5 | Understanding the Self 71

Unit 9: The Political Self

9.0 Lesson Objective:

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Trace the historical context of the political self of the Filipinos;

2. Take pride of the Filipino identifying values and traits;

3. Connect the current trends or social upheavals to the historical viewpoints of

independence and liberation.

9.1 Introduction
Have you ever asked yourself what is truly a Filipino identity? Recall an instance, or
maybe you can imagine a moment when you are the only Filipino conversing among a group
of people from different nationalities. Will you be proud of speaking about all the beautiful
things about your country and of being a Filipino? Are you going to speak ill of your country
or will you be just quietly mortified by the fact that you are a Filipino?

Truly, we have a lot to be proud of. If only we realize that there are things unique to
the identity of the country, we might be able to rethink our sense of pride. For example, our
University of Santo Tomas in Manila and the University of San Carlos in Cebu are among the
oldest schools in the world, and they have outdated most of the known schools today. The
Philippines is not only the first country in Southeast Asia to gain independence; it is also the
only country in the world known to hoist the flag upside down during war.

In terms of animals, our Philippine eagle soars being the largest eagle in the world. The
country is also home to the world’s largest snake and the longest reptile- the reticulated
python. Almost 90% of the known giant clam species in the world is also found in the
Philippines.

Filipinos are also known for their greatness. One will be surprised to see the
monuments of Dr. Jose Rizal not only in the Philippines but throughout Asia and Europe.
Another controversial physician, Dr. Abelardo Aguilar helped in the discovery of antibiotic
erythromycin (Ilosone) that has been saving to become President of the United Nations. This
is not to mention the countless professionals, athletes, beauty titlist, and artists who made it
to the global stage.

The most hospitable, joyful and cheerful Filipinos observe Christmas Season from
September until about mid-January- the longest season in the world. Also, the popular
Philippine Basketball Association is the first and the oldest in Asia. And perhaps part of our

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 72

being cheerful is our eagerness to connect with one another. Though it does not always give
a positive impression, the Philippines is considered as the text capital of the world. The
number of text messages sent by Filipinos every day is said to be more than the text messages
sent by Americans and Europeans combined.
In this section, we will trace the historical roots of our values and traits, and we will
consider the community and institutional factors that affect the Filipino identity. Secondly,
we will consider the role of the self in establishing a democratic culture. The primary goal of
this section is to help the self discover one’s source of pride- the national heritage from which
one can truly develop a political self with an authentic Filipino identity.

Let’s Do It!

Who is a Filipino?
Take a picture or cut out pictures or illustrations from magazines and
newspaper that show what being a Filipino is about. Paste them in a short bond
paper. Reflect on the following processing questions:

1. What are the elements, figures and essential features that the group had included
in the selfie of a typical Filipino? Who are the significant personalities integrated
in it? How did the group decide what will be included in the picture?

2. What are your feelings while selecting/taking the picture/s?

3. What are your insights about the activity?

9.2 Discussion
In sharp contrast to the usual idiosyncratic selfies of faces in social media, the activity
reminds us of what truly important to us as Filipinos. Our identity as an individual and as a
nation marks our distinctiveness and solidifies our sense of pride. And so we ask again what
distinctive values and traits do we have as a people and as a nation? How did these identities
turn up in our institutional system?

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 73

1. Developing Filipino Identity: Values, Traits, Community and Institutional Factors

Our historical experience provides a profound trace of how our identifying values and
traits have developed. In the precolonial era, the Filipinos were free. The system of
government was wide-ranging in small units called balangay- a term derived from a wooden
bot used by a community of families for their living. The notes of Antonio Pigafetta, the scribe
of the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan, revealed that the natives of the Philippine
islands were autonomous and economically prosperous.

When the Spanish colonizer, Miguel Lopez made a kinship pact, the sanduguan, with
a native chaiftain Sikatuna of Bohol, the pact was initially understood as a mutual promise,
like blood brothers, of helping one another in times of need and development. The blood
compact was primarily grounded on the Filipino value of katapatan (true to one’s promise).
For over three centuries the Filipinos helped the constructed their government and religious
infrastructures.

However the Spanish colonizers did not remain faithful to the pact that they have
agreed with the Filipinos. They required the natives to render forced labor; they have
monopolized the market by determining the price of farm products produced by the natives;
they have grabbed the lands of the farmers; they have limited the freedom of the natives and
they have kept the Filipinos ignorant.

Towards the end of the third century under the Spanish colonial rule, a few educated
indios (Filipino natives), reminded themselves of the original kinship pact, and faithful to the

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 74

traditional values and traditions of the prosperous balangay, they manifested the value of
katapangan (courage) to fight back against the oppressive rule of the colonizers.

The reformist Dr. Jose Rizal of Laguna used his talent and skill as a poet and a writer

to enlighten the Filipinos about the oppressive structures brought by the colonizers. He
burned in them the spirit of pagka-makabayan (patriotism) once again after centuries of
hopelessness and desperation. He trusted the Filipino intelligence and banked on it to awaken
the consciousness of the people. His satirical novels- Noli me Tangere and El Felibusterismo
candidly depicted the worsened tyranny, oppression and domination of Filipinos under
colonial rule.

Although he never involved and succumbed to the invitation of the bloody revolution,
the last poem written by Jose Rizal- Mi Ultimo Adios- seemed to favor the armed wing of the
same revolutionary struggle of Andres Bonifacio. The latter justified the need for a bloody
revolution by the social contract existing between brothers to sustain kalayaan (liberty) and
pakikipagkapwa-tao (being faithful to the goodness of the other).

While the colonial power and influence were so ingrained in the Filipino system, the
revolutionary movements against the Spaniards began to claim only little and scattered
victories all over the country. Then the Americans intervened to help Filipinos win the war
and gain liberation from Spain. In 1898, the country gained its independence from Spain.
However, for the next fifty years, the Americans remained in the country and continued to
intervene with its political, educational, economic and military desire for real independence,
began to suspect that the Americans do not have the plans to leave the country. Thus, the
Philippine-American war broke and costed the lives of thousands of Filipinos and Americans.

The superiority and might of American military led to the surrender of the Philippine
President Emilio Aguinaldo. This signified end of the revolutionary struggles of the Filipinos.
Nonetheless, the desire for freedom was still burning in the heart of every Filipino. This led
the political pragmatist Manuel Quezon to bring the fight to the US Congress and eventually
won the jones Law. He became the Commonwealth President, and in 1946 the country finally
received its independence.

2. Establishing a Democratic Culture

Just shortly after we have gained independence from the United States, Filipino
democracy started to take shape; the Japanese occupied the country and established the
Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic. President Jose Laurel cushioned the impact of the
atrocities and violence by constantly winning the trust of the Japanese while faithfully serving
the suffering Filipinos. He was the guerilla who fought his battle not in jungles but in the
embattled office in Malacanang.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 75

The defeat of Japan in World War II also meant the regaining of Philippine
independence. Since then, we struggled to rebuild our communities and the structures of our
democracy. Filipinos lived their liberated hopes and dreams until the establishment of the
1973 Marcos Constitution. This placed the entire nation under the authoritarian rule of
President Ferdinand Marcos.

We have once again lost our freedom. We have once again succumbed to the mercy
not of foreign colonizers but of fellow Filipino wanting to pursue his development ideologies.
The dictator initially delivered the needs of the Filipino people by improving infrastructures
and government systems. After 13 years under Martial Law, the people became fed up with
so much corruption, injustice and violence that eventually led to EDSA Revolution. The
People Power in EDSA remains to be a compelling message to the world that the Filipinos
value freedom so dearly.

The historical bloodless EDSA People Power Revolution guided the promulgation of
the 1987 Constitution. This document defined how the institutions and systems of
government function in the way of democracy. Since President Corazon Aquino, until the
present administration under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Filipinos became highly vigilant
and watchful to safeguard the democratic processes in the government and communities. The
people’s assertions to peaceful and assertive means of participation to democratic election
and representation are healthy that the Filipinos have matured in their quest for real
independence.

In recognition of the importance of People Power, and the fortification of democratic

culture, the 1987 constitution ensures the following:

1. That the government shall afford full protection of Filipino workers here and abroad, and
provide equality of employment opportunities (Article XIII Section 3);

2. That everyone guarantees the right of workers to self-organization, collective bargaining

and negotiations, and peaceful concerted activities in accordance with law (Article XIII,
Section 3);

3. That institutions recognize the rights of farmers and land owners, as well as cooperatives
and farmer’s organization (Article XIII, Section 3);

4. That authorities protect the rights of subsistence fisherfolks (Article XIII, Section 7);

5. That the people may pursue and protect, within the democratic framework, their
legitimate and collective interest through peaceful and lawful means (Article XIII, Section
15);

6. That the government ensures the right of the people and their organizations to effective
and reasonable participation at all level of social, political, and economic decision-making
(Article XIII, Section 16); and

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 76

7. That congress provides system of initiative an referendum where people can directly
propose and enact or reject laws passed by congress or local legislative body (Article XVI,
Section 32);

All these, among others, ensure the protection of the rights of every individual, and
the development of a democratic culture that is fit to the long-standing desire of Filipinos to
achieve peace and liberty.

A closer glimpse at the nature of democracy might be helpful.

Democracy is described as the awareness and understanding that the self and
community are both the foundation of democratic practice and the result of it. Yet, studies
confirm that the presence of democratic institutions is no guarantee that the people are able
to exercise their rights and obligations. What are the attributes of democracy? Based on the
discussion above, the following are identified as attributes of a democratic society:
empowerment of the people, consultation, popular decision-making, total development,
delivery of services, fair and impartial system of justice, accountability of public officials,
promoting respect for the rights of others, concern for their welfare, unity, justice and equity.

ACTION AGENDA FOR DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

1. Improve the political and social environment and reduce through structural reforms in
order to foster a sense of community and enable citizens to exercise their rights and fulfill
their obligations.

2. Continually re-examine societal institutions responsible for value formation so that they
inculcate rather than indoctrinate and citizenship values.

3. Incorporate cross-cultural activities in public and private sector programs, including those
of schools, churches, NGOs and POs, so as to recognize ethnolinguistic and cultural
diversity in the country and encourage the sharing of experiences.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 77

4. Further promote the use of Filipino and Philippine languages in all transactions so as to
enable the articulation of citizenship and democratic views and values.

5. Continue to harness institutional as well as informal mechanisms that open up space for
the exercise of citizenship and democracy-conflict resolution processes, face-to-face
dialogues, partnership among groups, sectors, even the government.

If the government officials and the society cooperate with each other, respect each
other, know how to handle situations, this will lead to a better democratic government, a
stronger sense of community, a stronger sense of belonging and a more stable, more
meaningful and healthier sense of self.

In conclusion, the vibrant history of our nation, emphasized our fidelity to our
promises and our desire to attain independence. We have explored all the possibilities to
attain and sustain these values. The colonial influence may have tainted our values and traits
but we remain faithful to one another and to our nation. Despite numerous foreign influences,
and the imposition of authoritarian rule, we continue to build democratic communities and
strong institutions to demonstrate distinct and separate national identity.

9.3 References
Alata, E.P., Caslib,Jr.B. N, Serafica, J J. and Pawilen, R.A. 2018. Understanding the Self. Rex
Bookstore, Manila, Philippines.
Generi, Jonardon. 2012. The Self: Naturalism, Consciousness, and the First Person Stance.
New York: Oxford University
Stevens, Richard. 1996. Understanding the Self. California: SAGE Publications.
Villafuerte, Salvacion L., Quillope, Al F., Tunac, Rudjane C., Borja, Estela I. (2018)
Understanding the Self. Nieme Publishing House Co.Ltd.

9.4 Acknowledgement
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module were
taken from the references cited above and google.com resources.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 78

Activity No. 6: The Political Self Date: _______________

Name: ___________________________________Course, Year & Section: _______________

A. Identification. Write in the spaces provided below the concept being asked in each item
below. Write your answer legibly.

_______1. He revealed that the natives of the Philippine islands were autonomous and
economically prosperous.

_______2. The blood compact was primarily grounded on the Filipino value of ________.
_______3. For over ________ the Filipinos helped the constructed their government and
religious infrastructures.

_______4. They manifested the value of katapangan (courage) to fight back against the
oppressive rule of the colonizers.
_______5. Our ______ as an individual and as a nation marks our distinctiveness and solidifies
our sense of pride.
_______6. The reformist used his talent and skill as a poet and a writer to enlighten the
Filipinos about the oppressive structures brought by the colonizers.
_______7. He justified the need for a bloody revolution by the social contract existing between
brothers to sustain kalayaan (liberty) and pakikipagkapwa-tao (being faithful to the
goodness of the other).

_______8. Independence from this country started Filipino democracy to take shape.
_______9. It remains to be a compelling message to the world that the Filipinos value freedom
so dearly.
_______10. This document defined how the institutions and systems of government function
in the way of democracy.

B. Synthesis. Answer briefly but concisely the following items below. (5pts)

1. Describe the nature of Democracy.

2. Enumerate and discuss the Action Agenda for Democratic Society.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 79

Unit 10: The Digital Self

10.0 Lesson Objective:

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

4. Discuss about online identity and their ‘self’ in cyberspace and user id;

5. Expound selective self-presentation and impression management;

6. Evaluate the impact of online interactions on the self;

7. Establish boundaries of the online self: private vs. public, personal vs. social identity
online; gender and sexuality online.

10.1 Introduction
The term “online identity” implies that there is a distinction between how people
present themselves online and how they do offline. But any split between “online” and
“offline” identity is narrowing, for two reasons. In contrast to the internet of the 1990s, people
today use social media primarily to communicate with people they know in “real life”
contexts like home, work, and school. Second, wireless networking and portable devices like
smartphones and tablets make it easy to access social media as part of day-to-day life, rather
than having to formally “log-on” to the internet (Marwick, A. 2013).

We are living in a digital age and other than face interaction, we have interactions
involving technology-cellular phones, computers and other gadgets. Thus, we build our
DIGITAL SELF. What is your Digital Self? How do you represent yourself online? This
chapter module will help you understand how online identity is established based on what
information you offer in technology-interactions. It will present the risks and dangers for
posting too much of your personal life or pretending you are somebody else in the social
media world. This chapter module will also present what you can do to protect your online
personality that can affect your offline personality.

Let’s Do It!

Watch the video clip entitled, SelfExpressionIdentity-MyOnlineSelf-YouOnline-

video.mp4. Work with groups and discuss your insights gained from watching the short
video.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 80

10.2 Discussion
Like it or not, we all have a digital self—a mask that we put on to engage the
technological world. In an attempt to share that self with the world, we engage our decoy
selves to manage the day-to-day anxieties and challenges that come before us. For the past
two decades in the mental health field, we have seen countless individuals explore and
navigate the many aspects of their self-identities. So, let us start our own understanding of ir
with our self in a digital world.

1. Online Identity and ‘Self’ In Cyberspace: (I, Me, Myself, and My User ID Online Identity)

Online identity is the sum of your

characteristics and interactions. Because you
interact differently with each website you
visit, each of those websites will have a
different picture of who you are and what you
do. Sometimes the different representations of
you are referred to as partial identities,
because none of them has the full and true
picture of who you are.

“Your online identity is not the same as

your real-world identity because the
characteristics you represent online differ
from the characteristics you represent in the
physical world. Every website you interact with has its own idea of your identity because
each one you visit sees you and your characteristics differently” (InternetSociety.org, 2011).

“Online, most research on identity

focused on self-presentation” (boyd 2010;Wynn
& Katz, 1997; Paparachissi, 2002; Baym 2010).
“Social media like social network sites, blogs,
and online personals require users to self-
consciously create virtual depictions of
themselves.

One way of understanding such self-

representation is the information and materials
people choose to show others on a Facebook profile or Twitter stream. But identity is also
expressed through interacting with others, whether over instant messenger or email. Since

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 81

there are fewer identity cues available online than face-to-face, every piece of digital
information a person provides, from typing speed to nickname and email address, can and is
used to make inferences about them” (Marwick, A. 2013).

How do you build your Online Identity? Every website that you interact with will collect its
own version of who you are, based on the information that you have shared. Thus, it is up to
you how you will represent as closely as who you are and what you do in real life or
selectively, to create a representation far from your real life.

2. SELECTIVE SELF-PRESENTATION AND IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

There are characteristics

showing behaviors designed to
convey an image about ourselves to
other people and to influence the
perception of other people of this
image. This explains why our
behaviors can change if we notice
that we are being watched or
observed. This self-presentation can
also change if we notice that we are
interacting with or what personal
information we need to be
providing to present ourselves in a way that will be acceptable to others, what we view
beneficial to our personality, especially when we create a digital self. We carefully choose
representation or expression of one’s real world to the online world.

Reflect on this!!!

How real is your Digital Self?

How close is your online self-presentation and impression management
to the real you?
Discuss these illustrations in class to emphasize the importance of
your Digital self.

https://www.kalw.org/post/philosophy-talk-asks-which-you-real-you#stream/0

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 82

3. IMPACT OF ONLINE INTERACTIONS ON THE SELF

When interacting with other
people, we automatically make
inferences about them without
even being consciously aware of it.
We cannot help but ponder what
they are thinking about, what their
facial expressions mean, what their
intentions are, and so on. This
predisposition is what makes
social interactions so demanding.
This suggests that interaction with
human partners requires more
emotional involvement, and thus more cognitive effort, than interacting through a computer.
The conclusion is clear- online interaction with it much easier (Rilling, Sanfey, Aronson,
Nystorm, & Cohen, 2004).

Is it true that Facebook provides opportunities for increased identity development?

YES! Research suggests that young users report increased self-esteem and general well-being
following instances of positive feedback on social networking sites (Valkenburg, Peter, &
Schouten, 2006). Relatedly, results from a 2009 survey of college students indicated that the
heaviest Facebook users were also most satisfied with their lives and exhibited greater social
and political engagement (Valenzuela, Park, & Kee, 2009).

However, online interactions cannot reveal our true feelings and can decrease people’s
happiness levels. The extra effort involved in face-to-face interactions can be spared in online
interactions that are founded on minimal or constrained social cues; most of these signals can
be summed up in emoticons or punctuation. Hence, it is easier to hide our emotions behind
an email, a Facebook post or a tweet. Studies were conducted to show that within the first
two years after people first accessed the internet, their happiness level decreased (Kraut, 1998)
and that social media has a small, yet significant detriment on overall well-being. This is
because browsing social media sites alone can lead to feelings of jealousy when we compare
self to the online personal of others.

We can control our self-presentations on online interactions and this may be both
beneficial and harmful to the individual. Compared with face-to-face presentations, online
interactions enable us to self-censor to a greater extent and manage our online identities more
strategically which provides greater opportunity to misrepresent ourselves. This is due to
asynchronous communication (time-delayed interaction that does not require participants to
be online simultaneously).

Discuss in a sheet of paper the illustrations below to emphasize the

negative and positive effects of online interactions.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 83

POSITIVE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE INTERACTION ON THE SELF

Social media sites inform and impower individuals to change themselves and their
communities (http://turbofuture.com-Nick McGillivray)

Increased self-esteem when recieving many likes and shares.

Boost one's moral and feelings of self-worth (Tomas, 2010-ocial Media & Identity 2013)

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE INTERACTION ON

THE SELF

Extensive online engagement is correlated with personality and brain disorders like
poor social skills. ADHD, narcissistic tendencies, aneed for instant gratification, and
addictive behaviors and other emotional distress like depression anxiety, and
loneliness.

Low self-esteem due to the risk of being exposed to cyberbullying and

cyberpornography (healthxph.net-2015)

More occupied in giving attention to social media than in keeping their customs
and practices. (phblogspot2013)

4. EXTENDED SELF IN A DIGITAL WORLD- Russel W. Belk

A glimpse on the ideas of Russel W. Belk on his “Extended Self in a Digital World” could
give more light on the topic. Belk presents five changes emerging from our current digital
age:

 Dematerialization

Things are disappearing right before our eyes-our information, communications, photos,
videos, music, calculations, messages, “written” words are now largely invisible and
immaterial, composed of electronic streams stored in digital storage devices in locations we

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 84

will never know. The question is; “Can we gain status or an enhanced sense of self from
virtual possessions?” Belk proposes four functions or virtual consumption:

1. Stimulates consumer desire for both material and virtual goods

2. Actualizes possible daydreams such as those of wealth and status by enacting them in video games
3. Actualizes impossible fantasies such as being a magician or space pirate with magical objects
4. Facilitates experimentation such as being a criminal in a video game. Reports show that virtual
goods are now some of the most valued commodities for cybercriminals who attempt to hack into
games and steal virtual possessions to resell. Suicide may also result to a stolen virtual or digital
possession.

 Reembodiment

This is characterized as the “breakout of the visual” online, leading to new “constructions”
and definitions of the self in the virtual world where online games, blogs, web pages, photo
and video-sharing sites, internet dating sites are possible; we are disembodied and re-
embodied as avatars, sharing identity with the chosen avatar virtually. Online, the plain
represent themselves as glamorous, the old as young, the young as older. Those of modest
means wear elaborate jewelry, in virtual space, the crippled walk without crutches, etc. We
may employ anonymous and pseudonymous identities online enact wild fantasy identities in
online games and virtual worlds. In some cases, even virtual sex, marriage and divorce are
made possible. Virtual participants may also have multiple characters, increasing one’s
anonymity.

 Sharing

Uploading, downloading, sharing, etc. provide free access of information through web
surfing. How does sharing of possessions online enhance our individual and aggregate senses
of self?

In Facebook, social media friends know more than the immediate families about our daily
activities, connections, and thoughts. Diaries that were once private or shared only with close
friends are now posted as blogs for everyone to read. There is loss of control due to sharing-
uncontrolled sharing of information by online participants or friends; restrictions are not
observed.

 Co- construction of Self

Our digital involvement is social in nature. Our blogs invite comments, social interaction
which help in constructing our individual and joint extended sense of self as the new version
of Cooley’s “Looking Glass Self Theory” known as the collaborative self. What are the effects

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 85

of this? Seeking affirmation id obviously identified. Friends also help to co-construct and
reaffirm each other’s sense of self through their postings, tagging and comments.

 Distributed Memory

In a digital world, there is a new set of devices and technologies for recording and
archiving our memories. The dilemma is seen in the narrative of the self. Our identity is not
to be found in behavior nor in the reactions of others, but in the capacity to keep a particular
narrative going, done by continually integrating events in the outside world into our ongoing
story about the self. Photos posted in the online world may not be accurate in giving memories
of the past since the photos, blogs, etc. may just be selected representations of happy times
hence, may not be sufficient to tell our stories.

Here is the summary of changes in digital self. With the proliferation of multiple online
personas, the core self-idea crumbles in the digital world, the self is now extended into
avatars, which can affect our offline behavior and our sense of self, from a more private to
public presentation of self which is now co-constructed that can help affirm or modify our
sense of self. It is highly recommended that we set boundaries to our online self.

5. Boundaries Of The Online Self: Private Vs. Public; Personal Vs. Social Identity Online;
Gender And Sexuality Online

SETTING BOUNDARIES TO YOUR ONLINE SELF

Stick to safer sites
Guard your passwords
Be choosy about online friends
Remember that anything you put online or post on a site is there forever, even if
you try to delete it
Don’t be mean or embarrass other people online
Limit what you share

Adolescents’ online interactions are both literal and metaphoric screen for representing
major adolescent developmental issues, such as sexuality and identity. Because of the public
nature of internet chat rooms, they provide an open window into expression of adolescent
concerns (Subrahmanyan, Greenfield & Tynes, 2004).

Research states that there are more gender-related similarities in establishing an online
self and blog use (Huffaker, 2004) and that the online self is good venue for gender expression
and sexuality. This is because in one’s online identity, there is no physical embodiment of

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 86

gender or other physical markers of identity (Subrahmanyan et al., 2004) and the online
interactions serve as an agency for negotiating and expressing sexuality (Boonmongkon, et.al.
2013).

Age and sex are the primary categories to which people are assigned (Brewer & Lui,
1989) but in online identity, these are not evident and non-explicit. Interactions online are
important sources of sexual information for teens (Borzekowski & Ricket, 2001; Ward, 2004).
Yet, extra care with full sense of accountability must be observed in the use of the social media
to protect the self.

In this chapter, much has been said about different aspects of the self and identity. In
the succeeding chapter, you will be introduced to the different ways of managing and caring
for yourself in varied situations, particularly as a student.

10.3 References
Alata, E.P., Caslib,Jr.B. N, Serafica, J J. and Pawilen, R.A. 2018. Understanding the Self. Rex
Bookstore, Manila, Philippines.
Generi, Jonardon. 2012. The Self: Naturalism, Consciousness, and the First Person Stance.
New York: Oxford University
Stevens, Richard. 1996. Understanding the Self. California: SAGE Publications.
Villafuerte, Salvacion L., Quillope, Al F., Tunac, Rudjane C., Borja, Estela I. (2018)
Understanding the Self. Nieme Publishing House Co.Ltd.

10.4 Acknowledgement
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module were taken
from the references cited above and google.com resources.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 87

Activity No. 6: The Digital Self Date: _______________

Name: ___________________________________Course, Year & Section: _______________

A. Identification. Write in the spaces provided below the concept being asked in each item
below. Write your answer legibly.

_______1. He presented five changes emerging from our current digital age.

_______2. Their online interactions are both literal and metaphoric screen for representing
major adolescent developmental issues, such as sexuality and identity.
_______3. Most research on identity focused on ________.

_______4. This increases self-esteem when receiving many likes and shares.
_______5. It is the sum of your characteristics and interactions.
_______6. It is a good venue for gender expression and sexuality.
_______7. This cannot reveal our true feelings and can decrease people’s happiness levels.

_______8. It is correlated with personality and brain disorders like poor social skills.
_______9. In this area, there is a new set of devices and technologies for recording and
archiving our memories.
_______10. This requires users to self-consciously create virtual depictions of themselves.

B. Synthesis. Answer briefly but concisely the following items below. (5pts)

1. List down and briefly explain the positive and negative impact of social media and online
interaction on the self.
2. Discuss the extended self in a digital world.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 88

Unit 11: Managing and Caring for the Self

11.0 Lesson Objective:

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Articulate the theoretical underpinnings for how to manage and care for different aspects
of the self;
2. Acquire and manifest new skills and learning for managing of one’s self and behavior;
and
3. Apply new skills to one’s self to function for a better quality of life.

11.1 Introduction

How exciting life would have become if, like a puzzle, has gradually concluded with
the fit of the last single piece. Its pieces are the different representations and
conceptualizations of the self from various disciplinal perspectives, that were examined of
their influences, factors, and forces that shape the self, which have given color to life. Different
forces and institutions were likewise identified, and recognized for their impact in the
development of the various aspects of self and identity.

11.2 Discussion

Knowing the “self” is not enough. Since “who you are” is partly made up of your
choices, you must also have the ability to choose especially to be a better “you”.

Self-management that support and give help to the people with difficult conditions that
enables them to manage their health on an everyday basis.
Self-care is a lifetime habit and culture.

11.2.1 Learning to Be a Better Person

Students are still in the process of becoming a better person in

different aspects. At this stage of development, their brain’s
functioning is a work in progress. Learning to be a better person
entails learning how to handle brain and the corresponding
behavioral changes that it undergoes.

The brain acts as a dense network of fiber pathways that

consists of approximately 100 billion (1010) neurons which is
responsible for all connections among the three principal parts: stem,

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 89

cerebellum and cerebrum. Learning can owed to the cerebrum, since it is where higher-order
functions like memory and reasoning occur. Its tasks become apparent in behavior as each
are accomplishes its functions in hearing, speech, touch, short-term memory, language and
reasoning abilities (Ford, 2011).

How Learning Happens in the Human Brain

Expounded by Ford (2011), learning happens
through a network of neurons where sensory
information is transmitted by synapses along the
neural pathway and stored temporarily in short-
term memory, a volatile region of the brain that acts
like receiving center for the flood of sensory
information we encounter in our daily lives.
Once processed in short-term memory, our
brain’s neural pathways carry these memories to the
structural core, where they are compared with
existing memories and stored in our long-term
memory, the vast repository of everything we have
ever experienced in our lives.
This process occurs in an instant, but it is not
always perfect. In fact, as information races across
billions of neuron’s axons, which transmit signals to the next neurons via synapse, some
degradation is common. It is the main reason why many memories are incomplete or may
include false portions that we make up to fill holes in the real memory.
When two neurons frequently interact, they form a bond that allows them to transmit
more easily and accurately that leads to more complete memories and easier recall. On the
other hand, when two neurons rarely interact, the transmission is often incomplete that leads
to a faulty memory or no memory at all.
As an example, when students commute or when employees get to work places, they don’t
really need to think consciously about how to arrive at their destinations. It becomes effortless
because the trip had taken many times already that the brain gets used to the usual scenario
every time it happens. Memory of how to navigate gets rooted, such that neurons which
control memory have communicated so often that they have formed a tight bond like friends
who became so overly close like “bffs”.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 90

During emotional reaction to fear, anger, laughter, love to name a few, the emotion
becomes part of the memory and strengthens it dramatically. This explains why students who
had the best emotions during an event in their college years like the much awaited
promenade, first college sweetheart, first heartbreak, topping the final examination, failing a
subject, humiliated by a teacher, etc., are most likely to remember the events with higher
accuracy than those who simply witnessed the event without any emotional attachment to it.
Hence, birth, marriage, divorce and even death of a loved one become unforgettable.
Learning fundamentally requires the acquisition of new information even from the
moment a person is born. What makes the brain search for the unusual in the environment is
its natural curiosity. Stevens (2014) emphasized that changes in the brain allow for faster,
stronger signaling between neurons as the brain gains new skills, but the best way to speed
up those signals is to slowly introduce new information to the head.

Metacognition

One amazing wonder the brain is capable of doing besides learning, which is something
that everyone is expected to do, is learning to learn. Introducing metacognition into this
chapter gives students the ability to control and direct their learning experience to develop
powerful skills that can directly relate to their academic and career success.
Perras (2014) mentioned the description of the word, metacognition: According to Pierre
Paul Gagne et al. (2009): “Metacognition enables students to be more active in their learning,
i.e., to mobilize all of their resources in order to have successful learning experiences. In order

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 91

to do this, they must know how they learn and be aware of the steps that are followed and
the means that are used to acquire knowledge, solve problems, and perform tasks.”
According to the LD Online Glossary (2014), metacognition is the process of “thinking
about thinking.” For example, good readers use metacognition before reading when they
clarify their purpose for reading and preview the text. So in other words, metacognition is the
understanding and awareness of one’s own mental or cognitive processes. Here are some
examples of metacognition:

 A student learns about what things help him or her to remember facts, names, and events
 A student learns about his or her own style of learning.
 A student learns about which strategies are most effective for solving problems.
To paraphrase Edgar Morin (2014), metacognition involves thinking and reflecting before,
during, and after a learning task. Metacognition happens when they choose the most effective
strategies and decide for themselves whether the outcome of these strategies meets the
standard. The time taken to teach a variety of strategies is very important because students
must choose strategies for each task they perform.
Many metacognitive strategies are appropriate for use in the classroom including:

Think-Alouds (for reading comprehension and problem)

Organizational Tools (such as checklists, rubrics, etc. for solving word problems)

Explicit Teacher Modeling (for math instruction)

In the Info Brief, “Learning How to Learn” (The National Collaborative on Workplace and
Disability for Youth[NCWD/Youth], 2014), educators are provided with practical
suggestions on strategic learning, compensatory techniques, cognitive and metacognitive
strategies, and literacy programs and learning strategies.

COGNITIVE STRATEGIES

STRATEGY DEFINITION BENEFIT

Believed to influence the attention and

Reciting items to be coding process. It does not seem to help
Rehearsal
learned from a list students connect current information with
prior knowledge.

Believed to improve a student’s ability to

Summarizing and
Elaboration store information into the long-term
paraphrasing
memory by building internal connections

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 92

between items to be learned and assisting

with the integration of new information
with prior knowledge

Helps learners select appropriate

Organization Outlining information and make the connections to be
learned.

Assists students with applying previous

Analyzing Problem-solving knowledge to new situations in order to
solve problems and/or reach decisions.

a. Types of Learning Strategies and Support: Metacognitive

These strategies would help students think about thinking. First is monitoring their
progress as they learn, and second is making changes and adapting their strategies if they
perceive that they are not doing as well as you could. These are some basic metacognitive
aids strategies:

Connecting new information to existing knowledge

Selecting thinking strategies deliberately

Planning, monitoring, and evaluating thinking processes.

Metacognitive activities usually occur before or after a cognitive activity. In the

relationship between metacognition and cognitive strategies, a student who usually monitors
himself/herself when reading his/her reference books is, the student, through self-
monitoring, can sense that he or she does not comprehend what she has read (metacognitive)
and recognizes that he/she will understand the text better if he/she creates an outline
(cognitive).

Strategies to develop metacognition include:

 Share and model self-monitoring process (e.g. proofreading)

 Explain and provide handouts regarding particular strategies that may be
helpful
 Clarify and model when particular strategies are appropriate
 Clarify why particular strategies are appropriate

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 93

2.2 Study Strategies

What shall all students do now to make learning effective? Here are popular study
strategies and learning techniques based on a meta study evaluated by Dunlosky et al. (2013).

1. Practice Over Time

 Practice testing refers to any form of testing for learning which a student is able to do on
his or her own. “More is better” and that multiple practice tests are more beneficial when
they are spaced in time, rather than crowded in, one or after another. Examples of this
technique are practicing recall through flash cards, or completing practice problems or
tests.
 Distributed practice refers to distributing the learning over time, not cramming. Time lags
between learning episodes boost learning, despite the fact that people might initially
forget more of the material between the individual sessions. Students, then, start early and
ensure that they revisit and review the material they have already revised.
2. Questioning and Explanation
 Elaborative interrogation is a complex name for a simple concept-asking one’s self why
something is the way it is or a particular concept or fact is true, and providing the
answer.
 Self-explanation refers to a similar process, through which the explanation might take
the form of answering why but also other questions, as well as relating new information
which is already known.

3. Producing Summaries of Texts

 This is likely to involve the reading and comprehension of text, as well as the ability to
identify the most important information within it and to encapsulate it briefly in one’s
own words. It requires a complete set of skills that “it can be effective learning strategy
for learners who are skilled at summarizing.

 Summarizing may be the first stage of a learning process, with other techniques such as self-
testing, and self-explanation come subsequently for review purposes.
 Imagery or ‘keywords mnemonics’ for both vocabulary learning and text memorization were
found to be constrained to highly visual materials only.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 94

4. Highlighting and Underlining Portions of Text

 Rereading and highlighting tend to work better for students who were more adept at
identifying the crucial-to-be-remembered aspects of a text.

A. SETTING GOALS FOR SUCCESS

Goals are essential to your development and
success. Students are bound to face multifarious
tasks, overlapping with other roles they portray
at different social institutions. Enlightening
them with which goals they are to track would
ease their minds in possible dilemma. The
process of setting goals helps you choose where
you want to go in life.

1. Importance of Goals
Ryan (1970) as cited by Locke & Lathan (2002), premised that conscious goals affect
actions, thus, a goal is the object or aim of an action. A college student’s academic goal is to
fulfill the course requirements and pass all examinations to graduate on time for the length
of the program he/she is taking. Goals affect performance through four mechanisms (Locke,
2002).
1. Goals serve a directive
function; they direct attention
and effort toward goal-relevant
activities.
2. Goals have an energizing
function. High goals lead to
great effort.
3. Goals affect persistence. When
participants are allowed to
control the time they spend on a
task, hard goals prolong effort
(LaPorte & Nath, 1975, as cited
by Locke & Latham, 2002). Faced with a difficult goal, it is possible to work faster and more ins
tensely for a short period or to work more slowly and less intensely for a long period (Bryan &
Locke, 1976b, as cited by Locke & Latham, 2002).

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 95

4. Goals affect action indirectly by leading to the arousal, discovery, and/or use of task-relevant
knowledge and strategies. (Wood & Locke, 1990, as cited by Locke & Latham, 2002).

2. Albert Bandura’s Self-efficacy

Students’ goals can be achieved only if

they are worthy of believing these goals
can be achieved. As Gandhi perfectly
understood the essential role of self-belief
in the students’ lives: “Your beliefs become
your thoughts. Your thoughts become your
words. Your words become your actions.
Your actions become your habits. Your
habits become your values. Your values
become your destiny.
Self-efficacy is the belief we have in our own abilities, specifically our ability to meet the
challenges ahead of us and complete a task successfully (Akhtar, 2008). General self-efficacy
refers to our overall belief in our ability to succeed, but there are many more specific forms of
self-efficacy as well (e.g., academic, parenting, sports). The term “self-efficacy” is not used
nearly as often in pop culture as self-esteem, confidence, self-worth, etc., but it is a well-
known concept in psychology.
The psychological theory of self-efficacy grew out of the research of Albert Bandura. He
noticed that there was a mechanism that played a huge role in people’s lives that, up to that
point, hadn’t really been defined or systematically observed. This mechanism was the belief
that people have in their ability to influence the events of their own lives.
Bandura proposed that perceived self-efficacy influences what coping behavior is initiated
when an individual is met with stress and challenges, along with determining how much
effort will be expended to reach one’s goals and for how long those goals will be pursued
(1999).He posited that self-efficacy is a self-sustaining trait; when a person is driven to work
through their problems on their own terms, they gain positive experiences that in turn boost
their self-efficacy even more. Increasing a person’s self-efficacy increases his/her ability to
deal with a potentially averse situation.
People with high assurance in their capabilities:
1. Approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered.
2. Set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 96

3. Heighten or sustain their efforts in the face of failures or setbacks.

4. Attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which are acquirable.
5. Approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control over them.

On the contrary, 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. Loosen their efforts and give up quickly in the face of difficulties
5. Are slow to recover their sense of efficacy following failures and setbacks
6. Fall easy victim to stress and depression.

FOUR (4) MAIN SOURCES OF EFFICACY BELIEFS (Bandura, 1997)

1. Mastery Experiences
The first and foremost source of self-efficacy is through mastery experiences. However
nothing is more powerful than having a direct experience of mastery to increase self-efficacy.
Achieving success, for example in mastering a task or controlling an environment, will build
self- belief in that area whereas a failure will undermine that efficacy belief. To have a resilient
sense of self-efficacy requires experience in overcoming obstacles through effort and
perseverance.
2. Vicarious Experiences
The second source of self-efficacy comes from our observation of people around us,
especially people we consider as role models. Seeing people similar to ourselves succeed by
their sustained effort raises our beliefs that we too possess the capabilities to master the
activities needed for success in that area.
3. Verbal/ Social Persuasion
Influential people in our lives such as parents, teachers, managers or coaches can
strengthen our beliefs that we have what it takes to succeed. Being persuaded that we possess
the capabilities to master certain activities means that we are more likely to put in the effort
and sustain it when problems arise.
4. Emotional & Physiological States
The state you’re in will influence how you judge your self-efficacy. Depression, for
example, can dampen confidence in our capabilities. Stress reactions or tension are

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 97

interpreted as signs of vulnerability to poor performance whereas positive emotions can boost
our confidence in our skills.

Carol Dweck’s Mindset

Another groundbreaking idea on beliefs comes along. Mindset is a simple idea discovered
by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on
achievement and success.

Mindsets are beliefs, beliefs about one’s self and one’s most basic qualities. People with
fixed mindset believed that their traits are just given. They have a certain amount of brains
and talents and nothing can change that.
People with growth mindset see their qualities as things that can be developed through
their education and effort. They are brainy and talented, but that is just the starting point
(Dweck, 2006).
Mindsets frame the running account that’s taking place in people’s heads. They guide the
whole interpretation process. The fixed mindset creates an internal monologue that is focused
on judging: “This means I’m a loser.” “This means I’m better person that they are.” “This
means I’m a bad husband.” “This means my partner is selfish” (Dweck, 2006). People with
growth mindset are also constantly monitoring what’s going on, but their internal monologue
is not about judging themselves and others in this way.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 98

Four (4) Simple Stapes to Begin Changing Mindset

1. Learn to hear your fixed mindset “voice”.
2. Recognize that you have a choice.
3. Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.
4. Take the growth mindset action.

Goal-Setting Theory
Goal-setting is something most people
recognize as necessary for their success. By
understanding this theory, students can effectively
apply it to the goals they set. In 1990, Locke and
Latham published their seminal work, “A Theory
of Goal Setting and Task Performance.” They
reinforced the need to set specific and difficult
goals.
Five (5) Principles of Goal Setting
To motivate, goals must have:
1. Clarity. Clear goals are measurable and unambiguous.
2. Challenge. People are often motivated by achievement, and they’ll judge a goal based on
the significance of the anticipated accomplishment.
3. Commitment. It means that goals must be consistent and in line with previous
expectations, the harder the goal, the more commitment is required.
4. Feedback. This provides opportunities to clarify expectations, adjust goal, difficulty, and
gain recognition.
5. Task Complexity. People who work in complicated and demanding roles probably have
a high level of motivation already. But it is important to do the following:

Give the person sufficient time to meet the goal or improve performance.

Provide enough time for the person to practice or learn what is expected and required
for success.
The whole idea of goal setting is to facilitate a person’s success. It has to be made sure that
the surrounding conditions inspire and allow people to accomplish their objectives.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 99

B. Taking Care Of One’s Health

Poor health habits can add stress to your life and also play a role in how well you are able
to cope with stress. The stress that comes from poor health is significant. Health challenges
also affect other areas of your life. Health problems can make daily tasks more challenging
and could hinder your attainment of your goals and success.
1. Stressors and Responses
Humprey, Yow & Bowen (2000) described stress as any factor that makes adaptation to an
environment difficult for the individual to maintain a state of equilibrium between himself
and the external environment. It includes a physical and mental response to meet the
demands of the stressful event (Richlin-Klonsky & Hoe, 2003). These events or conditions that
put a strain on the individual are called stressors (Santrock, 2003).
There are two broad categories of stressors, according to the Center for Studies on Human
Stress (2017): physiological (or physical) stressors and psychological stressors.
 Physiological stressors are those that put strain on the body (i.e., very cold/hot
temperatures, injury, chronic illness, or pain).
 Psychological stressors are events, situations, individuals, comments, or anything we
interpret as negative or threatening (i.e., not being able to review your notes for the exam
as you are taking care of your sick parent in the hospital.

11.3 References
Alata, E.P., Caslib,Jr.B. N, Serafica, J J. and Pawilen, R.A. 2018. Understanding the Self. Rex
Bookstore, Manila, Philippines.

Generi, Jonardon. 2012. The Self: Naturalism, Consciousness, and the First Person Stance.
New York: Oxford University

Stevens, Richard. 1996. Understanding the Self. California: SAGE Publications.

Villafuerte, Salvacion L., Quillope, Al F., Tunac, Rudjane C., Borja, Estela I. (2018)
Understanding the Self. Nieme Publishing House Co.Ltd.

11.4 Acknowledgement
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module were taken
from the references cited above and google.com resources.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay
 5 | Understanding the Self 100

Activity No. 6: Managing and Caring for the Self Date: _______________
Name: ___________________________________Course, Year & Section: _______________

A. Identification. Write in the spaces provided below the concept being asked in each item
below. Write your answer legibly.

_______1. This refers to distributing the learning over time, not cramming.

_______2. It enables students to be more active in their learning, i.e., to mobilize all of their
resources in order to have successful learning experiences.
_______3. This Assists students with applying previous knowledge to new situations in order
to solve problems and/or reach decisions.

_______4. It is a complex name for a simple concept-asking one’s self why something is the
way it is or a particular concept or fact is true, and providing the answer.
_______5. This happens through a network of neurons where sensory information is
transmitted by synapses along the neural pathway and stored temporarily in short-term
memory.
_______6. These are essentials to the development and success of every student.
_______7. It is the belief we have in our own abilities, specifically our ability to meet the
challenges ahead of us and complete a task successfully.

_______8. People with this belief understood that their traits are just given.
_______9. These are events, situations, individuals, comments, or anything we interpret as
negative or threatening.
_______10. The psychological theory of self-efficacy grew out of the research of ______.

B. Synthesis. Answer briefly but concisely the following items below. (5pts)

1. Discuss the importance of Goals

2. Steps to improve/develop Metacognition.
3. List down and explain the categories of stressors.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay