Week 8

Understanding the Self

Overview
Hi guys. I’m proud of you! You are already at the homestretch of your learning journey. I hope that
you learned something valuable and insightful in our discussions last midterm. I pray that after
examining and exploring the different variations of the self, you will be able to develop your character,
competence, and morality as a member of our society for you to contribute in your little way to the
betterment and progress of our nation.

By this time, it is expected that at least you gain a strong foothold on how you will develop your sense
of individuality that reflects the distinctiveness of yourself, be it social, political, economic, sexual, or
spiritual. This is considerably necessary to ensure that as you progress in your life both space and
time, you will be able to sustain your economic needs, take good care of your sexual health, perform
your political obligations, establish positive social relations with other people, and reach enlightenment
in your spiritual journey.

Now, you will continue on your learning journey this week, but this time, we will embark on a new
territory. Our sail will now be set towards discovering and understanding why we are of ourselves. To
guide us in this venture, we need to critically study the various perspectives provided by three selected
theories included in this guide that will help us to develop our enduring mindset and self-efficacy for
us to achieve our goals in life.

Expectations

1. Review the orientation guide. Reach out to your professor if you encounter any challenges.
2. Accept the Google Classroom invitation and complete the introductory activity.
3. Read the required supporting materials and complete the activities in this learner guide.
Participate in the required class discussion in Google Classroom.
4. Answer the questions posted after each reading activity. Save your answers on a piece of paper
or the notes application on your phone. Your output in the activities will help you complete
succeeding outputs more efficiently.
5. Take note of any concept, topic, or terminology that you are not familiar with. Use the Stream
feature in Google Classroom to participate or initiate discussions with the rest of the class.
6. Manage your time wisely.

Introduction
I’m thinking if it’s true that the world seems much smaller for your generation, knowing
that for the past decade, you have learned to live your life in a world where your
information needed can easily be provided. Just, a couple of swipes and click away. I'm
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 telling you this because I believe that this condition greatly influences your desires,
interests, and goals in life. I know it because that holds for me way back when I was
still young, only different in terms of bandwidth, portability, and access.

But the thing is, the cultural construct of life continues. There may be changes and
recalibrations in expectations, values, norms, pressures, and mores but the phases
processes, and reasons to face life’s transitions remain equally the same. Besides, as
one generation gets older (that’s me) another follows (that’s you) and, just like
everybody else before us, we all ask ourselves how to face and surpass all the transitions
in life brought about by not getting any younger like how to finish school, how to land a
good job, how to be financially independent, how to build a home, how to live a married
life and how to become a parent.

All of these so-called benchmarks of adulthood are constant and we cannot get away
with it. That’s life as we know it. That makes life worth living. Getting older is not a curse
to solve, it is in fact, a blessing to harness. But for the meantime, let’s just focus on that
one thing close to your heart – how to finish school and earn a degree? Do you believe
that you already have the necessary skill to set to achieve this goal? What about your
mindset, do you feel that it is already directed towards that goal? Are you motivated
enough to face all the challenges that will come along the way?

If your answer to these questions is a big-time YES, then, I want you to do some
reflective illustration on how you perceive your possible future in both scenarios of
success and failure in achieving that goal. Just follow the instructions:

1. Get ready with your bond paper, drawing materials and your creativity.
2. Fold your paper crosswise. The left side will be allotted for your successful future
and the right side will be for your failed future.
3. Draw those two scenarios of your possible future.

Hold on to your insights. You will use it in your Synchronous Session. Learning will be
more productive and informative if you will be able to share insights with your classmates
and to your learning facilitator.

Theories of Managing and Caring of the

Self
Self-Efficacy Theory
There will always be moments in our lives when we face challenges and trials. Challenges that bring
despair and hopelessness. Trials that will leave us in grief, sorrow, and loss. There are also moments
when some of our experiences are so painful that sometimes we lose our faith to ourselves, to other
people, and even to God. But cliché as it may, life must go on, and we should learn how to pick
ourselves up and believe that there is still life after melancholy.

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In the song entitled Gising Na Kaibigan by our very own Asin, theres a line that says: “Kay sarap by
buhay lalo na’t alam mo kung saan papunta.” Believe me, when I was young and every time I was sad,
I always played this music on my guitar and as I sang the song, my sadness was washed away. Until
now, the song is my outlet, my refuge. What I have learned and what I have thought, there were many
times that I felt that my life was nearing rock bottom emotionally and physically, but I began to nurture
my willpower and my spiritual strength. Sometimes, alone, but many time, with the help of other people
that I considered as my support system. Without knowing it, I eventually developed and mastered my
self-efficacy.

Albert Bandura defined self-efficacy as our belief in our capability to organize and execute the courses
of action required to manage prospective situations. As a student, learning to develop your self-efficacy
will help you discover your dream pursuits, cultivate your skills, achieve your aspirations, and build a
quality of life for yourself even beyond your expectations. You develop your self-efficacy, you succeed
in establishing control in your life, you inculcate confidence and self-esteem in your being and most
importantly, you believe in yourself. Trust me, you believe in yourself, you will never and never will you
lose again in this life.

In order for you to gain a deeper understanding of self-efficacy as espoused by Albert

Bandura, I want you to click the link of an article shared on Week 8 | Reading Materials
No. 7 in our Google Classroom. Read and understand it content and we will talking about
it in our synch session. Happy Reading!

Mindset Theory
Once you understand and develop your self-efficacy, it will be easier for you to start your life with an
inspiring goal and purpose and demonstrate the right behavior, and mindset necessary to achieve your
envisioned success, even though, you still have two lives – the one that you actually live right now and
the other is life that you imagined and hope for, filled with success and progress, a sustainable mindset
will help you formulate personal strategies and effective coping mechanisms for you to roll with the
punches and land on your feet every time you face challenges and trials along the way as you venture
in those lives.

Building a better tomorrow for yourself, for you family, and for your community is only possible if you
hone a mindset that is future-focused, non-defeatist, and follows a forward-thinking approach. Now,
to achieve it, you start small with baby steps. Build first the foundation of your small mindset, and
believe me, in time, it will produce remarkable results both in your personal and professional life.
Results that will inspire you to overcome your fears one baby step at a time until you stride.

Carol Dweck in her book entitled Mindset mentioned that the most important factor for a person to
achieve success is not their intelligence but their mindset. Harnessing the power of your mind and
unleashing its full potential to surpass all life’s challenges is the key to transforming your life towards
the path of opportunity and success.

Now, if you want to acquire practical skills on how you develop your mindset as espoused
by Carol Dweck, I want you to click the link of an article shared on Week 8 | Reading
Materials No. 8 in our Google Classroom. Read and understand its content and we will
be talking about it in our synch session, Happy Reading!

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Goal-Setting Theory
Now that you are capable of surpassing all life’s obstacles with sheer belief in yourself and a strong-
willed mindset, it’s about setting your achievable goal towards the realization of your dreams and your
passion. Remember, everything you’ve been through in life, whether good or bad, provided you valuable
experiences are assets and not liabilities. All you have to do is use it as a source of inspiration for you to
keep moving and accomplish inch by inch your goal from bite-sized to bucket meal.

Of course, it’s easier said than done. Setting a goal is a process that involves narrowing down your focus
to make it measurable, making a realistic action plan, and faithfully keeping your promises that
whatever it takes, you stick to your desire and willingness to achieve your dreams. Then again, you
expect challenges and obstacles along your path but, you don’t give up. You may rest, and breathe for a
while but never give up. When you’re tired, you just say, Okay, I live today, I’ll fight tomorrow. That is
self-efficacy and mindset working together to help you out.

Dr. Edwin Locke and Dr. Gary Latham, in their book A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance,
provided us with five goal-setting principles to master if we want to success and achieve our goals. The
road to success is not a walk in the park. It’s unpaved, bumpy, and sometimes muddy. But, if you map
the right path, build the appropriate strategies, and make all the necessary pieces fit, then no need to
worry, in time you will get there. You will be able to achieve your goal and change your life into exactly
what you’ve always wanted.

If you are now willing to set your goal using the five principles provided by Locke and
Latham, I want you to click the link of an article shared on Week 8 | Reading Materials
No. 9 in our Google Classroom. Read and understand its content and we will be talking
about it in our synch session, Happy Reading!

You know what? I’m so proud of reading all the reading materials. I know that you have
the desire and willingness to master every area of your life, achieve your goal, and share
your purpose and passion for the achievement of something good and noble. Now, let
us put into practice all your learning gains by relating them to your actual experiences.

I want you to get a piece of paper or use notepad application on your tablet and work
on this activity that will practice your theoretical and practical learning about the
concluded topic. Here are the instructions that you’re supposed to follow:

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 NOURISHING MY PASSION SEEDS TO GROW
STEP 1. Enumerate three activities related to your field of specialization from where you
are most passionate about. Imagine that you plant those passions inside the three pots
below.

facing my fears travelling

flying my wings

STEP 2. Enumerate three essential action plans that you need to consistently do in order
for your passion seeds to grow. Write your action plans in the space provided for each
picture.

love my
be ready career like
for how I love
anything myself
be brave enough the
could
possibly
happen

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STEP 3. Now, give three pests that you think have the potential to damage the growth
of your passion seeds. Write your action plans in the space provided in each picture.

being lazy

lack of money

lose appetite

STEP 4. Next, write three pest-control methods that you will employ for you to save your
growing passion seeds. Write those methods in the space provided below.

STEP 5. Finally, your passion seeds live and flourish, now, describe how these three
passion plants will be able to contribute to the beauty and wellness of your garden (your
field of specialization). Write it in the space provided for each picture.

give extra effort to give care to increase my

my passion customers to have knowledge to gain
a great feedback my skills

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This is the end of Week 8 activities. Do not proceed to the next section until you have
completed all activities from this section.