Module 1.1: Understanding the Self and Life Skills

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering self-concept, self-esteem, emotion regulation, stress management, and coping with failure from Module 1.1.

Self-concept

A person's overall view of his/her appearance, character, abilities, preferences, strengths and weaknesses, family background, social role and status, etc.

Adolescence

The transitional stage between childhood and adulthood that roughly starts at the age of 10 and roughly ends at the age of 20.

Looking-glass self

A concept introduced by sociologist Charles Horton Cooley stating that a person can develop self-concept only by interacting with others and learning how others view and evaluate him/her.

Real self

A constituent part of self-concept referring to our true views on every aspect of our own characteristics at present.

Self in the eyes of others

A constituent part of self-concept referring to others' views on ourselves.

Ideal self

A constituent part of self-concept referring to the ideal characteristics we would like to have.

Role confusion

A state in Erik Erikson's theory where adolescents fail to establish a sense of identity and identify life goals, causing them to lose their direction in life and become passive.

Self-esteem

A person's subjective feeling and evaluation of himself/herself, including the level of appreciation of one's own image, abilities, achievements, and the feeling of self-worth.

Security

One of Michele Borba's five building blocks of self-esteem, defined as feeling valued, protected, and safe, as well as being willing to depend on others.

Selfhood

One of Michele Borba's five building blocks of self-esteem, defined as a feeling of individuality, including uniqueness in appearance, abilities, etc.

Affiliation

One of Michele Borba's five building blocks of self-esteem, defined as feeling accepted and recognised in interpersonal relationships and having a sense of belonging.

Mission

One of Michele Borba's five building blocks of self-esteem, defined as having life goals, being able to make decisions, and taking responsibility for the consequences.

Competence

One of Michele Borba's five building blocks of self-esteem, defined as a feeling that one is capable of meeting challenges and being able to accept one's own weaknesses.

Self-confidence

The confidence in one's own abilities to deal with things and the belief that one can accomplish a specific task or goal.

Self-actualisation

The highest human need in Maslow's hierarchy, referring to achieving one's full potential and realising one's ideals and aspirations.

Hierarchy of needs

Abraham Maslow's theory that divides human needs into five levels from low to high: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualisation.

SMART principle

A framework for setting attainable goals based on five criteria: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

Emotion

Our feeling or mental state arising from external stimuli, which can generally be classified into positive emotions and negative emotions.

Emotional quotient (EQ)

Indicators developed by scholars to measure a person's ability to manage emotions, read others' verbal and facial cues, and make rational decisions.

Pressure (stress)

Physiological and psychological reactions (such as nervousness, rapid heartbeat, and sweating) that occur when encountering changes, difficulties, or challenges.

Anxiety

The feeling of tension and unease that humans experience when facing a crisis.

Yerkes-Dodson law

A principle stating that pressure and performance have an inverted U-shaped relationship, where work performance is best when pressure is moderate, and poor when pressure is too little or too much.

Resilience

The ability to face difficulties, failure, and frustration positively and proactively, and the ability to recover from adversity physically and mentally.

International Day for failure

An event first held on 13 October 2010 by Finnish students to deliver the message that mistakes and failures are indispensable for success.

Gratitude

Being thankful for and cherishing the good things one has, as well as expressing thanks to others for their help.

Fixed mindset

The belief that one's abilities are fixed, and that failure shows a lack of abilities.

Growth mindset

The belief that one can overcome challenges brought by failure through hard work and learning.