Personal Development

Contemporary Living
Chapter 1:
You: Growing & Changing
Objectives:
• Personal growth - Investigate factors
that affect personal identity, personality,
and self-esteem
• Self- concept - Analyze how the family
influences the development of personal
identity and self-esteem of all family
members, including those with special
needs
• Character traits - Propose strategies that
promote physical, emotional,
intellectual, and social development
Your Personality

• In order to understand yourself,

you need to understand the factors
that help shape your personality.
• Personality – the group of
behavioral and emotional traits that
distinguishes an individual
– The sum of all the traits that you have
inherited or acquired.

Refer to RM 1-1, TR
 Factors That Shape
Personality
1. Heredity – the sum of traits that
are passed from your ancestors to
you
• Inherited traits – human traits
determined by heredity
– Common traits amongst humans (i.e. two
eyes, two legs, etc.)
 Factors That Shape
Personality
• Heredity can also cause differences
among humans
– The color of the eyes, the shape of the
ears, and length of arms vary from person-
to-person.
• It also affects such traits as your
attitude, intelligence, and behavior.
 Factors That Shape
Personality
2. Environment – is all of the
conditions, objects, and
circumstances that surround
an individual
– Factors such as your family situation,
neighborhood, religion, and friends make your
environment unique to you.
– It affects your thoughts, feelings and actions.
• Acquired traits – traits
developed as a result of
environmental factors
 Factors That Shape
Personality
3. Response to your environment
– Example: Suppose you went to the same
theater and viewed the same movie with
a group of friends.
What would be the various reactions to
the movie?
 Factors That Shape
Personality
• Nature vs. Nurture (Heredity vs.
Environment)
Which is greater?
One isn’t greater than the other
• All three factors shape/affect your
personality.
• Much of your future will be determined
by the decisions you make as you
balance these 3 factors.
Your Self-Concept

• Self-concept – is the way you see

yourself
• There is no one else in the world
exactly like YOU!!
• What is included in your self-
concept?
– Your appearance, your personality traits,
and your abilities
Your Self-Concept

• If you feel good about your

appearance, you feel good about
yourself.
• If you feel comfortable with your
personality, you have a positive
self-concept.
 How is Your Self-Concept
Formed?
• It’s natural for you to compare
yourself with others – that’s one
way your self-concept is formed!
• Knowing what you can and can not
do shapes your self-concept.
• Parents, friends, teachers, and other
family members (reactions to your
behavior)
What is Self-Esteem?

• Self esteem – is how you feel

about yourself
If you have self-esteem…
• you believe in yourself
• you feel worthwhile
• accept your weakness, but don’t
dwell on them
• you have confidence
Self-Esteem

• You can learn new skills and take

reasonable risks.
• It may increase or decrease…
… this is NORMAL.
• With time you will be able to pay
less attention to those events that
lower your self-esteem.
Building Self-Esteem

Self-Esteem…
• empowers you to look ahead
with optimism.
• expands your horizons.
• helps you focus on what you
want to become.

How can you catch hold of a

feeling of self-esteem?
Building Self-Esteem

• Measure Yourself Honestly

• Practice Positive Self-Talk
• Accept Things About Yourself
You Can Not Change
• Focus on the Present
• Take One Step At A Time
• Be a Friend to Yourself
Refer to CT-1, TR
Your Character

• Character – sense
of right and wrong
that guides your
behavior
• It’s the part of your
personality that helps
you make choices
that are in line with
your personal
priorities.
Your Character

• Character development begins in

childhood.
• As children interact with their
parents and other adults, they begin
to learn which behaviors are
acceptable and which are not.
• These acquired standards guide
their behavior, and thus their
character develops.
Your Character

• In the early years, children’s behavior is

often guided by forces outside of their
control. (seek for approval)
• As, they grow older, children’s behavior
is shaped by the approval/disapproval
of others outside the family.
– Social pressure
– Influenced by what’s socially
acceptable/unacceptable
Your Character

• Often guided by rules that have

been established by authorities.
• Obeying these rules will help you
build character.
• The controls (rules) will eventually
become a part of you and act in
accordance with your own
conscience.
Class Discussion

• Why is character development

important in our society?
– It helps maintain order in society.
• Are families today doing a better
job today in helping children
develop character than past
generations?
 Virtues That Help Build
Character
• Self-Discipline – to be able to
direct self and control behavior in
achieving goals
• Responsibility- to be accountable
to your actions
• Honest & Integrity – to be real,
genuine, truthful; to respect others
and self
 Virtues That Help Build
Character
• Loyalty - to care sincerely about
the well-being of family, friends,
and country
• Compassion & Mercy – to take
seriously the realities of other
persons, their lives, and their
emotions, as well as the external
circumstances
 Virtues That Help Build
Character
• Motivation & Hard Work – inner
urge that prompts individual to take
positive action
• Perseverance – sets realistic goals
and works hard to achieve them
 Class Discussion: Virtues
That Help Build Character

• What tends to enhance character

development?
• What tends to impede character
development?
Group Collaboration:

• Groups of 3-4 will select one of the

seven virtues and write a case study
(scenario) to illustrate how this
virtue may impede or enhance
character development.
• You will role-play/illustrate your
chosen virtue.
My Ethical Will

• Think about character and personal

priorities that help build character.
• Write what you think is important
about your character that you
would like to pass on to your
children.
– Min. of 5 complete sentences

http://www.ethicalwill.com/whatsin.html