METRO BUSINESS COLLEGE

PERSONAL
& PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
 Personal and Professional Development
WHAT IS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT?
Personal Development maybe defined as a
process in which persons reflect upon
themselves, understand who they are, accept
what they discover about themselves, and
learn or (unlearn) new sets of values,
attitudes, behavior, and thinking skills to
reach their fullest potential as human beings.
DEFINING SELF:
Philosophical terms- it is the being, the
source of a person’s consciousness, it is the
agent responsible for an individual’s thoughts
 Personal and Professional Development
the physical realm of the person.
In Psychology: “self” is the essence of a person,
his thoughts, feelings and actions, experiences,
beliefs, values, principles, and relationships.
In religion: or in the spiritual realm, “self”
includes a person’s life purpose, meaning,
aspirations, and one’s relationship with a higher
being.
In sociology: “self” is said to be defined by the
roles we take when we relate with others, such as
being your parents’ child, being a classmate, a
friend, or team-mate.
 Personal and Professional Development
“SELF” – is defined as the cognitive and affective
representation of one’s identity, it is then described in
terms of human characteristics such as behavior and
thought.
PERSONALITY:
In Psychology: Personality is referred to as the set
of behaviors, feelings, thoughts and motivates that
identify an individual. Personality is usually described in
behavioral terms which are observable and measurable.
another viewpoint of a psychology: “Personality
refers to the unique and relatively enduring set of
behaviors, feelings, and thoughts and motives that
characterize an individual”
 Personal and Professional Development
Gordon Alport definition of personality, “as a pattern
of habits, attitudes, and traits that determine an
individual’s characteristics, behavior, and traits.
NATURE, NURTURE, and PERSONALITY:
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
Personal and Professional Development
however, other personality traits that are
more prominent in one culture than another.
TRAIT, ATTITUDE, BEHAVIOR
Trait- a distinguishing quality (personal
character) and inherited characteristics.
-a genetically determined characteristics,
traits are determined not by a single gene
but by multiple genes.
Attitude- a feeling or opinion about
something or someone, or a way of behaving
that is caused by this.
 Personal and Professional Development
DETERMINANTS OF PERSONALITY
Personality is a product of nature and nurture, an
integration of his biological and social heritage. What a
person thinks, does and feels as a child, adolescent or
adult results from the inter-relationship that exists
between biologically inherited factors and environmental
influences.
1. HEREDITY- genes transmitted by parents determine
a person’s physical and biological characteristics such as
physical stature, color of the skin and hair. Intelligence
(capacity for mental development) aptitude (capacity for
developing mental and social skills) are also inherited.
Personal and Professional Development
2. The Social Environment- of individuals,
groups and institutions with whom the
person interacts from childhood to
adulthood. It is from these individuals and
groups that a person learns and acquires a
set of beliefs, ideas, values, attitudes and
other socio-cultural characteristics through a
process known as socialization.
How is Personality Developed-
According to Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic
theory- This theory is anchored on the
Personal and Professional Development
the formative years of life. Psychoanalysts
consider a healthy, pleasant experience during
childhood as most conducive to the development
of an emotionally stable and mature personality.
Conversely the growth of a child in a traumatic,
unpleasant atmosphere particularly with
parents, guardians, siblings and peers
conditions the development of personality
disorders. Thus, most behavioral problems are
said to be found among people with childhood
hang-ups and traumas.
Personal and Professional Development
Various Stages of Development
Infancy, childhood- the need for attention and
acceptance is most dominant, as the child grows, his
needs are centered on recognition, affirmation and
appreciation.
Puberty, adolescence- he will experience a strong
need for autonomy –freedom to make decisions and to
act for oneself, without being dictated upon or
manipulated by parents and people in authority.
Unsatisfied needs in each level of growth lead to
what is FIXATION, a situation which often results to
obsession. This
Personal and Professional Development
means an insatiable craving for unsatisfied
needs like love, attention, recognition, and
autonomy.
Abraham Maslow supported the Freudian concept
that needs satisfaction is crucial for the healthy
development of personality.
Stages of Development:
Stage 1- Understanding an ideal
Stage 2 – Self –Awareness
Stage 3- Self- Realization Stage 5-
Actualizing
Stage 4- Decision to change the change
Personal and Professional Development
What makes a winner:
A real winner is one who is able to:
1. Win over his/her battles and difficulties in life and
turns them into a learning and glorifying experience.
2. Find meaning in pleasant and unpleasant events of his
life
3. Live in peace with difficult people and difficult
situations
4. Win the goodwill of others, their respect and
admiration
5. Get what he wants using win-win strategies, never at
the expense of others.
6. Discover and use opportunities to his best advantage
Personal and Professional Development
8. Develop and use his talents and abilities to
the best advantage and in so doing, make
meaningful contribution in making this world a
better place to live in.
THE WINNING QUALITIES
1. A wholesome self-esteem and self-confidence
2. Positive social image
3. Unbiased perception of others
4. Win-win attitude
5. Proactive behavior
6. Self –discipline and Self-control
Personal and Professional Development
THE WINNING SKILLS:
1. Interpersonal/Human Relations Skills
2. Communication Skills
3. Technical skills for the career or profession
one has chosen
4. Customer/Client Relations for those in
contact with customers or clients
5. Managerial and leadership skills for
leaders and company officers
6. Time management
Personal and Professional Development
Our feelings, ambition and behavior are all
conditioned by our self-image. The person with self-
depreciation thinks inferior and inadequate and
therefore feels and acts inferior inadequate. He
loses his self-esteem and self-respect, feels helpless
becomes dependent on others and losses direction
and ambition. He may also tend to dislike himself.
The person with an illusion of greatness thinks
superior feels and acts superior and has a tendency
of overpower, dominate to take advantage of others
whom he perceives to be inferior to him. He may not
be conscious of the fact that he appears threatening
to others, frowned upon and unable to win others
Personal and Professional Development
Impressions about him. This is known as the SOCIAL
IMAGE. This social image in turn conditions other’s
responses towards him. Frequently we find losers,
passive people who are often times victims of abuse
or exploitation because they are perceived to be
weak and helpless. An aggressive person oftentimes
takes advantage of that weakness. There are also
people who are perceived to be too strong that they
trigger an equally strong and aggressive reaction
from others.
On the other hand people who project a smart,
secure personality with high self esteem and who
vibrate
Personal and Professional Development
Poise and confidence are frequently respected
and hardly taken for granted. They usually exert
strong influence on others.
INDICATORS OF A POSITIVE IMAGE:
1. Realistic view of oneself –being able to
acknowledge ones positive qualities as well as
weaknesses and limitations.
2. Being true to oneself and accepting oneself I
terms of a wholesome self-esteem.
3. Positive affirmations
4. Warm and happy countenance
5. Being at peace with oneself
Personal and Professional Development
6. Belief in oneself
7. Will and determination to get what one
wants.
INDICATORS OF NEGATIVE SELF-IMAGE:
1. Tense and anxious
2. Gloomy and unhappy countenance
3. Hesitance to give an eye contact
4. Keeping physical distance
5. Weak and wilted handshake
6. Sloppy and shabby appearance
7. Weak, to soft and uncertain voice
Personal and Professional Development
PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNS:
1. Psychosomatic tendencies (always sick)
2. Timidity and shyness
3. Tendency to withdraw or isolate himself
4. Always seeking attention
5. Being too pleasing in an attempt to gain acceptance
6. Monopolizing a conversation, being compulsive talker
7. Compulsive smoking or drinking, resorting to
scapegoats
8. Impatience and irritability
9. Tendency to be judgmental or insulting
[Link] in gossips or hearsays
Personal and Professional Development
11. Always complaining
12. Refusal to admit mistakes
13. Tendency to inhibit or dominate others
14. All knowing attitude, pretending to know a lot of
things
15. Jealousy and envy
16. Suspiciousness or paranoid behavior
17. Remorse or guilt, feeling ashamed
18. Tendency to compare oneself with others
19. Idol worship- idolizing sports heroes, movie stars, etc
20. Dislike of oneself
21. Resorting to various forms of defense mechanisms,
like rationalizations, etc.
Personal and Professional Development
The Development of Self –Image and self esteem
The Significant others- meaning the persons
significant to him like his parents, peers,
teachers , etc.. This is the “looking glass self” by
James Cooley – this very strong during the
formative years 1-6 years.
As an infant the child gradually recognizes the
objects around him and as he grows, he becomes
more aware of himself and then he forms his self-
image out of the treatment he gets from his
family , peers and other significant people in his
life. The innocent child tends to
Personal and Professional Development
As a person matures, his self concept
moves towards greater stability and he forms
his own identity. He becomes less inclined to
change his attitudes, feelings and ideas about
himself and is less dependent on significant
others for his self –esteem.
SELF-ESTEEM AND MALADJUSTMENT
The persons self- esteem – his sense of
worth and value is anchored on his needs to
be valued, and he feels valued when his basic
physical and psychological needs are fully
satisfied, particularly on his formative years.
Personal and Professional Development
5 A’s for Healthy development:
ACCEPTANCE- is the experience of being
unconditionally loved, being accepted for what we
are, without conditions, being at home with
others .
APPRECIATION- the experience of being
valued, given importance of having someone
delight in oneself, feeling of being special to
another person.
APPROVAL- the experience of being
recognized or acknowledged for one’s success or
achievements
Personal and Professional Development
AFFIRMATION- the experience for being
valued for one’s individuality or uniqueness
and giftedness.
AFFECTION- the experienced of being
touched caringly, stroked lovingly and
embraced tenderly because one is worthy of
being loved and cherished

Behavioral Manifestations of maladjustments;