to imitate. It also entails the
setting of priorities in your life.
Middle Adolescence 8. To accept and adopt socially responsible
 This occurs from ages 14 to 18 behavior - Socially responsible behaviors are
 Teens become extremely conscious of their commonly those which are in accordance with
physical looks and how others see them the socially accepted set of values, morals, or
 Asserting independence in everything religious beliefs.
specifically on decision-making
 Issues and concerns about their lives are
confided to friends rather than to their own
parents.

Late Adolescence
 This occurs from ages 19 to 21 and beyond
 A higher degree of independence is felt at
this stage of adolescent development.
 They are no longer concerned about whether
or not their friends approve of what you do.
 Their career goals are now clearer and have a
more defined plan for their future
 They become 'grown ups' expected to do
things done by a grown up' and behave like
one.

Eight Developmental Task of an Adolescence by

Robert James Havighurst
1. To achieve new and more mature relations
with peers of both sexes - It is necessary for
an adolescent to learn to have a smooth inter-
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Lesson 4: The Challenges of Middle and Late Adolescence 6. Rationalization - Justifying an unacceptable feeling
or behavior with logic. It involves explaining an
Challenges Facing Middle and Late Adolescents unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or
1. Transition from dependence to autonomy or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for the
individuation - This is a challenge of separating behavior.
one's self from the dominant family security and 7. Reaction Formation - Replacing an unwanted
slowly leaving one's comfort zone. impulse with its opposite. People are using this to
2. Increased responsibility in the family and hide their true feelings by behaving in the exact
community - Adolescence are expected to begin opposite manner.
participating in the accomplishments of tasks at 8. Sublimation – Converting unacceptable impulses
home and even in communities. They need to into socially acceptable channels. Freud believed
become responsible and accountable. that it is a sign of maturity and allows people to
3. Mood changes caused by hormonal changes - function normally in socially acceptable ways.
Biological changes affect adolescents' hormones.
These may lead to anxiety and mood swings that Strategies to Overcome Challenges
eventually manifests in their behavior. 1. Figure out your triggers - Figure out what
4. Formation of identity - Adolescents are expected situations or people trigger your overthinking, and
to either imbibe identity or role confusion. Their avoid them or alter the circumstances so they no
journey of self-discovery requires continuous longer trigger overthinking.
adjustments and learnings. 2. Solve what can be solved - Take action instead of
5. Finding one’s place in the future world of work - waiting for something to happen. This will help you
Adolescents are confronted with the reality that feel better.
sooner or later there is a need to be on their own. 3. Make a plan - If you work somewhere and can
Confusion enters one's mind with the questions of anticipate the types of challenges you may face,
how, where and when they can find a job that can then you can plan ahead.
sustain their needs? 4. Ask for help and accept support - There's no need
to feel ashamed for asking for help. You also have
Sigmund Freud’s Three Levels of Mind to be open and willing to accept support. Be open
1. Conscious Mind – current awareness, thoughts, to receiving help when you need it.
feelings, emotions, reflexes 5. Change your mindset with positive actions - Your
2. Pre-Conscious Mind – storage of mind, mind has considerable power over your reality. If
subconscious mind you train it to think positively, you will find that it’s
3. Unconscious Mind – forgotten memories, more likely that you will be successful.
traumatic/painful experiences can reflect in their
behavior. Lesson 5: Coping with Stress in Middle and Lare
Adolescence
Defense Mechanisms
 Unconscious psychological responses that protect Stress
people from feelings of anxiety, threats to self-  When there are real or imagined disruptions in our
esteem, and things that they don't want to think lives, stress occurs.
about or deal with.  Stress is the psychological and physiological
 Defense mechanisms were first described by response.
Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalytic theory.  Stress is not normally considered a mental health
According to Freud, these mechanisms protect the problem.
conscious mind.
Types of Stress
1. Denial - Refusing to accept real events because Eustress
they are unpleasant. It can involve a flat-out  Also known as Positive Stress
rejection of the existence of a fact or reality.  A form of stress having a beneficial effect on
2. Repression - Unconsciously keeping unpleasant health, motivation, performance, and well-being.
information from your conscious mind. However,  It comes from participating in or anticipating a
these memories don't just disappear; they pleasurable experience.
continue to influence our behavior.  It can feel exciting and improves our performance
3. Regression - Returning to coping strategies for less and motivation.
mature stages of development. Eustress can result from:
4. Projection - Assigning your own unacceptable  falling in love with someone
feelings or qualities to others.  participating in a ball game you love
5. Displacement – Transferring inappropriate urges or  seeing your crush
behaviors onto a more acceptable or less  anticipating a drop in a roller coaster ride you
threatening target. enjoy

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 skydiving or motor symptoms such as blindness, paralysis, seizures,

etc.
Distress Physical:
 Also known as Negative Stress  heart disease
 It is the form of stress with negative implications  high blood pressure
 Can lead to mental and physical health problems  stroke
may be short or long-term  stomach aches
 Lead someone to feel as if they are overwhelmed,  headaches
unable and decrease a person's performance  body pains
Fight or flight response - It is our response to stress that  insomnia
makes the body prepare to confront or avoid a situation.  nervousness
Distress can result from:  shaking
 death of a loved one Cognitive:
 loss from a contest  filled with worrying
 financial difficulties  forgetful
 injury or abuse  disorganized
 subsequently become pessimistic
Common Sources of Stress Behavioral:
Stressor  change in appetite
 It is the term used to denote those which cause  tend to procrastinate
stress.  avoid responsibilities
 Stressors are things, events, situations, or thoughts  engaging in drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or
that bring about stress. smoking cigarettes
1. Physical Appearance - Adolescence is  don’t socialize
accompanied by certain changes in the physical  fidgeting
features of an individual. One's height, weight,  nail biting
body figure, skin problems, and the like are Emotional:
common issues for adolescents.  agitation
2. Academic Pressure - Many adolescents often feel  irritability
stressed about academic and extracurricular  moodiness
requirements. The desire to pass subjects and  overwhelmed
courses and its entailed sacrifices generates  powerlessness
pressures and stresses.
 feel bad about themselves
3. Family Issues - Changes in the family situation such
as divorce of parents usually result in new living
Coping with Stress
arrangements and other stressful conditions.
 The Unhealthy Way - Some coping strategies
Conflict with parents, sibling rivalry, and the
below may reduce stress but only temporarily.
obligation to look after younger siblings also
What you are not aware of, they can have lasting
generate stress.
negative effects on your life.
4. Social Pressure - Stress can also be the result of
 The Healthier Way - When your methods of coping
the pressures an adolescent gets from his/her
with stress are not helping you, it is about time
friends or other teenagers. These may include
that you find healthier ones. It is up to you to
pressures to cut classes, to smoke, or to
experiment with what strategy pacifies you and
experiment with alcohol, drug, or sexual activities.
makes you feel calm.
5. Loss - The loss of a loved one also creates stress.
Relatedly, breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend,
Lesson 6: Mental Health and Well-Being in Middle and
ending a friendship, and separation from a much
Late Adolescence
loved work also produce a sense of loss, and are
thus stressful as well.
Mental Health
6. Future - Not knowing what one really wants to be
 is "a level of psychological well-being".
in the future can be stressful. Equally worrying is
 It includes social, emotional, and psychological
knowing what one wants to be in the future but
well-being and has an influence on how an
unable to attain it due to factors such as financial
individual thinks, feels, and behaves.
constraints and skill or aptitude mismatch.
 Mental health helps determine how people handle
stress, socialize with others, and come up with
The Effects of Stress
decisions and choices.
Conversion - Also known as Somatization. Conversion is
characterized by the transformation of psychological pain or
Poor mental health and mental illness are not the same. A
distress into physiological impairment, typically of sensory
person can experience poor mental health and not be
diagnosed with a mental illness. Likewise, a person
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diagnosed with a mental illness can experience periods of  There are several types of anxiety disorders:
physical, mental, and social well-being. phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Personality Disorder
History of Mental Health  A rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking,
 Mental illnesses were present long before we had functioning and behaving.
names or diagnoses for specific disorders.  A person with a personality disorder has trouble
 Many cultures viewed mental illness as a form of perceiving and relating to situations and people.
religious punishment or demonic possession.  It includes Borderline, Narcissistic, Schizoid
 20th century came around, society finally personality disorder.
acknowledged the existence of mental illness. Behavioral Disorders
 These are defects in the anticipated behaviors of
Mental Health Conditions individuals, especially the adolescents.
 Also known as Mental Illness, Mental Disorder or  Behavioral disorders include Oppositional Defiant
Mental Problem Disorder and Conduct Disorder.
 It include mental disorders and psychosocial Addiction
disabilities as well as other mental states  Also known as disorder of cravings.
associated with significant distress, impairment in  It is a mental disorder that affects a person's brain
functioning, or risk of self-harm. and behavior, leading to a person's inability to
 A mental health condition may interrupt the control their use of substances such as legal or
normal lives of people and make life hard. illegal drugs, alcohol, or medications.

The occurrence of mental health disorders may be due to

the following factors:
 Family history of mental health problems
 Biological factors
 Life experiences

Common Mental Health Disorders among Adolescence

Developmental Disorders
 Disorders in brain development.
 It may involve dysfunction in attention, memory,
perception, language, problem-solving, or social
interaction.
 Developmental disorders include Autism,
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),
and Learning Disorder (dyslexia, dyscalculia,
dysgraphia, and dyspraxia)
Eating Disorders
 Anorexia - Anorexia - changes in eating habits
marked by conscious avoidance of food.
 Bulimia - illness involving forced vomiting after
eating.
 Binge-eating - a serious eating disorder in which
you frequently consume unusually large amounts
of food and feel unable to stop eating
Depression
 Depression is a common mental health problem
that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss
of interest.
 You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day
activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life
isn't worth living.
 People experience depression in different ways.
Anxiety Disorder
 These disorders are disturbances in the brain
mechanisms that are intended to protect an
individual from harm.
 The main symptom of anxiety disorders is
excessive fear or worry.

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