Personal Development

Lesson 1: Knowing Oneself

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

 Aristotle

Big Differences between Human Development to Personal Development

 Human development is an expansion of human capabilities, a widening of choices, an enhancement of
freedom, and a fulfilment of human rights.
 Personal development covers activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and
potential, build human capital and facilitate employability, enhance the quality of life and contribute to
the realization of dreams and aspirations.
Dimension of the Self
The self has three dimensions - physical, psychological, and spiritual.
Physical dimension - responsible for giving us the ability to move our muscles, to perceive our
surroundings, and to think of the ideas and opinions that bring wonders to our lives and of others.
Thus, it refers to the individual as an organism under the species of Homo Sapiens as he will view
oneself based on his or her physical traits.
Psychological dimension- contains the concepts of stress, cognition, behavior, attitude, emotion and
ultimately, personality. In other words, it refers to the individual as a set of characteristics,
behaviors, attitudes, cognitions, and emotions. As compared to the physical dimension which could be
observed directly and be measured, it has both internal and external factors that can or cannot be
measured, observed, and calculated directly.
Spiritual dimension - allows us to view ourselves in a spiritual level - as spiritual beings. It holds a
relevance to a perceived existence of God, of a greater good, or Superior Being relating to the humble
individual. Compared to the physical and psychological dimensions, this cannot be observed but can be
subjectively altered and perceived by the person.
The ABCs of Attitudes which are necessary for its existence:
1. Affect - represents emotions directed to the self, the environment and to others.
2. Behavior - the action form or manifestation of attitude which can be overt or covert.
3. Cognition - the way people think which encompasses our thoughts in different levels, ranging from
ourselves to our environment, from imaginary to perceivable reality.

Social factors- also influence attitude heavily. Your roles in a social environment and of course the
social norm that tell you what to do and what not to do in a social situation also affect attitude.
Learning- is another factor. We then tend to associate what we observed with their attitude and
employ the same mindset to the products.
Operant Conditioning-can also affect and influence how we develop attitudes.
Modelling- when someone particularly close to us a person we admire or adore or a parents does
something it is more than likely we would be doing the same thing they are doing.

Self- Concept
Is our cognition to ourselves, what we think and know about our identity, personality, individuality.

Self Esteem
A person's overall self-evaluation or sense of self-worth which is use to appraise our traits and abilities
that shows how you feel for yourself.
 Self-esteem motivation influences our cognitive processes: Facing failure, high self-esteem people
sustain their self-worth by perceiving other people as failing, too, and by exaggerating their superiority
over others.

SUMMARY:

 The self has three dimensions – physical, psychological, and spiritual.

 Attitude composes of affect, cognition, and behaviour.
 Attitude can occur in our awareness or off our awareness – explicitly or implicitly.
 Behaviour can be overt or covert.
 Attitude can be shaped through various ways such as learning, experience, or conditioning.
 Self-esteem and self-concept are two different concepts. Self-esteem is how you feel for yourself
while self-concept is what you think of yourself.

Lesson 2: One’s Holistic Personal Development

“A life unexamined is a life not worth living.”

 Socrates

Holistic Development: Thoughts, Feelings, Behaviors

Thoughts- usually originate from things we have learned both in a right way and a wrong way. That is why
there are terms such as malcognition and maladaption mechanisms.
Feelings- No one is exempted from the experience and the color that emotion brings into our life, be it, again
subconscious and conscious.
Behavior- is the primary output of our attitudes. It also affects our thoughts and feelings, ultimately leading
back to its source – attitude.

Overview of the aspects of the development- there are many aspects of human development. Holistic
development entails the development of these aspects that includes; physical and neurobiological, cognitive,
moral, and socio- emotional.
Physical and Neurobiological Development
On the physical aspect, an individual starts growing into a full-fledged mature human being from infancy. The
process involved are regulated by our genes.
Neurobiological aspect, the brain grows rapidly but matures slower. There is a reason why at birth, the human
head is disproportionately larger compared to the rest of the body.
Cognitive and Moral Development
Cognitive Development- the development of our cognitive abilities also has stages ranging from the time we
are born that what we are now.
Intellectual development has four distinct stages the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational stage the
concrete operational stage and the formal operational stage.
Moral Development – Lawrence Kohlberg believed in Piaget’s theory and expanded it further to add complex
comprehension to the matter. He advised levels that have two stages each rooting from Piaget’s theories.
Level 1- Pre-Conventional Morality- according to Piaget’s, it is during ages 7-11 years old that a child will start
to think more logically. This level has two stages first obedience and punishment orientation children avoid
punishment by being in good order. Being punished meant something wrong was done. Second individualism
and exchange is transition to the next level because at this stage, children realize that different person have
different beliefs or viewpoints regarding a deed.
Level 2- Conventional Morality-individuals begin to internalize the learned moral standards they have with
their valued adult role models. First is good interpersonal relationships the growing individual is good based
on the approval of others in his or her group the second stage maintaining social order wherein the individual
becomes aware of a broader set of rules in society resulting to judgement concerning rule compliance to
uphold the law system and avoid guilt.
Level 3- Post Conventional Morality- in this level of morality an individual basis of his or her morality rests
oneself chosen principles the first stage of this level is social contract and individuals rights the individuals
becomes awarethat while the laws and rules of a society for the good of the majority second is universal
principles implies that individual have developed their own set of moral guidelines which may not at all times
fit the law of society.
Socio-emotional Development- the beauty of development is that it is not limited to oneself but it branches
out to the outside—to other people, especially in Freudian terms, the ages 7-11 is aligned with the Latency
Phase wherein it was said, the sexual urges were latent yet it also where the individual learns to socialize and
extended outward.
Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development:
Jean Piaget’s Stage Theory of Intellectual Development is composed of 4 distinct stages: the sensorimotor
stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage.
Lawrence Kohlberg’s Moral Development:
Morality according to Kohlberg, is the individual capacity to know what is right from what is wrong and
applying this in personal and social situations. He, however, made stages focusing on where individuals base
their morality from, not changing its core definition. Moral is defined as ‘the perceived sense of right that
either comes from societal, group, or personal preferences.’ According to him, there are three levels of
morality such as the pre-conventional morality, conventional morality, and post-conventional morality which is
not just knowing right from wrong, but knowing the consequences of each to an individual. That is why
empathy needs to be learned to make morality stronger.
SUMMARY:

 Thoughts affect our attitude and our life consciously and subconsciously.
 Emotions may bloat or minimize the perception of the thought.
 Behavior is the primary output of our attitude.
 The physical and neurobiological development is one aspect of holistic development that involves the
entire body and the brain.
 Jean Piaget offers the Stage Theory of Intellectual Development that explains the development of our
cognitive abilities from the time we are born.
 Lawrence Kohlberg offers the Stages of Moral Development theory that explains the moral development
on an individual.
 Lesson 3: Developmental Skills and Tasks among Adolescents
“The desire for self-improvement is vital. There is no point in pushing children; they need to be the ones
who want to learn new skills.”
 Tony Buzan

Adolescence - generally referred to as the teenage years, which start at about the age of twelve and
end at the age of twenty-one. Though, there are children who experience puberty as early as the age of
nine, the beginning of the physiological development is signalled by the onset of puberty.
Puberty - comes from the Latin word pubertas which means “adult.” It is the physical transformation
that a child experiences as sexual maturity is reached or when the body matures in all aspects, with its
sexual characteristics – primed for the natural process of reproduction.

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Stages

1. Sensorimotor (birth-2 yrs. old) – During this stage, infants discover relationships between their
bodies and the environment through direct sensory and motor contact. Object permanence and
separation anxiety develop during this stage.
2. Preoperational (2-7 yrs. old) – During this stage, the child is egocentric and has the ability to pretend.
Objects are represented symbolically in the mind such as words and images but does not reason
logically.
3. Concrete Operational (7-11/12 yrs. old) – The child can think logically about concrete objects and
can thus add and subtract. The child also understands conservation, however, he is concerned only with
what happens and cannot consider possibilities that are not real.
4. Formal Operational (adolescence-adulthood) – During this stage, the adolescent can reason
abstractly and think in hypothetical terms.

Factors that Attribute to the Origin of the Sex Differences

1. Biological – Sex hormones are said to influence some specific aspects of brain development
during puberty. Sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen can be mediating factors that
spell group differences in cognitive development.
2. Cultural – Certain cultural factors like gender attitudes and values may affect motivation to
perform well in a test, for instance. Boys may be more competitive than girls so they are
expected to persevere for optimal performance. Gender differences in terms of being
competitive vary across cultures.
3. Evolutionary – Sex differences in cognitive development are result of natural selection, adaptation, and
genetic variation. Several studies relate visual spatial ability with evolution and hormones.

4. Environmental – Features of the community or society may affect sex differences in terms of cognitive
abilities. Exposure to educational opportunities is one example.

Erik Erikson - a famous developmental psychologist.

STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT:
1. Trust vs. Mistrust

2. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

3. Initiative vs. Guilt

4. Industry vs. Inferiority

5. Identity vs. Role Confusion

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation

8. Integrity vs. Despair

Robert Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks for Adolescents:
1. The adolescent must adjust to a new physical sense of self.

2. The adolescent must adjust to new intellectual abilities.

3. The adolescent must adjust to increased cognitive demands at school.

4. The adolescent must develop expanded verbal skills.

5. The adolescent must develop a personal sense of identity.

6. The adolescent must establish adult vocational goals.

7. The adolescent must establish emotional and psychological independence from his or her parents.

8. The adolescent must develop stable and productive peer relationships.

9. The adolescent must learn to manage his/her sexuality.

10. The adolescent must adopt a personal value system.

11. The adolescent must develop increased impulse control and behavioural maturity.

SUMMARY:
1. Everyone experiences adolescence similarly in some ways yet uniquely in most ways. There is no
absolute pace for everyone

2. Adolescence is a time of great curiosity, intellect ,physical function and emotionality. It depends on the
individual where to direct this, either to more responsible choices or more self-defeating odds

3. Erickson’s Identity Formation versus Identity Confusion tells us the consequences of our choices with
regard to who we want to be. How we make these choices is determined by how we make use of our
Formal Operations, as Piaget had stated. Havighurst then provides us formulated goals to accomplish, a
bench mark, into greater growth.

4. Erik Erickson pointed out that for one to truly form his identity, one must know who he is, what he
wants to be, and how he intends to get there all on his terms-not for other people, his peers, or his
circumstances.

5. Havighurst summarized the goals an adolescent must aim for to be excellent in life. If Erickson stated
what conflict one will face, Havighurst provided the solutions to resolve these conflicts with flying
colors.

6. Jean Piaget tells us that at our age, we can utilize our Formal Operations. It is a vital requirements that
we can use to resolve our identity conflict and tackle Havighurst Developmental tasks for adolescents.
One cannot resolve the conflicts of adolescence with just concrete operations. During the formal
operations stage, individuals are capable of abstract thought, hypothetical functions, and greater internal
thought processes.

7. Mental capacity if left unused or untriggered will decay.

Lesson 4: Challenges and Issues Among Adolescent

“The troubles of adolescents eventually all go away, it’s just like a really long, bad cold”

~The fantastically beautiful and kind-hearted Dawn Ruelas, 2002

 Physical Appearance
-Every human being has a unique set of genes.
-It is not rational to compare yourself to others.
-Be you own person.
Identity Development
-Mental, Emotional and Psychological Aspect
-Who you are? What you want to be? What are your strengths and weaknesses?
-This is your life so live it the best way you can.
Gender Identity
-Is the personal sense of one’s own gender.
-Do not depend on other people’s demand and expectations.
-All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation
of a person’s social identity in relation to other members of society.

Social Cognition: Personal Fable and Imaginary Audience

Personal Fable-adolescent believe that he or she is highly special and unlike anyone else
who has ever walked the earth.
Imaginary audience- adolescent believe that a group of followers exist to continuously
watch and judge every move, verbalization and public or personal behavior.
Impulsivity and Risk-Taking or Thrill seeking Behaviors
-Impulsivity describes a set of behaviors characterized by relative dominance of
spontaneity over consideration.Examples include a preference toward obtaining immediate
gratification over delayed outcome, making “snap decisions”.
Anti-social and Delinquency Behavior
Anti-social is massively misused word.The termanti-social refers to a person that inflict
harm to other people. They are an avid manipulators and getting what they want to the cost of other.
Delinquency behavior is a behavior among adolescent that is illegal or not acceptable to most people.
This behavior are traced back from the histories of physical and sexual abuse.
Sexual Behavior
-Reproductive characteristics start getting emphasized during puberty. These are
brought by endocrine system.
-Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) are rampant on these modern times. These are
infections that can involve your reproductive organs, your whole body or even your child behavior.

Summary:

1. Being an adolescent means having a face challenges and struggles such as those that concerns physical
appearance, identity development, gender identity, impulsivity and risk-taking behaviors, anti-social and
delinquency behaviors.
2. Personal fables are adolescent beliefs that one is highly special and unlike anyone else. This could lead
impulsive, risk-taking, and irresponsible behaviors.
3. An imaginary audience is a normal phenomenon where in the adolescent will think that a group of
followers exist to continuously watch and judge their every move, verbalization, or any public or
personal action.
4. The term anti-social does not mean a person is not outgoing. It simply means the person wants to
verbally, physically, or psychologically harm others without remorse.
5. Delinquency, disordered sexual behaviors, and anti-social behaviors are associated to developmental
diseases, history of abusive upbringing and/or other factors.
6. During adolescence, sexual characteristics are on a rise, making decision with regards to this matter
become more difficult. On the rise of hypersexualization in popular media, it is wise to temper down on
the hormones, get informed, and to choose not to rush when one is not ready. Sex is not equal to love.
7. Adolescents should be responsible with their sexual behaviors because these crucial choices might hold
long-term consequences--some cannot even be repaired.
 Lesson 5: The Brain, Intelligence and Thinking in Adolescence
“The world we have created is a product of our thinking, it cannot be changed without changing our
thinking.”
~ Albert Einstein

The brain- responsible for mental functioning.

Cerebrum- largest portion of the brain responsible for thought and movement
Cerebellum- responsible for speech and emotion
- Balance and posture
- The reason why you can stand in one leg
Brainstem- connected to our spinal cord
Frontal Lobe- takes charge of our behavior, emotions, planning, problem solving, speaking and writing
intellectual activities.
Temporal Lobe- organ hearing, memory, hearing sound
Parietal Lobe- interprets language, signs, pressure, sense of touch, pain , temperature
Occipital Lobe- located at the back of the brain is responsible for vision
Left hemisphere- associated with logical activities
Right hemisphere- associated with creativity
Corpus Callosum-a bundle of axons sends messages from one side to the other.
Connection between neurons are possible because of chemical substances called neurotransmitters
that are found in the synapse.
Dopamine- has been associated with attention, memory and cognition
Endorphins- are known to fight stress and pain
Neuron – another term for nerve cell.
Neurotransmitters – chemical substances that transmits messages from one neuron to the next
neuron.
Synapse – the space between two neurons where neurotransmitter are released.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
-Howard Gardner
Linguistic Intelligence- is the ability to use words in both oral and written communication
Logico- mathematical Intelligence- is the ability to reason, apply logic, and work with numbers.
Visual- spatial Intelligence- is the ability to perceive the visual.People see the relationshipof things.
Musical Intelligence – is the ability to produce and appreciate music.
Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence- is the ability to control body movement and handle objects skillfully.
Interpersonal Intelligence- is the ability to relate to and understand other people.
Intrapersonal Intelligence- is the ability to understand ourselves, who we are, and what makes us the
way that we are.
Naturalistic Intelligence-is the ability to recognize and categorize things. People are sensitive to nature
and the world.
 Diagram of the Multiple Intelligences

What is thinking?

Thinking does not require effort.It is

using thought or rational judgement;
intelligent.
Creative Thinking- may be
defined as the production of effective
novelty through the operation of our mental process. Creativity depends only on our ability to do things
but to represent what has been done.
Tony Buzan - an English author and educational consultant, suggests the use of mind mapping to
enhance creativity. It is usual thinking tool that utilizes cognitive functions, like memory, learning,
creativity, and analysis. Mind mapping is a process that involves a combination of imagery, colour, and
visual spatial arrangement
Critical Thinking- requires logic and coherence as we try to analyze, synthesize, evaluate and interpret
information rather than simply apply technical abilities.

Summary:
 The brain is the seat of the mind and the one responsible for mental functioning.
 The Brain Dominance Theory and the Whole Brain Model are two models that try to explain the brain –
behavior relationship.
 The Brain Dominance Theory states that are our behaviour is a function of the heightened activity of
either the left or right brain hemisphere.
 The Whole Brain Model explain brain-behavior relationship as a function of the interconnected brain
activities.
 Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intellegences.
 The eight distinct intellegences according to this theory include linguistic, logico-mathematical, spatial,
bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist.
 Creative thinking is defined as the production of effective novelty through the operations of mental
processes.
 Mind mapping is a visual thinking tool that enhances creativity.
 Critical thinking is defined as the kind of thinking that requires logic and coherence in analyzing and
interpreting information.