UNPACKING THE SELF
1: The Physical Self Lesson
Chapter 2: 2: The Sexual Self Lesson
3: The Material Self Lesson
4: The Spiritual Self Lesson
5: The Political Self Lesson
6: The Digital Self
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Understand the stages of life and explain the physical changes that occur
during each stage;
2. Identify the contributions of genetic and environmental factors on physical
development of the self;
3. Describe the factors that affect body image;
4. Examine the impact of the culture on the body image and self; and
5. Develop a positive body image.
STAGES OF LIFE SPAN
The Physical Self refers to the body that includes basic parts such as head, neck, arms, and
legs. It is also made up of other organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, and
muscles; these organs works together to perform many of its functions such as breathing,
walking and dancing.
▪ The body's ability to perform its functions gradually changes through the years. In general, the
body performs its functions least well during (1) infancy and (2) old age.
▪ Physical efficiency generally peaks in early adulthood and declines into the middle age.
Physical development and growth during childhood continues at a slow rate compared with
rapid rate of growth in babyhood.
▪ Each individual goes through a succession of the development stages. One of the most crucial
stage of development is the adolescence stage. The adolescence is the stage of development
characterized by rapidly physical changes that includes the maturation of the reproductive
system. It begins with the onset of puberty.
▪ Elizabeth B. Hurlock (2001) outlined the stages of lifespan or the development from conception
to death. She divided the stage into ten (10) parts:
1. Prenatal - fertilization to the birth
2. Infancy - birth to 2 weeks of life
2 weeks of life to 2nd
-
3. Babyhood year
4. Early Childhood - 2 to 6
5. Late Childhood - 6 to 10 or 12
6. Puberty - 10 or 12 to 14
7. Adolescence - 14 to 18
8. Early Adulthood - 18 to 40
9. Middle Adulthood - 40 to 60
10. Late Adulthood - 60 to death
▪ Part of these stages is changes in the body. For the longest time, there has been on-going debate on the factors that affecting physical
growth and development. Socio-biologists, psychologists and others in the natural sciences argue that behavior traits can be explained
by genetics. On the other hand, Sociologists, anthropologists and others in the social sciences argue that human behavior is learned and
shaped trough interaction. Based on these arguments, two (2) factors are considered.
▪ HEREDITY
-Heredity is the biological process of transmission of traits from parents of offspring. the sex and other
physical traits are determined by the combination of (1) chromosome and (2) genes during fertilization
(the union of the two cells: Egg and Sperm).
❑ Chromosomes are thread like tissues that carries the genes and are usually found in pairs; classified
as autosomes or trait chromosomes (22 pairs) and gonosome or sex chromosomes.
❑ A human typically has 23 pairs of chromosomes. Genes, on the other hand, are the basic carriers of
hereditary traits. It can be classified into Dominant (strong genes) and Recessive (weak genes).
• ENVIRONMENT
-Environment refers to the factors to which the
individual is exposed after conception to death
which includes learning and experience. Factors
such as diet, nutrition, and diseases play an
important role in physical development.
BODY IMAGE
▪ Body image refers to how individuals perceive, think, and feel about their body and physical appearance. It may range between positive
and negative experiences, and one person may feel at different times positive/negate or both.
▪ Appearance refers to everything about a person that others can observe such as height, weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle. Through
appearances, people show others the kind of persons they are. It appears that the body image is related to self-esteem.
▪ Self-esteem is a person’s overall evaluation of his or her own worth. Low self-esteem is very common is adolescents.
▪ Adolescents worry about different parts of their bodies. Younger women and girls tend to have poor body image. Three (3) of the most
common causes of poor body image are:
1. Emphasis on thin ideal body lead girls to experience body dissatisfaction
2. Bullying and peer pressure have been associated with greater body
dissatisfaction.
3. Media such as television, advertisements, music and movies. filled with good-
looking faces, making women and men more concerned with physical attractiveness.
results to paying a great deal of money for the physical attractiveness that women
and men want to achieve The reality, however, is that the standards of beauty
presented in the media are so unrealistic.
BODY IMAGE CAN AFFECT BOTH THE ADOLESCENT’S PHYSICAL AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF POOR
BODY IMAGE INCLUDE:
1. BODY DISSATISFACTION
2. DEPRESSION
3. LOW-SELF ESTEEM
4. EATING DISORDER a. Bulimia the purging person induces after binging on large quantities of food.
b. Anorexia Nervosa eating disorder in which the person refuses to eat for fear of gaining weight can result in
severe starvation and death mostly afflicts females between the ages of 12 and 40, although men may also
develop it.
5. BODY MODIFICATION – some people desperate change their physical appearance
Different forms: Tattooing Permanent make-up Body piercing Cosmetic surgery
CONCEPT OF BEAUTY
▪ In Egyptian art, beauty is portrayed in women with slim, high waist,
narrow hips, and long black hair. Women with full figure and rounded
hips were considered beautiful during the Renaissance period. Some
tribes (e.g., Africa) during the medieval age consider chubby, fat, or
plum women beautiful.
▪ On the other hand, some tribes in Malaysia,
Philippines and Indonesia considered flat
noses to be the most attractive.
❑ Standards of beauty have change over time based on changing cultural values. However, all
cultures have more or less, the same concept standards of beauty.
Traditionally considered the most beautiful have:
1. clean and unblemished skin
2. thick shinny hair
3. well-proportioned bodies, and
4. symmetrical faces
❑ Beauty is considered important throughout history. This is because these features indicate youth, health, good genes, and fertility.
Beauty is important in all societies.
❑ Attractive people have a lot of advantages in life. For example, men tend to seek attractive women as mates.
❑ Studies have shown that men and women who are physically attractive have more opportunities such as job promotion, and income.
Also, people tend to view attractive people as good, happier, smarter, and better people.
❑ Generally, unattractive people are less like and assisted.
“It is, however, important to note that above all things physical, it is more important to be beautiful in the inside”
Lesson 2
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Explain the development of sex characteristics and human
reproductive system;
2. Describe the erogenous zones and understand human sexual
response;
3. Understand attraction, love, and attachment;
4. Explain sexual orientation;
5. Identify the causes and consequences of sexually transmitted
infections and early pregnancy; and
6. Reflect on the importance of contraception and Reproductive Health
Law.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
▪ The beginning of adolescence is marked by rapid physical changes including the maturation of the
reproductive system and the development of different sexual characteristics.
THERE ARE TWO (2) TYPES OF SEXUAL CHARACTERISTICS.
▪ The first one is called PRIMARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS; these are physical characteristics that
are present at birth.
In women, these characteristics include the vagina, uterus, and ovaries.
In men, the primary sex characteristics include the penis, testes or testicles, scrotum, and prostate
gland. Basically, primary sex characteristics are body structures that make the reproduction possible.
▪ The other sexual characteristic is called SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERISTICS.
Unlike the primary sexual characteristics, the Secondary Sexual Characteristics develop during the
onset of puberty.
For women, the earliest
evidences of puberty are the
enlargement of the breasts,
menstrual cycle, widening of
hips, enlargement of Testicular growth, sperm
buttocks, and growth of pubic production, appearance of
hair. facial, pubic, and other
body hair, and deepening
of voice are some of the
first signs of puberty in
men.
WHAT TURNS PEOPLE
ON?be produced by direct stimulation of the body’s
▪ Human sexual arousal may
erogenous zones. Erogenous zones refer to parts of the body that are
receptive and increase sexual arousal when touched in a sexual manner.
According to Freud, erogenous zones are areas of the body that provide
pleasure. Some of the commonly known erogenous zones are the genitals,
mouth, breast, ears, anus, and to lesser degree, the entire surface of the
body.
▪ One of the most basic sexual stimulation is masturbation of self-
stimulation that causes sexual pleasure or orgasm. Other sexual
activities such as intimate kissing, cuddling, necking, petting, or touching
the erogenous zones may be uniquely important to sexual arousal.
▪ One of the most basic sexual stimulation is masturbation of self-
stimulation that causes sexual pleasure or orgasm. Other sexual
activities such as intimate kissing, cuddling, necking, petting, or
touching the erogenous zones may be uniquely important to sexual
arousal.
William Masters and Virginia Johnson used the term sexual-
response cycle to describe the changes that occur in the
body as men and women become sexually aroused. They
divided the sexual response cycle into four (4) phases.
1. Excitement Phase
– beginning of sexual arousal
– can last from one minute to several hours
– Pulse rate increases, blood pressure rises, breathing quickens, and the skin shows a rosy flush
particularly on the chest and breast area during this phase
– The nipples harden and erect in both men and women.
– In men, the penis becomes erect, the skin of the scrotum thickens, and the testes increase in
size.
– In women, the clitoris swells, the lip of the vagina open, and the inside of the vagina moistens in
preparation of sexual intercourse.
2. Plateau Phase
– the change in the body are continued
– Breathing becomes more rapid, heart rate increases, body temperature rises, and blood
pressure increases during this stage.
– In men, the penis become more erects, the circumference of its head increases, and releases
few drops of fluid.
– In women, the outer part of the vagina swells with increased amount of blood to that area,
while the clitoris retracts under the clitoral hood nut remains highly sensitive.
– The outer lip of the vagina becomes redder in color.
3. Orgasmic Phase
– orgasmic contractions of the muscles happens in the release of the semen which contains the
sperm cells
– Men usually achieve one intense orgasm.
– In women, orgasm involves the contraction of the pelvic muscles that surround the vaginal
walls and can happen multiple times.
4. Resolution Phase
– the body returns to its normal state after orgasm
– In men, the erection is lost, the testes decrease in size and the skin of scrotum thins again.
– In women, the clitoris, the color of the outer lip of the vagina, and the lips of the vagina return
to its normal state.
Sexual orientation refers to sexual and romantic feelings for people of the same
gender, a different gender, or more than one gender.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES OR STD’s/STIs
RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD is the will and ability of
parents to respond to the needs and aspirations of the family
and children. It is a shared responsibility of the husband and the
wife to determine and achieve the desired number, spacing, and
timing of their children according to aspirations, psychological
preparedness, health status, socio-cultural, and economic status
(Directional Plan of POPCOM, n.d).
ROBERT STERNBERG
American Psychologist
TRIANGULAR THEORY OF LOVE
The triangular theory of love holds that love can be understood in terms of three
components that together can be viewed as forming the vertices of a triangle. The
triangle is used as a metaphor, rather than as a strict geometric model. These three
components are intimacy, passion, and decision/commitment. Each component
manifests a different aspect of love.
1. Intimacy
Intimacy refers to feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness in
loving relationships.It thus includes within its purview those feelings that give
rise, essentially, to the experience of warmth in a loving relationship
(Sternberg, 1986).
2. Passion
Passion refers to the drives that lead to romance, physical attraction, sexual
consummation, and related phenomena in loving relationships. The passion
component includes within its purview those sources of motivational and
other forms of arousal that lead to the experience of passion in a loving
relationship (Sternberg, 1986).
3. Commitment
Commitment refers, in the short-term, to the decision that one loves a certain
other, and in the long-term, to one's commitment to maintain that love. These
two aspects of the decision/commitment component do not necessarily go
together, in that one can decide to love someone without being committed to
the love in the longterm, or one can be committed to a relationship without
acknowledging that one loves the other person in the relationship (Sternberg,
1986).
RA 10354
• The Responsible Parenthood
and Reproductive Health Act of
2012 (Republic Act No. 10354),
informally known as the
Reproductive Health Law or RH
Law. It is a law which guarantees
universal access to methods of
contraception, fertility control,
sexual education and maternal
care.
