Lesson 4
The Sexual
Self
understanding the Self
MARIE CRIS R. MENDOZA, RPM
Sexuality
is a central aspect of being human throughout life
encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual
orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and
reproduction.
Sexuality experienced and expressed thoughts,
fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors,
(WHO, 2006A as cited in practices, roles and relationship.
Defining Sexual Health,
2018, para 16
While sexuality can include all of these dimensions,
not all of them are always experienced or
expressed.
What is sex?
Sex Education
Sex Education is NOT promoting sexual
intercourse but to promote sexual health and
safety from sexual violence.
“Withholding information about sex
and sexuality will not keep children
safe; it will only keep them ignorant”
(Hauser, 2013, para 2 )
Sex Gender
person's characterization
as female or male at birth social characteristics
that may be (or not be)
based on the appearance aligned with a person's
of external genitalia or sex and adopted by an
other biological individual as their
characteristics including gender identity
chromosome
The Genderbread Person (Killerman, 2016)
TYPES OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Sexual orientation refers to our sexual preferences
towards males, females or both.
(Cole, 2009; King , 2014)
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed the diagnosis of “homosexuality” from the second edition of its Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual (DSM).
HOMOSEXUAL (gay/lesbian) sexually attracted to
members of same sex
BISEXUAL sexually attracted to people of both sexes
HETEROSEXUAL (straight) sexually attracted to members
of opposite sex
PANSEXUAL/ OMNISEXUAL can be sexually attracted to
any sex or gender identity
ASEXUAL not sexually attracted to any sex or gender
gender identity
TYPES OF GENDER IDENTITES Awareness, developed in early
childhood, that one is male or
female. (ages 3 to 5)
The T in LGBT which stands for transgender or gender non –
conforming, pertains to gender identity. “Some who do not identify
as either male or female prefer the term “genderqueer”
(Lesbian, gay, 2018, para 2)
CISGENDER/CIS gender identity consistent is with the sex they
were assigned at birth
TRANSSEXUAL: denoting or relating to a transgender person, especially one who has undergone
gender reassignment.
TRANSGENDER/ TRANS gender identity does not match the sex
they were assigned at birth
AGENDER people who do not identify with any gender
NON-BINARY people who do not identify strictly as a boy or a
girl- they could identify as both, or neither, or as another gender
entirely
Some of us identify as LGBTQIA+. This means we may be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer, questioning, intersex, or asexual.
Male primary sex characteristics are the penis, the scrotum and the ability to ejaculate when matured. Female
primary sex characteristics are the vulva, vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, and the ability to give birth and
menstruate when matured.
Puberty
One to three-year process of hormonal and
physical changes that causes young person
to reach sexual maturity
Girls usually entering it about a year [ or two]
earlier than boy” (Pickhardt, 2010, p3)
Puberty is not a one size fits all experience. It
could manifest in varying rates and specific
ages.
Every individual “develops and reacts in
different ways” due to factors like stress,
weight, “nutrition, hormonal activity, and
inherent characteristics” (Cole, 2009, p4)
Puberty The adolescent growth spurt —a rapid increase in
height, weight, and muscle and bone growth that occurs during puberty—
On average, the pubertal growth spurt for the
girls starts at 9, peaks at 11 in half; for boys, it starts at 11 in half peaks at 13 in half”
The first ejaculation, or spermarche, occurs at an average age of 13. A boy may wake up to fi nd a
wet spot or a hardened, dried spot on the sheets—the result of a nocturnal emission, an involuntary
ejaculation of semen (commonly referred to as a wet dream ).
for example, the breasts of females and the broad shoulders of males. Other secondary sex
characteristics are changes in the voice and skin texture, muscular development, and the growth of
pubic, facial, axillary, and body hair
Secondary sex characteristics are traits that differ between the two sexes but
are not part of the reproductive system; they include breasts in females and
facial hair in males
“the emotional region of the brain develops maturity ahead
of the part controlling the rational thought” (Cole 2009, p.8)
Emotion tend to take over which makes the transition to
adulthood and sexual maturity more challenging.
Since most teenagers are not oriented on the drastic
transformations and temporary emotional takeover,
sentiments and anxieties are not communicated and
handled well – which may be misconstrued by adults/
relatives as mere drama, attention seeking rebelling
maneuvers ( Palean et. Al. page 95)
EROGENOUS ZONES
Erogenous or sexually stimulating
zones of both sexes appear to be
interesting or embarrassing when
discussed in class.
When the erogenous zones are touched,
there is an expected sensation.
However, the quality of sensation
depends on who and how the zones are
being touched. (Evans, 2015)
Male circumcision
Male circumcision besides from being a tradition, if done
correctly has, “hygiene and medical benefits such as
lowering the risk of pro state cancer and helping prevent
sexually transmitted diseases”
(Ty, 2012, p4.), 2012, para 6.)
Moreover, “wives and girlfriends of circumcised men
had lower rates of HPV – which in rare cases may lead
to cervical and other cancers”
(Chui and Lapena p6)
Female Genital Mutilation (practices found of Africa, Asia and the
Middle East).
Ninth Congress. Republic Act No. 7610 June 17, 1992. AN ACT PROVIDING FOR STRONGER
DETERRENCE AND SPECIAL PROTECTION AGAINST CHILD ABUSE, EXPLOITATION AND
DISCRIMINATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Sexual violence
Sexual violence is any sexual act, attempt to
obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual
comments or acts to traffic person's
sexuality using coercion, by any person
regardless of their relationship to the victim,
in any setting, including but not limited to
home and work
NO, means NO! VAWC RA 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children
Act)to protect women and children from all forms of violence)
-assault, battery, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of
liberty
love is just a function of the brain 3 chemicals in the brain:
noradrenaline: stimulates adrenaline production causing that racing that racing hearts
and sweaty palms
dopamine: the feel-good chemical
phenylethylamine: released when we're near our crush, giving butterflies in our tummies.
“Falling in love is
stronger than the
sex drive”
( Fisher 2005, p.60)
romantic love --- beautiful and intoxicating, heartbreaking and soul-crushing.
Does love make our lives meaningful?
or is it an escape from our loneliness and suffering?
is love a disguise for our sexual desire or a trick of biology to make us procreate?
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN
SEXUAL RESPONSE
So what does the brain have to do with it? Everything!
as you begin to fall for someone you may find yourself excessively daydreaming about them and wanting to spend more and more time together, this first stage of love is what the Psychologist call infatuation.
infatuated individuals show increased activation in the ventral tegmental area- the reward-processing and motivation hub of the brain, firing when you do things like eat a sweet treat, quench your thirst, take drugs of abuse -- activation release the "feel good"
Sex is also sometimes referred to as "love making" giving a
neurotransmitter dopamine teaching the brain to repeat behaviors in anticipation of receiving the same initial reward.
this is the reason why love is not only euphoric but it draws you toward your new partner.
premium to act based on and done out of love.
stage na di din makita ang red flag!--- However decrease in activity in cortical region
What is the Science of Love?
According to Fisher “we are drawn to certain people not only for
cultural reasons, such as socioeconomics, intelligences and values
but also for biological reason”
(Zamosky, 2009 para 2).
Three stages of love
The three stages of love as far as our brain chemicals are concerned: lust, attraction
and attachment (Greenberg, 2016)
1 lust 2 attraction 3 attachment
is an infatuation stages is driven
sex hormones present in both mainly by dopamine and involves the hormones of
males and females motivate norepinephrine coupled with a oxytocin (known as the love
individuals to find a mate decrease in serotonin levels. hormones or cuddle chemical
Sexually matured and vasopressin.
being the main hormones This cocktail of chemicals causes
responsible for sex drive increased alertness and arousal Concentrations of these in the
of the body when somebody is body increase the following
indeed experiments have
attracted to another, orgasm in both men and
shown that altering levels of including a feel – good reward
these hormones has women.
pathway associated with the The release of these hormones
implication upon sexual person the ventral tegmental area
desire is believed to be important
increasing the desire to spend
factor in long term attraction
more time with them.
and love.
Models of the sexual pattern
Sex is a basic need according to Maslow
EXCITEMENT DESIRE
PLATEAU EXCITEMENT
ORGASM ORGASM
RESOLUTION RESOLUTION
From King (2014) From Kaplan (1979)
characterized by
increased heart rate,
The Sexual Pattern
respiration, and blood
pressure.
From King (2014)
zz
EXCITEMENT PLATEAU ORGASM RESOLUTION
arousal, penis continuation peak or body returns
erection, and intense to normal
vagina heightening of pleasure state
lubrication the arousal represents the peak or sexual climax of excitement, though not all
breathing, blood flow, and heart rate men and women necessarily reach this stage.
continue to increase and stabilize.
Orgasm is marked by involuntary, rhythmic muscle contractions
Muscle tension increases and throughout the body as well as a sense of euphoria and a feeling of
mayextend to hands, feet, face, and tension relief.
other areas of the body.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
What is HIV?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
There is currently no effective cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for life.
But with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. People with HIV who get effective HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners.
Involvement in sexual contact, either vaginal, oral or anal
may give temporary intense pleasure and the possibility of
transmitting more than 30 different bacteria, viruses and
parasites ('Sexually transmitted' 2016, para. 2) that may result
in a lifetime of sexually transmitted infections.
In our country the number of HIV and AIDS cases increase
every year.
In August 2017, the Philippines was said to have the highest
HIV growth rate in the Asia – Pacific ( Reuters2017)
What Are Birth Control Pills?
Birth control pills are a form of contraception that uses hormones to prevent a pregnancy.
There are many different methods of birth control. You may hear this specific one referred to as just "the pill."
You take the pill by mouth to prevent pregnancy, and when taken correctly, it's up to 99.9% effective. But the
pill doesn’t protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The latex condom used to cover a
penis gives the best protection from most STDs.
Eight pathogens are
linked to the greatest Abstinence
incidence of STIs. Of The most reliable way to
these, 4 are currently avoid infection is to not
curable: syphilis, have sex (i.e., anal, vaginal
gonorrhoea, chlamydia or oral).
and trichomoniasis.
Vaccination
The other 4 are Vaccines are safe,
incurable viral effective, and
infections: hepatitis B, recommended ways to
herpes simplex virus prevent hepatitis B and
(HSV), HIV and human HPV.
papillomavirus (HPV)
Reduce Number of Sex
Partners
Reducing your number of
sex partners can decrease
your risk for STDs.
Mutual Monogamy
Mutual monogamy means
that you agree to be
sexually active with only
one person, who has
agreed to be sexually
active only with you.
Use Condoms
Correct and consistent use
of the male latex condom is
highly effective in reducing
STD transmission.
* dignity;
1. abstain
2. protection
3. consent
FAMILY PLANNING
Family planning aims to provide accessible information on
sexual and reproductive health for people to choose from,
depending on their needs and preferences (Family
Planning 2018)
Contraception focuses on how to prevent pregnancy in line
with family planning.
For – in depth information and safe decisions on sexual
health, it is always best to consult with a medical expert.
Misuse or abuse of use of artificial contraception may lead
to serious high risks.
Lesson 5
PHYSICAL SELF
understanding the Self
What is the difference between Pretty and Beautiful?
• The word beautiful can be defined as pleasing the sense or else excellent.
• The word pretty can be defined as attractive in a delicate way.
• The difference is that while beautiful captures the meaning of beauty not only in terms of
physical appearance but an overall sense of pleasing nature, the word pretty suggests a
sense of attractiveness, which is rather delicate and not to the same degree as in beautiful.
Mona Lisa
Girl with a Pearl Earring
What is
BEAUTIFUL?
When someone is pretty, the person has a good appearance,
but when someone is beautiful, the person shines on the inside
and out. The words “beautiful”, “pretty” and “handsome” all
describe something which looks good.
“You are imperfect,
permanently and
inevitably flawed. And
you are beautiful
-Amy Bloom
Why Do I Look Like Myself?
Science explain that our parents are very much instrumental in
understanding why we look how we look.
Gregor Mendel first figured out how genes are passed from
parents to offspring in plants, including humans.
His experiments on pea plants showed that genes are passed
intact from generation to generation and that traits were
passed from parent to off spring through several generations (
Cummings, 2016)
Why Do I Look Like Myself?
From our skin tone, our hair color, to our height,
our physical characteristics are confirmation
that we are the offspring of our parents.
When heredity is actually at work, we find
ourselves being the reflections of our ancestors,
the product of their DNA ( deoxyribonucleic acid)
at work in us, and for others, also looking like
carbon copies of them.
Cultural Standards of Beauty
Different cultures have different standard beauty .
Originally used as a post on a veranda in Nigeria, this
carving is of a senior royal wife was created by a famous
artist, Olówé of Ise. The scarification indicates her high
status.
For some African cultures, scarification,
including on the face, is a way to enhance
someone’s beauty — especially that of a
woman.
Cultural Standards of Beauty
In addition to having light, clear skin, Japanese
beauty standards value having large eyes and
a double eyelid, or二重 (futae).
Some people in Japan think that a
snaggletooth is cute or sexy
Elongated Necks
Many cultures adopted the neck ring beauty
concept, but it’s mostly common in Africa
and Asia.
For a woman to have a long beautiful neck, it
means wealth and good family lineage.
Cultural Standards of Beauty
Earlobes
In Kenyan tribes, they used to believe the more
stretched your earlobe, the more beautiful you
were.
According to a paper published by Harvard University,
“Western beauty ideals include being thin and tall,
having long hair, having light/tanned skin, having big
breasts, large eyes, a small nose, and high
cheekbones.”
Cultural Standards of Beauty
In the Philippines, the development of local standards of beauty can be
traced back to our colonial influence.
Skin color is the characteristic of culture.
Rondilla states that the lighter skin is the
best in the hierarchy of being than the
brown and black skin. In terms of social
rank and status.
As a result, the Philippines was colonized
by fairer skinned races of Spaniards,
Americans and Japanese.
"they are not your flaws, they are simply your features"
-Inka Magnaye
The Filipino Obsession with Beauty:
The case of Xander Ford
But...
there are others who feel like they still need to
adjust some aspect of their body, because they
feel like they don't look good, even though you
tell them that they already are.
BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER
Those who are suffering BDD are so obsessed
about their appearance, thus think about their
flaws, real or not incessantly and uncontrollably
(Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Quest for
Perfection., 2012)
ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Anorexia is defined as “A serious mental illness where
people are of low weight due to limiting their energy
intake. It can affect anyone of any age, gender, or
background. As well as restricting the amount of food
eaten, they may do a lot of exercise to get rid of food
eaten. Some people with anorexia may experience cycle of
binge eating and then purging (Anorexia, 2017).
Body shaming is not only suffering of those who have
been criticized for their weight.
Filtered Self
• The advent of social media has put pressure on us to look
even better.
• We post our visually attractive self and more often than
not, we use filter-application, where we cover our
imperfections, build and re-construct self that is better
accepted by our online
friends.
• Unfortunately, today's youngsters are victims of this, since
we live at a time when our self-approval depends on the
likes, the sharing and the responses of our social media
posts.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with
gold — a metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections. “You won't realize
your full potential until you go through the tough times,” Kumai says.
Kintsugi
is the Japanese art of
putting broken pottery
pieces back together with
gold
embrace your features NOT FLAWS!!!!
in just one piece of pottery, kintsugi teaches us about accepting fragility, building
strength and resilience, and taking pride in the imperfect. Things can and do fall
apart.
Women should stand
against the cultural requirement on what they
should do with their bodies
(Jeffreys, 2005)
CELEBRATING BEAUTY IN Diversity
At this time, we are urged to speak out against body shaming in particular
as we live in an image-driven virtual society.
We should never allow ourselves to be victims of this, since we are
supposed to celebrate true us, where we do not need to conceal our physical
defects and fight the demands of a deprecating picture guided by society.
You are beautiful.
Thank you and God bless us all!
