Module 2

Unpacking the Self

Module Overview:

In this chapter, the student will explore some of the various aspects that make up
the self, such as the biological and material to the spiritual and political, including the
more recent digital self.

Module Outcomes:
At the completion of this course pack, learners should be able to:
 Explore the different aspects of self and identity;
 Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in integrating the various aspects
of self and identity;
 Describe the different forces and institutions that impact the development
of various aspects of self and identity; and
 Examine one’s self against the different aspects of self-discussed in class.

Lesson 1
My body. My choice.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:
 Define what is beauty;
 Discuss what the Philosophers think about beauty;
 Explain how cultural traditions shape body image;
 Analyse the relationship between body image and self-esteem; and
 Evaluate personal concept of physical beauty.

Time Frame: 3 hours

Introduction:
 Welcome! In this lesson we commence the second part of this course by
identifying the philosophical views and environmental factors that shape personal
understanding of the physical self. It also delves into psycho-socio-cultural issues
associated with physical well-being.

Activity: “How do I feel about myself?”

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

Below is a list of statements dealing with your general feelings about yourself. Please
indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each statement by putting () mark in
the column of your choice.

ITEMS STRONGLY AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY

AGREE AGREE
1. On the whole, I
am satisfied with
myself.
2. At times I think I
am no good at all.
3. I feel that I have a
number of good
qualities.
4. I am able to do
things as well as
most other
people.
5. I feel I do not
have much to be
proud of.
6. I certainly feel
useless at times.
7. I feel that I’m a
person of worth,
at least on an
equal plane with
others.
8. I wish I could
have more
respect for myself.
9. All in all, I am
inclined to feel
that I am a failure.
10. I take a positive
 attitude toward
myself.

Scoring: 2,5,6,8,9 are reversed score. Give “Strongly Disagree” 1point, “Disagree” 2
points, “Agree” 3 points, and “Strongly Agree” 4 points. Sum scores for all ten items.
Keep Scores on a continuous scale. Higher scores indicate higher self-esteem.

Analysis:

Answer the following questions:

 What does healthy self-esteem mean to you?
 What do you love the most about your body?
 What are the things you are good at?
 When do you feel self-sufficient?
 How often do you doubt your professional/ personal competence?
 What could be a problem if your looks do not match your physical standards?
 Based on the activity above, what is the significance of your score? Do you agree
with the result?

Abstraction:

I. What Philosophers think about beauty?

The nature of beauty is one of the most persistent and controversial

subjects in Western philosophy. Beauty, along with kindness, truth and
justice, was one of the highest values.
The two most-debated views about beauty are:
a. Beauty is objective (before 18th century)
i. St. Augustine believed that things gave delight because it was
beautiful.
ii. Plato conceptualization of beauty is a response to love and desire.
He argued that beauty exists in the realm of forms and that things
 look beautiful because they reflect the idea of beauty that already
exists in the realm of forms.
iii. Aristotle argued that the main forms of beauty are order, symmetry,
and definiteness, which can be demonstrated by mathematical
science.
b. Beauty is subjective (18th century)
i. David Hume – “Beauty is no quality in things themselves: it exists
merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind
perceives a different beauty. One person may even perceived
deformity, where another is sensible of beauty; and every individual
ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment, without pretending to
regulate those of others”
ii. Immanuel Kant – “The judgment of taste is therefore not a
judgment of cognition, and is consequently not logical but
aesthetical, by which we understand and that whose determining
ground can be no other than subjective”
iii. Francis Hutcheson – “The perception of beauty does depend on the
external sense of sight; however, the internal sense of beauty
operates as an internal or reflex sense. The same is the case with
hearing: hearing music doesn’t necessarily give the perception of
harmony as it is distinct from hearing “.

II. Psychological discovery about beauty

 Studies show that those who consider themselves attractive make
more money than those who look good than the average person. In
politics, voters who are actively involved in social and political issues
have a 90% chance of selecting candidates based on "attendance."
 These study results can be attributed to a cognitive bias called the
“halo effect”.
 o Cognitive bias – error in reasoning, evaluating, remembering, or
any other mental process that is often a result of holding on to
one’s preferences and beliefs regardless of contrary information
o Halo effect – tendency of people to rate attractive individuals
more favourably for their personality traits or characteristics as
compared to those who are less attractive
 Evolutionary psychology has found that some of the basic and

Figure 1. What is the Halo effect by Joshua Seong, 2020. (https://bit.ly/2YiYGgL)

important traits it encounters can indicate its quality as a partner in a
romantic relationship. The most important and permanent element of
facial attention is the structural features of the face. They are also
sexual in nature.
 In addition, our hormones form our faces. These gender-specific facial
features of adult men and women cause testosterone to be exposed
during a person's development. We are programmed to use strong
indicators of masculinity and femininity as this reflects a person's level
and health.

III. How cultural traditions shape body image

Cultural traditions can either be a positive or a negative influence on body
image and on self-
esteem. Body image
is generally how one
thinks and feels
 toward one’s own body (as cited in Otig, Gallinero, Bataga, Salado &
Visande, 2018).
People consider joining cultural groups to be who they are. As a result,
they are more likely to participate in such cultural programs and practices.
Choosing friends, media and even spouses from your culture. When culture is
considered an important activity individually, it is difficult for human beings to
cope with the conscious and unconscious influence of culture on human life.

IV. The 2.relationship

Figure between
Beauty standard across the worldbody image
by Esther and
Honig, 2014. self-esteem
(https://bit.ly/3hxdsbr)
The term self-
esteem was coined by William James in 1800. He presented self-esteem as
the number of successes a person achieves in the domains of life that are
important to him or her, divided by the number of failure s that occurred in
those areas. In the 1960’s behavioural scientists defined self-esteem in terms
of an attitude concerning one’s worth as a person (as cited in Otig et al.,
2018).
Self-esteem is about how you value yourself and how you treat other
people. It is important because it affects your state of mind and your behavior.
Body image on the other hand is how you look at your body, make you
attractive, and make yourself look like some other people. For many,
especially teenagers, body image is something that sings with pride.
If you have a positive image of your body, you can choose and accept
yourself in any way, even if you do not fit the popular notion of "beautiful" or
"beautiful". This healthy attitude allows you to explore other aspects of
growth, such as developing good friendships, being more independent of
parents, and challenging yourself physically and mentally. Developing these
parts of your body will increase your confidence.

V. The importance of physical beauty

Physical beauty is very important, so it is important to understand the
correct definition of physical beauty so as not to damage your self-confidence.
 The definition of the dictionary of physical beauty is: "The degree to which a
person or his physical characteristics are considered pleasant or beautiful."
Don't assume that the definition of "who" does not indicate what physical
features are attractive and invincible. This is because while physical beauty is
very important, the good news is that the standards of physical beauty vary
from person to person.
When your appearance does not match the quality of your beauty, self-
image problems arise. In order to have a positive self-image and better self-
confidence, you must first understand your misconceptions about physical
attraction.

Application:
Complete the statements below.
1. My philosophy of beauty is
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

2. A beautiful person is
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

3. I am beautiful because
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

4. List down names of people you know who are beautiful

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

Closure:

Well done! You have just finished Lesson 1 of this module which pointed out that
as a vessel of the self, the physical well-being of a person must be maintained at all
times. Should there be some parts of the lesson which you need clarification, please
ask your instructor during consultations.
When you're ready, move on to Lesson 2 in this module, which discusses the
concepts of fully asserting yourself as a sexual being, including positive and negative
thoughts and feelings, among others.
Lesson 2
Let’s talk about SEX

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:
 Define sexual self;
 Trace the human sexual development;
 Outline the human sexual response cycle;
 Explain the relationship of brain activity to sexual response;
 Recognize the diverse sexual behaviours;
 Identify sexual orientation and gender identity issues;
 Enumerate the various Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) and its
transmission;
 Discuss responsible parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012; and
 Differentiate methods of contraception.

Time Frame: 6 hours

Introduction:

This lesson addresses one of human development's most important elements,

the sexual self. It highlights environmental and biological factors that influence sexual
growth.

Activity 1: Characterizing Myself

Fill out the chart below.
 MY TRAITS My characteristics My characteristics My characteristics
or traits most or traits most traits not similar to
similar to those of similar to those of those of my father
my father my mother or my mother

Positive

Negative

Activity 2: Gender Sensitivity and Development Seminar/ Webinar

Analysis:

Answer the following questions:

 Are there more positive traits than negative traits written on your chart?
 What type of traits have you written on the chart? Which traits are observable
and which are not?
 Compare the traits written on the first two columns with those on their 3 rd. Are
there more physical traits than non-physical traits that have been recorded
 Are you happy for having those traits? Have you ever expressed your gratitude?
 Have you ever expressed your gratitude to your parents for passing those traits
to you?
 How does gender play a role in development?
 Why is gender equality important?
 Do you think women are inferior to men or vice versa?
 Does sexism exist only to a certain gender?
 What factors do you think contribute to gender and identity issues?

Abstraction:

I. Definition of sexual self

 According to Ariola (2018) sexual self refers to the individual’s
feelings, actions, and behaviour concerning various aspects as
development of secondary sex characteristics, human reproductive
system, the erogenous zones of the body, the biology of sexual behaviour,
chemistry of lust, love and attachment, among many others.

II. Development of secondary sex characteristics and the human reproductive

system
Immediately after fertilization of the egg, the development of the
reproductive system begins. Rapid reproductive development occurs in
the uterus; But when a baby is born before puberty, the reproductive
system changes a little.
In the absence of a special chemical code, all fertilized eggs occur
in women, so the gender of a woman is considered "basic". To become a
fertilized egg, a cascade of chemical reactions must be triggered by a
single gene on the male Y chromosome known as SRY, the sex-
determining region on the Y chromosome. Both male and female embryos
have identical cells that grow in the male or female gonads or gonads.

III. Further sexual development that occurs at puberty

Puberty is the stage of development where individuals become
sexually mature. It can be separated into five stages. The characteristics
of each stage vary for girls and boys.

Table 3

Sexual Development at Puberty

STAGES PUBERTY STAGES IN GIRLS PUBERTY STAGES IN BOYS
1 Approx. 8-11 years old: Approx. 9-12 years old:
The ovaries enlarge and hormone  No visible signs of
production starts, but external development occur, but,
development is not yet visible. internally, male hormones
become a lot more active.
 Sometimes a growth spurt
 begins at this time.
2 Approx. 8-14 years old: Approx. 9-15 years old:
 The first external sign of  Height increases and the
puberty is usually breast shape of the body changes.
development.  Muscle tissue and fat develop
 At first breast buds develop. at this time.
 The nipples will be tender  The aureole, the dark skin
and elevated. around the nipple, darkens
 The area around the nipple and increases in size.
(the aureole) will increase in  The testicles and scrotum
size. grow, but the penis probably
 The first stage of pubic hair does not.
may also be present at this  A little bit of pubic hair begins
time. to grow at the base of the
 It may be coarse and curly or penis.
fine and straight.
 Height and weight increase
at this time. The body gets
rounder and curvier.
3 Approx. 9-15 years old: Approx.11-16 years old:
 Breast growth continues and  The penis starts to grow during
pubic hair gets coarser and this stage.
darker.  It tends to grow in length
 During this stage, whitish rather than width.
discharge from the vagina  Pubic hair is getting darker
may be present. and coarser and spreading to
 For some girls, this is the where the legs meet the torso.
time that the first menstrual  Also, boys continue to grow in
period begins. height, and even their faces
begin to appear more mature.
The shoulders broaden,
making the hips look smaller.
Muscle tissue increases and
the voice starts to change and
deepen.
 Finally, facial hair begins to
develop on the upper lip.
4 Approx. 10-16 years old: Approx. 11-16 years old:
 Some girls notice that their  At this time, the penis starts
aureoles get even darker and to grow in width, too.
separate into a little mound  The testicles and scrotum
rising above the rest of the also continue to grow.
breast.  Hair may begin to grow on
 Pubic hair may begin to have the anus.
a more adult triangular  The texture of the penis
pattern of growth. becomes more adult-
 If it did not happen in Stage looking.
Three, menarche (first  Underarm and facial hair
menstruation) should start increases as well. Skin gets
now. oilier, and the voice
 Ovulation may start now, too. continues to deepen.
But it will not necessarily
occur on a regular basis. (It is
possible to have regular
periods even if ovulation
 does not occur every month.)
5 Approx. 12-19 years old: Approx. 14-18 years old:
 This is the final stage of  Boys reach their full adult
development. height.
 Full height is reached, and  Pubic hair and the genitals
young women are look like an adult man's do.
ovulating regularly.  At this point, too, shaving is
 Pubic hair is filled in, and a necessity. Some young
the breasts are developed men continue to grow past
fully for the body. this point, even into their
twenties.

IV. Erogenous zones of the body

The term erogenous zone is use to describe areas of the body that
are highly sensitive to stimuli and are often (but not always) sexually
exciting (Otig et al.,2018).
Specifically, it refers to parts of the body that are primarily receptive
and increase sexual arousal when touched in a sexual manner.
Erogenous zones may vary from one person to another. Some people
may enjoy being touched in a certain area more than the other areas
(Alata, Nicolas, Caslib, Serafica & Pawilen, 2018).
a. Non-Specific Skin - It is similar to any other portion of the usual haired
skin. Examples: sides and back of the neck, the axilla and side of the
thorax
b. Specific Skin - It is found the mucocutaneous regions of the body or those
regions made both mucous membrane and of cutaneous skin. Examples:
prepuce, penis, the female external genitalia, perianal skin, lips, and
nipples

V. Phases of human sexual response cycle

The sexual response cycle refers to the sequence of physical and
emotional changes that occur as a person becomes sexually aroused and
participates in sexually stimulating activities, including intercourse and
masturbation (“Sexual Response”, 2020).
 In both men and women, these events may be identified as occurring
in a sequence of four stages: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.
The basic pattern of these stages is similar in both sexes, regardless of the
specific sexual stimulus (Nolen, 2020).
Table 4

Phases of Human Response Cycle

PHASES GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Phase 1: Excitement • Muscle tension increases
• Heart rate quickens & breathing is accelerated
• Skin may become flushed
• Nipples become hardened or erect
• Blood flow to the genitals increases, resulting in
swelling of the woman’s clitoris & labia minora, &
erection of the man’s penis
• Vaginal lubrication begins
• The woman’s breast become fuller and the vaginal
walls begin to swell
• The Man’s testicle swell, his scrotum tightens, and he
begins secreting a lubricating liquid
Phase 2: Plateau • The changes begun in phase 1 are intensified
• The vagina continues to swell from increased blood
flow, and the vaginal walls turn a dark purple
• The woman’s clitoris becomes highly sensitive &
retracts under the clitoral hood to avoid direct
stimulation from the penis
• The man’s testicles are withdrawn up into the scrotum
• Breathing, heart rate & BP continue to increase
• Muscle spasm may begin in the feet, face, and hands
• Tension in the muscles increase
Phase 3: Orgasm This phase is the climax of the sexual response cycle. It is the
shortest of the phases and generally last only a few seconds.
General Characteristics of this phase include the following:
• Involuntary muscle contractions begin
• BP, heart rate, & breathing are their highest rates with
a rapid intake of oxygen
• Muscle in the feet spasm
• There is sudden, forceful release of sexual tension
• In women, the muscles of the vagina contract. The
uterus also undergoes rhythmic contractions
• In men, the muscles of the vagina contract, the uterus
also undergoes rhythmic contractions
• In men, rhythmic contractions of the muscles at the
base of penis result in ejaculation of semen
• A rash or “sex flush” may appear over the entire body
Phase 4: Resolution During this phase the body slowly returns to its normal
functioning level. The swelled and erect body parts return to
their previous size and color. This phase is marked by a
general sense of well-being; intimacy is enhanced; and often
fatigue sets in.
 With further sexual stimulation, some women can return to the
orgasm phase. This allows them to experience multiple
orgasm. Men, on the other hand, need recovery time after
orgasm. This is called refractory period. How long a man needs
a refractory period varies among men in his age

VI. Roles of the brain in sexual activity

 The brain is responsible for translating the nerve impulse sensed by
the skin into pleasurable sensations
 It controls the nerves & muscles used in sexual activities
 Sexual thoughts and fantasies are theorized to lie in the cerebral
cortex, the same area used for thinking and reasoning
 Emotions and feelings are believed to originate in the limbic system
 The brain releases the hormones considered as the physiological
origin of sexual desire

VII. Roles of hormones in sexual activity

 OXYTOCIN – aka. “love hormone” and believed to be involved in our

desire to maintain close relationships. It is released during sexual
intercourse when orgasm is achieved
 FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE (FSH) – it is responsible for
ovulation in females.
 LUTENIZING HORMONE (LH) – crucial in regulating the testes in
men and ovaries in women. In men, the LH stimulates the testes to
produce testosterone. In males, testosterone appears to be a major
contributing factor to sexual motivation
 VASOPRESSIN – involved in the male arousal phase. The increase
of vasopressin during erectile response is believed to be directly
associated with increased motivation to engage in sexual behaviour
 ESTROGEN & PROGESTERONE – typically regulate motivation to
engage in sexual behaviours for females, with estrogen increasing
motivation and progesterone decreasing it.
VIII. Understanding the chemistry of Lust, Love, and Attachment (Stages of
falling in love)
a. LUST – marked by physical attraction. It is driven by testosterone in men
and estrogen in women. Lust, however, does not guarantee that couples
will fall in love forever.
b. ATTRACTION – at this stage, you begin to crave for your partner’s
presence. They get excited and energized when they fantasize about
things they could do together as a couple. Three chemicals trigger this
feeling
i. Norepinephrine – responsible for the extra surge of energy and
triggers increased heart rate, loss of appetite, as well as the desire
to sleep. Your body is in more alert state and is ready for action
ii. Dopamine – associated with motivation and goal directed behavior.
It makes you pursue your object of affection. It creates a sense of
novelty, where the person seems exciting, special, or unique that
you want to tell the world about his or her admirable qualities
iii. Serotonin – thought to cause thinking. Low levels of serotonin said
to be present in people with OCD behaviour
c. ATTACHMENT – involves the desire to have lasting commitment with your
significant other. At this point, you may want to get married and/ have
children

IX. Gender differences on sexual desire

Factors that contribute to gender differences in sexual desire
include culture; The social environment and even political circumstances.
Alternatively, some researchers suggest that due to the various
evolutionary pressures that men and women face over time, the first
human women engaged in selective sex with carefully selected men to
maximize productive success, although the men were not under as much
pressure.
X. Psychological aspect of sexual desire
Sexual desire is generally considered a sexual topic or activity of
interest. It is sometimes accompanied by genital arousal (penile erection
in men and lubrication in women). Sexual desire is triggered by various
cues and scenarios, such as personal thoughts, feelings, fantasies,
sensual objects (books, movies, photos), different sensory environments,
situations, or social interactions.
Sex drive is a basic, biologically mediated stimulus for sexual
activity or satisfaction. In contrast, sexual desire is a more complex
psychological experience that does not depend on hormonal factors.
However, developmental research shows that the ability to
experience sexual desire though not hormone-dependent, are probably
still facilitated by hormones (Otig et al., 2018). Therefore, physiological
arousal is not an essential component of sexual desire and sexual desire
should not be considered a more accurate marker than individual self-
referring emotions.

XI. Physiological mechanism of sexual behavior motivation

Animal studies suggest that limbic system structures such as the
amygdala and nucleus accubens are particularly important for sexual
motivation.
a. AMYGDALA – the integrative
center for emotions, emotional
behavior, and motivation
b. NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS – plays a
role in motivation and cognitive
processing of aversion. It has a
Figure 3. The amygdala & nuclesaccumbens
significant role in response to by Tor Wager (https://bit.ly/2QeJooP)

reward and reinforcing efforts, translating emotional stimulus into

behaviors
XII. Diversity of sexual behavior
Sexual orientation is defined as individual’ s general disposition
toward partners of the same sex, the opposite sex, or both sexes. On the
other hand, gender identity refers to one’s sense of being male or female.
Generally, our gender identities correspond to our chromosal and
phenotypic sex, but this is not always the case (Otig et al., 2018).

Table 5

Sexual Orientations
L LESBIAN These are females who are exclusively attracted to women.

G GAY This can refer to males who are exclusively attracted to any
other males. It can also refer to anyone who is attracted to
their same gender.

B BISEXUAL This can refer to anyone who is sexually/romantically

attracted to both men and women

T TRANSGENDER/ It is an umbrella term for people who do not identify with

TRANSEXUAL the gender assigned to them at birth.

Q QUEER It is a useful term for those who are questioning their

identities and are unsure about using more specific terms,
or those who simply do not wish to label themselves.

+ PLUS To signify that many identities are not explicitly represented

by the letters. This includes (but is not limited to) intersex or
people who are born with a mix of male and female bio-
traits, and asexuals who are persons who does not desire
sexual activities.
LGBTQ+ is an umbrella term for a wide spectrum of gender identities, sexual
orientations, and romantic orientations.

XII. Sexual orientation and gender identity issues

a. Sociocultural factors - influence the various issues related to sexual
orientation and gender identity
i. In the Philippines and most Southeast Asian neighbors view
homosexuality as the norm.
 ii. In New Guinea, young boys are expected to engage in sexual
behaviour with any other boys because they believe that it is part of
the transformation of boys to men
iii. In the Philippines, an individual is classified as either male or
female only
iv. Thailand recognizes male, female, and “kathoey” (transgender)
categories
b. Family influences - The children’s interests, preferences, behaviours, and
overall self-concept are strongly influenced by parental and authority
figure teachings regarding sexual stereotypes. Thus, children whose
parents adhere to strict gender-stereotyped roles are, in general, more
likely to take on those roles themselves as adults that are peers whose
parents provided less stereotyped, more neutral models for behaving.
c. Urban setting - Another research discovered that homosexuality positively
correlated with urbanization. The study surmised that large cities seem to
provide a friendlier environment for same-gender interests than in rural
places (Laumann, et al., 1994).
d. History of sexual abuse - Previous published studies claimed that abused
adolescents, particularly those victimized by males, are more likely to
become homosexuals or bisexual in adulthood. These studies were
criticized for being non-clinical and un-reliable (Wilson & Wisdom, 2009).
XIII. Sexually Transmitted Diseases/ Infections

Figure 4. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (https://bit.ly/3lb3Hl9)

 Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are diseases or infections
that is transmitted through sexual contact in which the organisms that
cause STDs are transmitted from one person to another in blood, sperm
and vaginal or body fluids.
These infections have a huge impact on all dimensions of a
person's life. STDs can negatively impact a person's self-concept and can
severely impact a person's entire life and their family.
Society, oftentimes associate STDs with promiscuity or socially
acceptable behaviors. This makes most persons afflicted with STDs
hesitate to seek immediate treatment. Oftentimes, the disease is already
in its advance stage when the individual finally decides to consult health
professionals (Udan, 2009).
It is therefore challenging to reduce social stigma associated with
STDs. However, generalizing these infections by talking more openly with
friends and family and addressing the importance of testing as part of
general health care can help alleviate these barriers and reduce STD
rates over time (Denison, Jutel, Bromhead, Dennison & Grainger, 2017).

XIV. The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012

An Act providing for a national policy on

Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health

Citation Republic Act. No. 10354

Enacted by House of representatives of the Philippines
Date Enacted December 19, 2012
Enacted by Senate of the Philippines
Date enacted December 19, 2012
Date signed December 21, 2012
Signed by Miriam Defensor Santiago
Date commenced January 17, 2013
 *Source: https://bit.ly/2CRRXTn
a. Specific objectives:
 Reduce by 3 quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal
mortality ratio
 Reduce by 2/3 between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality
rate
 To have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse, the spread of
HIV/AIDS

b. Regional objectives:
 Improve access to the full range of affordable, equitable, and high-
quality family planning and RH services to increase contraceptive
use rate & reduce unwanted pregnancies & abortions
 Making pregnancy safer
 Support countries & areas in developing evidence-based policies &
strategies for the reduction of maternal & newborn mortality
 Improve access to the full range of affordable, equitable, and high-
quality family planning & RH services to increase contraceptive use
& reduce unwanted pregnancies
 Improve the health & nutrition status of women of all ages,
especially pregnant & nursing women
 Gender, women & health;
 Integrate gender & rights considerations into health policy &
programs, especially into RH & maternal health care
 Improve the health & Nutrition status of women of all ages

XV. Family planning and methods of contraception

a. Benefits of family planning/ contraception according to WHO
 Prevent pregnancy-related health risk in women
 Reduce infant mortality
 Help prevent HIV/AIDS
  Empower people and enhance education
 Reduce adolescent pregnancies
 Slow population growth
b. Benefits of family Planning according to DOH
i. Mother
 Enables her to regain her health after delivery
 Gives enough time to love & provide attention to her
husband & children
 Gives more time for her family & own personal advancement
 When suffering from illness, gives enough time for treatment
and recovery
ii. Children
 Healthy mothers produce healthy children
 Will get all the attention, security, love, and care they
deserve
iii. Father
 Lightens the burden & responsibility in supporting his family
 Enables him to give his children their basic needs
 Gives him time for his family and own personal advancement
 When suffering from illness, gives enough time for treatment
and recovery
c. Disadvantages
i. Birth control health risks
 Some allergies to spermicides or latex.
 For some women, oral contraceptives can lead to hair loss
and weight gain, and the use of diaphragms can lead to UTI
ii. Possibility of pregnancy
 FP methods are not 100% reliable.
 Other than abstinence, there is no birth control method that
is completely effective.
  Couples who are engaging is sexual activity should always
consider the possibility of an unexpected pregnancy
iii. Pregnancy after birth control
 For some it might take months for ovulation and the
menstrual period to return to normal
 How long the menstrual period takes to return to its normal
cycle is entirely individual, and has nothing to do with how
long the woman has been using of birth control or not.
 The most important thing to know about stopping your
preferred method of birth control.
 The most important thing to know about stopping your
preferred method of birth control is that ovulation can return
immediately.
d. Methods of contraception:
i. Natural family planning method
1. Periodic abstinence (fertility awareness) method
2. Rhythm (calendar) method – the couple tracks the woman’s
menstrual history to predict she will ovulate
3. Cervical mucus (ovulation)/ Billing’s method - examining the
color and viscosity of the cervical mucus to discover when
ovulation is occurring.
4. Basal Body temperature monitoring - relies on monitoring a
woman’s basal body temperature on a daily basis. This
indicates fertile and non-fertile stages of the cycle
5. Use of breastfeeding or lactational amenorrhea method
(LAM) – Through exclusive breastfeeding, the woman is able
to suppress ovulation
6. Coitus interrruptus (withdrawal or pulling method) – this is
the oldest method. The couple proceeds with coitus;
however, the man must release his sperm outside of the
vagina.
ii. Hormonal contraception/ Artificial family planning
1. Oral Contraceptives (pill) - contains synthetic estrogen and
progesterone
2. Transdermal contraceptive patch – medicated adhesive
patch that is placed on the skin to deliver a specific dose of
medication through the skin and into bloodstream
3. Vaginal ring – it is a birth control inserted into the vagina &
slowly release hormones through vaginal wall into the blood
stream to prevent pregnancy
4. Subdermal Implants – involve the delivery of a steroid
progestin from the polymer capsules or rods placed under
the skin.
5. Hormonal Injections – It is a contraceptive injection given
once every three months. It typically suppresses ovulation,
keeping the ovaries from releasing an egg.
iii. Barrier methods
1. Intrauterine device – small, t-shaped device wrapped in
copper or contains hormones. A doctor inserts the IUD into
the uterus. IUD prevents fertilization of the egg by damaging
or killing the sperm.
2. Chemical barriers – such as spermicides, vaginal gels,
creams and glycerin films are used to cause the death of
sperm before they can enter the cervix
3. Diaphragm – dome shaped barrier methods of contraception
that blocks sperms from entering the uterus
4. Cervical cap – silicone cup inserted in the vagina to cover
the cervix and keep sperm out of the uterus
5. Male condom- is a latex or synthetic rubber sheath placed
on erect penis before vaginal penetration to trap the sperm
during ejaculation
 6. Female condoms – thin pouch inserted into the vagina
before sex serving as protective barrier to prevent pregnancy
and protection from STD
7. Surgical methods/ Permanent contraception
8. Vasectomy – Surgical operation wherein the tube carries the
sperm to a man’s penis is cut. It is a permanent male
contraception method
9. Tubal Ligation – It is a surgical procedure for female
sterilization involving severing and trying the fallopian tube.
A tubal ligation disrupts the movement of the egg to the
uterus for fertilization and blocks sperm from travelling up to
the fallopian tubes to the egg

Application:

Part 1: Answer the questions below

1. For Girls: How was your experience the first time you had your menarche
or your first menstruation? Were you afraid? How did you cope with your
feeling of awkwardness/negativity, especially since it was accompanied by
bodily changes?

For Boys: How was your experience the first time you had your nocturnal
emission? How did you cope with your feelings of awkwardness/
negativity, especially since it was accompanied by bodily changes?

2. Do you have a crush now? A boyfriend/ girlfriend? How are you dealing/
managing with your emotions? Do you consult your parents? Friends?
Classmates about it?

Part 2: Use your creativity by making an ICT material for STI awareness campaign
 Closure:

Well done! You have just finished Lesson 2 of this module which explained the
biological stages of the sexual self and the issues surrounding it. Should there be some
parts of the lesson which you need clarification, please ask your instructor during
consultations.
When you're ready, move on to Lesson 3 in this module, which examines
ourselves further in the lens of material self.

Lesson 3
Forget about the price tag

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:
 Explain the association of self and possessions;
 Differentiate consumption and production
 Identify the role of consumer culture to self and identity; and
 Appraise one’s self based on the description of material self.

Time Frame: 3 hours

Introduction:

The material self consists of things that belong to a person or entities that a
person belongs to. In this type of self, the person plays an important role in the place
where he lives. Thus, the basic assumption in terms of economic self is that both
producers and consumers in certain culture act rationally and in their own self-interest.

Activity: Blank Check Challenge

A very wealthy person gave you a blank check and told you to spend the amount
you wished for to make yourself happy. What are you going to do with it? Make a list of
what you want to have. Write as many as you want.
 Analysis:

Answer the following questions:

 How would you feel as you do the Blank Check Challenge?
 Which among the items in your list you like the most? Why?
 If ever you were given the chance in real life to have one among the list. Which
would you choose? Why?
 Does your choice different from what your answer in question number 2? Why or
why not?
 Let your classmate read your list? Ask her/him to give or write a quick
impression of yourself based on the list you showed him/her.
 Is the quick impression of your classmate has some truth about who you are?

Abstraction:

I. The Material Self Investment

According to James the material self primarily is about our bodies, clothes,
immediate family, and home. We are deeply affected by these things because we
have put much investment of our self to them (as cited in Alata et al.,2018).

Figure 5. Material Self Investment Diagram

 The body is the innermost part of our body. Deliberately, we are investing
in our bodies. We are directly connected to something without which we cannot
survive. We try to make sure that the body works well. An illness or condition
directly affects us. We get a special preferential contact or intimate closeness
with certain parts of the body because it has its value.
Next to our body are the clothes we wear. James believed that clothing is
an integral part of material being. According to Lutze, “any time we bring an
object into the surface of our body, we invest that object into the consciousness
of our personal existence taking its contours to be our own and making it part of
the self” (as cited in Alata et al., 2018). The clothes we wear create a sensitivity
that directly affects our attitudes and behavior. Thus clothing is placed second in
the hierarchy of the material self. Clothing is a form of self-expression. According
to Watson we choose and wear clothes that reflect our self (as cited in Alata et
al., 2018).
The family is third in the hierarchy. Our parents and siblings have a more
important role. What they do or become affects us. When we treat them as our
closest copy, we are investing heavily in our immediate family.
Lastly, the home completes the hierarchy of the material self. This is our
ancient dwelling. Our home experiences were recorded and marked on individual
parts and objects in our home. Thus, the home is an extension of the self, for in
this we can connect ourselves directly.
Moreover, we are attached to the things we invested in. The more the self
has given investments to a particular thing, the more it identifies to it. We also
tended to collect and own properties. Collection to varying degrees of self-
investment becomes part of the self.
As you get older, physical properties become less important. However,
when we use material possessions to achieve happiness, we associate them
with the events, accomplishments, and people in our lives that are important,
then material possessions gain more value in our lives.
 The possessions we have say something about who we are, our self-
concept, our past, and our future (Alata et al., 2018).

II. I Shop Therefore I am: I have, therefore I am?

In the “I shop therefore I am” trend report we are looking into the world of
consumer culture. Shopping has turned into a lifestyle. People are slowly
realizing that the power of consumption is stopping us from finding true and
sincere happiness, and shopping works as a substitute for something that we are
missing in life. As a primary consumer, the issue is about what we buy and what
we choose to invest in (Otig et al., 2018).

III. Consumption and Production

The term “consume” according to Gusdorf is defined as “use up, to spend
wastefully, to destroy” (as cited in Otig et al.,2018). The definition suggests that
usage has a negative connotation. However, there is a positive aspect to the use,
which is often overlooked.
Behind the consumption there’s a production. Consumers keep
companies alive. These companies pay people whose income brings food to the
table. Therefore, it cannot be denied that consumption is important.

IV. Psychological/ Sociological Consumption

People, especially the youth are happy to buy something nowadays.
Consumption has become addictive. Many people have forgotten that there are
some things in life that bring real and lasting happiness.

V. Identity and Consumer Culture

Mach argued that identity is a symbolic idea. It is an image we build for
ourselves through social interaction. Identity is improved through communication
with others and through different ways that a person interacts within the cultural
atmosphere and social relations (as cited in Otig et al.,2018).
a. Factors that affect identity:
 i. Social relations of power
ii. Symbolic image of the world
b. Identity may refer to:
i. A social category defined as membership rules, characteristic
attribute, expected behaviors
ii. Socially distinguishing features that an individual takes pride in
having
c. Main Features and Characters in Consumer Culture (Slater,1997)
i. Consumer culture is a culture of consumption
ii. Consumer culture is the culture of market society
iii. Consumer culture is universal and impersonal
iv. Consumer culture identifies freedom with private choices and life
v. Consumer needs are insatiable and unlimited
vi. Consumer culture is a privileged medium for building personal
identity and status

VI. The Problem with Consumerism

a. Intrusive
b. Manipulative
c. Cannot provide many things that are important to us.
d. Restricts our choices and lives
e. Unsustainable

VII. Avoid the Trap

a. Exercise intellectual independence
 Try to defend yourself external resources.
 Ignore advertisements.
 Question all information given to you.
b. Consume less, Live more
 Stop and think about the influences of consumerism in your
life.
  Think about what really matters to you and how you want to
live it.
 Strive to live the life YOU want, not how others think you
ought to live.

Application:

1. Go back to your Blank Check Challenge list. Put a mark on the left side of
each Item with the following categories:
B – if the item is related to your body
C – If the item is related with clothes
F – If the item is related or intended to your family
H – If the item is related to home
2. Answer the following questions:
a. Which among the categories you have the most in your list?
b. What do you think these things tell you about yourself?
3. Make a reflection paper about material self. You may use your answers
from the above question in making your paper.

Closure:
Well done! This concludes Lesson 3 of this module, which explained the
basic assumption of the self in the material and economic realm. In general, the
discussions in this lesson revolve around the process that economic players
make for their own self-interest. Should there be some parts of the lesson which
you need clarification, please ask your instructor during consultations.
When you're ready, move on to Lesson 4 in this module, which we engage
in to find and nurture a sense of connection to a higher power and meaning for
our lives.

Lesson 4
Do good. Do God.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson the students must be able to:
 Differentiate spiritual and religious;
 Acknowledge the various religious practices; and
 Develop respect towards the beliefs of others.

Time Frame: 6 hours

Introduction:
The self in the realm of spirituality is the primary subject in this lesson. The
spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of the self is the most intimate
version of the self because the satisfaction you experience when you dispute and
discriminate within your capacity, moral sensitivity, conscience, and our desire to win is
purer than any other sense of satisfaction.
Moreover, spiritual and religious experiences are fundamentally important to the
lives of many, and it seems increasingly so. In the recent years, interest in spirituality
has increased again. More and more people are striving for more spiritual reality in their
lives and are looking for deeper meaning and purpose, inner peace and new ways of
spiritual nutrition.

Activity: Film Showing of the movie “Miracles in Heaven”

Analysis:

Answer the following questions:

 Do you find that it is harder or easier to trust God when you’re losing control of a
situation (or when you finally have no control in a situation)? Explain why.
 What is it about our human tendencies that compel us to do everything in our
power to bring about a desired outcome? Where does faith come into play?
 When someone is going through a difficult time, what are some practical ways to
come alongside that person to show compassion and give support?
  In your own faith journey, what have been the moments that influenced you
most? How has your faith grown stronger or weaker in those experiences?

Abstraction:

I. Spiritual vs. Religious

Spiritual is defined as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or souls as
opposed to material of physical things.” Religion and spirituality are both
paths to God; however, they are different in their approaches (Otig et al.,
2019).
Table 6

Comparison between spiritual and religious

SPIRITUAL RELIGIOUS
PERSON Places little importance on Believes in god or group of
beliefs and traditions and is gods and consciously
more concerned with adheres to the beliefs of
growing and experiencing his/her religion.
the Divine
APPROACH The approach to God is Takes the approach of fear. It
through the path of love. emphasizes sin, guilt, and the
This a love where there is no concept of a punishing God.
condemnation and
judgment, but where there is
mercy and acceptance.
CONCEPT OF Believes in God who is Talks of God who is high up
GOD omnipresent and omniscient, in the heaven. At times, God
someone who is a living is depicted as separate from
presence in our hearts humanity, who is impartial but
impersonal.
DIRECTION Spirituality feels all faiths are Many religions feel their path
valid. Spirituality embraces is the only way to salvation
all the world’s religions, but and other religions are
at the same time it is not wrong. Religious people
constrained by any religious strongly feel the need to
dogmas or forms. convert others to their faith.

II. Importance of Spirituality

 In situations such as lack of purpose, it can lead to anxiety, frustration and
fear. However, there is growing evidence that spiritual practice is associated
with better health and well-being.
Many spiritual traditions encourage participation in society. There is a
sense of belonging, security and community. Research may have found a
strong link between church attendance and improved health, mood and well-
being, as strong relationships have been shown to increase prosperity and
extended life
The contemplative practice is a way to build concentration, enrich
understanding and insight, and promote awareness and compassion. These
practices can significantly impact a student’s college experiences and
beyond. Examples are the following:
1. Meditation – mental exercises (such as focusing on one’s breathing
or repeating a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened
level of spiritual awareness.
2. Prayer – spiritual communion with God as in supplication,
thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.
3. Yoga – It teaches the suppression of all mind and body activity so
the self may realize its distinction from the material world and attain
liberation (Hindu). It is a system of physical postures, breathing
techniques, and sometimes meditation to promote physical and
emotional wellbeing (Western).
4. Journaling – can help a person become more aware of his/her inner
life and feel more connected to his/her experience and the world
around him/her.

III. The Practice of Religion

The vast majority of the earth’s more than 7 billion people practice
some form of religion. More than its belief religion is an experience. Religion,
however, maybe understood as a systematic “attribution of human
characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object.” One reason human
attributes human characteristic to some other “entities” is that the world is
huge, ambiguous, and we need to interpret it the best possible way we can
(Otig et al, 2018).

a. The psychology behind religious belief

According to Reis, religion attracts so many followers because it
satisfies all 16 basic desires that humans share (as cited in Otig et al.,
2018). The following are:
 Acceptance  Honor  Status  Social contact
 Curiosity  Idealism  Power  Physical activity
 Eating  Independence  Romance  Tranquility
 Family  Order  Saving  Vengeance

Reiss claimed that we all share the same 16 goals, but what makes
us different is how much we value each one. He also added that all religious
beliefs and practices are designed to meet these 16 desires. Religious
beliefs provide people with certain ways of thinking to help them cope with
ultimate questions that cannot be explained in any other way.

b. The four dimensions of religion

Dawson & Thiessen posited that incredible amount of variation
between different religions makes it challenging to decide upon a
concrete definition of religion that applies to all of them. Sociologists
noted four dimensions that seem to be present in varying forms and
intensities in all types of religion (as cited in Otig, 2018). These are:
ii. Beliefs – generalized system of ideas and values that shape how
members of a religious group come to understand the world around
them
iii. Rituals according to Little are repeated physical gestures or
activities, such as prayers and mantras, used to reinforce religious
teachings, elicit spiritual feelings, and connect worshippers with a
higher power (as cited in Otig et al., 2018).
 iv. Spiritual experience – unique feeling of immediate connection with
a higher power
v. Unique social forms of community – According to Durkheim
religious beliefs and practices unite in one single community called
church, all those who adhere to them (as cited in Otig et al., 2018).
 Social dimension that religions share (Dawson & Thiessen,
2014):
1. Religion gains credibility when agreed and shared by
group
2. Religions provide an authority that deals specifically with
social or moral issues, such as determining the best way
to live life.
3. Religions acts as a form of social control, and it supports
the development of self-control, which are vital elements
of functional society
4. Places of religious worship function as social hubs within
communities, providing a source of entertainment,
socialization, and support.
c. The categories of religion

Table 7.

Classifications of religion
Religious What/ Who is divine Example
Classification
Polytheism Multiple gods Hinduism, Ancient Greeks &
Romans
Monotheism Single god Judaism, Islam, Christianity
Antheism No deities Atheism, Buddhism, Taoism
Animism Nonhuman beings Indigenous nature worship,
Shinto
d. The Major Religions
i. Judaism
 Jewish
people believe
there’s only one
God who has
established a
covenant—or
special agreement—
Figure 6. Star of David by F.A. Davis with them. Their
God communicates to believers through prophets and rewards
good deeds while also punishing evil. Most Jews (with the
exception of a few groups) believe that their Messiah hasn’t yet
come—but will one day (“Judaism”, 2020).
ii. Christianity
Christianity,
major religion
stemming from the
life, teachings, and
death of Jesus of
Nazareth (the Christ,
or the Anointed One
Figure 7. The Cross by F.A. Davis
of God) in the 1st
century CE. It has become the largest of the world’s religions and,
geographically, the most widely diffused of all faiths. It has a
constituency of more than two billion believers. Its largest groups
are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches,
and the Protestant churches (Stefon, 2019).
iii. Islam
Islam is a
monotheistic faith
centered around
belief in the one God

Figure 8. The Crescent Moon &

star by F.A. Davis
 (Allah). In this regard, it shares some beliefs with Judaism and
Christianity by tracing its history back to the patriarch Abraham, and
ultimately to the first prophet, Adam. All the prophets preached the
same universal message of belief in one God and kindness to
humanity (United Religions Initiative [URI], 2020).
iv. Hinduism
Hinduism, is
considered the
world's oldest
religion, is still
commonly practiced.
Hinduism combines
the beliefs,
Figure 9. The Swastika by F.A. Davis philosophy, and
cultural practices of India. Hindu practitioners are guided by Vedic
scriptures and believe in righteousness, the laws of cause and
effect, and the cycle of birth and death. Central to the faith is a
belief in reincarnation and one supreme god called Brahman who
has multiple manifestations as either a god or goddess (Otig et al.,
2020).
v. Buddhism
Buddhism
refers to the
teachings of
Siddhartha
Gautama or
Gautama Buddha.
Buddha, (originally
Figure 10. The Dharma Wheel. a follower of the
(https://bit.ly/32juyDf), Public Domain
Hindu faith) experienced enlightenment, or Bodhi, while sitting
under a tree. It was in this moment that Buddha was said to be
 awakened to the truth of the world, or the Dharma. Thus, Buddhism
does not believe in a divine realm or God as a supernatural being,
but instead follows the wisdom of their founder (Otig et al., 2020).

e. Pre-colonial concepts of the soul

In the pre-colonial Philippines, our ancestors respect the
“babaylans”. They are described as a priest or shaman, plays the role of a
doctor, a spiritual leader, and a mediator. The “babaylans” performs rituals
by praying or praying for spiritual intervention to remove the forces that
lead to illness or misfortune.
The “babaylans” explore a world of animism. It is our ancestor's
belief that in nature each has its own soul or divinity, souls are semi-
physical and can exist outside the body (in dreams and vision).
Before our ancestors converted to religion, they already believed in
spiritual beings who live in the environment, in our dead ancestral spirits
and in the forces of nature (wind, moon, stars). The traditions of our
forefathers originally believed that both the living and the dead had the
"power of life."
According to Magos, “dungan” was “a life force, an energy, as well
as an ethereal entity. A spirit with a will of its own that resides in the
human body and provides essence of life. Under this concept, everyone
has a “dungan”. This is similar to the western concept of “soul”. However,
unlike the soul, the “dungan” can temporarily leave the body when the
person is asleep. Once “dungan” return to the person’s body, he/she
becomes fully conscious again (as cited in Otig et al., 2018).
Meanwhile, our pre-colonial ancestors also believed that aside from
a “dungan”, a vital force called “ginhawa” also occupies the body. It was
said to be responsible for the heart’s ability to beat. It was believed that if
“ginhawa” left the body, the person also dies. Both “ginhawa” and
“dungan” exist in every person. The "Ginhawa" is the breath of life, but
 "Dungan" is the conscious intellectual and emotional aspect (Otig et al.,
2018).

Table 8.

The difference between the soul and the spirit

SOUL SPIRIT
Etymology Old English for “soul” Spirit is directly from
was “sawol” that the Latin spiritus “a
meant the “spiritual breathing, a breath,
and emotional part of a breath of a god,”
person’s, animate hence “Inspiration
existence.” breath of life.”
Biblical Beliefs  Refers to the  Refers to the Holy
conscious, the moral, Spirit, the 3rd party of
and thinking part of a the trinity.
person.  It is the force of God
 It is immortal; it will go through which
to hell, purgatory, or blessings are
heaven after the bestowed upon his
person dies. people.
 As one develop in the
faith, he or she is said
to be growing
spiritually.
Western Culture Can often be taken to May also refer to
mean someone’s ghosts or any
moral consciousness. supernatural beings.
Eastern Culture It is part of the person  Taoism: nature and
that has dharma spirits are common
(incurs karma).  Shinto: places
emphasis on
shamanism,
particularly divination,
spirit possession, and
faith healing
 Confucianism:
tolerates the Chinese
folk recognition of the
existence of animistic
spirits, ghosts, and
deities.
f. The soul according to some Ethnological groups of the Philippines

Table 9

Ethnical description of the soul

SOUL ORIGIN DESCRIPTION
Linnawa Ifugao • The soul (linnawa) of a child floats around
(“Soul of in the heavens, awaiting its entry into the
the Dead”) human world. During sexual intercourse the
soul/spirit enters the female through the
male, resulting in pregnancy.
• If a woman cannot conceive, shamans
conduct sacrifices to see if the couple is
compatible.
• If they are, shamans offer other sacrifices
to enhance fertility.
Kaduwa Isneg • The Isneg believed that dead exist in other
world, the Aglalanawan. The kaduwa, soul,
is believed to cross the pond in a ferry
piloted by the spirit, Kutaw.
• In a bid to please kutaw, who could
facilitate the spirit’s entry to aglalanawan,
the appropriate customary death rituals
would be the key.
Ab-abiik Kankanae • Believes that the human person is
y composed of the physical body and the
(another (soul).
member of • When spirits summon a person’s ab-abiik
the Igorot he/she will become sick.
people) • A ritual will be performed to appease the
spirit who summoned the ab-abiik so that it
will allow the ab-abiik to return to its body,
and the person recovers from illnes.
Kaluluwa Tagalog • The kaluluwa refers more to the soul of the
deceased.
• The soul of a living person is called
Kakambal.
• The kakambal leaves the physical body at
night to roam, and any bad encounter
cause Bangungut.
• The kakambal becomes a kaluluwa after
death.

g. Rituals and Ceremonies

A ritual is a ceremony or act that is performed in the customary
way. Rituals can be dictated by the traditions of the community, including
religious ones. Rituals can be prescribed by the traditions of the
community, including the religious community. The rituals include not only
worship rites and sacraments of organized religious cults, but also
 transition rites, reconciliation and purification rites, oaths of loyalty,
initiation ceremonies, coronations, presidential inaugurations, marriages,
funerals - perhaps all human activities.
A ceremony is a formal act or ritual (often set by custom or
tradition) performed in observation of an event or anniversary (Otig et al.,
2018).
i. Approaches to the theories of ritual origin
1. Origin Approach (earliest form) – The basic premise is that
ritual was part of the human evolution.
2. Functional Approach – Explains the ritual behavior in terms
of individual and social needs.
3. History of religions - Holds the view that ritual behavior is an
expression of the sacred.
ii. Classification of rituals
1. Imitative - A ritual that is based on some belief system.
2. Positive & Negative
a. Positive - Focuses on with giving blessings to an
object or to an individual
b. Negative - Focuses on rules of prohibition.
3. Sacrificial - It features the destruction of the sacrifice to be
offered to a “higher being”.
4. Life Crises - It features the transition of one mode or stage of
life into another.

Application

1. Whatever your religion is, how do you practice your faith?

2. Do you believe in spirits? Supernatural forces? If yes, do you have a personal
encounter or experience with those forces? What did you do?

Closure:
 Well done! You have just finished Lesson 4 of this module which explored
spirituality and one’s individual spiritual journey from a broad perspective.
Should there be some parts of the lesson which you need clarification, please
ask your instructor during consultations.
When you're ready, move on to Lesson 5 in this module, which further explore
our identity as Filipinos and seeks to develop pride in our heritage.

Lesson 5
My Socio-Political Self

Learning Outcomes:
 Recognize Filipino identity;
 Develop appreciation to one’s ethnic and racial identity;
 Recognize the strengths & weaknesses of the Filipino character; and
 Reflect on your selfhood in relation to your national identity.

Time Frame: 3 hours

Introduction:
In this chapter, you will learn that an individual race, ethnicity, and physical
characteristics are not the only factors that make a person’s national identity. Values
and traits are also important indicators that set apart one nationality from the other.
Activity: Collage making
Cut out pictures or illustrations from magazine and newspapers that show
what being a Filipino is about and assemble them to shape like the Philippine
flag.

Analysis:

Answer the following questions

  How do the pictures remind you of being a Filipino?
 Are you proud of being a Filipino? Why and why not?
 Imagine that you were of a different nationality. What would change in
you aside from your citizenship and origin?
 How extensive are the effects of being Filipino in your selfhood?

Abstraction:

I. Developing a Filipino identity

Baringer posited that Filipino culture is a mix of both eastern and

western cultures. The beliefs and traditions of pre-colonial were mainly an
indigenous Malay Heritage (as cited in Otig et al., 2018). The Malays made a
large contribution to the Philippines history.
Hispanic culture influenced indigenous peoples when Spain colonized
the Philippines islands. Christianity became the dominant religion, and
Western and social organizations were established.
The Philippines as we know it today has only emerged in the 1890s
after over three centuries of colonization of the Spaniards. Meanwhile,
liberation from the last colonizers, the Japanese, only occurred in 1946.
Foreign culture, beliefs, language, and religion have made a huge dent on our
own by setting a foundation to the contemporary Filipino identity and culture
(Alata et al., 2018).
The Americans, for example, have shaped modern Filipino culture, and
this is evident mainly in the widespread use of English in the Philippines. It is
from these influences that shaped the Filipino character.
According to Licuanan (as cited in Otig et al., 2018) the strengths and
weakness of the Filipino character are rooted in factors, such as:
 Home environment  Religion
 Social environment  Economic environment
 Culture & language  Political environment
  History  Mass media; and
 Educational system  Leaders & role models.

II. Definition of Filipino

Technically, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino
citizens are “those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the
Philippines, those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who
elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, and those
who are naturalized in accordance with law” (as cited in Alata et al.,2018).
However, citizenship is not just a marker of being Filipino. Culture and
history have a great influence on how Filipinos learn, live and behave
today. People who are born and raised in the same culture develop and
share common personality traits and values. Generations after
generations have passed, characteristics and common values that are still
embodied in Filipinos today.

III. Ethnic and racial identity

Ethnic and racial identities are important to many young people, especially
those who belong to minority groups. These ego dimensions can instill
feelings of belonging to one or more particular groups and identification with
that group; commitment and shared values.
Ethnic identity develops during adolescence and is passed down from
generation to generation through customs, traditions, language, religious
behavior and cultural values. Our ethnic and racial identity is also influenced
by popular media, literature, and current events.
Ethnic identity may play a more important role in minority youth as they
experience the opposite and dominant culture of the ethnic majority. Young
people belonging to the majority ethnic culture may not even recognize or
acknowledge their ethnic identity.
There are two main ethnic groups comprising several upland and lowland
indigenous tribes living within the Philippines – from the northern and
 southern parts of the Philippines. The indigenous people living in the northern
part of the country are called the Igorots, whereas those non-Muslim
indigenous tribes living in the south are referred to as Lumad (Valdeavilla,
2018).
The Igorot tribe also includes the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Isneg, Kalinga,
Kankanaey and Tinguian groups. Other tribes living in the north are Isnag
from Apayao, Gaddang (found between Kalinga and Isabela provinces), and
the Ilongots living within the east mountains of Luzon called the Sierra Madre
and the Caraballo Mountains. The Ilongots are known for their intense
aggressiveness and cultural conservatism.
Meanwhile, in the southern part of the country, indigenous tribes are
mostly found in Mindanao and Western Visayas. In Mindanao, these existing
non-Muslim indigenous groups are collectively known as the Lumad – a
Cebuano term which means ‘native’ or ‘indigenous’. There Lumad tribes
comprise about 13 ethnic groups which are the Blaan, Bukidnon, Higaonon,
Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manobo, Mansaka, Sangir, Subanen, Tagabawa,
Tagakaulo, Tasaday, and T’boli. Their tribe is generally known for tribal music
produced by musical instruments they’ve created.
Apart from the two main indigenous groups mentioned above, the
following tribes have also kept their customs and traditions.
 Badjaos
 Ati and Tumandok
 Palawan Tribes: Batak, Palaweño, Palawano, and the Tagbanwa
 Mangyan
 Aetas or Negritos
Today, indigenous groups in the country preserve their cultural practices
and traditions because they are on their native lands. When the Philippine
government passed the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997, issues such
as their right to compromise remained unresolved.

IV. Strengths of the Filipino Character

 a. Pakikipagkapwa- tao;
b. Family orientation
c. Joy & humour
d. Flexibility, adaptability, and creativity;
e. Hard work and industry
f. Faith & religiosity and
g. Ability to survive

V. Weaknesses of Filipino character

a. Extreme personalism
b. Extreme family-centeredness
c. Lack of discipline
d. Passivity and lack of initiative
e. Colonial mentality
f. Kanya-kanya syndrome
g. Lack of self-analysis and self-reflection

VI. How to be a good Filipino

a. Be an active Filipino citizen

A good Filipino citizen is aware of current events and participates in
government programs aimed at the progress and development of the
country.

b. Study the Philippine History

If you research and fully understand the events of Filipino history,
you will learn a lot about why it is important to love your country with your
life, to help needy Filipinos and recognize the abuse of political power.

c. Support local products

 When you buy local products, you not only support local producers
and industrialists, but you are also helping to strengthen the local
economy.

d. Speak the Filipino Language

Jose Rizal stressed the importance of speaking the national
language as a way to show love for his country. Speaking Filipino also
serves as a unique identifier of being a Filipino.

e. Do not spread fake news and be democratic in engaging with dissent

To be a good Filipino, you have to understand and verify what you
read on the internet, especially social media, before you believe it and
spread it like wildfire. Every Filipino also has a responsibility to recognize
political disagreements, to be tolerant, and to argue reasonably without
resorting to name calling.

VII. Establishing a democratic culture

Democracy is government in which people exercise and use
through a system of direct or indirect representation, usually involving free
elections from time to time. Although democracy has many shortcomings,
it is characteristic of most people - regardless of their core political beliefs.
For example:
 Democracy helps prevent cruel and vicious autocrats from
ruling;
 It fosters human development (i.e., health, education,
personal income, & any other indicators) more fully than do
other forms of government;
 Democracy helps protect fundamental individual rights and
interests;
 Democratic societies provide people the maximum
opportunity to take moral responsibility for their choices and
decisions; and
  Democratic societies offer a relatively high chance of political
equality
The adjustment of individual awareness to the collective awareness
is achieved through formal and informal ways. The formal way refers to a
system of ideas and models that are officially established (i.e., policies
and laws) whereas the informal way refers to the acceptance of behaviors
and thoughts that are not established as the formal way of interpersonal
relations. Culture is an informal way of shaping collective awareness.
Other than culture, there are also religion, science, morality, and ideology
that shape and structure individual awareness (Otig et al., 2018).

Application

1. Make an acrostic below which will describe you, in relation to being a Filipino.
F
I
L
I
P
I
N
O
2. Discuss how being a Filipino affects your “self”. How can becoming a better
Filipino influence your duty to becoming a better version of yourself?
3. Do you believe that your Filipino identity (e.g., traits and values) influences how
you perceive and actively engage yourself in political issues/concerns?

Closure:

Well done! You have just finished Lesson 5 of this module which
assessed our national identity as well as our cultural heritage. Should there be some
parts of the lesson which you need clarification, please ask your instructor during
 When you're ready, move on to Lesson 6 in this module, which examines the role
of technology and the internet in shaping an individual’s social self.

Lesson 6
Am I a cyborg?

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the student must be able to:
 Define online identity;
 Compare real identity vs. online identity;
 Describe the influence of internet on sexuality and gender; and
 Discuss the proper way of demonstrating values and attitudes online.

Time Frame: 3 hours

Introduction:

In the technological age, the idea of the digital self is an interesting and relatively
new topic for discussion as countless people explore and control the many aspects of
their personal identity every day. This lesson highlights the critical role of modern
technology, and the internet in particular, in shaping the self and identity of individuals.

Activity 1: Show and Tell

1. Present your social media profile in class and discuss its contents to introduce
yourself.
2. Choose one photo for each of your profile, selfie, and group photos from your
social media album which you deemed significant or memorable
3. Caption your chosen photos or create memes about it.
4. Explain the meaning behind the picture.

Activity 2: Fact or Fiction

 1. The instructor will present several headlines circulating in the internet currently
and from the recent past.
2. Identify whether each headline presented is a FACT or FICTION

Activity 3: Challenge me
1. Respond to one of the many challenges you’ve seen in social media.
2. Explain your choice of challenge
3. Pass the challenge to any of your closest friends.

Analysis:

Answer the following questions:

 Did you learn something from the presenters that you did not know before?
 What were the clues that helped you figure out which headlines were facts
and fictions?
 How do people portray themselves online?
 What are the things that you want to post/ share online?
 What are the things you want to share online?

Abstraction

The feeling of an inner self and outer self-generated the impulse to reveal
oneself to others in a believable manner. According to Trilling the self and its
relationship with other distinguished sincerity and authenticity. Sincerity refers to the
exposure in public of what one feels privately. On the other hand, an authentic person is
one who takes action based on some internal standards and takes responsibility for this
freely chosen action (as cited in (Otig et al., 2018).
The social world of a western-influenced society, like the Philippines, typically
consists of 3 domains:
 Family,
 School, and
 Neighborhood.
 People in the social domains exert different impacts on the formation of self,
depending on the stage of development of the child. As stated in the study of
Rosenberg, the parents have a dominant influence on their children’s sense of self prior
to adolescence. As a child grows older, the influence of peers increases (as cited in Otig
et al., 2018).
The emergence of the internet, however, adds a fourth domain – online life to the
social domain. The online life has definitely altered the dynamics of self-identity,
especially for adolescents.

I. Online identity
Online identity is actually the sum of all our characteristics and our
interactions while partial identity is a subset of characteristics and our
interactions while partial identity is a subset of characteristics that make up
our identity. Meanwhile, persona is the partial identity we create that
represents ourselves in a specific situation (Alata et al. 2018).
The self that is constructed online is generally called digital self.
Analyses of the experiences of online users (especially teens) have shown
that the characteristics of the digital self are:
 Oriented inward (world of thoughts & feelings) - others can’t see the
online user’s overt (obvious) attributes
 Narrative in nature - online users will only come to know the person
primarily through what that person tells them
 Retractable - others are unable to link the online self-claims to the
offline identities
 Multipliable - people can’t interact with one another in different
domains of the online world relatively the same time
People are able to present themselves online in the manner that they
want to. This is called self-presentation. Research suggests that self-
presentation tends to be superficial. A study conducted by Arttrill and Jalil
found that students and nonstudents between 18-39 years old were more
likely to disclose their interests online rather than their beliefs and feelings (as
 cited in Otig, 2018). This constrains the feedback that one receives, and thus,
influences the self.
The basic kinds of people you interact with online are:
 The people you do not know at all;
 People you know both online and offline; and
 People you only know only online.

II. Selective Self-presentation and Impression management

a. Self-presentation behavior is any behaviour we engage that is intended to
create, modify or maintain an impression of ourselves in the minds of
others or whenever people try to think of us in a certain way. People
engage in self-presentation for the following reason:
 It helps facilitate social interaction;
 It enables individuals to attain material & social rewards; and
 It helps people privately construct desired identities.
Generally, social media platforms are used for:
 Social browsing;
 Social searching;
 Communiccation; and
 Impression management

b. Impression management is the attempt to control or influence any other

people’s perceptions. Two main motives are the following:
 Instrumental – basically gain rewards and increase ones’ self
esteem
 Expressive – attempting to be in control of ones’ personal behavior
& identity.
i. Impression management strategies
1. Self-promotion – proactive process in which a person says things
or takes actions to show his or her competence to an audience
 2. Ingration – process by which someone tries to win the approval or
acceptance of another
3. Exemplification – involves a strategic self-sacrifice so that
observers may recognize the dedication
4. Intimidation – strategy that involves showing of authority, power, or
the potential is designed to increase the credibility of one’s threats
and in turn enhance the probability that the target will comply with
the demands for agreement
5. Supplication – an approach where the individual exploits his/ her
weaknesses or shortcomings to receive help or benefits
c. Impact of online interaction on the self
 Kraut et al. posited that internet use in general according to
significantly affected social relationship and participation in the
offline community life (as cited in Otig et al, 2018).
 One of the reason time spent on SNS according to Chou may be
associated with depressive symptoms is the fact the computer-
mediated communication may lead to altered impression of the
physical and personality traits of the other users (as cited in Otig et
al., 2018).
 As mentioned by Bessiere et al., it should be emphasized that so
far there is still no conclusive evidence that the use of SNS causes
depression or even single symptoms of depression (as cited in Otig
et al., 2018).
 One possible indication of the negative relationship between self-
esteem and the use of FB according to Mehdizadeh is that all social
networking platforms (where self-presentation is the principal user
activity) cause or at least promote narcissistic behavior (as cited in
Otig et al., 2018).
 HYPERSONAL MODEL as defined by Gonzales and Hancock is
the advantage of computer-mediated communication is that a
person can edit his/her self-presentation, which in turn positively
 impacts impressions on the self; thus, greater intimacy is possible
(as cited in Otig, 2018).
 SNS is found to be addictive. It is supported primarily by the mental
preoccupation of chronic users who, as a result, tend to neglect
some other aspects of their social functioning such as family and
offline friends.
 Some chronic users who suddenly stopped online social networking
have been observed to display signs and symptoms that at least
partially resemble the ones seen during drug/alcohol/nicotine
abstinence syndrome. Such as the following:
o Anxiety; o Insomnia; o Poor
concentration ;and
o Restlessness o Headaches o Social Isolation
; ;
o Irritability; o Depression
;
d. Addiction to social media
 Communication is essential in our endless quest for understanding
and understanding of our world.
 The world of the social world is socially shaped by interactions
between people: roles, rules, taxonomies, practices, and more.
 Social networks amplify these human nature:
o They have broken the barriers of distance and time;
presence and visibility
o They expand the possibilities of sharing and playing
identities.
o They fulfill the most deeply felt human need of finding a
psychological distinctiveness and self-definition in a social
contact
 Social validation (“likes”, “favorite”, “top fan”) is a social signal that
makes us feel good and makes us want to crave for more
e. Boundaries of the self online
 i. Private vs. public self
According to Baumeister social scientists have given very
different definitions of the concept of “private” and “public.”
Understanding the difference between these concepts will help in
your study of the “self” (as cited in Otig et al., 2018):
 PRIVATE – the prevalent definition among social
psychologists is “private” refers to mental events in a person
that are inherently unobservable by others.
 PUBLIC – what social psychologists consider as “public” are
behaviors that are open to the observation of other people
 Summary of the various uses of the terms “private” & “public”

Table 10.

Comparison of the public and private self

PRIVATE PUBLIC
Phenomenological experience Observable behavior
Acting only for self Acting as agent for others
Actor controls access to Information about self not
information regarding self controlled by actor
Acting in the interest of a limited Acting in the interest of the
number of people community

 SOCIAL PROFILES - are a description of individuals’ social

characteristics that identify them on social media site, such
as LinkedIn and Facebook (Otig et al., 2018).
o Possible advantage of making your online profile
public:
 It enables open communication, which can
lead to better and faster discovery and
provision of information.
  It enables open discussion of ideas and
messages, asking questions and sharing links.
 It offers the opportunity to expand business
contactsIt targets a wide audience, making it
useful and effective tool to increase your
network of friends
 If you are an entrepreneur, it improves
business reputation and client base with
minimal use of advertising
 It helps expand market research, implement
marketing campaigns, deliver communications,
and direct interested people to specific
websites
o Possible risks:
 It opens up the possibility for hackers to
commit fraud and launch spam and virus
attacks
 This increases the risk of victims of online
scams that appear to be real as a result of data
or identity theft.
 It potentially results in negative comments and
bashing
o Advantage of private online profile
 You have control over viewers. You only
connect with those you want to communicate
with
 Your online profile is protected from scammers
and bashers
o Disadvantage of private online profile
  Your network is very limited; thus you close
your doors to opportunities that social
networking brings.
 Your engagement is very low.
 You do not get to meet interesting people with
whom you can exchange ideas or learn from.
 If you are an entrepreneur, a private profile will
not help grow your business

ii. Individual vs. Social identity

 PERSONAL (Individual) Identity – the concept you develop
about yourself that evolves over the course of your life
o Characteristics of personal identity:
 The emphasis is on the individual
 It is created through differences in personal
characteristics when comparing self with others
 SOCIAL Identity – person’s sense of who he/she is based on
group membership(s)
o Characteristics of social identity:
 The emphasis is on what the person has in
common with the members of his/her group
 It is created based on similarities with others

III. Gender and sexuality online

 The Internet plays an important role in shaping our perception of our
world, our opinions and our values.
 Children and young people who are in the process of forming their
own opinions and attitudes about quality and acceptable behavior, and
also about sexuality, are most at risk from the influence of the Internet.
 Attitudes, behaviors and roles towards men and women are strongly
influenced by internet content.
 Gender stereotypes that exist in the offline environment are also
present in the online world.
 STEREOTYPE – fixed, overgeneralized belief about a particular group
or class of people (Cardwell, 2014).
o The use of stereotype is a manner in which people simplify the
social world
o Stereotyping is assuming that characteristics and abilities of
one person is also present in all members of the group.
o Stereotyping leads to social categorization, which is one of the
reason for prejudice attitudes
 SEXUALITY as a developmental issue is present throughout the life
cycle, but it becomes especially salient during adolescence
o The development of sexuality is an important bio-psycho-social
development
o Factors that affect an adolescent’s sexuality:
 Hormones;
 Personal or temperament:
 Social environmental factors; and
 Media and the internet
 A teen's sexual interest has a lot to do with their hormones.
 Personality / temperament is an important psychological factor that
also determines attitudes towards sexuality
 Social/ environmental factors that facilitate sexual learning and decide
the sexual attitude of the adolescent include:
o Attitude of parents toward sexuality;
o Parenting style;
o Peer relationship; and
o Cultural influences.
 Media coverage and the Internet have grown rapidly worldwide in
recent decades. Young people can easily find literature on sex, sexual
 offenses and violence that affects their perception and attitudes
towards sexuality.

Application:
1. What are your reasons/ purposes for going online?
2. What network site/s do you usually visit?
3. How often do you stay online? Why?
4. If you open your Social Media account, do you keep your identity
public or private? Why?
5. What would be the possible “benefits” and “risks” if your online profile
is made public?

Closure

Congratulations! You have completed the last lesson of this module. In this
lesson, we were able to identify the profiles that people use to observe new identity
models in the age of technology. If any part of the lesson needs to be clarified, ask the
instructor during the consultation.

Module Summary
This module entitled, “Unpacking the Self” covered the second part of the course
pack in Understanding Self (UTS), which explored some of the different aspects that make
up a self, such as the biological and material up to and including the more recent Digital
Self.

Module Assessment:

This will be provided by the faculty in charge.