Republic of the Philippines

CATANDUANES STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Arts and Sciences
Virac, Catanduanes

G
E
C
1

1
2
 UNDERSTANDING
THE SELF

DISCLAIMER

This learning material is used in compliance with the flexible teaching-learning approach espoused by
CHED in response to the pandemic that has globally affected educational institutions. Authors and
publishers of the contents are well acknowledged. As such the college and its faculty do not claim
ownership of all sourced information. This learning material will solely be used for instructional
purposes not for commercialization.

CatSU College of Arts and Sciences

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 FACULTY PROFILE

ELEANOR G. OSIDO
Assistant Professor II
Address: Rawis, Virac, Catanduanes
Contact Number: 0947865640
Email Address: eleanorgosido@[Link]

OMARTHONY B. LLAVE
Instructor I
Address: Cabcab, San Andres, Catanduanes
Contact Number: 09473059277
Email Address: tony.llave82@[Link]

KRISTINE BABIE M. REYES

Instructor I
Address: Calatagan, Virac Catanduanes
Contact Number: 09082292459
Email Address: kristinebabiereyes@[Link]

FLORYMAE L. EUBRA
Instructor I
Address: Del Sur, Pandan, Catanduanes
Contact Number: 09493009652
Email Address: mhie06@[Link]

ROSE ANN M. ARCILLA

Instructor I
Address: Calatagan Tibang, Virac, Catanduanes
Contact Number: 09301945250

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 Email Address: lantis_ben@[Link]

OVERVIEW OF THE MODULE

This learning material is designed for the course GEC 1. The purpose of this module is to provide you
with basic and fundamental ideas and significant understanding of the different concepts in
Psychology.

For you to be able to acquire significant understanding of the course concepts, the content of this
course is divided into several modules for you to learn even at your own pace. For the midterm period,
the modules are:

Module 1 – THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

Module 2 – THE SELF IN THE ADOLESCENCE STAGE

Module 3 – THE SELF IN THE SOCIAL SETTING

Module 1 provides information about knowing one’s self. In this module you will be able to learn how
selves is seen in different perspectives. It will also tackle different aspect and relations of humanity
which is an important aspect in every well-being.

Module 2 is all about the different representations of the self. This module dealt with the physical
aspect primarily an adolescent's brain and sexuality. It also tackles the importance of each milestones
or developmental tasks on the maturity during adolescence as well as the essence of material and
digital self.

Module 3 presents a discussion of the self in different social set ups. Specifically Bio ecological
Systems, individualism and collectivism, Looking Glass Self, Joharis window of the self.

For the final coverage, the modules are:

Module 4 – THE SELF IN THE LEARNING PROCESS

Module 5 – THE SELF IN THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE

Module 6 – THE SELF IN THE SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS

Module 7 – THE SELF IN FACING CHALLENGES

Module 4 discusses about learning; its basic elements and theories. You will gain information on the
various stages of memory and certain techniques to improve memory. This module furthermore
represents the nature of intelligence and its theories.

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Module 5 examines the process of emotional development, the significance of emotional regulation
and the common emotion regulation strategies.

Module 6 focuses on an individual's personality domains, types and determinants. This module also
concentrates with Big Five Personality Factors, Dweck's Core Attitudes, Duckworth's Grit and
Success, Seligman's Positive Psychology and Harvard's Life Satisfaction associating with
adolescents' view of success and happiness.

Module 7 follows on how the selves face challenges. This final unit of the module include types of
stress and how to manage it.

The module is self-instructional. You can read, analyze concepts and ideas presented and reflect on
them. To facilitate easy understanding of the course, each module consists of:

 Overview that provides you with a general information on the module content;
 Key terms that you need to know to understand the lessons;
 Module outline/map for you to see the sequence of lessons covered by the module
 Read me section/discussion of the different lessons consisting the module;
 Exercises for every end of the lessons;
 Synthesis to conclude or generalize the main ideas presented;
 References which contains the list of all sources used in developing the module.

Your answers on Exercises should be written on a long coupon bond attached on a colored folder
(portfolio). You may submit it through email or messenger.

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 BRIEF CONTENTS

UNIT 1 THE SELF IN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

TOOL NO.1 Rationalism and Empiricism
TOOL NO.2 Mentalism, Behaviorism, and Humanism
TOOL NO.3 Nature and Nurture
TOOL NO.4 The 3 Domains of Human Development

UNIT 2 THE SELF IN THE ADOLESCENT STAGE

TOOL NO.1 The Physical Aspects of the Self
TOOL NO.2 The Sexual Aspects of the Self
TOOL NO.3 Developmental Tasks of Adolescence
TOOL NO.4 Material Self and Digital Self

UNIT 3 THE SELF IN THE SOCIAL SETTING

TOOL NO.1 Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-ecological Systems
TOOL NO.2 Individualism and Collectivism
TOOL NO.3 Cooley’s The Looking Glass Self
TOOL NO.4 Johari’s Window of the Self

UNIT 4 SELF IN THE LEARNING PROCESS

TOOL NO.1 Learning, Memory and Intelligence
TOOL NO.2 Bandura’s Social Learning Theory
TOOL NO.3 Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence

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UNIT 5 THE SELF IN THE EMOTIONAL
EXPERIENCES
TOOL NO.1 Emotions and Emotional Regulations
TOOL NO.2 Emotional Intelligence

UNIT 6 THE SELF IN THE SUCCESS AND

HAPINESS
TOOL NO.1 Personality
TOOL NO.2 Dweck’s Core Attitudes
TOOL NO.3 Duckworth’s Grit and Success
TOOL NO.4 Seligman’s Positive Psychology
TOOL NO.5 Harvard’s Study on Life Satisfaction

UNIT 7 THE SELF IN FACING CHALLENGES

TOOL NO.1 Managing Stress
TOOL NO.2 Self-efficacy and Social Support

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 Tools in Understanding the Se
for filipino college students

Psychology- is the science of human behavior and mental processes.

| Social Sciences Department | June 10, 2020

9
 Orientation

College is a journey. To some of you, a small happy journey is called a “road trip” or a
“joyride”. Before we ride our bikes or cars, we make sure that our vehicle can last the long road and
that our driving skills will keep us safe on the road. Just like a joyride, college life requires you to have
the right positioning or orientation about your trip even as you are yet to discover the exciting things
along the way. Let us take a 360-roadtrip in the world of college, a joyride for your future.

As a college student, you must know that entering the university means choosing a course
which will train you to master the knowledge and the skills required to realize your professional
dreams and lifelong plans. While there are various courses and subjects taught in the university,
remember that the approaches of education in dealing with knowledge and skills can be categorized
into four major disciplines. When we say discipline, that means a teaching by which a student or a
follower live by; as in disciples which means followers. You, as a student of the university, shall follow
the instructions of the school and the teachings of your course in order to master the tasks of your
industry. If you are an engineering student, for example, you shall live by the skills and standards you
learn from the science of engineering in order to be recognized and registered as a professional
engineer.

Most often, having a discipline means an adherence to the teachings as a way of life.

The Disciplines of Knowledge in Education

Let us understand now which discipline your chosen course belongs to. The four major
disciplines of knowledge are Arts, Religion, Philosophy, and Science. All these disciplines are “bodies
of knowledge” or organized collection and presentation of information. They have their own principles
and approaches in dealing with knowledge and reality.

Arts is an expression of human experiences projected or told in creative ways like painting,
sculpture, architecture, designs, acting, dance act, storytelling, etc. It requires from its students the
skills in what the human body and intellect can do to express or immortalize the human spirit and
imagination. The purpose of artistic expression is to show an idea or experience in a way that is
unique, pleasing, and appreciable to oneself or to other people. Literature, Fine Arts, Interior Design,
and Creative Writing are examples of Arts courses in college.

Philosophy literally means love of wisdom. Based from observation and speculation about
things and events, philosophers were able to explain human experiences and beliefs with the use of
reason. To them, the knowledge of reality is validated by our innate ability to grasp the truth.
(Although not anymore under Philosophy and now an independent discipline, Mathematics or our
mathematical ability is one of the functions of reason that is abstract—a reality that is purely
intellectual and immaterial.) Logic and Ethics are some of the subjects in college that are under the
discipline of Philosophy.

Religion is the human attempt to reconnect to the divine or the Creator. It uses faith, or a
strong belief that is supported by reason, in grasping the idea of the unseen power. (Religious
subjects are taught in some private and sectarian schools. Public schools and State Universities and
Colleges (SUCs) are legally bound by the principle of the Separation of Church and State contained in
the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines so they do not offer religious courses.)

Science is the systematized body of knowledge based on observation and

experimentation. It is the discipline that separated from Philosophy and Religion in order to establish
a definite understanding of reality based on experience acquired and verified by the human
senses. A student of Science must be able to explain or prove the reality of a matter or an event

10
based on observable evidences and from the scientific laws already established in the field of
Science.

As a discipline, Science aims to describe, explain, predict, and modify the matters and
events of the universe, living or non-living, in promoting progress. It uses the Scientific Method as
the only process of investigating matters and phenomena (natural or social events). Most courses in
college belong to Science like engineering, nursing, biology, technical-vocational or technological
courses, economics, political science, etc.

For this particular subject, Understanding the Self, using the book “Tools in Understanding the
Self”, our approach will mostly use the discipline of Science and some teachings from Arts and
Philosophy in enriching your knowledge of your “Self” and, therefore, in developing yourself into the
person you want to be.

Tools in Understanding the Self

The topics in this book are designed according to the developmental characteristics of late
adolescence, or the college age. They are presented in an order that will help you discover your
“Self”. We start by understanding the concept of the “Self” and then delve into the basic knowledge of
the characteristic traits of adolescence, or what you are today, and later we advance to learning the
skills in improving or “reinventing” yourself.

Our main objective is to know our strengths and weaknesses, and to find opportunities to
learn from them and improve. Simply put, you must aim to have a more effective control of your
thoughts, emotions, and actions to bring yourself into a personal transformation leading to success,
happiness, and wholeness.

Here in this book, we emphasize the importance of tools. When what the human body can do
reached its limits, we humans invented tools. Unable to see the tiniest living organism, Leeuwenhoek
created his own microscope and discovered bacteria. Unable to see the farthest object, Galileo used
the telescope to explore the stellar and planetary movements of the universe.

In this book, each module is labeled as a tool so that we remember that what we learn from
each module must be utilized or applied in real life. You may be the best surgeon in town, but without
your medical tools, you can do nothing. You may be a good sculptor, but without your hammer and
chisel, you can do nothing.

What are the intellectual tools we need in order to understand and change our lives?
Remember, tools are extensions of our capabilities and, in life, we have to use tools to make things
work.

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UNIT
7 THE SELF IN FACING CHALLENGES
________________________________________________________

Module Overview:
Challenges are a part of everyday life. They make us stronger and without them life becomes
somewhat meaningless because we have nothing to compare the good times too. But regardless of
the challenge, facing up to it is the key. Doing will make you feel like you can take care of yourself, it
will also make you understand the value of what you have now.

This module will discuss the different aspects of self in facing challenges in their life. It will
focus on definition and types of stress and also the techniques on how to manage them. Further, it will
tackle on how we developed and maintain self-efficacy and the important sources of it: Performance
accomplishments or mastery experiences or enactive mastery; Vicarious experiences or vicarious
modelling; Social persuasion or verbal persuasion; and Physiological (somatic and emotional) states
or arousal. Self-efficacy tackles about one’s ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a
task. Also, this module tackles about the importance of having a social support network, its types and
definition.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit, the students must be able to:
o Explain the effects of stress to one’s health;

o Examine design a self-care plan; and

o Cultural dimension of stress and coping

____________________________________________________________________________

Module Map

The self in
Facing
Challenges

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 Self -
efficacy Managing
Definition of Key Terms:
and Social stress
support
1. Stress – whole process by (which environmental events, called stressors, threaten or
challenge us (Gatchel & Baum, 1983).
2. Self-efficacy – It is commonly defined as the belief in one’s capabilities to achieve a
goal or an outcome.
3. Anxiety – feeling of worry: nervousness or agitation, often about something that is
going to happen.
4. Depression – psychiatric disorder: a psychiatric disorder showing symptoms such as
persistent feelings of hopelessness, dejection, poor concentration, lack of energy,
inability to sleep, and, sometimes, suicidal tendencies
5. Vicarious experiences - experienced in the imagination through the feelings or
actions of another person.
6. Emotional distress —anger or irritability, anxiety and depression, short-tempered,
impatient, tense.
7. Cognitive distress— compromised attention/concentration, compromised
processing speed, compromised new learning and new learning memory
consolidation and retrieval, and mental fatigue.
8. Muscular distress—tension, headache, back pain, jaw pain, pulled muscles,
tendons, and ligament problems
9. Chronic - describes an illness or medical condition that lasts over a long period and
sometimes causes a long-term change in the body
10. Acute - extremely serious, severe, or painful

TOOL No. 1: Managing Stress

“Just because we’re in a STRESSFUL situation doesn’t mean that we have to get
stressed out. You may be in the storm. The key is, don’t let the storm get in you.”

~Joel Osteen~

Stress is a feeling that people have when they are struggling to cope with challenges related
to finances, work, relationships, environment, and other situations. Moreover, stress is felt when an
individual perceives a real or imagined challenge or threat to their well-being. People often use the
word stress interchangeably with anxiety, feeling anxious, fearful, nervous, overwhelmed, panic, or
stressed-out.

Stress is the body’s natural defense against real or imagined danger. It flushes the body with
hormones to prepare systems to evade or confront danger. This is known as the “fight-or-flight or
freeze” response.

The body is an intelligent operating system, but the body cannot determine the difference
between life threatening external threat from imagined or perceived non-life threatening stressors.

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The body reacts the same either way. The body produces significantly greater quantities of the
chemicals cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. The Neurobiology of stress is a complex operating
mechanism.

According to American Psychological Association, there are Three (3) types of stress.

Stress management can be complicated because each of the 3 different types of stress can
present as single, repeated, complicated, or chronic. Therefore, they require different levels of
treatment interventions, management, and psychological treatment modalities due to the nature of the
person’s environment, lifestyle, developmental history, coping resources, and personality.

1. ACUTE STRESS

Acute stress is usually brief. It is the most common and frequent presentation. Acute stress is
most often caused by reactive thinking. Negative thoughts predominate about situations or events that
have recently occurred, or upcoming situations, events, or demands in the near future.

For example, if you have recently been involved in an argument, you may have acute stress
related to negative thoughts that are repetitive about the argument. Or you may have acute stress that
is about an upcoming work deadline, again the stress is thought induced. However, most often when
the thinking induced stress is reduced or removed the stress will subside too. However, if the stress
meets DSM-5 criteria, then individual may be diagnosed with Acute Stress Disorder

Acute stress causes signs and symptoms in the body + brain + emotions, but does not cause
the significant amount of damage as Episodic Stress and Chronic stress.

Short-term Effects of Acute Stress

The most common signs + symptoms:

 Transient Emotional distress — some combination of anger or irritability, anxiety and

depression.
 Transient Muscular distress—tension, headache, back pain, neck pain, jaw pain, and other
muscular tensions that lead to pulled muscles and tendons and ligament problems.
 Transient stomach, gut and bowel problems, heartburn, acid stomach, flatulence, diarrhoea,
constipation.
 Transient hyperarousal—elevated blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, rapid pulse, sweaty palms,
heart palpitations, dizziness, migraine headaches, cold hands or feet, shortness of breath,
sleep problems, and chest pain.

Acute stress can present in anyone’s life. It is highly treatable and manageable. However, repeated
acute stress can become very harmful for your physical and mental health.

2. EPISODIC ACUTE STRESS

People who frequently experience acute stress, or whose lives present with frequent triggers of
stress, have episodic acute stress.

There are 2 main personality types that frequently present with Episodic Acute Stress: 1) “Type A”
personality 2) The “Worrier”

 “Type A” personality: Type A personality have an excessive competitive drive,

aggressiveness, impatience, abrupt, and a sense of time urgency. In addition, Type A
personality presents as reactive with hostility, and almost always a deep-seated insecurity
about performance. These personality traits create frequent episodes of acute stress for the

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 Type A individual. The cardiologists, Friedman and Rosenman found Type A’s to be
significantly likely to develop coronary heart disease.
 The “Worrier”: The Worrier presents with almost incessant negative thoughts causing
episodic acute stress on physical and mental health. “Worry warts” project probable disaster
and negatively forecast catastrophe in almost every situation. They have core beliefs that the
world is a dangerous, unrewarding, punitive place where something awful is always about to
happen. These negative binge thinkers also tend to be over aroused and tense, but are more
anxious and depressed than angry and hostile. Their thoughts are frequently filled with “What
if….” statements that are with projected negative outcomes. They are often diagnosed DSM-5
with generalized anxiety disorder.

Signs and Symptoms of Episodic Acute Stress:

The most common signs + symptoms are similar to acute stress, but due to the extended frequent
over arousal or extended hyper arousal there is ongoing damage and suffering.

 Emotional distress —anger or irritability, anxiety and depression, short-tempered, impatient,

tense.
 Cognitive distress—compromised attention/concentration, compromised processing speed,
compromised new learning and new learning memory consolidation and retrieval, and mental
fatigue.
 Interpersonal relationships deteriorate, The workplace becomes a very stressful place for
them.
 Muscular distress—tension, headache, back pain, jaw pain, pulled muscles, tendons, and
ligament problems.
 Stomach, gut, bowel problems, heartburn, acid stomach, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation,
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
 High blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, dizziness, migraine
headaches, cold hands or feet, shortness of breath, insomnia, chest pain, and heart disease.
 Immune System Compromise: frequent colds/flu, allergies, asthma, and other immune system
compromise illnesses.

Episodic acute stress leads to more pronounced health issues such as, high blood pressure and heart
disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Treatment for Episodic Acute Stress. Episodic acute stress requires intervention on a many
levels. The treatment requires professional help spanning many months.

3. CHRONIC STRESS

Chronic stress is the most harmful type of stress. If chronic stress is left untreated over a long
period of time, it can significantly and often irreversibly damage your physical health and deteriorate
your mental health. For example, long term poverty, repeated abuse in any form, unemployment,
dysfunctional family, poor work environment, substance abuse, or an unhappy marriage can cause
significant chronic stress.

Chronic stress can also set in when an individual feels hopeless, does not see an escape
from the cause of stress, and gives up on seeking solutions. Chronic stress can be caused by a
aversive experiences in childhood or traumatic experiences later in life.

People with chronic stress have the list of signs and symptoms previously mentioned, but the
signs and symptoms are chronic and can result in a physical and mental breakdown that can lead to
suicide, violent actions, homicide, psychosis, heart attacks, and strokes.

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Treatment for Chronic Stress

When a person never sees a way out of a miserable situation, feels anxiety of unrelenting
demands and pressures for seemingly interminable periods of time. With no hope, the individual gives
up searching for solutions.

Some chronic stressors or triggers stem from traumatic early childhood experiences that
become internalized and remain forever painful and present. Early childhood experiences profoundly
affect personality; often resulting in core belief systems that are created by causes of unending stress
for the individual (e.g., the world is a threatening place, you must be perfect at all times). When
personality or deep-seated convictions and beliefs must be reformulated, recovery requires active
self-examination with professional psychological help. Good news is psychological treatment is very
effective.

People with Chronic Stress require extended medical and psychological treatment that
includes behavioural and stress management.

SIGNS OF STRESS
When we face a stressful event, our bodies
respond by activating the nervous system and
releasing hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol.
These hormones cause physical changes in the body
which helps us to react quickly and effectively to get
through the stressful situation. This is called the “fight
or flight” response.

The hormones increase our heart rate,

breathing, blood pressure, metabolism and muscle
tension. Our pupils dilate and our perspiration rate
increases. Other effects include sleeping problems,
chest pains, nausea and others.

While these physical changes help us try to meet the challenges of the stressful situation,
they can cause other physical or psychological symptoms if the stress is ongoing and the physical
changes do not settle down.

These symptoms can include:

1. Headaches, other aches and pains

2. Sleep disturbance, insomnia
3. Upset stomach, indigestion, diarrhea
4. Anxiety, anger, irritability
5. Depression
6. Fatigue
7. Feeling overwhelmed and out of control
8. Feeling moody, tearful
9. Difficulty concentrating
10. Low self-esteem, lack of confidence

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 11. High blood pressure
12. Weakened immune system
13. Heart disease

Techniques to Reduce Stress (Self-Care Therapy and Self-Compassion Therapy)

One positive way to counter stress is Self-Care Therapy by Nancy Apperson (2008) of
Northern Illinois University.

Self-Care Therapy has provided the following steps:

1. Stop, breathe, and tell yourself: “This is hard and I will get through this one step at a time.”
Identify the steps to take first, write them down, and focus on each step one at a time.

2. Acknowledge to yourself what you are feeling. All feelings are normal so accept whatever you
are feeling. During periods of extreme stress and grief, it is very hard to hold back your feelings,
particularly, your tears and anger.

3. Find someone who listens and is accepting. You do not need advice. You need to be heard.
Sharing the story is how you begin to accept whatever happened and integrate it into reality.

4. Maintain your normal routine as much as possible. Making everyday decisions gives you a
sense of control and feels comforting as it is a familiar activity. Avoid making major decisions based
on the stress you feel right now.

5. Allow plenty of time for a task. You will not be as productive as you normally are. Accept how
much you are able to do right now and recognize it will not be this way forever.

[Link] good care of yourself. Remember to:

a. Get enough rest and sleep. Sleep at least six (6) hours and not more than nine (9)
hours. Sleep helps our body heals and strengthens our immune system.
b. Eat regularly and make healthy choices. Healthy food choices maintain blood
sugar level, energy, and concentration of the body.
c. Know your limits and when you need to let go. Some problems are beyond our
control. If something cannot be changed, work at accepting it for what it is.
d. Identify or create a nurturing place in your home. A rocking chair, a nice view,
and a soothing music are important components to a nurturing place.
e. Practice relaxation or meditation. Time spent in meditation or prayer allows yur
mind and body to slow down and let go of the stress.
f. Escape for a while through meditation, reading a book, watching a movie, or
taking a short trip.

Another positive way to counter stress is Self-Compassion Therapy discussed by Kristin

Neff (2012) in her article, “The Science of Self-Compassion.”

The major points of Self-Compassion Therapy include:

a. Self-compassion entails being warm and understanding toward ourselves when

we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than punish ourselves with self-criticism.
b. It recognizes that being imperfect and experiencing life difficulties is inevitable,
so we soothe and nurture ourselves when confronting our pain.

17
 c. We clearly acknowledge problems and shortcomings without judgment, so we
can do what is necessary to help ourselves.
d. We cannot always get what we want. We cannot always be who we want to be.
When this reality is accepted with benevolence, we generate positive emotions of
kindness and care that help us cope.
e. Self-compassion recognizes that life challenges and personal failures are part
of being human, an experience we all share.

TOOL No. 2: Self-efficacy and Social Support

Perceived self-efficacy is defined as people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce
designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives. Self-
efficacy beliefs determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves and behave. Such beliefs
produce these diverse effects through four major processes. They include cognitive, motivational,
affective and selection processes.

In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to
meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life

Self-efficacy ~Albert Bandura~

Psychologist Albert Bandura has defined self-efficacy as one's belief in one's ability to
succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

One's sense of self-efficacy can play a major role in how one approaches goals, tasks, and
challenges.

Self-efficacy typically comes into play when there is an actual or perceived threat to one’s
personal safety, or one’s ability to deal with potentially aversive events.

Dr. Bandura identified acts of people with “high assurance in their capabilities,” such as:

a. Approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered;

b. Set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them;
c. Heighten or sustain efforts in the face of failures or setbacks;
d. Attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which are acquirable;
and
e. approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control over them.

In contrast, people who” doubt their capabilities:”

1. shy away from tasks they view as personal threats;

2. have low aspirations and weak commitment to goals they choose to pursue;
3. dwell on personal deficiencies, obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of adverse
outcomes, rather than concentrating on how to perform successfully;
4. slacken their efforts and give up quickly in the face of difficulties;
5. are slow to recover their sense of efficacy following failure or setbacks; and
6. fall easy victim to stress and depression.

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Ways to develop and maintain Self-Efficacy:

Self-efficacy can be developed. People with high self-efficacy have been found to stop smoking the
moment they decide to do so.

Our society, our parents and our own positive experiences can help in the development of a strong
sense of self-efficacy by presenting positive models during the formative years of children.

Dr. Bandura described four main sources of influence by which a person’s self-efficacy is developed
and maintained. These are:

1. Performance accomplishments or mastery experiences or enactive mastery

Mastery experiences or personal performance accomplishments are the most effective ways
to create a strong sense of efficacy. Successes build a robust (strong and healthy) belief in
one’s personal efficacy. Failures undermined it, especially if failures occur before a sense of
efficacy is firmly established.

2. Vicarious experiences or vicarious modeling

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Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by sustained effort raises observers’ beliefs that
they, too, possess the capabilities to succeed, given the comparable activities.

Vicarious experiences through observance of social models influence one’s perception of self-
efficacy. The most important factor that determines the strength of influence of an observed
success or failure of one’s own self-efficacy is the degree of similarity between the observer
and the model.

The impact of modelling on perceived self-efficacy is strongly influenced by perceived

similarity to the models. The greater the similarity, the more persuasive is the models’
successes and failures.

3. Social persuasion or verbal persuasion

It is a way of strengthening people’s

beliefs that they have what it takes to
succeed. Verbal or social persuasion can
provide a temporary boost in perceived
ability.

When it is effective in mobilizing a

person to action, and their actions lead to
success, the enhanced self-efficacy may
become more permanent.

People who are persuaded verbally, that they possess the capabilities to master
given activities, are likely to mobilize greater effort and sustain it than if they harbour self-
doubts and dwell on personal deficiencies when problems arise. This increases their chances
of success.

4. Physiological (somatic and emotional) states or arousal.

People also rely on their somatic or emotional states when judging their capabilities.
Dr. Bandura notes that it is not the intensity of the emotional or physical reaction that is
important, but rather, how it is perceived and interpreted.

20
 People with a high sense of self-efficacy may perceive affective arousal as an
energizing facilitator of performance, whereas those who are beset by self-doubts regards
their arousal as a debilitator (cause to lose strength).

SOCIAL SUPORT

Social support is often identified as a key component of solid relationships and strong
psychological health, but what exactly does it mean? Essentially, social support involves having a
network of family and friends that you can turn to in times of need.

Whether you are facing a personal crisis and need immediate assistance, or you just want to
spend time with people who care about you, these relationships play a critical role in how you function
in your day-to-day life.

It is social support that builds people up during times of stress and often gives them the
strength to carry on and even thrive. But social support is certainly not a one-way street. In addition to
relying on others, you also serve as a form of support for many people in your life.

Social support is commonly categorized into four types of behaviors.

1. Emotional
2. Instrumental
3. Informational
4. Appraisal

The ways in which types of social support differ may best be illustrated using an example.

Example: A 39-year-old graduate student and mother of 2 young children is feeling overwhelmed after
being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Types of Social Support

Content Definition Application

Emotional Expressions of empathy, love Close friends and family provide hope and a
trust and caring listening ear
Her husband decides to work from home 2
Instrumental Tangible aid and service days per week to baby-sit the children while
she attends her chemotherapy
Doctors provide facts about breast cancer and
Informational Advice, suggestions, and guidance during the treatment process. Her
information mother offers advice about her own
chemotherapy treatment 3 years prior
A close friend of 15 years reminds her of all of
Appraisal Information that is useful for the qualities that equip her to “beat” breast
self-evaluation cancer (to encourage an accurate assessment
of her current situation)

Why Strong Social Support Is So Important?

Psychologists and other mental health professionals often talk about the importance of having a
strong social support network. When trying to reach our goals or deal with a crisis, experts frequently
implore people to lean on their friends and family for support.

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Research has also demonstrated the link between social relationships and many different aspects of
health and wellness. Poor social support has been linked to depression and loneliness and has been
shown to alter brain function and increase the risk of the following:
 Alcohol use
 Cardiovascular disease
 Depression
 Suicide

Synthesis:
How we react to a difficult situation will affect how stress affects our life and our physical and
mental health. A person who feels they do not have enough resources to cope will be more likely to
have a stronger reaction that triggers significant physical and mental health problems. It is paramount
to remember that the mind and body are connected — meaning that psychological factors affect how
a person feels physically and the longevity of the body.

A persistently negative response to challenges can have a detrimental effect on mind + body
+ emotions. However, being aware of how you react to stressors and seeking professional help can
help reduce the negative feelings and effects of stress, and to manage it more effectively.

Perceived self-efficacy is concerned with people's beliefs in their capabilities to exercise

control over their own functioning and over events that affect their lives. Beliefs in personal efficacy
affect life choices, level of motivation, quality of functioning, resilience to adversity and vulnerability to
stress and depression. People's beliefs in their efficacy are developed by four main sources of
influence. They include mastery experiences, seeing people similar to oneself manage task demands
successfully, social persuasion that one has the capabilities to succeed in given activities, and
inferences from somatic and emotional states indicative of personal strengths and vulnerabilities.
Ordinary realities are strewn with impediments, adversities, setbacks, frustrations and inequities.
People must, therefore, have a robust sense of efficacy to sustain the perseverant effort needed to
succeed. Succeeding periods of life present new types of competency demands requiring further
development of personal efficacy for successful functioning. The nature and scope of perceived self-
efficacy undergo changes throughout the course of the lifespan.

Synthesis:
How we react to a difficult situation will affect how stress affects our life and our physical and
mental health. A person who feels they do not have enough resources to cope will be more likely to
have a stronger reaction that triggers significant physical and mental health problems. It is paramount
to remember that the mind and body are connected — meaning that psychological factors affect how
a person feels physically and the longevity of the body.

A persistently negative response to challenges can have a detrimental effect on mind + body
+ emotions. However, being aware of how you react to stressors and seeking professional help can
help reduce the negative feelings and effects of stress, and to manage it more effectively.

EXERCISE 7
[Link]-Care Plan. Design for yourself a self-care plan for one whole month. Involve activities that will
help you stay fit and healthy, and manage stress.

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2. COLLAGE-MAKING. Make a collage of your own perceived self-efficacy using Albert Bandura’s
four sources of influence for the development and maintenance of self-efficacy.

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 References:
3G E-Learning. (2018). Understanding the Self. 3G E-Learning LLC: New
York, USA.
Alata, Eden Joy Pastor, et. al. (2018). Understanding the Self. Rex Book
Store: Manila, Philippines.
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