Elicit

• What is your understanding of the "Self"

Engage
• How do you describe yourself as a person? Share what you feel after watching the video
below: Ted Talks -Ze Frank, Are You Human? http://www.ted.com/
talks/ze_frank_are_you_human
Explore

Defining the "Self"

Have you ever asked yourself this question: Who am 1? If you have, you are not alone.
Adolescence is the time when young people start to ask questions about themselves, about
their future, and even about their religious and political beliefs. During the adolescent stage
of development, the young person grapples with his or her identity. This may seem very
philosophical to some, but to know oneself is the first step in personal development.

It is believed that the words "Know Thyself," which were written at the entry of the oracle
at Delphi by seven Greek philosophers, statesmen, and lawgivers, became the cornerstone
of Western philosophy. Socrates, who came decades after these two words were scripted at
Delphi, said that it seems ridiculous for him to investigate other unimportant things when
he has not known his self yet. for Socrates, the most important thing to pursue was self-
knowledge and admitting one’s ignorance is the beginning of true knowledge.
 For Plato, one of Socrates' students, the beginning of knowledge is self-knowledge.
Other ancient philosophers from other cultures saw the wisdom in knowing oneself. The
ancient Hindu writings Upanishads confirmed, "Enquiry into the truth of the "Self" is
knowledge." The Persian poet Rumi ruminated, "Who am I in the midst of all this thought
traffic?" and the American poet Walt Whitman celebrated his "Self" as "a simple, separate
person.
Before we discuss how to know one's self, we have to define first the concept of the
"Self." In philosophical terms, it is the being, which is the source of a person's consciousness.
It is the agent responsible for an individual's thoughts and actions. Based on this definition, the
"Self" is an intangible entity that directs a person's thoughts and actions. It is outside the
physical realm of the person.
 Since our approach to personal development is holistic, we will
integrate the various definitions of "Self" from the philosophical, spiritual,
and psychological realms, but we will focus and give more emphasis on
its psychological definition.
If the "Self" is defined as the cognitive and affective representation
of one's identity, it is then defined in terms of human characteristics such
as behavior and thought.
In Psychology the term personality is referred to as the set of
behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and motives that identifies an individual.
Personality is the essence of who we are and is the embodiment of one's
physical, psychological, cognitive, affective, and spiritual self. Therefore,
when we speak of the Sell", we will describe it in personality terms.
• There is an abundant definition of what personality is. In Chapter 1, we
defined it based on a common definition provided by dictionary. This time,
we will define personality in the same way psychologists define it.

• Personality psychologists have different viewpoints. One definition states,

"personality refers to the unique and relatively enduring set of behaviors,
feelings, thoughts, and motives that characterize an individual" (Feist and
Rosenberg 2012). Two key components of personality are highlighted in this
definition: the uniqueness of an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behavior;
and their being relatively enduring, or being consistent, over different
situations and over time.
 For example, a person who is considered as "friendly" would, at any given situation, be
outgoing and easily liked by others or is someone who is not perceived as threatening or aggressive.
This person's uniqueness is manifested in his own brand of showing friendliness: a sunny
disposition, a readiness to give advice when needed, and generosity to those in need. The
uniqueness is shown by how a person's physical and behavioral traits are combined to depict
friendliness. In terms of being consistent, as an adolescent, this friendly individual develops
friendships among his peers. Upon entering adulthood, this same friendly individual is perceived by
co-workers and peers to still be his old friendly self as when he was in high school. This
consistency through time and the unique manner by which thoughts, feelings, and behavior are
expressed, defines personality. However, there will always be exceptions to these two components.
Consistency is more likely to mean most of the time but not all the time. A friendly person can get
nasty or aggressive when provoked or cornered. Sickness can oftentimes change the consistency of
an individual's personality. An example of this is Alzheimer's disease. Studies have shown that
Alzheimer's disease changes three of the Big Five dimensions of personality (anxiety, extraversion,
and openness) (Costa and McRae 1992).
• Gordon Allport defines personality as "a pattern of habits, attitudes, and traits that
determine an individual's characteristics, behavior, and traits" (Sanchez, Abad, and
Jao 2012). This definition does not emphasize uniqueness and consistency, but
nevertheless still captures aspects of personality.
• Nature, Nurture, and Personality is influenced by both nature (heredity or genetic
make-up) and nurture (environment). There is no single gene that creates a trait. It is
always a complex combination of genes, environmental exposure and experiences,
and cultural backgrounds. There are common personality traits that cross many
cultures. Agreeableness and openness to experiences are some examples of these
cross-cultural traits. There are, however, other personality traits that are more
prominent in one culture than another.
For example, Asians exhibit strong "interpersonal relatedness" or how their behavior impacts
relationships, com- pared to Westerners who look at their behavior and its impact on their
personal goals. For example, an Asian who is pursuing a career by migrating to another country
will always consider how this will affect his family and social ties at home. A Westerner, on the
other hand, will see working overseas as a career move that will enhance career growth.

One general point of view explains that personality deals with traits, and that trait or disposition
is a major factor in personality. Trait theory is an approach in identifying types of personalities
based on certain traits or attributes, which vary from one person to the other (traittheory.com).
This theory was developed over the past 60 years, started by D. W. Fiske (1949) and later
pursued by other researchers including Norman (1967), Smith (1967) Goldberg (1981), and
McCrae and Costa (1987).
• Psychologists Costa and McRae (1992) developed a categorized scheme that described
personality. Based on their research, they discovered the existence of five universal and widely
agreed upon dimensions of personality. They called it the Big Five or Five-Factor Model. These
dimensions or tendencies are: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion
agreeableness, and neuroticism. For it to be easily remembered it uses the acronym OCEAN.
These dimensions may be described, using its most positive traits:
• Openness to experience - curiosity, interest, imagination, and creativity to new ideas
• Conscientiousness - planning, organizing, hard- working, controlling, persevering, and
punctuality
• Extraversion - sociable, talkative, active, outgoing, and fun-loving Agreeableness - friendly,
warm, trusting, generous, and kind-hearted
• Neuroticism - calm, relaxed, and comfortable
• Personality trait is a disposition to behave consistently in a particular way, while personality
is a broader term that comprises of traits, motives, thoughts, self-concept, and feelings. An
example of personality trait is shyness or social awkwardness.
• There are different ways to measure personality. One is by observing people's behavior. This
is quite limited as other people may not be able to observe all aspects of personality such as
loneliness, which is internal and is observed by others very subjectively.
• Personality can be measured using different kinds of tests like the Rorschach Inkblot Test,
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. Many online
tests are provided for free, particularly for those who seek to find out their personality to
establish their career paths. One example of this is the Alberta Learning Information Service
of the Government of Alberta in Canada
 The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers developed the individuals. These are: Myers-Briggs
personally model based on four preferences of
• E or I (Extraversion or Introversion) is how an individual prefers to channel his or her energy
when dealing with people, whether it is inward (introversion) or out- ward (extraversion).
• S or N (Sensing or INtuition) is how one prefers to process information, whether through the use
of senses such as being able to describe what one sees, or intuitively like dealing with ideas.
• Tor F (Thinking or Feeling) is how an individual prefers to make decisions, either thinking or
using logic and analysis, or feeling which uses the cognitive senses based on values or beliefs.
• J or P (Judgment or Perception) is how an individual prefers to manage one's life, whether
through judging, which means a planned and organized life, versus perception, which has a more
flexible approach to living.
• The combination of these four preferences produces 16 types of combinations of personality
types, usually represented by their first letters.
Explain
• How do you understand the "Self"?
• How does the "Self' relate to personality?
• What are the two key components of personality?
• What is personality trait?
• What influences the development of personality?
Elaborate
• On a clean sheet of paper, draw a symbol or symbols of what represents your "Self." Share
this with your groupmates.
• Of the Big Five dimensions or tendencies of personality, which ones are you most inclined
to have? Give some real-life situations that you went through to affirm these choices.
• Based on the Big Five, list your own strengths and limitations, and share these with your
group in class.
• Explain the quotation by Oscar Wilde: "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong
romance."
Evaluate
• 1. Write down how you define yourself in terms of philosopy, psychology, and spirituality.
What are the differences among the three?
• 2. How does knowing oneself better make a person accept his strengths and limitations, and
improve the way he deals with others?
• 3. Share some of your unique characteristics, habits, and experiences with your groupmates.
Extend
• Write on your journal your thoughts and feelings about what you have discovered and
understood about your "Self," your personality and personality traits, and your reflection
regarding the question, "Who am I?"
• During your classroom activity called "Tag Me" which your Facilitator will conduct and
explain in class, what personality traits and characteristics were used by your classmates to
define you? Do you agree or disagree with their observations? Why?
 Summarizing the Big Ideas in this Chapter
• The "Self" can be defined in different ways: philosophically, psychologically, spiritually, and
also in thoughts, actions, or behavior.
• Personality is the unique and enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, motives, and
attitudes that characterize a person.
• Both nature (heredity or genetic) and nurture (environment) influence the development of
one's personality.
• There are different personality theories and one of them is the Big Five or Five- Factor
Model by Costa and McRae, which defines five dimensions of personality: Openness to
experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
• Personality traits can be measured using different personality tests such as the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator (MBTI).