Republic of the Philippines

Laguna State Polytechnic University

Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

GEC 101:
UNDERSTANDING
THE SELF

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

LSPU Self-Paced Learning Module (SLM) 3

Course GEC 101: Understanding The Self
Sem./A.Y. First Semester/2024-2025
Lesson No. 9
Lesson Title The Political Self and Being a Filipino
Week No. 11
Date October 28 – November 1, 2024
 This lesson discusses the identity of a true and responsible Filipino citizen.
 It tackles the stages of development of Filipino value formation, as well as the Filipino
Description negative and positive traits and values.
of the Lesson
 Lastly, it will trace the historical roots of our values and traits, and considers the
community and institutional factors that affect the Filipino identity.

Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to meet the following intended learning outcomes:
 Identify different Filipino identities;
Intended
Learning  Reflect on one’s selfhood concerning one’s national identity;
Outcomes  Better understand one’s self considering common Filipino values and traits; and
 Describe various positive and negative Filipino values.
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
 Take pride in being a Filipino by identifying common Filipino values and traits;
Targets/  Determine the stages and development of Filipino value formation;
Objectives
 Acquaint one’s self on how to be a good Filipino; and
 Construct an acrostic to demonstrate one’s sense of being a Filipino.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Student Learning Strategies

LECTURE GUIDE

Who is the Filipino?

Basically, Filipinos are the people who are native to or identified with the country of
the Philippines.

Technically, according to the Philippine Constitution, Filipino citizens are “…those whose
fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines…”

Common Filipino Values and Traits

 Filipino phrases such as “Mabuhay!” and “Salamat!”
 Saying “po” and “opo”
 Leaving slippers and shoes at the front door before entering a house
 Importance of asking “Kumain ka na ba?”

Stages and Development of Filipino Value Formation

1. Pre-conditional Stage: Childhood
It is the phase wherein children comply with the values of those who assert power on
them (parents, teachers, nuns, priests).
2. Conventional Stage: Youth
During the conventional stage or youth, adolescence identify with their peers, idols,
and teachers due to interpersonal communication,
3. Post-Conventional Stage: Adulthood
The people internalize the values they have imbibed in the first two stages without
fear.

Positive Filipino Values

 Filipino Hospitality. Filipinos welcome their guests and tourists as if they are their
brothers and sisters by always making them feel at home, offering them something
to eat, or even a place to stay. They will bring out their best sets of plates for their
honored guests and would even go as far as spending a lot of money and going into
debt just so they can satisfy them.
During festivals and fiestas, Filipinos serve heaps of festive food and invite the
whole barangay over. They are also fond of giving pasalubong or tokens from their
travels and pabaon or farewell gifts to their visitors.
 Respect for Elders. Filipinos greet their elders by kissing their hands while saying
“Mano Po!”, and constantly using “po” and “opo” in conversations. Forgetting to
address older people will regard them as impolite. There is also a wide array of
references to elder people such as ate, kuya, tito and tita, Lolo and Lola, manong
and aling for older people outside the family.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

 Close Family Ties. Filipinos maintain a tight relationship with their family
regardless of whether the children are old enough and already have families of
their own. They are also fond of family reunions during birthdays, holidays, fiestas
year-round. Some Filipino families even opt to live in a big house where everyone
can stay together.
 Cheerful Personality. Filipinos have the habit of smiling and laughing a lot. They
smile when they are happy, sad, or sometimes even when they are angry. Smiling
has been a coping strategy for many Filipinos especially during trying times and
calamities. They tend to smile and wave at the camera despite being interviewed
after a fire or flooding incident. They always try to maintain a positive outlook in
life, which makes them resilient and able to manage almost everything with a
simple smile.
 Self–sacrifice. Filipinos go out of their way to extend their help to friends, families,
and loved ones. They wish comfort and better lives for their loved ones and would
even go to the extent of working abroad hundreds of miles away from their families
to earn more money and save up for them. There are also times when the eldest
among the children of the family would give up school to work and provide for the
rest of the family and educate his or her siblings.
 Bayanihan. The Bayanihan spirit is giving without expecting something in return.
Filipinos are always ready to share and to help friends and loved ones who are in
need. It may not always be a monetary form, but the time and effort they give also
count as a form of help for them. In calamities, this is especially showcased by
Filipinos.
 Euphemism. A Filipino way of substituting a word or phrase that is thought to be
offensive with a mild or acceptable one in order not to offend or hurt another
person.

Negative Filipino Values

 “Bahalana” Attitude. This phrase is said to have originated from “Bathalana”
where Bathala means God and the phrase means leaving everything into God’s
hands. It can also be viewed as something similar to the cheerful attitude of
Filipinos and allowing situations to take care of themselves instead of worrying
about them.
 Colonial Mentality. It is regarded as a lack of patriotism and the attitude where
Filipinos favor foreign products more than their own. This does not only concern
goods, but the desire to look more foreign than local and keep up with foreign
beauty trends is included. It is attributed to the centuries of colonization Filipinos
had experienced under the Spanish, American, and Japanese rule.
 Mañana Habit. This is a Filipino term for procrastination. It was derived from a
longer Filipino phrase called “mamayana” which means doing things that could
have been done at the present at a later time. It is a poor habit of laziness that
results in a heavier workload.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

 Ningas–kugon. Ningas is a Filipino term for a flame and Kugon is Cogon grass that
easily burns out after it is put into flames. Ningas - Kugon refers to the attitude of
eagerly starting things, but quickly losing eagerness soon after experiencing
difficulty just as fast as the fire has ignited. Laziness is a common problem among
Filipinos that is why Filipinos are regarded as “Juan Tamad” or “Lazy Juan.”
 Pride. Most Filipinos hold on to their pride as if this is more precious than keeping
a good relationship with family and loved ones. When two parties are not on good
terms, they find it hard to apologize and wait until the other party asks for an
apology first.
 Crab Mentality. A toxic trait among Filipinos where one resents the achievement of
another, instead of feeling happy for that person. Just like crabs in a container, they
pull each other down and ruin each other’s reputation rather than bringing them
up, which results in no progress.
 Filipino Time. Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving late at
commitments, dinner, and parties especially if they are meeting someone close to
them. They tend not to observe punctuality altogether.

Other Negative Filipino Values

 Gaya-gaya Attitude
 Jackpot Mentality
 Kapalaran Values
 Oversensitive
 Lack of Sportsmanship
 Negative of Pakikisama
 Tsamba Lang Attitude

How to be a Good Filipino:

 Be an active Filipino citizen;
 Study the Philippine history;
 Support local products;
 Speak the Filipino language;
 Do not spread fake news and be democratic in engaging with disagreement;
 Follow traffic rules;
 Protect our environment; and
 Pay your tax.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Course GEC 101: Understanding The Self

Sem./A.Y. First Semester/2024-2025
Lesson No. 10
Lesson Title The Emotional Self
Week No. 12
Date November 4-8, 2024
 This lesson examines how emotions affect and build up the self.
 It also explains how to manage one’s emotions especially when interacting with other
Description people directing to emotional self-awareness.
of the Lesson
 It describes the different intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of emotions.
 Lastly, it gives details on how to connect more with one’s emotional self.

Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to meet the following intended learning outcomes:
 Gain appreciation of the importance of emotions in human life;
Intended
Learning  Understand the functions and meanings of emotion in two areas of life:
Outcomes intrapersonal and interpersonal; and
 Explain the primary emotional responses of the self to achieve emotional maturity.
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
 Develop a wise appreciation and use of emotions especially when it comes to

Targets/ decision making;

Objectives  Identify the different kinds of emotions and understand why they feel such; and
 Recognize the importance of emotional self-awareness in developing one’s
emotional self.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Student Learning Strategies

LECTURE GUIDE

EMOTIONAL SELF-AWARENESS
 Emotional Self-Awareness is the ability to understand your own feelings and
emotions and their effects on your performance. You know what you are feeling
and why, and how it helps or hurts what you are trying to do. You sense how others
see you and so align your self-image with a larger reality.
 It is an important skill for leadership at any level, as well as in many aspects of
life.
 The purpose of developing Emotional Self-Awareness is that it allows us to
understand how our bodily sensations and our emotions impact ourselves,
others, and our environment.

EMOTION
 Emotion is a mind and body’s integrated response to a stimulus of some kind. It
provides the energy and motivation that lets us meet our goals and our needs, and
improve our performance in negative situations.
 According to Aristotle, “Emotions are all those feelings that so change men as to
affect their judgments, and that are also attended by pain or pleasure, such
are anger, pity, fear, and the like, with their opposites.”
 According to William James, “Our feelings follow our bodily reactions to
external situations.” (e.g.: You feel sad because you are crying; You feel scared
because you are shaking.)
 According to emotion psychologist Paul Eckman, “Facial expressions are
culturally universal; facial expressions can help regulate our emotions.”
Paul Eckman identified six basic emotions that he suggested were universally
experienced in all human cultures: happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise,
and anger.
He later expanded his list of basic emotions to include such things as pride, shame,
embarrassment, and excitement.

THE FUNCTIONS OF EMOTIONS

A. Intrapersonal Functions of Emotion
1. Emotions help us act quickly with minimal conscious awareness. Emotions are
rapid information-processing systems that help us act with minimal thinking
(Tooby & Cosmides, 2008). For instance, drinking spoiled milk or eating rotten
eggs has negative consequences for our welfare. The emotion of disgust, however,
helps us immediately take action by not ingesting them in the first place or by
vomiting them out.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

2. Emotions prepare the body for immediate action. Emotions simultaneously

activate certain systems and deactivate others to prevent the chaos of competing
systems operating at the same time, allowing for coordinated responses to
environmental stimuli. (Levenson, 1999) For instance, when we are afraid, our
bodies shut down temporarily unneeded digestive processes, resulting in saliva
reduction (a dry mouth); blood flows disproportionately to the lower half of the
body; the visual field expands; and the air is breathed in, all preparing the body to
flee. Emotions initiate a system of components that includes subjective experience,
expressive behaviors, physiological reactions, action tendencies, and cognition.

3. Emotions also help us overcome obstacles in our environment.

4. Emotions can be self-validating. Emotions can give us information about a

situation or event. Signals about a situation will be picked up unconsciously and
then we may have an emotional reaction, but not be sure what set off the reaction.

5. Emotions influence thoughts. Emotions are also connected to thoughts and

memories. Memories are not just facts that are encoded in our brains; they are
colored with the emotions felt at those times the facts occurred (Wang & Ross,
2007). Thus, emotions serve as the neutral glue that connects those disparate facts
in our minds. That is why it is easier to remember happy thoughts when happy, and
angry times when angry. Emotions serve as the affective basis of many attitudes,
values, and beliefs that we have about the world and the people around us; without
emotions, those would be just statements without meaning, and emotions give
those statements meaning. Emotions influence our thinking processes, sometimes
in constructive ways, sometimes not. It is difficult to think critically and clearly
when we feel intense emotions, but easier when we are not overwhelmed with
emotions. (Matsumoto, Hirayama, & LeRoux, 2006)

6. Emotions motivate future behaviors. Because emotions prepare our bodies for
immediate action, influence thoughts, and can be felt, they are important
motivators of future behavior. Many of us strive to experience feelings of
satisfaction, joy, pride, or triumph in our accomplishments and achievements. At
the same time, we also work very hard to avoid strong negative feelings. Emotions,
therefore, not only influence immediate actions but also serve as an important
motivational basis for future behaviors.

B. Interpersonal Functions of Emotion

Emotions are expressed both verbally through words and nonverbally through facial
expressions, voices, gestures, body postures, and movements.
We are constantly expressing emotions when interacting with others, and others can
reliably judge those emotional expressions (Elfenbein & Ambady, 2002; Matsumoto,
2001); thus, emotions have signal value to others and influence others and our social
interactions.
Emotions and their expressions communicate information to others about our feelings,
intentions, relationship with the target of the emotions and the environment.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

1. Emotional expressions facilitate specific behaviors in perceivers. Because

facial expressions of emotion are universal social signals, they contain meaning not
only about the expresser’s psychological state but also about that person’s intent
and subsequent behavior. This information affects what the perceiver is likely to
do. Emotional displays evoke specific, complementary emotional responses from
observers. (Dimberg & Ohman, 1996; Esteves, Dimberg, & Ohman, 1994)

2. Emotional expressions signal the nature of interpersonal relationships. For

instance, a married couple visited a laboratory after having not seen each other for
24 hours, and then engaged in intimate conversations about daily events or issues
of conflict. Discrete expressions of contempt, especially by the men, and disgust,
especially by the women, predicted later marital dissatisfaction and even divorce.

3. Emotional management strategies:

 Use your emotions and bodily response to recognize.
 Write down your thoughts and feelings about what is stressing you.
 Control whatever aspect of the stress that you can.

Life presents many situations every day, and you should not view them in BLACK
and WHITE TERMS - those you can control versus those you cannot. Look for the
shaded of GREY - the elements you can control. When you know what’s going to
happen in a situation, your nervous system can gear up to handle it.

4. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. When difficult situations arise, it is

important to assess how bad they are before going into panic mode.

5. Redefine the problem. Your attitude to stress can affect your health more than the
stress itself can. If the problem is out of your control, recognize that and redefine
the problem to determine which parts you can avoid or handle.

6. Develop behaviors that distract you from stress.

7. Reach out to a friend or family member. Find someone you can be a vent
buddy.

8. Exercise regularly.

9. Meditate and relax.

7 WAYS TO CONNECT MORE WITH YOUR EMOTIONAL SELF

1. Be aware of signs of emotional repression. One common sign that you are
repressing your emotions is that your emotions often erupt unexpectedly. When
you don’t allow yourself to express or release emotions in a healthy way, they can
build up to a point where you can no longer control them.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

2. Give time to ask yourself how you feel every day. Just spending 5-10 minutes
sitting down, and questioning your feelings, can make a big difference in how well
connected you are to your emotional self.

3. Don’t try to rationalize away every emotion. Oftentimes people who aren’t
connected with their emotional self feel a constant need to “rationalize” their
emotions. There needs to be a reason, a purpose, or an explanation behind every
feeling they ever have. While it can be useful to analyze our emotions sometimes,
it’s also nice to just let yourself experience emotion without needing to find some
underlying reason behind it. Not every emotion is going to be explainable. Often,
emotions express a special kind of “knowledge” about ourselves and our world that
can’t be translated verbally. You need to sometimes accept emotions as a language
of your own.

4. Talk to other people about how you feel. Emotions can be difficult to share with
others, but they are still good to talk about regularly. Talking more about your
feelings allows you to be honest about your emotional self, and allows others to
offer insight that you may have not considered.

5. Find ways to express emotions creatively. This can include any activities such as
music, writing, photography, painting, film-making, dancing, or whatever you are
passionate about. Often, art gives you a way to communicate your feelings in a way
other than just words. It allows you to connect more with the physical and visceral
experience of your emotional self. Having creative outlets also gives you a chance to
digest your emotions at a unique and personal level that can’t usually be achieved
through only introspection and conversation.

6. Mirror other people’s faces and body language. When you connect with your
emotional self (especially in a social setting), your face and body language should
match the emotion you’re expressing. For a lot of people, this is natural, but for
others, they may have more difficulty letting their emotions express themselves
spontaneously.

7. Use movies, TV, books, and music that elicits strong emotions. In this way,
these forms of entertainment can broaden our emotional flexibility – they give us a
chance to experience a more “full range of human emotions” that isn’t always
available to us.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Course GEC 101: Understanding The Self

Sem./A.Y. First Semester/2024-2025
Lesson No. 11
Lesson Title The Social Self
Week No. 13
Date November 11-15, 2024
 This lesson focuses on the central or core of relationships, including the different
conditions and factors related to social relationships such as: person perception, social
norms, the need to belong, attitudes, stereotypes, social categorization and
identification, conformity, and social roles.
Description
of the Lesson  It also explains the different stages of group development as well as the major
processes happen on each stage in connection to social relationships.
 Lastly, it describes the nature and depth of relationships, and emphasize how they
influence social relationships.

Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to meet the following intended learning outcomes:
 Differentiate behaviors that make for acceptable social relationships from those
Intended
Learning behaviors that are not acceptable;
Outcomes  Identify the different elements or phenomena that affects the social self; and
 Analyze one’s behavior to achieve harmonious relationships with others.
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
 Describe the different ways by which society shapes the self;
 Be familiar with the different stages of group development and the major processes
Targets/ happen on each stage;
Objectives
 Explain how the self can be influenced by the different institutions in society; and
 Reflect on one’s self considering one’s social relationships and interactions with
others.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Student Learning Strategies

LECTURE GUIDE
“Most people prefer group membership to isolation, but once they join with others, they find
that they must sometimes do what is best for the group rather than what benefits them
personally.”

SOCIAL SELF
It is a multifaceted analysis of the self-concept based on the social nature of the self. The
emphasis is on self-esteem along with self-centrality, self-complexity, social interest,
identification, power, marginality, openness, and majority identification.

Social Psychology
 Social psychology is a branch of psychology that studies individuals as they
interact with others.
 It is a broad field which goal is to understand and explain how thoughts, feelings,
perceptions, and behaviors are influenced by the presence of, or interactions
with others. (Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian, 2007)
 Study of the effect of social factors on individual behavior, attitudes,
perceptions, and motives. It is a study of group and intergroup phenomena.
(Gerrig and Zimbardo, 2002)

Interaction and Relationship

 Interaction refers to the mutual and reciprocal exchange of communication or
action between two or more persons or groups.
 Relationship refers to a particular way in which two or more individuals, groups, or
even countries talk to, behave toward, or deal with each other. There is an established
connection, kinship, or attachment between persons or groups attributable to several
factors – interests, philosophy of life, goals, or ways of thinking – that bind them
together.

Person Perception
It refers to forming impressions and making judgments about another person’s likability after
seeing or meeting him/her.

Social Norms
Norms are patterns or traits characterized as typical or usual for a group.
 An individual’s mathematics score may be considered above the norm if it is more
than the average score or below the norm if it is less than the average.
 Many years ago, mothers stay at home to an acre for their children; women wear only
dresses and skirts in attending church services, etc.

The Need to Belong

 The need to belong refers to the idea that humans have a fundamental motivation to
be accepted into relationships with others and to be a part of social groups.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

 The fact that belongingness is a need means that human beings must establish and
maintain a minimum quantity of enduring relationships.
 In contrast, spending time alone, away from others, can be a rejuvenating,
pleasurable experience.

Together as a Group
In social situations where people work and do things together for a purpose, two things may
happen.
1. Social facilitation – the performance of each member of the group is improved
2. Social loafing – working or being with a group may also reduce individual effort
 Task Cohesion refers to the degree to which members of a group work together to
achieve common goals.
 Teamwork refers to the combined activities of two or more individuals who coordinate
their efforts to make or do something. In many cases, each individual performs a portion
of the task, which, when combined with others yields a total group product.

Stages of Group Development

Social Identity Theory

It is a theoretical analysis of group process and intergroup relations assumes groups
influence their members’ self-concepts and self-esteem, particularly when individuals
categorize themselves as group members and identify with the group.

Social Categorization
It refers to the perceptual classification of people, including the self, into categories.

Social Identification
It refers to accepting the group as an extension of the self, and therefore basing one’s
self-definition on the group’s qualities and characteristics.

Conformity
It refers to yielding to group pressure to act as everyone does, even when no direct
request has been made (Lahey, 2009). It is the tendency to behave like others in the
group do.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Social Roles
It refers to the part or position of a person in a society. It also specifies behavior
expected to be exhibited by an individual in practicing his/her role.

Nature and Depth of Relationships

 Familiarity refers to being comfortable with another person and is a necessary
condition for a close relationship to develop. Research shows that people like to
associate with others who are similar to them in terms of the following: attitudes,
behavior patterns, personal characteristics, taste in fashion or clothes, intelligence,
personality, and the like.
 Attraction may lead to deeper relationships. One person may be drawn or attracted
to another due to reasons like similarities or differences in interests, personality
characteristics, life goals, and lifestyles, etc. It paves the way for enjoying the
company and being comfortable with another person, and for feelings of ease and
confidence.
 Love is a special attachment one has for himself/herself or somebody else. It is an
intense feeling of deep or constant affection and emotion in which a person always
sees the good, happiness, and welfare of the other. The person is willing to sacrifice
for the good of the object of his/her love. It can manifest as love for God, spouse,
children, family, or country, among others.

“Every person is capable of loving. Without love, people become lonely and social relationships
suffer. There are many ways of showing love, and they could vary in form and in-depth. People
who freely share and give love, and are loved in return, are happy people.”

Attitudes are beliefs that predispose people to act and feel in certain ways towards people,
objects, or ideas. They can either :
 Positive Attitude is reflected in a happy, pleasant, optimistic disposition.
 Negative Attitude is associated with pessimism or a general feeling of dislike.

How Attitudes Originate

Generally, the attitudes of a person develop over time and have emotional components.
However, they are normally acquired from 2 sources:
 First-hand Experiences
 Accounts by Others

Stereotypes are generalizations in which the same traits or characteristics are assumed to
be possessed by all members of a group.
 Prejudice is an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitude or opinion towards the members
of a group. (Ex.: Overweight women are not as smart as women of normal weight.)
 Discrimination is the specific unfair behavior or treatment towards the members of
a group. (Ex: An employer refusing to hire women because of their gender.)
 Racism is the discrimination against people based on their skin color or
ethnic heritage.
 Sexism is discrimination against people because of their gender.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Course GEC 101: Understanding The Self

Sem./A.Y. First Semester/2022-2023
Lesson No. 12
Lesson Title The Digital Self
Week No. 14
Date November 18-22, 2024
 This lesson focuses on the different factors or phenomena that influence the digital
construction of the self.
 It explains the risks and dangers of posting too much of your life or pretending that you
are somebody else in the social media world.
Description
of the Lesson  It also presents what you can do to protect your online personality that can affect your
offline personality.
 Lastly, it emphasizes the rules or guidelines to follow in order to be a good and
responsible web citizen, and to have a healthy and worthy digital self.

Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to meet the following intended learning outcomes:
 Discuss the concept of online identity and the ‘self’ in cyberspace;
Intended
Learning  Explain how an individual build his/her online identity;
Outcomes  Evaluate the impacts of online interactions on the self; and
 Establish boundaries of the online self.
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
 Compare real identity versus online identity;
 Recognize the positive and negative effects of social media and online interactions
Targets/ on the self;
Objectives
 Describe the different changes emerging from our current digital age;
 Describe the influence of the internet on sexuality and gender; and
 Discuss the proper way of demonstrating our values and attitudes online.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Student Learning Strategies

LECTURE GUIDE

DIGITAL SELF
The digital self is the persona you use when you’re online. Some people maintain one or
more online identities that are distinct from their “real-world” selves; others have a single
online self that’s more or less the same as the one they inhabit in the real world.

Online Identity
Online Identity is the sum of all our characteristics and our interactions in the online
world. Meanwhile, Persona is the partial identity we create that represents one’s self in a
specific situation. “Your online identity is not the same as your real-world identity because the
character you represent online differs from the characteristics you represent in the physical
world.”

How do you build your Online Identity?

Every website that you interact with will collect its version of who you are, based on the
information that you have shared. Thus, it is up to you on how you will represent yourself as
closely as who you are and what you do in real life or selectively, to create a representation
far from your real life.
 Self–presentation is the process of controlling how one is perceived by other people
and is the key to relationship inception and development.
 Personal Identity is the interpersonal level of self that differentiates the individual
as unique from others.
 Social Identity is the level of self whereby the individual is identified by his or her
group memberships.

Catharsis “Talking Cure”

We might see the self-care of blogging and engaging in social media and forum conversations
as a form of self-therapy by talking things through. Buechel and Berger (2012) and Forest
and Wood (2012) find that less emotionally stable people are especially likely to attempt to
enhance well-being in this manner.

Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is the feeling of vulnerability that leads the user to
compulsively check the news feeds and continually add tweets and postings to appear active
and interesting.

Impact of Online Interactions on the Self

When interacting with other people, we automatically make inferences about them without
even being consciously aware of it. We cannot help but ponder what they are thinking about,
what their facial expressions mean, what their intentions are, and so on. This
predisposition is what makes social interactions so demanding.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Is it true that Facebook provides opportunities for increased identity development?

Yes! Research suggests that young users report increased self-esteem and general well-being
following instances of positive feedback on social networking sites. Relatedly, results from a
2009 survey of college students indicated that the heaviest Facebook users were also most
satisfied with their lives and exhibited greater social and political engagement.

Online interactions cannot reveal our true feelings and can decrease people’s
happiness levels
The extra effort involved in face-to-face interactions can be spared in online interactions that
are founded on minimal or constrained social cues; most of these signals can be summed up in
emoticons or punctuation. Hence, it is easier to hide our emotions behind an email, a
Facebook post, or a tweet.

We can control our self-presentation on online interactions and this may be both
beneficial and harmful to the individual
Compared with face-to-face presentations, online interactions enable us to self-censor to a
greater extent and manage our online identities more strategically which provides a greater
opportunity to misrepresent ourselves.

Positive Impacts of Social Media and Online Interaction on the Self

 Social media sites inform and empower individuals to change themselves and their
communities.
 Increases self-esteem when receiving many likes and shares
 Boosts one’s moral and feelings of self-worth

Negative Impacts of Social Media and Online Interaction on the Self

 Extensive online engagement is correlated with personality and brain disorders
like poor social skills, ADHD, narcissistic tendencies, a need for instant gratification,
and addictive behaviors and other emotional distress like depression, anxiety, and
loneliness.
 Low self-esteem due to the risk of being exposed to cyber bullying and cyber
pornography
 More occupied in giving attention to social media than in keeping their customs and
practices

Needed Extended Self Updates due to Sharing: Self-revelation

The sharing of information about self online facilitated by the disinhibition and
confessional effects means that it is now far easier to present ourselves in ways that would
have been awkward at best in predigital times.

Needed Extended Self Updates due to Sharing: Loss of Control

What was once private is more likely to be public. While we may exercise self-control, it is far
harder to control all our digital self-representations when others may reshare with
unintended audiences.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Needed Extended Self Updates due to Sharing: Shared Sense Of (Cyber) Space
The overlap between digital aggregate extended self among those seeking access rather than
ownership.

Changes Emerging from Our Current Digital Age

1. Dematerialization. Things are disappearing right before our eyes – our information,
communications, photos, videos, music, calculations, messages, “written” words are
now largely invisible and immaterial, composed of electronic streams stored in
digital storage devices in locations we will never know.
2. Re-embodiment. This is characterized as the “breakout of the visual” online,
leading to new “constructions” and “definitions of the self” in the virtual world;
we are disembodied and re-embodied as avatars, sharing identity with the chosen
avatar virtually.
3. Sharing. In Facebook, social media friends know more than the immediate families
about our daily activities, connections, and thoughts. Diaries that were once private
or shared only with close friends are now posted as blogs for everyone to read. There
is a loss of control due to sharing – uncontrolled sharing of information by online
participants or friends; restrictions are not observed.
4. Co-construction of Self. Our digital involvement is social. Our blogs invite
comments, social interaction which helps in constructing our individual and joint
extended sense of self. What are the effects of this? Seeking affirmation is
identified. Friends also help to co-construct and reaffirm each other’s sense of self
thru their postings, tagging, and comments.
5. Distributed Memory. In a digital world, there is a new set of devices and
technologies for recording and archiving our memories. The dilemma is seen in
the narrative of the self. Our identity is not to be found in behavior nor the reactions
of others, but in the capacity to keep a particular narrative going, done by continually
integrating events in the outside world into our ongoing story about the self.

Gender and Sexuality Online

Research states that there are more gender-related similarities in establishing an online self
and blog use and that the online self is a good venue for gender expression and sexuality. This
is because, in one’s online identity, there is no physical embodiment of the gender or other
physical markers of identity.
Interactions online are important sources of sexual information for teens. Yet, extra care
with a full sense of accountability must be observed in the use of social media to
protect the self.

Setting Boundaries to Your Online Self: Smart Sharing

 Is this post or story necessary? Is there a real benefit to this post, or am I just
making noise online without a purpose?
 Have we resolved an issue?
 Is it appropriate? Does it stay within the boundaries of our family values?
 Will this seem as funny in 5, 10, or 15 years? Or is this post better suited for sharing
with a small group or family members? Or maybe not at all?

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Are You a Good, Responsible Web Citizen?

Online anonymity sometimes allows people to push limits and act in ways they would not act.
As a result, some people especially teenagers report that it’s a cruel, cruel online world.

Cruelty, harassment, and bullying are closely tied with questions of online identities like:
how we choose to express ourselves; how we establish positive community norms; and how we
stand up against behavior that’s offensive, demeaning, or upsetting?

Rules to Follow to be a Good, Responsible Web Citizen

 Stick to safer sites
 Guard your passwords
 Limit what you share
 Remember that anything you put online or post on a site is there forever, even if
you try to delete it
 Do not be mean or embarrass other people online
 Always tell if you see strange or bad online behavior
 Be choosy about your online friends
 Be patient

“Think before you click. If people do not know you personally and if they cannot see as
you type, what you post online can be taken out of context if you are not careful in the
way your message is delivered.”

Learning Resources
 Brawner, D and Arcega, A. (2018). Understanding the self. C & E Publishing, Inc.
 Alata E, et al. (2018). Understanding the self. REX Book Store
 Villafuerte S, et al. (2018) Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc.
 Mead, GH (1972) Mind, and Self and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. The University
of Chicago Press.
 Feldman, R. (2008) Understanding Psychology 8th ed. McGraw Hill. Module 34: Understanding Human
Sexual response. 369-375; Module 35: Diversity of Sexual Behavior. 379-385; Module 36: Sexual
Difficulties, 389-391
 Wolfson (2010). The Chemistry and Chimera of Desire. http://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-
desire
 Dittmer, H. (1992). The individual Centered Approach. Material Possessions as Parts of the extended
Self. Pp. 41-64 and Possessions as symbolic Expressions of Identity. Pp 95-121 in the Social Psychology
of Material Possessions: To Have is To Be? St. Martin’s Press.
 Frankl, V. (1959) Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy. Especially Part 2: Basic
Concepts of Logotherapy. 149-210.
 Gibbs et AL. (2006). Self-presentation in Online Personals: The Role of Anticipated future interactions,
self-disclosures and perceived success in internet dating Communications Research. 33.2.152-172.
 Seligman, Martin (2011). Flourish a visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free
Press / NY 10020

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self
 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Prepared by:

JASPER ANN P. STA.MARIA, RPM

Part-Time Instructor

Modified/Revised by:

ALBERT R. CASTILLO, LPT NICOLE G. SILVESTRE, RPM

Part-Time Instructor Part-Time Instructor

Intellectual Property

This module is for educational purposes only. Under section Sec. 185 of RA 8293, which
states, “The fair use of a copyrighted work for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching
including multiple copies for classroom use, scholarship, research, and similar purposes is not an
infringement of copyright.”
The unauthorized reproduction, use, and dissemination of this module without the joint
consent of the authors is strictly prohibited and shall be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,
including appropriate administrative sanctions, civil, and criminal.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE (SLM 3): GEC 101: Understanding The Self