CHAPTER 4: THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
A. EASTERN THOUGHTS
 Sees the other person as part of yourself as well as the things you may create, a
drama in which everyone is interconnected with their specific roles
 Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the group and social relations that is
given more importance than individual needs and wants.
B. WESTERN THOUGHTS
 Looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct from the other person, the
creator is separate from the object he created, in which the self is distinguished and
acknowledged
 The Western culture is what we would call an individualistic culture since their focus
is on the person.
C. CONFUCIANISM
 A code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to his/her
relationship with other people
 The identity and self-concept of the individual are interwoven with the identity and
status of his/her community or culture, sharing its pride as well as its failures.
 Self-cultivation is seen as the ultimate purpose of life.
 The cultivated self in Confucianism is what some scholars call a “subdued self”
wherein personal needs are repressed (subdued) for the good of many, making
Confucian society also hierarchal for the purpose of maintaining order and balance in
society.
D. TAOISM
 Living in the way of the Tao or the universe
 Rejects having one definition of what the Tao is
 Rejects the hierarchy and strictness brought by Confucianism and would prefer a
simple lifestyle and its teachings thus aim to describe how to attain that life
 The self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part of the
universe.
 The ideal self is selflessness but this is not forgetting about the self; it is living a
balanced life with society and nature, being open and accepting to change, forgetting
about prejudices and egocentric ideas and thinking about equality as well as
complementarity among humans as well as other beings.
E. BUDDHISM
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The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and control
things, or human-centered needs; thus, the self is also the source of all these
sufferings.
To forget about the self, forget the cravings of the self, break the attachments you
have with the world, and to renounce the self which is the cause of all suffering and
in doing so, attain the state of Nirvana.
(GE 1): UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
UNIT 2:
CHAPTER 5: THE PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL SELF
I.
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II.
ABSTRACTION
The gonads (reproductive glands that produce the gametes; testis or ovary) begin to form until
about the eighth week of embryonic development.
During the early stages of human development, the embryonic reproductive structures of males
and females are alike and are said to be in the indifferent stage
The formation of male or female structures depends on the presence of testosterone.
The embryonic testes release testosterone, and the formation of the duct system and external
genitalia follows.
Female embryos that form ovaries will cause the development of the female ducts and external
genitalia since testosterone hormone is not produced.
Any intervention with the normal pattern of sex hormone production in the embryo results in
strange abnormalities:
 Pseudohermaphrodites are formed who are individuals having accessory reproductive
structures that do not “match” their gonads;
 Hermaphrodites are individuals who possess both ovarian and testicular tissues but this
condition is rare in nature.
Puberty is the period of life when the reproductive organs grow to their adult size and become
functional under the influence of rising levels of gonadal hormones (testosterone in males and
estrogen in females).
DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
A. IN FEMALES:
 Vaginal infections are more common in young and elderly women and in those whose resistance
to diseases is low.
 Vaginal infections that are left untreated may spread throughout the female reproductive tract and
may cause pelvic inflammatory disease and sterility.
 Escherichia coli which spread through the digestive tract; the sexually transmitted
microorganisms such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and herpes virus; and yeast (a type of fungus)
 Painful or abnormal menses may also be due to infection or hormone imbalance.
 Tumors of the breast and cervix are the most common reproductive cancers in adult females.
B. IN MALES:
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Common inflammatory conditions are prostatitis, urethritis, and epididymitis, all of which may
follow sexual contacts in which sexually transmitted disease (STD) microorganisms are
transmitted.
Orchiditis, or inflammation of the testes, can cause sterility and most commonly follows mumps in
an adult male.
Prostate cancer (a common sequel to prostatic hypertrophy) is a widespread problem in adult
males.
Although aging men show a steady decline in testosterone secretion, their reproductive capability
seems unending.
III. EROGENOUS ZONES
 They refer to parts of the body that are primarily receptive and increase sexual arousal when
touched in a sexual manner.
 Commonly known erogenous zones are the mouth, breasts, genitals, and anus; other common
areas of the body that can be aroused easily may include the neck, thighs, abdomen, and feet.
IV. HUMAN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
 It is defined as any activity—solitary, between two persons, or in a group—that induces sexual
arousal.
 There are two major factors that determine human sexual behavior: the inherited sexual response
patterns that have evolved as a means of ensuring reproduction, and the degree of restraint or
other types of influence exerted on the individual by society in the expression of his/her
V. TYPES OF BEHAVIOR
1) SOLITARY BEHAVIOR
 Self-gratification means self-stimulation that leads to sexual arousal and generally, sexual
climax; most self-gratification takes place in private as an end in itself.
 Self-gratification is most frequent among the unmarried; there are more males who
perform acts of self-gratification than females.
 It becomes less frequent or is abandoned when sociosexual activity is available.
2) SOCIOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR
 Heterosexual behavior is the greatest amount of sociosexual behavior that occurs
between only one male and one female.
 It usually begins in childhood and may be motivated by curiosity, such as showing or
examining genitalia.
 Physical contact involving necking or petting is considered as an ingredient of the
learning process.
 Petting differs from hugging, kissing, and generalized caresses of the clothed body to
practice involving stimulation of the genitals.
 Coitus, the insertion of the male reproductive structure into the female reproductive
organ, is viewed by society quite differently depending upon the marital status of the
individuals.
VI. PHYSIOLOGY OF HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE
1) Excitement phase. There is increase in pulse and blood pressure, and skin temperature.
Flushing and swelling of all distensible body parts are also experienced. Symptoms of
arousal eventually increase to a near maximal physiological level that leads to the next stage.
2) Plateau phase. It is generally of brief duration. If stimulation is continued, orgasm usually
occurs.
3) Sexual climax. It is marked by a feeling of abrupt, intense pleasure.
4) Resolution phase. It is the last stage that refers to the return to a normal or subnormal
physiologic state.
VII. NERVOUS SYSTEM FACTORS
 The autonomic system is involved in controlling the involuntary responses.
 The hypothalamus and the limbic system are the parts of the brain believed to be responsible
for regulating the sexual response.
 The lower spinal cord leads to erection and ejaculation for male, and vaginal discharges and
lubrication for female when the genital and perineal areas are stimulated.
VIII. SEXUAL PROBLEMS
 Physiological problems. Diseases that are due to abnormal development of the genitalia or
that part of the neurophysiology controlling sexual response;
 Psychological problems. Caused by socially induced inhibitions, maladaptive attitudes,
ignorance, and sexual myths held by society;
 Premature emission of semen is a common problem, especially for young males;
 Erectile impotence is almost always of psychological origin in males under 40; in older males,
physical causes are more often involved;
 Ejaculatory impotence, which results from the inability to ejaculate in coitus, is uncommon
and is usually of psychogenic origin.
 Vaginismus is a strong spasm of the pelvic musculature constricting the female
reproductive organ so that penetration is painful or impossible.
IX. PHYSIOLOGY OF HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE
1) Excitement phase. There is increase in pulse and blood pressure, and skin temperature.
Flushing and swelling of all distensible body parts are also experienced. Symptoms of
arousal eventually increase to a near maximal physiological level that leads to the next stage.
2) Plateau phase. It is generally of brief duration. If stimulation is continued, orgasm usually
occurs.
3) Sexual climax. It is marked by a feeling of abrupt, intense pleasure.
4) Resolution phase. It is the last stage that refers to the return to a normal or subnormal
physiologic state.
X. SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES
A. These are bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections transmitted from an infected person to an
uninfected person through sexual contact.
1) Chlamydia
2) Gonorrhea
3) Syphilis
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Chancroid
Human Papillomavirus
Herpes Simplex Virus
Trichomonas Vaginalis
XI. NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION
B. NATURAL METHOD
a) Abstinence
b) Calendar Method
c) Basal Body Temperature
d) Cervical Mucus Method
e) Symptothermal Method
f) Ovulation Detection
g) Coitus Interruptus
C. ARTIFICIAL METHODS
a) Oral Contraceptives
b) Transdermal Patch
c) Vaginal Ring
d) Subdermal Implants
e) Hormonal Injections
f) Intrauterine Device
g) Chemical Barriers
h) Diaphragm
i) Cervical Cap
j) Male Condoms
k) Female Condoms
l) Surgical Methods
CHAPTER 6: TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY? THAT IS THE QUESTION!
I.
MATERIAL SELF
 William James, understanding the self can be examined through its different components:
 (1) its constituents;
 (2) the feelings and emotions they arouse—self-feelings;
 (3) the actions to which they prompt—self-seeking and self-preservation
 The constituents of self are composed of the material self, the social self, the spiritual
self, and the pure ego.
 The material self, according to James primarily is about our bodies, clothes, immediate
family, and home.
 The more investment of self-given to the particular thing, the more we identify ourselves
to it. We also tended to collect and possess properties. The collections in different degree
of investment of self, becomes part of the self.
II.
WE ARE WHAT WE HAVE
 Russel Belk posits that “…we regard our possessions as part of ourselves. We are what we
have and what we possess.”
 As we grow older, putting importance to material possession decreases.
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Material possession gains higher value in our lifetime if we use material possession to find
happiness, associate these things with significant events, accomplishments, and people in
our lives.
The possessions that we dearly have tell something about who we are, our self-concept, our
past, and even our future.