Pamantasan ng Cabuyao

Katapatan Subdivision, Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao, Laguna

College of Arts and Sciences

PSY 100 – UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

A. EMOTIONAL SELF: Achieving My Emotional Competencies

a.1 Fundamentals of Emotion

Based on Plutchik’s configuration of emotion, there are eight fundamental emotions:

1. Joy
2. Trust
3. Fear
4. Surprise
5. Sadness
6. Disgust
7. Anger
8. Anticipation

a.2 Emotion Management Strategies

 In any social interaction, feelings may arise. These emotions may be positive or negative and
may affect relationships as well. Thus, people should always keep their emotions in check to
avoid misunderstanding and miscommunication.

Langley lays out some tips on managing emotions:

1. Smile to make yourself feel good.

2. Smile to make others feel good.
3. Get up and move.
4. Check in with your body.
5. Physically remove the tension.
6. Breathe.
 7. Talk to someone.
8. Disengage and re-engage emotions.
9. Label your emotions.
10. Label emotions for others.

 Emotions are related to each other. It also taught you how to manage your emotions
especially when you interact with other people. It argued as well that suppression of feelings
is not helpful as it builds up tension in your physical body. Thus, you must always recognize
and acknowledge your emotions as well as release them in a way that will not hurt others.

B. SOCIAL SELF: RELATING HARMONIOUSLY AND PROPERLY WITH EVERYONE

b.1 Social Psychology

 The term social has something to do with relating well or interacting with others.
 The study of social relationships or interactions is called Social Psychology.
 Lahey defines social psychology as the branch of psychology that studies individuals as
they interact with others.
 Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian state that social psychology is a broad field whose goal is to
understand and explain how thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors are influenced by
the presence of, or interactions with others.
 Additionally, Gerrig and Zimbardo, social psychology is the study of the effect of social factors
on individual behavior, attitudes, perceptions, and motives.
 Social psychology is the study of group and intergroup phenomena.
 The keywords in the various aforementioned definitions are interactions and relationships.
 Interaction refers to the mutual and reciprocal exchange of communication or action
between two or more persons or groups.
 On the other hand, relationship refers to a particular way in which two or more individuals,
groups, or even countries talk to, behave toward, or deal with each other.
 Vital to establishing social relationships at a personal or professional level are time, effort,
and commitment.
 In your daily life, you always experience interactions with people of different characteristics,
status, positions, gender, race, creed, culture, religious faith, and language, among others.

b.2 Person Perception

 In psychology, person perception refers to forming impressions and making judgments about
another person’s likability after seeing or meeting him/her.
 First impressions, which are formed within a very short time with little conscious thought and
biased by past experiences, are a part of person perception.

b.3 Social Norms

 Norms are patterns or traits characterized as typical or usual for a group.

 Other terms associated with norms are “average” and “normal”.
 Norms change over time.
 Social norms refer to spoken and unspoken rules for behaving in particular situations.
 Norms in social behavior serve to guide or regulate the manner in which people conduct
themselves. Behaviors have to be controlled or regulated because of social consequences.

b.4 Together as a Group

 In many occasions, people work in groups.

  In social situations where people work and do things together for a purpose, two things may
happen. First, the performance of each individual member of the group is improved. This is
also referred to as social facilitation. Second, working on being with a group may also
reduce individual effort, a phenomenon known as social loafing.

b.5 Conformity

 Conformity refers to yielding to group pressure to act as everyone does, even when no
direct request has been made. It is the tendency to behave like others in the group do.
 Conformity is brought about by two motivations: to gain reward or avoid punishment; and to
gain information.

Some factors make conformity more likely to exist in a group:

1. Size of the group

2. Unanimous groups
3. Culture
4. Gender

 In social groups, the likelihood of conformity among members is very high. However,
individual members are not expected to always yield to the pressure to conform. An
individual member can decide for himself whether or not to conform and to what extent.
 As a member of a social group, one has to subscribe to basic and established rules, policies,
or guidelines for him to truly belong. If all members of the group live by these
institutionalized requirements, then order, discipline, system, peace, and harmony will be
sustained.

b.6 Social Roles and Social Norms

 People are social animals and are almost always in the company of others.
 Being in a group can be both advantageous and disadvantageous.
 Moreover, the effects of stress can be reduced considerably by strong social support. While
groups have both negative and positive effects on behaviors, individuals should not avoid
groups, but instead make the best out of being in them.
 As a member of society, each person has a role to play, which may support or complement
the roles of other people he interacts with.
 Social roles specify the part or position of a person in society. It also specifies behavior
expected to be exhibited by an individual in practicing his role.
 It is important to note that social roles play an important and positive role in society.
 A sociogram indicates the social structure of a group and the relationship of people within
that group. It shows who are popular, isolates, islands, and mutual friends.

b.7 Nature and Depth of Relationships

 Relationships are among the most important aspects of our lives. They can be positive or
conflicted, but the lack of relationships could be the worst of all, as it creates loneliness.
 Familiarity refers to being comfortable with another person and is necessary condition for a
close relationship to develop.
 Attraction may lead to deeper relationships. Attraction paves the way for enjoying the
company and being comfortable with other person, and for feelings of ease and confidence.
 Love is a special attachment one has for himself or for somebody else. It is an intense of
deep or constant affection and emotion in which a person always sees to the good,
happiness, and welfare of the other.

Three of the most common kinds of love are as follows:

 1. Romantic Love. Also called passionate love, it includes an integrating intermingling of
different emotions: fear, anger, sexual desire, joy, and jealousy, among others.
2. Affectionate Love. Also referred to as compassionate love, it is the type of love that
occurs when someone has deep and caring affection for a person and desires to
have him near constantly.
3. Consummate Love. It is the strongest and fullest type of love. This deal form of love
involves passion, intimacy, and commitment.

The Triangular Theory of Love

 In 1985, Robert Sternberg postulated that love is made up of three components:

passion, intimacy, and commitment.
 Passion has something to do with physical and sexual attraction to another.
 Intimacy is characterized by the emotional feelings of warmth, closeness, and sharing of
the relationship.
 Commitment is the cognitive appraisal of the relationship and the intent to maintain it
even in the face of problems.

Liking
Intimacy

Romantic Love Compassionate

Passion + Intimacy Intimacy + Commitment

Consummate Love
Intimacy + Passion + Commitment

Infatuation Empty Love

Passion + Commitment Commitment
Passion

Some interpretation on the illustration are as follows:

 If passion is the only ingredient present, the feeing is infatuation, as in fling or an

affair.
 Intimacy and commitment without passion show affectionate love.
 The combination of passion and commitment without intimacy results in fatuous
love.
 Consummate love is achieved if all three components are present.

b.8 Attitudes

 Attitudes are beliefs that predispose people to act and feel in certain ways towards people,
objects, or ideas. They can either be positive or negative.
 A positive attitude is reflected in a happy, pleasant, or optimistic disposition.
 On the other hand, a negative attitude is associated with pessimism or a general feeling of
dislike.
 The three distinct features of an attitude include belief, feelings, and disposition.

b.9 Stereotypes

 Stereotypes are generalizations in which the same traits or characteristics are assumed to
be possessed by all members of a group.
  Stereotypes affect people’s day-to-day interactions and decisions. Some stereotypes are
based on an outsider’s experience with a number of people in a group, which were concluded
as encompassing of all members of the group and oftentimes proven inaccurate.
 Negative stereotypes are accompanied by prejudice and discrimination.
 Prejudice is an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitude or opinion towards the members of a
group.
 Discrimination is the specific unfair behavior or treatment towards the members of a
group.
 Discrimination against people based on their skin color or ethnic heritage is called racism,
while discrimination against people because of their gender is referred to as sexism.
 Challenges in life are inevitable. They can result in two things: either the person comes out
stronger to face another challenge or he feels defeated or discouraged.

C. MORAL SELF: LIVING WITH PURPOSE – PERSONAL VALUES AND PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE

c.1 Quotations on Morality

The following are quotations on morality.

“The perfecting of oneself is the fundamental base of all progress and all moral development.” –
Confucius

“Family and moral values are so central to everything that I am.” – Marian Wright Edelman

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

“Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally-recognized moral qualities of man.”
– Confucius

“Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein

“Great values are built on strong moral foundations. Men become great when they allow these
values to take root within their souls and live by them.” – Lincoln Patts

“We are all born as empty vessels which can be shaped by moral values.” – Jerry Springer
“Morality is the judgment to distinguish right and wrong, vision to see the truth, courage to act
upon it, dedication to that which is good, integrity to stand by the good at any price.” –
Anonymous

c.2 Morality

 A dilemma is a problematic situation in which a difficult choice must be made.

 Moral is related to the sense or a standard that determines what is right and what is wrong.
 Morality refers to the system of beliefs and values that ensures that individuals will keep
their obligations to others in the society and behave in ways that do not interfere with the
rights and interests of others.
 Decision-making is understandably difficult, the degree of which depending on the
situation.
c.3 Moral Reasoning

 Moral reasoning refers to the judgments people make about what courses of action are
correct or incorrect in particular situations. Reasoning is a cognitive skill, but influences moral
development.
 Lawrence Kohlberg came up with the theory of moral development by studying the
concept of moral reasoning. This theory is shaped by and tied up to Piaget’s stages of
intellectual development.
 Piaget’s theory asserts that intellectual development proceeds in stages or levels. The first is
the sensorimotor stage in which the child learns and develops knowledge about his
environment by relating sensory experiences to motor actions. It is followed by the
preoperational stage in which the child learns to use symbols like words or mental images
to solve simple problems. The third level is the concrete operations stage in which the
child develops the ability to perform a number of logical operations on concrete objects that
are present. The final level is the formal operations stage in which the individual acquires
the ability to solve abstract problems in a logical manner.
 This progression is related to the development of moral reasoning. Thus, the evolution of
one’s sense of right and wrong in making decisions depends on his level of intellectual
development.
 This connection implies that advanced levels of intellectual development are associated with
higher stages of moral development.
 In the same way, lower stages of intellectual development are associated with earlier stages
of moral development.

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning

Level Stage Reason for Moral Behavior

To avoid pain, punishment, or
1. Pleasure / pain orientation
getting caught
Preconventional Morality
2. Cost-benefit orientation;
To get rewards
reciprocity
To gain acceptance and avoid
3. Good-child orientation
disapproval
Conventional Morality
To follow rules and avoid censure
4. Law and order orientation
by authorities
Principled or
Postconventional 5. Social contract orientation To promote the welfare of society
Morality
To achieve justice and avoid self-
6. Ethical principle orientation
condemnation
To be true to universal principles
and feel oneself part of a cosmic
7. Cosmic orientation
direction that transcends social
norms

 Early in life, at the lowest level of development, self-preservation and self-interest are the
main reasons for one’s actions and decisions.
 The highest level of moral development goes much beyond the self and social reasons.

c.4 Parenting Styles and Practices

 Environmental influence is characterized by forces outside of the individual like how he has
been raised or reared by his parents. The foundations of moral reasoning and development are
laid at home.
 Parenting Styles are strategies of parents in raising their children.
1. Authoritarian parents attempt to shape, control, and evaluate the behavior and attitudes of
their children in accordance with an absolute set of conduct standards that usually comes
from religious or respected authorities. They use harsh discipline and punishment. Obedience
becomes a virtue.
2. Authoritative parents direct their children’s activities in a rational and intelligent way. They
are supportive, loving, and committed.
3. Permissive parents are less controlling and behave with an accepting and non-punishing
attitude towards their children’s desires, actions, and impulses. They use reason rather than
direct power. They are warm and supportive, but tend not to enforce rules.
4. Uninvolved or Neglectful parents who take on a “hand-off” stand in the affairs of their
children.

Effects of Parenting Styles

1. Authoritarian parents are demanding, and their children have less behavioral problems
which are easily prevented.
2. Authoritative parents have children who are independent, reliable, rationale, and
confident. These children generally feel good about themselves.
3. Permissive parents rarely impose rules and are non-punishing. Thus, they tend to have
children who do not put structure and order in things that they do.
4. Uninvolved parents are detached and indifferent to the needs of their children. As such,
children grow up feeling unloved and cannot follow instructions. Some also fall prey or
resort to substance abuse as a form of distraction or a way to get attention.