Self, Inc. :   Self-exploration activities

Description/benefits

"Self, Inc." is a type of schematic organizer, a paper and pencil matrix designed  to represent strengths, areas to develop, and ways the self can impact future events.  The activity consists of a set of worksheets that are completed as a personal exploration and development exercise.  Self, Inc., is based on the metaphor of the self as a business or corporation.   For example, corporations have divisions (e.g., marketing, maintenance) with unique sets of descriptions and duties designed to support the overall productivity of the corporation.  Self, Inc., divides the human "self" into 7 "departments":  social, cognitive, overt behavior, physical health, emotional, motivational, and spiritual.

 

Periodically individuals stop and take a look at how their lives are going as a way to figure out what to do next.  Companies also have periodic reviews.  A company may discover which divisions are especially productive and then apply some of the successful strategies to other areas.  These reviews can also indicate which divisions of the company are overused or for other reasons are in need of attention (e.g., machinery needing updates, marketing department staff needing time management training).  Similarly, "Self, Inc." is a way for individuals to review the divisions of the "business" of self - their own personal operating procedures. 

Research Principles  

 Research in motivation and self-efficacy has shown that acts of representing possible (future) consequences in symbolic ways can increase motivation and goal achievement (Bandura & Cervone, 1983).  So thinking about the personal self and its separate parts (e.g., the social part of self, the cognitive part of self) symbolically as business divisions (e.g., the human resources department, the research and development team) can help clarify and motivate.  Studies in motivation have also been linked to internal standards and self-evaluation of an individual’s own performance (Bandura, 1977).  Exploring and reviewing the abilities and actions related to “parts” of self can help provide the individual with a fresh perspective for gaining feedback and obtaining motivation for taking new directions.  

Structural schemas such as Self, Inc. have been researched extensively at TCU for use in academic learning (see Brooks &Dansereau, 1983; Skaggs, Rewey, & Paulus, 1990).  Schemas to deal with personal information were a product of this research (Dansereau 1995); [p.108]

Schemas are effective in presenting personally relevant information on drugs and alcohol (Dees, 1991; Dees, Dansereau, Peel, Boatler, & Knight, 1991; Dees et al., 1992 Patterson & Dansereau, 1991).  A derived self-schema and a behavior pattern schema ... were used in the ... to present reasons and consequences associated with alcohol use, and information relevant to the development and maintenance of an alcohol pattern, respectively.  Compared to traditional methods of instruction, these methods led to better recall of the information and greater positive shifts in awareness and intentions. 

 

Schemas can help college students analyze their own personal knowledge and experiences (Dees, Dansereau, Peel, & Knight, 1993; Dees et al., 1992; Peel & Dansereau, 1991; Peel, Dansereau, & Dees 1991).  Student-completed schemas are seen by prospective counselors as more informative (e.g., revealing more gaps and stimulating more questions) than student-produced essays.  Also, the completion of schemas is viewed by the students as more effective than essay writing, especially by low verbal ability participants. 

Implementation/uses   

Self exploration

Personal problem solving

Work team communication

Team building

Limitations   

Reactions from our research participants tell us that personal schematic organizers are not  "hot with emotion."  Organizing what may have been a very emotional experience into a structured written account may be seen as simply a task to be done, a potential problem for procrastinators.  Once begun, however, the structure and damping of emotions can work in a positive way to promote new thinking about the situation and a product that can be used for, among other things, discussion with a counselor or advisor.

Links   

http://www.ibr.tcu.edu/pubs/recent/93abs.html

Another version of parts of self is offered at the Thinkerer site.  See Your Head Teams.

Email     

Please contact Dr. Newbern:    d.newbern@tcu.edu.

References  

Bandura, A.  (1977).  Social Learning Theory.  Englewood Cliffs, NJ:  Prentice-Hall. 

Bandura, A.  & Cervone, D. (1983).  Self-evaluative and self-efficacy mechanisms governing the motivational effects of goal systems.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45 (5), 1017-1028.

Brooks, L.W., & Dansereau, D.F. (1983). Effects of structural schema training and text organization on expository prose processing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 75(6), 811-820.

Dees, S. M., & Dansereau, D. F. (1993). Using schematic organizers to help college students organize personal concepts and behavior related to alcohol and cocaine use. Addictive Behaviors, 18(6), 645-657.

Dees, S. M., Dansereau, D. F., Peel, J. L., Boatler, J. F., & Knight, K. (1991). Using conceptual matrices, knowledge maps, and scripted cooperation to improve personal management strategies. Journal of Drug Education, 21(3), 211-230.

Dees, S. M., Dansereau, D. F., Peel, J. L., Knight, K., Boatler, J. F., & Loftis, M. (1992). Using knowledge maps and scripted cooperation to inform college students about patterns of behavior related to recurring abuse of alcohol. Addictive Behaviors, 17, 307-318.

Dees, S. M., Dansereau, D. F., Peel, J. L., & Knight, K. (1993). Using scripted cooperation to communicate information about the consequences of alcohol and cocaine use. International Journal of the Addictions, 28(2), 153-166.Dansereau, D.F. (1995)