THE PHYSICAL SELF

The Concept of Physical Self:

 The body
 The concrete dimension
 The tangible aspect of every person
 Complex, marvelous container
 Directly observed and examined
 William James – the body is the initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance of
personality.
 Erik Erickson – the role of the bodily organ is especially important in the early developmental stages of a
person’s life.
 Indian tradition – looks growth and enlightenment as the whole-body event, which is not possible until one
has a pure and strong body.
 Biological entity – the body performs a distinct function
 Social entity – the most visible way of showing and expressing one’s identity.

Standards of Beauty
 Symmetry – is defined not with proportions, but rather with the similarity between the left and right sides of
the face.
 Standards of beauty are arbitrary
 They vary hugely both from one culture to another and over time.

Beauty And Self-Expressions Across Cultures

 Since birth, the socialized body is subjected to cultural norms.
 Across cultures, beauty and self-expression are directed towards different kinds of body modifications:
 Lip plate
- also termed as lip disc or lip plug, is a body modification in which increasingly large circular discs
made of wood or clay are inserted into a pierced hole in either the lower or upper lip or both, thus,
stretching the lips.
- although labial plates were also traditionally worn by Suya men of Brazil, Sara women of Chad,
the Makonde of Mozambique, and the Botocudo of coastal Brazil, the only tribes that still follow
this tradition are the Mursi and Suri tribes of Ethiopia.
- best seen as an expression of female maturity, social adulthood, and reproductive potential and
readiness
- main visible distinguishing characteristic of the Mursi and made them a prime attraction for
tourists
- symbolizes a link between the individual and society - between the ‘biological self’ and the ‘social
self’.
 Neck Rings
- a form of body modification in which rings are put on the neck in order to lengthen it without using
any surgical cosmetic procedures.
- villagers wore them as a defense against tiger attacks, which were most likely to be directed at
the neck
- was to protect women from being taken by men of rival tribes by giving them a less-appealing look
- the look is considered to be beautiful and elegant.
 Foot Binding
- an attractive quality
- to restrict their normal growth and make their feet as small as possible
- to distinguish girls of the upper class from everyone else, and later as a way for the lower classes
to improve their life chances or social prospects.
- to have feet no longer than 3-4 inches
- they were known as jinlian - “Golden Lotus” or “Lotus” feet after the central life symbol of
Buddhism
- The smaller the feet, the more attractive they were, even erotic for some, and it became a distinct
mark of elegance.
  Scarification
- the practice of engraving or incising the skin, in which the shape and design of the scar tissue on
various parts of the body are controlled.
- through the use of sharp objects such as a stone, glass, knife, or coconut shell.
- Cicatrisation is a special form of scarification
- distinguishes the person from anyone else, tells the rank in society, family, clan, and tribe
- it is like wearing your identity card on your face
- this is a mark of pride, not shame.
 Facial Tattoos
- women have their faces inscribed with tattoos, to portray their transition into adulthood
- “Marker of cultural identity”- constant reminder of the girl’s roots
- Uiaku village somewhere in Papua New Guinea, there live the Maisin women
- 4 weeks and girls seclude and live with the tattooist without being known
- leave the house and must be covered
- symbolic in appearance but has no meaning, just telling people they are adults already.
- spontaneous designs that follow the shape of the girl’s face; swirls on the cheeks and a ‘V’ pattern
on their forehead
- girls are forbidden from eating certain foods, which are thought to bleach the skin, including
whitefish and coconut

The Five Global Beauty Archetypes

 The Powerful Peacocks – 15% of the population, are particularly drawn to experimentation. They love the
dynamism in beauty, in part because they’re looking to get ahead in a dynamic world. Particularly present in
rapidly growing China, Powerful Peacocks associate beauty with career success and power.
 The Seductive Foxes – 27% of the population, are the largest group globally, love to use beauty products to
enhance their femininity. Seductive Foxes associate beauty with romantic and sexual prowess, and like using
cosmetics to feel sexy.
 The Social Butterflies – 16% of the population, love the beauty conversation. They enjoy sharing tips with their
friends, being inspired by beautiful women, and the feeling of contentment and success that comes with
looking beautiful. Particularly present in Latin America, Social Butterflies have grown up buying beauty
products from their friends and neighbors who are direct sellers.
 The Graceful Swans – 23% of the population, like the subtle enhancements that come from using good beauty
products. For them, beauty leads to confidence and contentment. Graceful Swans appear most frequently in
Europe and the US and like to focus on improving their existing beauty.
 The Comfortable Cats – 19% of the population, are largely happy with their natural beauty. While they do use
some beauty products, they are the least likely to hope for or expect dramatic changes. More concentrated in
Europe and the US than emerging markets. Comfortable Cats view a few staple beauty products here and
there as a means to feel even more comfortable in their skin.
 THE SEXUAL SELF AND FAMILY PLANNING

What is Sexual Self?

 Sexual self or sexual self-concept – refers to the totality of oneself as a sexual being, including positive and
negative concepts and feelings (Brenner, 2019).

Human Sexuality
 Sexuality – is one of the fundamental drives behind everyone’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors (Locas and
Fox, 2019).
 Understanding one’s sexuality encompasses the ways a person expresses personality in the areas of sexual
attraction, intimacy, and physical sexual activity. It goes beyond the physical sexual development, and
highlights three important components:
 Sex – is defined as being male or female, determined biologically upon fertilization.
 Gender – is the psychological sense of being male or female under social, cultural, and/or personal
norms.
 Sexual orientation – refers to the preference of a person for a romantic and sexual relationship.

History
 Richard Von Krafft-Ebing – studied variations and deviations of human sexual behavior.
 Henry Havelock Ellis – an English physician, was the first to extensively study the role of social and cultural
factors of human sexual behavior and homosexuality.
 Alfred C. Kinsey – became a known figure in his researches about human sexual behaviors and activities.

Biological and Psychological Features of Sexuality

 The reproductive system – ensures survival and the preservation of human species.
 The reproductive system – is different from other body systems in that a person has the choice not to use it
to its full capacity—to procreate thus individuals can decide not to reproduce (Encyclopedia.com, 2019).

Functions of the Reproductive System

 to produce hormones
 to produce egg and sperm cells
 to nurture the developing offspring
 to transport and sustain these cells

Fertility
 Fertility – refers to the capability to produce offsprings.
 Among females, fertility – means the possibility of getting pregnant when a sperm fertilizes a mature ovum
during sexual intercourse. The female fertility begins in puberty (age 9-12) during menarche and ends upon
menopause.
 During puberty, a man is said to be fertile through “wet dreams”. This signifies his capacity to fertilize a
woman’s mature egg during sexual intercourse.

Human Sexual Behavior

 Human sexual behavior – refers to a broad range of behaviors in which humans display their sexuality.
 Two types of sexual behavior:
 Solitary behavior – is a practice of self-stimulation until sexual arousal to sexual climax is met. It is a
self-gratification act that starts in puberty and is common among males and unmarried.
 Sociosexual activity – involves two or more persons heterosexually or homosexually.

Erogenous Zones
 Erogenous zones – are parts of the human body that are sensitive to any kind of physical touch, not just
sexually as these zones have a rich array of nerve receptors.
 However, the interpretation given to the touch is important for it to cause sexual arousal.
 Among the known erogenous zones are the mouth, anus, genitals, breasts, neck, and ears.

The Phases of Sexual Response

1.Excitement phase 2. Plateau phase 3. Orgasm 4. Resolution phase
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
 The term Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) – formerly called venereal diseases, refers to conditions caused
by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites spread through sexual contact and other means such
as sharing needles and breastfeeding
 STDs:
 Syphilis – this is caused by a bacterium spirochete called Treponema pallidum and is characterized by
one or more ulcerative lesions (e.g., chancre) which occurs in stages. Primary and secondary syphilis
can be treated with antibiotics; however, if left untreated may progress to the tertiary stage with
serious complications involving major body organs.
 Chancroid – this is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Haemophilus ducreyi. Symptoms include
painful genital ulceration and inflammatory or enlargement of lymph nodes. Contagious but curable.
 Chlamydia trachomatis Infection – Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis may show no symptoms
until after a long time. Men often experience a burning sensation during urination and pus coming
out from the penis. Women may be asymptomatic; however, they may have burning and itching of
the vagina in some.
 Genital Warts – this is an infection caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) characterized by the
presence of visible, small, hard growths or bumps on the internal or external genitalia or anal area.
This infection may not be dangerous but are associated with cervical cancer.
 Genital Herpes – this is among the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases characterized by
small, painful lesions in the genital area caused by the herpes simplex virus
 Gonorrhea – this is a bacterial infection commonly manifested by the discharge of pus from the penis,
painful urination, yellow-green vaginal discharge in its early stages.
 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) – according to the Department of Health, Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome is the appearance of clinical manifestation of the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection). In this state, the person is prone to infections of unlimited
extents and possibilities. Infections may have different presentation and severity. This can be
transmitted through blood, semen, breast milk, and vaginal fluids.

Responsible Sexual Behavior

 Contraceptives – are safe for the use of young people, but it is still best to practice ABSTINENCE until they
reach the proper age to start a family (DOH Handbook, 2010)

Methods of Contraception
1. Natural Methods
 Fertility Awareness-Based Methods – this involves the determination of the fertile and infertile
periods of a woman within the menstrual cycle. The effectiveness of all FAB Methods is above 95%
effective if properly used or executed. Specifically, these are among the FAB contraceptives:
 Cervical Mucus/Billings Ovulation Method (CMM/BOM)
 Basal Body Temperature (BBT)
 Sympto-Thermal Method (STM
 Standard Days Method (SDM)
 The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) – during breastfeeding, when the infant sucks the nipple,
nerve impulses are sent to the mother’s hypothalamus, which responds by changing the production
of the pituitary hormones.
2. Artificial Methods
 Hormonal Contraceptive Methods (the use of pills) – it prevents ovulation by suppressing follicle-
stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Cervical mucus thickened, making it difficult
for sperm to pass through.
 Male Condom – a barrier method that mechanically or chemically prevent fertilization or the union of
the egg and sperm cell. It is the only method in the Philippines that also protects the person form
sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).
 Long-Acting and Permanent Methods:
 Copper-bearing IUDs
 Bilateral tubal ligation (BTL)
 THE SPIRITUAL SELF

What is Religion?
 comes from the Latin word “religio” meaning “conscientious” or “reverence”, and may be related to the word
“religare”, which means “to bind fast”.

Common Religious Worldviews

1. It is a code of ethical behavior or moral order.
2. It has a large following, either currently or at some time in the past.
3. It is a set of myths or stories about this unseen world and rituals to commune with it or appease it.
4. It is a system of organized rituals celebrated in holy places by consecrated persons and embodied in sacred
texts.
5. These are statements about life beyond death, either as survival in some shadowy world of the dead, in some
version of heaven and hell, or through reincarnation.
6. They have various ways of dealing with people’s relationship to the unseen and transcendent realm of
existence, usually inhabited by spirits, deities, demons, and ancestors.

Spirituality – “The quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matters”

Basic components of spirituality

1. Prayer or attending to interior life keeps an adherent centered on the essentials of the religious tradition and
facilitates the development of moral integrity.
2. It is striving to live out the ethical demands of the religious tradition on the social or communal level.
3. It is active involvement in a community of believers provides the adherent some support
4. Fellowship, accountability, and opportunities are for communal spiritual exercise.

The Nexus of Religiousity and Spirituality

 Spirituality – is about a person’s beliefs, values, and behavior, while Religiousness is about the person’s
involvement with a religious tradition and institution
 Spirituality and Religion – intertwine to lead the believer into an authentic and dynamic search for meaning
and wholeness.

General Views on The Relationship Between Spirituality and Religiousness

1. The incompatibility of spirituality and religiousness in terms of separating the substantive and functional
aspects of religion
2. The compatibility of spirituality and religiousness.

Appraising the Different Religion and Practices Understanding the Self

1. Reality – this is answering the question of whether or not there is really God or gods.
2. Quantity – the consideration of sacredness is also dependent on whether there is just one God or many gods.
3. Relation with nature – this explores the view of whether God or the gods exist outside or within the natural
world

Views to the existence of God Understanding the Self

1. Theism – asserts the reality of God or gods
2. Atheism – renounces the existence of God
3. Agnosticism – asserts the uncertainty of the existence of God
4. Non-theism – uncertainty of what religious position
5. Monotheism – belief that there is only one God
6. Polytheism – belief of the existence of many gods that may either leads to Henotheism and Kathenotheism.
 Henotheism – they serve and worship one god but believe in the existence of many gods.
 Kathenotheism – they worship a single god at a time or when it worships different gods at different
times.

There is no general rule as to how one is to be religious and/or spiritual. What matters most is the recognition that
human beings create meaning and find direction in day to day leaving. Help one to perceive our environment and
in building social relationships.
 THE MATERIAL AND ECONOMIC SELF

What do your possessions mean?

 a key to understanding possession is recognizing that your possessions are part of yourselves and that they
are major contributors of your identities
 possessions are reflections of your identities as well

What do your possessions mean?

 defining possessions as all things we call as ours, according to James, simply means that we are the sum of all
our possessions

The Self and Our Possessions (Extended Self)

 There are various pieces of evidence showing that possessions are an important component of your sense of
self since they become your extended Self
 Defining yourselves by or with your possessions can contribute to your feelings of well-being
 Noticeable evidence is also observed on your diminished sense of self when your possessions are accidentally/
unintentionally lost.
 The extended self is viewed not only limited to external objects and personal possessions, it also includes
persons, places, group possessions, as well as your body parts and vital organs
 In your entire human development, pieces of evidence suggest that identification with your things begin early
in life since you were infants.
 Putting importance on your material possessions tends to decrease as you age.
 It remains high throughout life as you pursue to express yourselves through your possessions and use material
possessions to seek your happiness.
 Klein and Baker (n.d.) stated that several studies looked into age and possessions, and their findings suggest
that older people relate to their special possessions differently than younger people
 Among adolescents, one element of their search for identity is through acquiring and accumulating selected
consumption objects such as the brand of clothes they wear, their taste for food and beverage choices, their
choice of mobile phone brands, and others.
 During middle adulthood, the emphasis on defining one’s Self shifted from ‘what one does’ to defining the self
through ‘what one has’
 By the age of 40’s to 50’s, social power and status are cited as their main reasons to own personal possessions
 Gender studies on possessions revealed the predictable differences that men versus women are more likely
to hold certain special possessions.
 Difference in the meaning they put into their possessions; autonomy seeking for men and affiliation
seeking for women (Klein & Baker, n.d.).
 Men have a tendency to value possessions for self-focused and instrumental reasons
 Women tend to emphasize expressive and other-oriented reasons for feeling attachment to
possessions.

Ways of Integrating Possessions into the Extended Self

 Ways of Incorporating Possessions into the Extended Self:
 Control Mastery – the premise behind this is that objects are experienced as part of yourself when
you can already exercise power and control over them.
 Creation – the idea of having a sense of ownership as the creator, which impels you to incorporate
and make it a part of your extended self. Whether the thing crafted or created is a material object or
an abstract thought, as the creator, you usually keep your identity in that object or thought (Belk, n.d.)
 Knowledge – Sartre (as cited in Belk, n.d.) postulated that the relationship in knowing the object
(whether it is a person, place, or thing) is inspired by a bodily and sexual desire to have the object.
Furthermore, when the object is known passionately, it is only then that the object becomes a subject.

Materialism
 Defined in dictionaries, refers to your preoccupation or obsession with material objects, comforts, and
considerations, with a disinterest in spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values. In other words, it is the
importance you attach to worldly possessions (Belk, n.d.)
 Watson (2014) explained materialism conceptually as a lifestyle where happiness may be achieved by attaining
material objects, wealth, or status
According to Richins and Dawson (1992), three elements typically constitute materialism:
1. The belief that acquisitions is necessary for happiness
2. The tendency to judge one's self and others successes by looking into their possessions
3. The significance of acquisition and possessions in one's life
 Hence, they see their purchasing behavior as a way to attain happiness, develop relationships with others,
achieve their sense of self-worth, and attain their important life goals.

Personal Financial Management

 Financial management refers to handling your financial situation responsibly to achieve financial
independence (Towanda, n.d.)
 This means it is how you deal in terms of managing your money in all aspects of life.
 This also involves personal financial and organization management.
 Personal financial management is the way of controlling income and organizing expenses through a detailed
financial plan, which involves budgeting, saving, investing, and debt management (Bhatt, 2011; Munohsamy,
2015).
 This refers to your skill of tracking your money that comes in (income), and how you tailor-fit the utilization of
that income in a systematic way (expenses).

Why is it important to learn personal financial management?

 The following are advantages and benefits of personal financial management (Bhatt, 2011; Munohsamy,
2015):
1. Reduces financial stress
2. Reduces our debts and poverty
3. Improves our standard of living
4. Helps us to create a comfortable life
5. Gives us an assured and secured future
6. Increases our savings and investments
7. Enables us to make better financial decisions
8. Leads us to be more successful in our finances
9. Gives us the freedom to spend money to keep us happy

Effective Strategies for Personal Financial Management:

1. Set Goals
2. Prepare networth statement
3. Gather past income and expense records
4. Complete the spending and saving forms
5. Keep all records of spending and saving
6. Evaluate the plan
 MY ONLINE IDENTITY AND OTHERS IN CYBERSPACE

The essential social relationships most influence a person's life is self-concept. "Family members, friends, and
romantic partners are incorporated the most; co-workers, team members, and neighbors somewhat less; and mere
acquaintances and strangers the least.

There are three basic kinds of people you interact online:

1. Individuals who are total strangers
2. Persons you only encounter virtually and personally, and
3. Individuals you only met on social media.

I, Me, Myself, and my User ID Online Identity

 The digital self is developed exclusively through online communication without the interference of nonverbal
input and the impact of customary aspects.
 The digital self's investigation will add to our comprehension of the procedures through which communication
influences the development of individual personalities (Zhao, 2005)
 The digital self that youngsters come to gain through associations with intangible materials in the
mysterious online world can be portrayed as:
1. Inwardly oriented – in a person's inward world, concentrating on thoughts, emotions, and characters
rather than on the person's external world, focusing on stature, weight, and looks.
2. Narrative in nature – when an individual states who he is and what he does, the digital self starts to
come to fruition.
3. Retractable – the advanced self-developed online is withdrawn from the mortal body, which, in
Goffman's study (1959), fills in as the "peg" on which oneself is hung in actual connection.
4. Multiplied – the self is a reflection of multiplicity in society. In traditional society, homogeneous
networks show a bound together aggregate disposition that cultivates an increasingly unitary self in
children.

Presentation of Self & Impression Management

 In the discussion under sociological perspectives as it influences the self-concept, Erving Goffman (1959, 1967)
theorized notions concerning the presentation of self in everyday face-to-face interactions, which intruded
the theoretical concepts of dramaturgy and impression management.

Selective Self Presentation and Impression Management

 Self-presentation is conduct that endeavors to give some data about oneself or some characteristics of oneself
to others. It signifies a class of inspirations in human behavior. These inspirations are, to some extent, stable
attitudes of people; however, they rely upon situational variables to evoke them. In particular, self-
presentational enthusiasm is enacted by others' evaluative presence and by others' (even potential)
understanding of one's conduct.
 Two types of self-presentational motivations can be distinguished (Baumeister, 1982a).
 One (pleasing the audience) is to match one's self-presentation to the audience's expectations and
preferences.
 The other (self-construction) is to match one's self-presentation to one's ideal self.

Impression Management
 The concept of impression management is a dramaturgical metaphor of individuals as actors on a stage
performing for the audience (Goffman, 1959). Individuals interact with others in such a manner that they could
create a positive image of themselves in the minds of others to fulfill their physiological and psychological
needs.
 From the perspective of social psychology, impression management is concerned with studying how
individuals present themselves to others to be perceived favorably by others (Hooghiemstra, 2000)
 Most of the literature on impression management focuses on using impression management tactics adopted
by individuals to be liked and be seen attractive (Cole & Rozelle, 2011).
 Another theory proposed by Jones and Pittman (1982) suggests that impression management strategies used
by individuals aim to protect and maintain one's power. They offered five strategies of impression
management as ingratiation, self-promotion, exemplification, intimidation, and supplication.
Impact of Online interactions on Self
 Many factors affect the potency and prevalence in social media of self-effects. Firstly, there is a massive
exchange of information that has named 'mass self-communication' (Castells, 2007).

Three Potential Reasons Why Teenagers Go Online and Meet Strangers

1. Young people are at a phase of life when they start to investigate their existence; thus, they are risk-takers.
2. Young people view the online world as a more secure spot to cooperate with others.
3. Adolescents go online to search for a "perfect partner" or somebody they can identify with. The online
condition ends up being a perfect spot for "heart-to-heart" talks.

Private Self vs. Public Self

 Private – the common definition among social psychologist is that private refers to mental events in a person
that are inherently unobservable by other.
 Public – what social psychologist considers as "public” are behaviors that are open to the observations of other
people.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media:

1. You reach large audiences.
2. You can create viral content.
3. You can create organic content.
4. You drive traffic to your website.
5. You can bond with your viewers.
6. You can uncover valuable insights.
7. You can evaluate your performance.
8. You promote your ideas with too much time and effort.

Four Downsides to Social Media:

1. You have to wait to see results.
2. You can receive negative feedback.
3. You open up the potential for embarrassment.
4. You give too much time and effort to promote your ideas.

Gender and Sexuality Online

 Sex is biologically determined, but gender is not biological, but it refers to a socially constructed set of behavior
patterns.
 The concepts of gender are composed of elements of your identity and the identities we assume other people.
Media establish these "identities" to modify or even to define them. Through his visibility, media makes us
grow up with an awareness of what constitutes 'appropriate' characteristics for objects and humans. It is
straightforward to recognize that typically masculine means tough, hard, sweaty, and usually feminine
suppose fragility, softness, fragrant.