The Future Self

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 Module 8.
The
Future
Self

Your understanding of your inner self holds the meaning of your life Click Here to Start
Module 8. The Future Self

Module Objectives
To introduce the future-oriented
perspectives of the self. This aims to
present the role of self-determined aspect
of developing oneself according to how
people see themselves in the future.
Module 8. The Future Self Unit 2. The Possible Selves

This unit focuses on the Possible Selves

This module discusses how we foresee our theory of Markus and Nurius which
future on the basis of our past experiences and refers to a person’s belief of what might
present behavior. Using the Possible Selves he/she can become prospectively.
theory and Time Perspectives theory as Possible selves are typically viewed as a
backdrops, we explore future possibilities positive aspect of self-concept that
open to us and how we can open ourselves to would make one motivated in goal-
changes in the present to embrace that future. setting and sustaining present actions
that will potentially lead into attaining
Unit 1. The Future Self: Our the desired and expected self
outcomes.
past, present, and future SELF.
This unit focuses on the Time Perspective
Theory of Zimbardo explains that people are
likely to sort, categorize, and analyse their
human experiences into past, present, and
future timeframes, influenced by personal,
social, and institutional influences.

Click Here to Begin

Unit 1. The Future Self: Our past, present,
and future SELF.
This unit focuses on the Time Perspective Theory
of Zimbardo explains that people are likely to sort,
categorize, and analyze their human experiences
into past, present, and future timeframes,
influenced by personal, social, and institutional
influences.
Intended learning outcomes

At the end of this Unit, students are expected to

demonstrate the following:

1. Enumerate and discuss factors that are significant in one’s future.

2. Formulate goals and action plan that will help one in preparing for the future.
3. Synthesize and evaluate the different aspects of the future self that are necessary in the
preparation of one’s future.
Diagnostics
 Learning Checkpoint
Do you AGREE or DISAGREE?

 The future is not within our control.

 Our future self is predominantly predetermined by fate.

 Our past and present selves predict our future self.

Our failures in the past can help us succeed in the future.

 Success in the future lies in the hands of the person.

Unit 1. The Future Self: Our past, present,
and future SELF.

Understanding the self is not just about knowing who

and what we are as products of different life factors. The
Self, and its potentials and limits can be more thoroughly
understood by using a time-oriented lens which focuses
on how the self evolves from being the Self of the past,
of the present, and the possible Self in the future.
There is now a growing interest among scholars in
studying the future-oriented aspect of self-concept.
These areas of study primarily deal with the motivational
and socio-cognitive aspects of individual’s self-
conceptualization of who was one in the past, is now,
and can become in the future. .
Soren Kierkegaard
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

What he meant with this quote is that we have the capability to plan for our future if
we are able to understand and reflect retrospectively on our past experiences, past
choices and decisions, and past behavior. Apart from the past, we also have a more
direct control over our present circumstances; we may not be able to change what we
have gone through in the past but we can certainly do something in the present. Thus,
understanding our past and taking control of the present can certainly lead to an
optimistic future.
 Time Perspectives Theory
(Zimbardo, 1999)
How we envision our experiences is explained by the Time Perspectives Theory of
Zimbardo. In a nutshell, his theory explains that people are likely to sort, categorize,
and analyze their human experiences into past, present, and future timeframes,
influenced by personal, social, and institutional influences. The way we categorize
our experiences in specific timeframes allow us to derive meaning and put these in
an orderly and coherent manner and leads us to make decisions that balances the
past, present, and future. The theory also warns people against making decisions
dominated by only one time frame; thus, in planning and setting goals, it should be
something learned from our past, contextualized by the present, and facilitating
future growth and development.
 Five (5) Time Perspective Types
[1] Present-hedonistic individuals tend to be risk-takers, driven by sensory, concrete factors, driven by
pleasurable sensations, and often disregard negative consequences of their actions since they are
focused on the process rather than the outcome, and are often emotional and volatile. They are likely to
succumb to immediate pressures found in their environment, rather than make decisions that have
long-term consequences.
[2] Present-fatalistic individuals are those who feel their lives are out of their control and that no matter
what they do, things will not turn out as they plan it to be.
On the other hand, past-oriented individuals are likely to remain in their comfort zone, their actions
influenced by what has worked in the past [3] past-positive and constantly feeling regrets over prior
wrong decisions [4] past-negative.
[5] Future-oriented individuals base their present choices and action on long-term consequences. They
are likely to manifest delay of gratification, endure negative situations if they are likely to see the
benefits of doing such.
 Time Perspectives Theory
(Zimbardo, 1999)
According to Zimbardo, a healthy perspective is one that combines the past, present,
and future time perspectives. Remembering past lessons and gaining insights from
both positive and negative experiences, maximizing present opportunities and
circumstances, and planning for the future can have positive outcomes for the
student. Entering college, students carry with them both positive and negative
experiences from high school that may serve as reminders when they become
college students.
 Module 8. The Future Self
Unit 1. The Future Self: Our past, present, and future SELF.
Module Assessment
Check your workbook:
• Exercise No. 1 .0 My Own Time Perspective (My OTP) (pg. 167)

Assignment No. 17
Metacognitive Reading Report (pg. 168)
Readings:
• Zimbardo, P. G. and Metcalf, B. R. (2016). Time Perspective Theory. The Sage
Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology. USA: Sage Publications. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charis_Psaltis/publication/267154604_Ge
nder_and_Cognition/links/573ef52408aea45ee844ef11/Gender-and-
Cognition.pdf
• Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. N. (1999). Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable
individual-differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6),
1271–1288. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07368-2_2f5
Module 8. The Future Self Unit 2. The Possible Selves

This unit focuses on the Possible Selves

This module discusses how we foresee our theory of Markus and Nurius which
future on the basis of our past experiences and refers to a person’s belief of what might
present behavior. Using the Possible Selves he/she can become prospectively.
theory and Time Perspectives theory as Possible selves are typically viewed as a
backdrops, we explore future possibilities positive aspect of self-concept that
open to us and how we can open ourselves to would make one motivated in goal-
changes in the present to embrace that future. setting and sustaining present actions
that will potentially lead into attaining
Unit 1. The Future Self: Our the desired and expected self
outcomes.
past, present, and future SELF.
This unit focuses on the Time Perspective
Theory of Zimbardo explains that people are
likely to sort, categorize, and analyse their
human experiences into past, present, and
future timeframes, influenced by personal,
social, and institutional influences.

Click Here to Begin

Unit 2. The Possible Selves
This unit focuses on the Possible Selves theory of
Markus and Nurius which refers to a person’s
belief of what might he/she can become
prospectively. Possible selves are typically viewed
as a positive aspect of self-concept that would
make one motivated in goal-setting and
sustaining present actions that will potentially
lead into attaining the desired and expected self
outcomes.

Intended learning outcomes

At the end of this Unit, students are expected to

demonstrate the following:

1. Identify and explain how past and present experiences shape future possibilities.
2. Apply premises of possible-selves theory to their daily lives.
3. Come up with proximal and distal long-term goals.
Diagnostics
 Learning Checkpoint
Do you AGREE or DISAGREE?
 Our past and present situations do not have influence on our
future.

 We have no control over our future.

 Our future self can have multiple paths.

Our present behavior will have bearing on our future.

 It is our choice on how we plan for our future.

Unit 2. The Possible Selves

The Possible Selves Theory

How do we plan our future? Is it possible to shape it?

The answer is yes. While we live in the present and we
are bounded by present circumstances, we have the
capacity to make the right choices that will have
consequences and repercussions for the future. The
possible selves theory has outlined six (6) philosophical
premises that is not only crucial to our full self-
understanding but also vital in shaping our future.
1. Motivational resource and behavioral
blueprint of our self

How we envision ourselves to be fuels our drive to achieve those plans and enables us to set
specific short-term and long-term goals. If we see ourselves to be successful in our future
careers, then our present behavior is motivated by those plans we have and enables us to set
concrete targets in the future. For example, you are taking an engineering course and you see
yourself to be a successful engineer 6-7 years from now, then in your present situation, you are
likely to adopt behaviors that will facilitate achievement of that purpose and set concrete plans
such as “passing the licensure exams five years from now” or “landing a good job 6 years from
now.” Aside from having these concrete beliefs and thoughts, we derive pleasure and
satisfaction in making those plans, thus further channeling our behavior towards that end.

2. Ought-to selves
what you might become
Ideal or hoped-for selves
what you would like to become
Feared selves
what you are afraid of becoming
Having purely ideal or purely feared selves can
lead to detrimental ideas of the self. We plan
for the future because we have an ambition
for something good but at the same time,
having a healthy fear of what we do not what
to become. We have to be realistic in the
setting of our goals and in doing so, we need
to consider not only what we want to become
but the negative outcome of our ambitions. If
for example our goal is to be a board
topnotcher, our “ideal self”, then not having
realized this can lead to a “feared self” since
not achieving the goal will lead us to think we
are failures. We are driven toward our future
by setting realistic goals that balance between
what is ideal and our fears.
3. Our future self is intertwined with our past
and present selves

Our present situations enable us to think clearly what our options are, the decisions we need to
take, which would bring us closer to our future goals. For example, we find our present course
difficult and burdensome. If our future goal is to be a successful practitioner of our courses, then
we exert extra efforts in making sure we pass our courses despite the difficulty. On the other
hand, our past experiences also have bearing because there may be “enduring concerns” or
“unfinished business” that are brought to the present and thus, may be a driving force to our
future plans. One example is our parents’ expectations of our future. Do we take our present
courses because it is our choice or is it because it was an ambition of our parents that they
weren’t able to achieve?
4. Future selves is a product of our social
interactions

How we foresee our future is a product of our social contexts: our family, peers and colleagues,
schools and other institutions, society at large, and the digital world. Our family experiences
shape our ideal conceptions of our future family; the manner of our interaction with peers
influence our way of dealing with professional colleagues in the future; schools, social
institutions, and society at large exposes us to standards that we carry in our present and future
lives; and as a digital native, the technological landscape the millennial generation is exposed to
(via social media, web applications, technology-driven resources) have shaped their future
ambitions in determining what digital legacy they want to leave behind.
5. Life transitions that have an enabling
influence on our future selves

When there are changes in our present life circumstance (entering a new grade level,
transferring to a new school, shifting to a new course, changes in family situations, etc.), there
will also be changes to how we view our future life perspectives. However, we are not passive
recipients of these changes; we are equipped with human agency to effect those changes for
our future. For example, we entered college after graduating from high school, we have the
capacity to dictate how we want our future to become (planning on graduation, choosing a
career) on the basis of what is happening in the present.
6. Concepts of proximal and distal goals

We are more motivated to work on goals that are more immediate than those still far away. For
example, for first year college students, the proximal goal of graduating 4-5 years from now is
more relevant than finding a good job, as compared to graduating college students, whose goal
of finding a good job is equally as crucial as graduation. Thus, some students lay down simple
steps and concrete plans in ensuring their goals are achieved. Setting short-term (term,
semestral, yearly) and long-term goals (5 years, 10 years) is one way of ensuring that their future
self is fulfilled.
 Module 8. The Future Self
Unit 2. Possible Selves
Module Assessment
Check your workbook:
• Exercise No. 1 .0 My Present Behaviors and Actions (My PBA) (pg. 172)
• Exercise No. 2 .0 Our Present Behaviors and Actions (Our PBA) (pg. 173)
• Exercise No. 3 .0 My Future Self (pg. 174)
• Exercise No. 4 .0 Our Future Selves (OFS) (pg. 175)
• Exercise No. 5 .0 My Ideal Self (pg. 176)

Assignment No. 18
Metacognitive Reading Report (pg. 177)
Readings:
• Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9),
954–969. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-66X.41.9.954
• Oyserman, D., Elmore, K. C., & Smith, G. C. (2012). Self, self-concept, and identity.
(M. R. Leary & J. P. Tangney, Eds.), Handbook of Self and Identity. New York &
London: The Guilford Press. 69-86. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v10n03_13