Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Level/Section: Senior High School
Module 1 – PDev Subject Teacher: HUMSS Faculty

KNOWING ONESELF
In this module, Personal Development shall help you get to know yourself better by
understanding different factors that influence one’s development such as personal strengths
and weaknesses, habits, and unique characteristics as well as the various changes that one
experiences in physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual, and moral aspects of
development.

Learning Objectives:
A. explain that knowing oneself can make a person accept his or her strengths and
limitations to deal with others better; and
B. analyze one’s own thoughts, feelings, and behavior by sharing personal habits, unique
characteristics, and experiences.

WHAT IS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT?

Dr. Gaby Pfeifer (2016), a psychologist and a writer for Psychology Today, explains that
personal development refers to broad range of activities and experiences that we do in order
for ourselves to grow and develop. Knowing and understanding yourself better will make you
good at decision making, setting your main goals and make you live a more productive life.
Personal development is considered as a lifelong process of growth because we do not stop
discovering who and what we are, and we strive to become the best version of ourselves.

By universal essence, personal development covers activities that improve awareness and
identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitate employability,
enhance quality of life, and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations. Not limited
to self-help, the concept involves formal and informal activities for developing others in roles
such as teacher, guide, counselor, manager, life coach or mentor.

When personal development takes place in the context of institutions, it refers to the methods,
programs, tools, techniques, and assessment systems that support human development at the
individual level in organizations.
Knowing Oneself | Page 2 of 7
Edited By: Mr. Erwin John E. Resurreccion
 Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Level/Section: Senior High School
Module 1 – PDev Subject Teacher: HUMSS Faculty

HOW IMPORTANT IS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT IN KNOWING ONESELF?

"To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." This famous quote is often attributed to Socrates.
But what exactly do you know when you “know yourself?”

Generally, our adult lives are shaped by the experiences and circumstances of our families,
neighborhoods, and schools during our formative years. Later in life however, our motivations
to develop ourselves are powered by our desire to fulfill certain needs. The implication
therefore is that personal development is a lifetime process, because when needs of a certain
level are satisfied, higher ones, which also need fulfillment, arise.

On a professional level, this manifests as a desire to rise within the ranks – to climb the corporate
ladder – or in a business setting to keep taking our business onto the next business milestone.
This could be in terms of revenue, bottom line, geographic presence or product offerings. As
a force for growth and progress, personal development is an important aspect of life which
each one of us should strive for.

All this can be considered personal growth because it is about developing a deeper
understanding of our relationship with ourselves and with others and becoming clearer and
more comfortable with our place in the world. With this improved clarity we are also able to
see that we have more choice about our lives and direction, and relationships, than we
previously realized.

As we learn more about this increased choice, we feel able to make more conscious and
better-informed decisions, and this in turn leads us to feel more empowered and confident.
This means that instead of being affected by events and the people around us and reacting,
that we begin to take back control of our lives by making more aware and more conscious
choices. This feels better and we begin to define a path and direction for our lives, and this
allows us to feel calmer and more satisfied and fulfilled, and less angry and frustrated.

Knowing Oneself | Page 3 of 7

Edited By: Mr. Erwin John E. Resurreccion
 Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Level/Section: Senior High School
Module 1 – PDev Subject Teacher: HUMSS Faculty

THE SELF AND SELF-CONCEPT

In Psychology, Self refers to the very essence of who or what you are as a person. It covers the
combined aspects such as mental, emotional and behavioral representations of the “you” as
a person. In contrast, the term self-concept is a general term used to refer to how someone
thinks about, evaluates or perceives themselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a concept
of oneself.

According to Baumeister (1999), self-concept describes the individual's belief about himself or
herself, including the person's attributes and who and what the self is. Who are you? What
makes you “you?” You might answer with: “I’m a mother,” “I’m a therapist,” “I’m a believer,”
“I’m a good friend,” or “I’m a brother.” Maybe you answer with, “I am excellent at my job,”
“I’m an accomplished musician,” or “I’m a successful athlete.” Other responses might fall into
the category of traits: “I’m a kind-hearted person,” “I’m intelligent and hard-working,” or “I’m
laid-back and easy-going.”

These responses come from your internal sense of who you are. This sense is developed early
in life, but it goes through constant evaluation and adjustment throughout the lifespan - this
sense of self has a specific term: self-concept.

Self-concept is an overarching idea we have about who we are—physically, emotionally,

socially, spiritually, and in terms of any other aspects that make up who we are (Neill, 2005).
We form and regulate our self-concept as we grow, based on the knowledge we have about
ourselves. It is multidimensional and can be broken down into these individual aspects. For
example, you may have a very different idea of who you are in terms of your physical body,
and who you are in terms of your spirit or soul.

Knowing Oneself | Page 4 of 7

Edited By: Mr. Erwin John E. Resurreccion
 Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Level/Section: Senior High School
Module 1 – PDev Subject Teacher: HUMSS Faculty

A. FIVE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF UNDERLYING SELF-CONCEPT

1. Self-concept is multi-dimensional, incorporating our views of ourselves in terms of several

different aspects (e.g., social, religious, spiritual, physical, emotional);
2. It is influenced by biological (NATURE) and environmental factors (NURTURE), but social
interaction plays a big role as well;
3. Self-concept develops through childhood and early adulthood when it is more easily
changed or updated;
4. It can be changed in later years, but it is more of an uphill battle since people have
established ideas about who they are;
5. Self-concept does not always align with reality. When it does, our self-concept is
“congruent.” When it doesn’t, our self-concept is “incongruent.” (Cherry, 2018B; Gecas,
1982).

B. THE THREE COMPONENTS OF SELF-CONCEPT

Humanist psychologist, Carl Rogers believed that there were three different parts of self-
concept:

1. Self-image, or how you see yourself. Each individual's self-image is a mixture of different
attributes including our physical characteristics, personality traits, and social roles. Self-
image doesn't necessarily coincide with reality. Some people might have an inflated self-
image of themselves, while others may perceive or exaggerate the flaws and weaknesses
that others don't see.

2. Self-esteem, or how much you value yourself. A number of factors can impact self-esteem,
including how we compare ourselves to others and how others respond to us. When people
respond positively to our behavior, we are more likely to develop positive self-esteem.
When we compare ourselves to others and find ourselves lacking, it can have a negative
impact on our self-esteem.

3. Ideal self, or how you wish you could be. In many cases, the way we see ourselves and how
we would like to see ourselves do not quite match up.

Knowing Oneself | Page 5 of 7

Edited By: Mr. Erwin John E. Resurreccion
 Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Level/Section: Senior High School
Module 1 – PDev Subject Teacher: HUMSS Faculty

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KNOWING ONESELF?

The author of Changepower! 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success, Meg Selig presents seven
(7) major benefits of self-knowledge or understanding oneself.

1. Happiness. You will be happier when you can express who you are. Expressing your desires
will make it more likely that you get what you want.
2. Less inner conflict. When your outside actions are in accordance with your inside feelings
and values, you will experience less inner conflict.
3. Better decision-making. When you know yourself, you are able to make better choices
about everything, from small decisions like which sweater you’ll buy to big decisions like
which partner you’ll spend your life with. You'll have guidelines you can apply to solve life’s
varied problems.
4. Self-control. When you know yourself, you understand what motivates you to resist bad
habits and develop good ones. You'll have the insight to know which values and goals
activate your willpower.
5. Resistance to social pressure. When you are grounded in your values and preferences, you
are less likely to say “yes” when you want to say “no.”
6. Tolerance and understanding of others. Your awareness of your own foibles and struggles
can help you empathize with others.
7. Vitality and pleasure. Being who you truly are helps you feel more alive and makes your
experience of life richer, larger, and more exciting.

HOW CAN YOU START KNOWING WHO YOU ARE?

Meg Selig also presents “VITALS” as the six (6) important building blocks of understanding
oneself.

1. Values (V) – such as “helping others,” “being creative,” “health,” “financial security,” and
so on – are guides to decision-making and motivators for goals. These are material and
non-material aspect that matters to you. Research shows that just thinking or writing about
your values can make it more likely that you take healthy actions. The motivation provided
by worthwhile values can also keep you going even when you are tired, as shown in many
psychology experiments.

Knowing Oneself | Page 6 of 7

Edited By: Mr. Erwin John E. Resurreccion
 Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Level/Section: Senior High School
Module 1 – PDev Subject Teacher: HUMSS Faculty

2. Interests (I) – include your passions, hobbies, and anything that draws your attention over
a sustained period of time. To figure out your interests, ask yourself these questions: What
do you pay attention to? What are you curious about? What concerns you? The focused
mental state of being interested in something makes life vivid and may give you clues to
your deepest passions.
3. Temperament (T) – describes your inborn preferences. Do you restore your energy from
being alone (introvert) or from being with people (extrovert)? Are you a planner or go-with-
the-flow type of person? Do you make decisions more on the basis of feelings or thoughts
and facts? Do you prefer details or big Ideas? Knowing the answers to temperament
questions like these could help you gravitate toward situations in which you could flourish
and avoid situations in which you could wilt.
4. Around-the-clock (A) – category refers to when you like to do things—your biorhythms. Are
you a morning person or a night person, for example? At what time of day does your energy
peak? If you schedule activities when you are at your best, you are respecting your innate
biology. As I look back on my life, I realize I’ve been a morning person since birth. Those fun
sleepovers with girlfriends? I loved being included, but I didn’t like staying up late.
5. Life Mission and Meaningful Goals (L) – ask yourself this question: “What have been the most
meaningful events of your life?” You may discover clues to your hidden identity, to your
career, and to life satisfaction.
6. Strengths (S) can include not only abilities, skills, and talents, but also character strengths
such as loyalty, respect for others, love of learning, emotional intelligence, fairness, and
more. Knowing your strengths is one of the foundations of self-confidence; not being able
to acknowledge your own superpowers could put you on the path to low self-esteem.

REFERENCES:

• Skills You Need Ltd (2018). Personal development. Retrieved from

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/docs/personal-development-preview.pdf
• McNeely, C. & Blanchard, J. (2009). The teen years explained: A guide to healthy
adolescent development. John Hopkins University. Retrieved from
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-adolescent-
health/_docs/TTYE-Guide.pdf
• Greener, S. (2002). What is holistic development. Mission of Mercy Retrieved from
file:///C:/Users/LYNDON%20SANTOS/Downloads/what-is-holistic-child-development-by-
susan.pdf
• Ruhee, N. (n.d.). Cognitive development theory (Jean Piaget). Retrieved from
http://ddeku.edu.in/Files/2cfa4584-5afe-43ce-
aa4bad936cc9d3be/Custom/Major%20Aspects%20of%20CD.pdf

Knowing Oneself | Page 7 of 7

Edited By: Mr. Erwin John E. Resurreccion