NSTP 1

1. Learning Objectives
AT THE END OF THE UNIT, THE STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
1. 1.UNDERSTAND ONESELF BETTER AND CAN EXPRESS ONE’S OWN
IDEAS ABOUT THE MEANING OF SELF-CONCEPT.
2. 2. IDENTIFY HIS/ HER NEEDS THAT CAN HELP HIM TO DISCOVER
MORE ABOUT HIMSELF. EXPRESS WHAT HIS/HER NEEDS ARE,
THEIR FEELING OF SATISFACTION FOR EACH NEED, AND STATE
HOW THE SATISFACTION OR LACK OF SATISFACTION CAN AFFECT
THE FULFILLMENT OF POTENTIALS W/IN THE LIMITS OF THEIR
CAPABILITY.
3. 3. ASSESS HIMSELF IF HE POSSESSES THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT
WILL MAKE HIM A SELF-ACTUALIZED PERSON.
4. 4. BE MOTIVATED TO DEVELOP HIS/HER STRENGTH AND MINIMIZE
HIS WEAKNESSES THROUGH SELF DISCOVERY THUS, ACQUIRING
TRAITS THAT ARE SOCIALLY DESIRABLE IN ORDER TO BECOME
SELF-ACTUALIZERS.
5.

2. SELF CONCEPT
 Is defined as the way one perceives himself, be it
positive or negative, high or low w/c is a result of one’s
belief and other’s belief.
 Understanding one’s self is a key to happiness as one
would be able to identify his weakness and strengths,
thus enabling him to undergo self improvement.
 Aristotle believes that knowing and understanding
oneself can lead to true knowledge.
 TRUE KNOWLEDGE – is finding meaning in one’s
existence, searching the path of his direction and aiming
to reach his destination.

3.  In Rogers (Carl Rogers, 1902-1987, American psychologist,
pioneer of the idea of self concept) theory, he coined the
term “fully functioning persons.” They are people who strive
to experience life to the fullest, who live in the here and now,
and who trust their own feelings. They are sensitive to the
needs and rights of others but do not allow society’s
standards to shape their feelings or actions to an excessive
degree. They aren’t saints – they can and do lose their temper
or act in ways they later regret.
 But throughout life, their actions become increasingly
dominated by constructive impulses.
 They are in close touch w/ their own values and feelings, and
experience life more deeply than most other persons.

4. Conditional positive self
regard
Conditional positive regard is where positive regard,
praise, and approval, depend upon the child, for
example, behaving in ways that the parents think
correct.
Hence the child is not loved for the person he or she is,
but on condition that he or she behaves only in ways
approved by the parent(s).
At the extreme, a person who constantly seeks approval
from other people is likely only to have experienced
conditional positive regard as a child.

5. Unconditional positive self
regard
 Unconditional positive regard is where parents,
significant others (and the humanist therapist) accepts
and loves the person for what he or she is. Positive
regard is not withdrawn if the person does something
wrong or makes a mistake.
 The consequences of unconditional positive regard are
that the person feels free to try things out and make
mistakes, even though this may lead to getting it
worse at times.
 People who are able to self-actualize are more likely to
have received unconditional positive regard from
others, especially their parents in childhood.

6.  Abraham Maslow is another humanistic theorist who is well known
for his Hierarchy of Needs, ranging from physiological needs,
safety and security needs, belongingness needs and lastly the self
actualization needs. According to him, lower-order needs in the
hierarchy must be satisfied before we can turn to more complex,
higher order needs.
 Maslow did not only focus on the need hierarchy but also gave
attention to the study of people who are described as
psychologically healthy. These are individuals who have attained
high levels of self actualization. What are such people like?

7. CHARACTERISTICS OF SELF
ACTUALIZED PEOPLE
1. They accept themselves for what they are.
2. They recognize their shortcomings as well as their strengths.
3. Being in touch with their own personalities, they are less conformist or
inhibited than most of us.
4. They are well aware of the rules imposed by society but feel greater
freedom to ignore them.
5. They seem to retain their childhood wonder and amazement with the
world. For them life continues to be an exciting adventure than
humdrum routine.
6. They seem to achieve peak experiences in which they experience
powerful feelings of unity with the universe and tremendous waves of
power and wonder. Such experiences appear to be linked to personal
growth, for after them, individuals report feeling more spontaneous,
more appreciative of life, and less concerned with the problems of every
day life.

8. To become self actualized
 We have to understand our self concept. Many theorists have
suggested that in several respects, our self concept has two
aspects (Baron 1992);
 Self Esteem is the extent to which our self evaluation is
favorable or unfavorable. Self esteem is related to many
forms of behavior. Persons who have high self esteem seem
to report fewer negative emotions and less depression. They
can handle stress and experience fewer negative health
effects. They are less susceptible to influence, more confident
of achieving their goals. While high self-esteemed individuals
accept criticism constructively, the low self-esteemed
individuals seem to be easily affected with negative feedback
and feel unworthy and rejected.

9. Self monitoring: public
appearance and private reality
 Self monitoring is the ability to adjust his actions and
produce positive reactions from other people. High
self-monitors can easily change to match the current
situation. Low self-monitors stick to their own values
and attitudes. Thus, they like people who more or less
resemble their own behavior, beliefs and views.