Personal Development

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 • 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 • 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 • 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

Personal Development