UNIT - 5 - Effective Life Planning
What are Values?
- A person’s principles/a standards of bahaviour/ one’s judgment of what is
important in life
- Technical Defn: The degree of importance we attach to various beliefs, ideas,
objs.or things and our personal goals
- Values are a blueprint that help us give rise to our personal goals and lay limits on
the means we use to achieve it
- Value system: a set of values that underlies a syst.of beliefs about what is imp.to a
person in life - it is more than just rules and regulations
- Blueprint/guide to our choices we make in life
Types of Value System
Spranger - came up with 6 types of people based on the value system (Spranger’s Six
value Syst.)
6 types of people
1) Theoretical Person: seeks truth
2) Economic Person: materialism,
wealth
3) Aesthetic Person: beauty, form and
harmony imp.for this person
4) Social Person: kindness and
unselfishness - loves people
5) Political animal: power motivated -
values centeron influence, fame and
power
6) Religious Person: spirtuality - highest
value is unity,understanding the universe
as a whole and relate to it meaningfully
A combination of two or more is accurate and
descriptive
How Do Values Develop?
3 levels of development of values
Level 1: From parents
- We learn the ‘should and should nots’ from our parents
- We get cognitive understanding of right and wrong by obsv.the behv.of our parents
- Acts as frame of reference - for ambition and goals
- In early years of our life, lack maturity and knowledge to evaluate our value
orientation
- Parents peer group+teachers+ social media
Level 2: Deindividuation
- After testing the shoulds and should nots we re-evaluate these values
- This re-evaluation happens during - adolescence, early adulthood
- Deindividuation - the separation of self from taught values
- We frame our own values and choose freely from our parents values
Level 3: Individuation
- The process of becoming an individual
- The separation from our family system and establ.our identity based on our own
experiences, rather than merely following our parent’s dreams
Other Influencing Factors
4 factors: religious beliefs, attitudes,prejudices and stereotypes
1. Religious beliefs
- Beliefs: acceptance of some thought, supposition or an idea that a statemnt is true or
that something exists
- In this case can be religion/spiituality
- Studies show that - Americans- spirituality>religion
- Women more likely to say - religion is very imp.
- Millenials - less liely to be religious than elders
- Women more devout than men in religious commitment
- Reasons for growith of non-religious youth: High levels of family unity,emotional
closeness between btw. Parents and non-religious youth, strong ethical standr. And
moral values that has been clearly articulated when passed down to the next gen.
- Parents passionate about their ethical principles- lived a goal filled lies - moral decision
and sense of life having a purpose
- Religion - established moral codes
- Spirituality - chosen moral code - and commitment to this helps a person gain a sense of
meaning and purpose in their lives and shapes their value system
2. Attitudes
- +ve or -ve orientation towards a certain target
- We have attitude towards parents, teachers, children and groups (black, whites) and
also things or targets - food, movies, holidays or marriage
- How do we acquire attitudes ?: parents, family, friends, teachers, mass media - them
expressing +ve and -ve attitudes towards people/some issue
- However, attitudes formed thro. Direct expr. Is strong and is resistant too change
- +ve expr→+ve attitudes
- -ve expr.→ -ve attitudes
- Natural to have similar attitudes for similar situations
- Attitudes are formed from prior experiences and expectations - influencing the values
we hold
- Stonger the attitude, difficult it is to change - because emotions are involved
3. Prejudices (judgemnt)
- Preconceived opinion, feeling or attitude, either +ve or -ve, that is formed without
adequate information
- Prejudice is a negative attitude or feeling toward someone because of the group
they belong to
- Unjustified attitudes that can extend to a group of people
- Pre- judgement of other people habits, customs, clothes, ways of speaking and values
- Emotions are involved
3 components to a prejudice
- i) hold certain beliefs against members of grp.
- ii) Feel negatively toward them
- iii) Act negatively toward them
- Negative emotions often related to groups not indv. - hatred - group , anger indv.
- In group , out group processes - members of “ other group” take too much of what is
valuable
4. Stereotypes (beliefs)
- When we allow our prejudiced attitudes to make generalization by categorising an
obj, person or situation
- Stereotypes needn’t be true
Diff btw. Prejudice vs stereotypes
- Stereotypes = Fixed ideas or beliefs about a group (“All teenagers are lazy”).
- Prejudice = Negative feelings or attitudes toward people because of their group (“I don’t
like teenagers because they’re lazy”)
Clarification of values
- Crucial aspect of self-develop.
- It is the process of understanding and becoming more aware of ones values and
how it impacts oe actions, beliefs and decisions
- Value clarification is the process that helps arrive at our true values
- A methodology that helps to make a decison, act and determine what holds meaning
for one
- The process of value clarification involves 3 aspects : choosing, prizing and acting
- Full value involves: freely choosing from alter.whose conseq.are thoughtfully
considered and we are happy and proud to the point we take a public stand and
act upon it consistently and repeatedly.
- 1) Choosing: relies on thinking
- i) Choosing freely, consciously and deliberately;ex: choosing a faith of your interest
after growing up
- ii) Choosing from alternatives - there are options to choose from; if no options to
choose from, no freedom of choice ; ex: choice of air
- iii) Choosing after considering : we choose after thoughtful consideration of consq.
And not based on impulses; ex: choice of divorce and not happy with the ”quick” decison
- 2) Prizing: relies on affect/emotions
- i) Cherising, prizing and feeling happy about a choice: it influences your behv.and
you don’t mind spending your time on this value; ex; gifting people - time and money you
invest and when you gift you're satisfied
- ii) Publicly affirming a value: willigness to tell it others; ex; political ideology
- 3) Acting: reilies on behaviour
- i) Doing something about a value: taking action on full values; ex; reading litr.that
supports your values
- ii)Acting repeatedly: life pattern, stronger the value, more it influences your life in all
aspects ; consistency of actions
Importance of Meaning and Purpose
- Viktor Franklin - existentialism - study of meaning in life
- Humans - search for purpose
- Striving to find meaning in our lives - primary motivational force
- Why are values impor? : meaning gives life significance
Importance of Meaning :
- Lack of sense of meaning in life → emotional and behv.disorders
- Positive sense of meaning in life → religious beliefs
- Positive sense of meaning in life → values related to betterment of humanity, and
welfare of others
- Positve sense of meaning in life →dedication to some cause and having clear life
goals
- Meaning to be viewed as developmental - meaning varies at diff. Stages of life
Contributors to Success
- What is success? : the progressive realization of worthwhile, predetermined
personal goal
- Therefore,succes is setting a goal and achieving it
6 contributors of success
- i) a sense of direction :
- goal is impor, so seeking impor.
- Making priorities and choices irrespt. Of conflicting wants and needs
- A philosophy of life / rules for living and value gives the direction to choose
- Successful people know where they are moving and why they are going there
- ii) a feeling of self confidence:
- Belief in our abilities and our worth as humans is very impot.
- All ur actions, feelings , etc consistent with your selconfidence
- Learn to accept blunders as well as successes - blunders to be remembered as guides
to learning
- iii) a healthy mental attitude :
- Attitude contols our envr. - our thoughts
- Approaching prob. In a positive attitude
- -ve attitude deafs us even before we take action
- iv) belief in perseverance :
- Working hard
- Sacrificing, investing fo what they want
- v) An understanding of other:
- Considering effects on family of making our goals
- Work around and also with these people
- Therefore, understand their needs, feelings
- Human communication essentials for achieving success
- Successful people encourages by other people
- vi) Learn the lesson:
- review and asses the obstacles and goals achieved
Time Management
- Clear with priorities
- Organizing plan
- Discipline to stick it with
- 80-20 principle
Effective Life Planning
- successful life planning - willingness to take responsibility for ourselves
- 3 choices : change , enjoy-tolerate, leave
- Feeling forced to live in a life situation or hating it not a productive option
Happiness
- What is happiness?
- Contentment: an internal state of well-being that’s relatively: an internal state of calm
- Who is Happiest ?
- Self-esteem
- Optimism
- Extroversion
- Personal Control
- Other ingredients to happiness: strong spiritual faith; having close, supportive
friendships and marriages; and word and other activities enhance our identity,
absorbs additional
- Living in a state of flow - complete immersion in an exp. - active participation
Unit- 4- Communication
What is communication ?
- Defn: the process of conveying feelings attitudes, facts ,beliefs, and ideas
btw.indv.either verbally or non-verbally in such a way that the message intended is
received
- Requires understanding and cooperation of boh parties
7 steps in communication process
- 1) idea: message you like to share
- 2) encoding: forms a mental pic.of the dea to be shared and translates it into symbols
that will make the idea receivable - symbols9words, tone, pitch)
- 3) Transmission: means by which/the channel thro.which the encoded message is to be
sent to the receiver - face-face discussion, written, telephone, radio, etc
- 4) Receiving: the person on the other side, receiving, interpreting the intn.of the msg.
Requires complete attention
- 5) Decoding: done by the receiver - intereprets and translate.the msg meaning -
decoding the receiver has formed own mental pic.
- 6) Understanding: if decoded accurately, the mental pic of reciever and sender will
match- therefore, correct understanding of the ms. → effective comm.
- If there is no match between metal pic. → not effectively commun.→ creakdown occurs
- Hwo to reduce: checking and decoding for accuracy - feedback
- 7)Feedback: the process by which the sender clarifies how their mesg.is being received
and interpreted - the only means of determ.of mutal understanding
ADD: NOISE:
- anything that interferes with comm and distost the impact of the msg;
- external noise: elements in phys.envin, temp, noise, music, traffic;
- Internal noise : headache, lack of slep, preoccupation
Types 1: One-way and Two-way Communication
One -way :
- passive listening
- Absence verbal feedback , no clarification
- Preferred in large scale
- Inaccurate inferences and assumptions of the msg.
Two-way ;
- Adequate feedback
- Less risk of misunderstanding the msg.
- No conclusion
Communiction barries - any disturbances
Type 2 : Non-verbal Vs. Vernal Comm.
Non-verbal
- Kinesics - study of non verbal comm.
- How NVC reinforces, replaces and contradicts - VC
- Deception: lack of eye cont, quavering vice, descriptive vagueness
- Microexp: fleeting facial exp
- Signs of deception - bod leakage - body posture leaks the truth
Types of non-verbal comm.
- Facil expressions and eye contact
- Vocal comm
- Gestures and body movements
- Touching
- Personal space and dist. - intimate, personal, social and public
- Physical enrv. And territory -neat and tidy
- Clothing and appearance - grooming - economic, success,social position, educationbg,
persona preferences
- Silence - conveys many emotions - both + and -ve
Verbal
- Involves words and lang
- The way we use words comm more than the actual words
- Meaning nd understanding of the text is imp
Barriers
- Semantics - the study of meaning and changes of meaning in words
How to improve VC ? (8)
- Speak with enthusiasm
- Enunciate - articulating
- Use inflection - voice modulation, pitch, volme, pace change
- Avoid antagonistic word - critical verbal cues ‘
- Use short and simple sent.
- Adjust the volum of your voice
- Adjust speaking rate
- Keep the door open to feedback
- Technology - less human connection - editing - negativity
- Assumptions - assuming other will know what theyare saying, understandable
- Slef -concept - strong self -concept reqd for healthy satisfying interactions - to comm
something, worthy vs unworthy idea, defensive in terms of two-way comm.
- Emotion-packed phrases - moods, experiences influences what we catch from a
sentence - can put off our mood - key to respond not react
What is conflict ?
- An expressed struggle btw atleast 2 people who perceive the situation differently
and are exp interference from other person in achieving their gaols
What causes conflicts ?
- Peple unique, differentness
Conflicts causes by 6 issues
- Control over properties
- Preferences and nuisances
- Valus
- Beliefs
- Goal nature of reln between partner
- +ve effects of conflict
- -ve efects of conflict
Conflict Managemnt style
- 3 behav styles of handling conflicts : passive, aggresive and assertive ( diary)
- Assertive training - so-so
Unit 3- Motivation
Motives Vs. Needs
- Motives - int.states that arouse and direct behav towards specific objs or goals
- Caused by a deficit/ lack of something
- Ex: hunger, thirst
- Differ in intensity, with situation and personality
- Needs, a state of tension within a
person cause by deficit →
motives
- Motives lead to thinking,
perceiving and acting in specific
ways
- Motives can be unconscious
- Hierarchy of needs exists - various needs
existing at differing levels of strengths
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