WORKTEXT IN UNDERSTANDING THE

SELF
(Theory, Method and Application)

Jigo Rafael C. Catamio Dr.

Ronan S. Estoque Trisha Joy O.
Gotinga Lovelyn F. Laresma

Illustrated by: Jonathan Astrid S. Anabo

2
 Table of Contents

The S elf F rom V arious P erspectives 1

Chapter 1 : P hilosophical P erspective o n S elf 2

Chapter 2 :
S ociological erspective o f t elf 1
P he S 2
Chapter 3: nthropological Perspective of the Self 1
A 6
Chapter 44 sychological erspective o f t elf 2
:P P he S 0
Chapter 5: The Self in Western and Oriental/Eastern Thought 2
4

Unpacking the Sel f 29

Chapter 6: Ph ysical Se lf 3
0
Chapter 7: Se xual Se lf 3
4
Chapter 8 : M aterial/Economic S elf 4
4
Chapter 9: Sp iritual Se lf 4
8
Chapter 10 : Po litical Se lf 5
6
Chapter 11 : Di gital Se lf 6
1

Managing a nd C aring f or t he S elf 66

Chapter 1 2: L earning t o b B etter S tudent 6

ea 7
Chapter 1 3: S etting G oals f or S uccess 7
1
Chapter 1 4: T aking C harge ne’s H ealth 7
o fO 5

3
 The Self From
Various Perspectives

Learning
Outcomes

∙ Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of the self

from various disciplinal perspectives
∙ Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across disciplines
and perspectives
∙ Examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape the self 
∙ Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of
one’s self 
and identify by developing a theory of the self 

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 Chapter 1

Philosophical Perspective on
Self 

Philosophy

Philosophy is derived from the Greek words “Philos” and “Sophia” which literally
means “Love for Wisdom”. It is the study of acquiring knowledge through rational
thinking and inquiries that involves in answering questions regarding the nature and
existence of man and the world we live in. As such, it is imperative to look into the
various explanations from different philosophers their notion of what the “Self” its nature
and how it is formed in order to have a better picture on how people develop their
behaviors, attitude and actions and to be able to identify and understand who we are
and how we came to be.

Socrates

Socrates’ work was never published, we were only able to know who Socrates is
and his works because of his illustrious students spoke generously and in detail about
his knowledge, wit, wisdom and intellect. His student Plato for example included
Socrates in some of his work as a pivotal character.

He could be considered as the first martyr of education, knowledge and

philosophy. For lighting up the minds of his students, he was literally charged with
corruption of minors. He was made to choose between exile and death via the intake of
hemlock. Socrates chose the latter, thus dying as a martyr that fights against ignorance
and narrow-mindedness.

The philosophy of Socrates underlies in the importance of the notion “knowing

oneself” for him, men’s goal in life is to obtain happiness and such goal motivates us to
act towards or avoid things that could have negative repercussions in our lives. As
such, by fully knowing oneself a person will be able to achieve happiness.

Socrates also posited that possession of knowledge is a virtue and that

ignorance is a depravity, that a person’s acceptance of ignorance is the beginning of
acquisition of knowledge. So, one must first have the humility to acknowledge one’s
ignorance so as to be able to know what he is lacking and what he needs to know.

Socrates believe that the answer to our pursuit in knowing ourselves lies in our
own abilities and wisdom, and that the only way for us to understand ourselves is
through internal questioning or introspection. This method of questioning oneself,
where the person assumes the

5
role of both the teacher and the student is known to the world as the Socratic Method or
Socratic Conversation.

By continuously asking and evaluating who we are we as a person will also be

able to understand our strengths and weaknesses, the things that we like and dislike,
how we want people to treat us and how we want ourselves to be treated, so by
knowing these things we can act in accordance to what we know we are and live our
lives following our knowledge of ourselves.

Plato

One of the most prominent thinkers of his time, Plato included in his work the
learnings and ideas shared to him by his teacher Socrates. He wrote several literature
that tackles politics, human nature, and established the idea of virtue and intelligence.
Plato is historically known to be the father of the academy a place where learning and
sharing of knowledge happens, that later became one of the pillars and basis of what
schools and education is now in the present.

Plato generally followed his teacher and the idea of knowing thyself although
from his works such with the notable ones’ such as the allegory of the cave, the
apology, and his work on a perfect government and societal system, “the Republic”
where he said that the world can only be led by a Philosopher king, a person who is
virtuous as well as intelligent. According to Plato, a person who is a follower of truth and
wisdom will not be tempted by vices and will always be just.

Plato also believed in the division of a person’s body and soul which forms the
person as a whole aside from the material things and that could be observed and
associated with a person, Plato presented the idea the ones’ soul is divided into 3
different parts that has different views leading to different behaviors, these parts of the
soul are known as the Appetitive, Spirited, and Rational Soul.

Plato’s 3 parts of the soul

 Appetitive Soul –Plato’s idea of the appetitive soul is the part of the person that is driven
by desire and need to satisfy oneself. This satisfaction both involves physical needs
and pleasures and desires. As long as the person find an object or situation good or
satisfying, the Appetitive soul can drive the person to lean towards those objects and
situations.

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Spirited Soul – this part of the soul can be attributed to the couragous part of a person,
one who wants to do something or to right the wrongs that they observe. Spirited soul
are very competititive and is very active, his competitiveness drives one to expect
positive results and winning.

Rational Soul – The last part of the soul could be said is the driver of our lives, this is the
part that thinks and plan for the future “the conscious mind” it decides what to do, when
to do it and the possible results one could have depending on their actions.

St. Augustine

 A Saint and a Philosopher of the church, St. Augustine follows the idea that God
encompasses us all, that everything will be better if we are with God. His work’s focal
point is on how God and his teachings affects various aspects in life, he follows the
belief that everything is better if we devote ourselves in mending our relationship with
God.

His idea of a man and how to understand who we are as a person is related to our
understanding of who we are and how we question ourselves, though St. Augustine
also relates our existence to God being modeled in his likeness though being alive
means that we are still far from God and has yet to be truly with him.

St. Augustine also rejected the doubtfulness of the academy in which one cannot
or should not accept ideas from others. He emphasized that we may not be able to give
our agreement to everything other people tell us but we can still agree to those who we,
from our own perception, think is right or wrong based from our perception.

He believes that our notion of ourselves and our idea of existence comes from a
higher form of sense in which bodily senses may not perceive or understand, and the
more one doubts and question his life means that, that person is actually living. St.
 Augustine while integrating the teaching of the church in his philosophy and
establishing our sense of self with God which we cannot achieve with our bodies since
the limitation of our senses in truly understanding the essence of our existence and role
in the world is limited. So people is in need to establish their relationship with god
through being virtuous, but at the same time, to be able to stand by on what we think is
true, who we think we are that are from our own understanding and solely defined by us
alone although people may say differently, by continuously questioning and finding the
truth will we be able to find the best answer to who we are and what our role is in the
world.

7
said that the constant movement of the brain can be the basis of who the person is this
is
emphasized by Churchland and his wife in the statement “The Brain as the Self”.

Merleau-Ponty

Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty is a French philosopher that is known for

his works on existentialism and phenomenology. His idea of the self, regarded that the
body and mind are not separate entities, but rather those two components is one and
the same. His idea that follows the gestalt ideation where the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts in which pushed his idea on the unity of the function of the mind and
body,this idea is called the Phenomenology of Perception.

The idea of Phenomenology of Perception according to Merleau-Ponty is divided

into three (3) division, The Body, The Perceived World, and the People and the world.
The body that both receives the experience as well as integrates such experiences in
the different perception. The Perceived world, which are the accumulation of the
perception as integrated by the experiences of the body. And the People and the world
that enable one to not only be able to integrate the other objects in the world but also to
be able to experience the cultural aspect and relate to others.

His idea of perception follows the idea of Gestalt psychology which gives
important on the whole than the sum of its part. For him, perception guides our action
based from what our experiences are, the body perceives while our consciousness
provides the meaning or interprets the various perception we have in the world and the
self could be established by the perceptions we have in the world, whereas one’s
action, behaviour and language used could be said to be the reflection of our united
perception of the world.

Required Reading/s:

Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of personality . In Pervin and John (eds).
Handbook of Personality Theory and Research (pp 134 – 194) . 2nd ed. Guilford
Press.

Chafee, J. (2013). Who are you? Consciousness , identity and the self. In the
Philosopher’s Way.
Thinking Critical about Profound Ideas(pp 106 – 169). Pearson.

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14
 Chapter 2

Sociological Perspective of
the Self 

Sociology, or the study of how human society is established, its structure and
how it works, the people’s interaction with each other and the effects they have to one
another is an aspect in which we have to consider with regards to the development of a
person. It is also important to understand that the establishment of the “Self” based on
social structures could give us a better understanding of who we are and provide
reasons how our interactions can affect us as a person.

George Herbert Mead and the Social

Self,

George Herbert Mead is an American Sociologist, he is considered as the Father

of American pragmatism, and one of the pioneers in the field of social psychology
because of his contributions on the development of the person relating to various social
factors.

Mead rejected the idea of biological determination of the self which proposes that
an individual already has an established self from the moment he is born. For him, the
notion of a person with regards to who they are develops from one’s social interaction
with other people. He reiterated that the process of establishing the self is through the
construction and reconstruction of the idea of who we are as a person during the
process of social experience.

The “I” and the

“Me”

Mead proposes that there are two components of the self which the person has,
these components are the “I” and the “Me”. The “Me” are the characteristics, behavior,
and or actions done by a person that follows the “generalized others” that person
interacts with, while the “I”

15
is the reaction of the individual to the attitude of others, as well as the manifestation of
the individuality of the person. Simply speaking, According to Mead the concept the “I”
is one’s response to the established attitude, and behavior that a person assumes in
reference to their social interactions while the “Me” are the attitudes, and behavior of
the person with reference to their social environment.

Mead’s Three Role-playing Stages of Self Development

Mead proposed that there a three stages in which a person has to go through for
one to
develop one’s self. These stages are the Preparation/Language Stage, Play stage, and
Game stage.

The Preparatory Stage (Birth – 2 years Old) – According to Mead, during this stage the
infant simply imitates the actions and behaviors of the people that the infant interacts
with. Because the child is only mimicking what he or she observes from his or her
environment their actions are only the reflection of what they can remember without any
intention or meaning behind their actions or behavior.

The Play Stage (2 – 6 years old) – for the Play stage, it is the time where children
begins to interact with other with which certain rules apply, these rules often time does
not adhere to any set or standards but rather are rules that are set by the children
themselves. Also, this is the stage where the child practices real life situations through
pretend play and is the onset of self- consciousness. The development of the self in this
stage occurs through the preliminary experiences that serves as practice for the child.

The Game Stage (6-9 years old) – The final stage of self-development according to
Mead where are characterized by the ability of the children to recognize the rules of the
game and be able to identify their roles and the roles of the others that is playing with
them. With this, the children at this stage learns the implications of their actions as well
as the understanding or taking into account how one can take into account the view
point of the society on the attitudes and actions.

With the idea of Mead with regards to the establishment of the sense of self,
socialization is a lifetime endeavor, and the people one interacts with will change
throughout a person’s life, as such, considering the social environment one belongs to
along with the changes on the

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47
 Chapter 8

The Material and Economical Self 

William James, Also known as the father of American Psychology identified

various components of the Empirical self, one of which is what he called a Material Self.
 According to James, that Man’s “Material self” is not only consisting of his own body but
also includes the different things he possess from ones family, friends, as well as things
such as, ones clothes, house, cars, gadgets, end even the amount of money he has in
the bank.

Body

Possessions
(house, cars,
Self Family
phone, car, as"ME"
etc.)

Friends

In James’ idea of the Material Self, One defines themselves and at the same time
is being defined by the people they are acquainted with along with the accumulation of
objects and achievements that a person acquired from the different endeavours and
experiences in life. For example, a person can identify themselves as a singer not only
from their own beliefs that they can sing, we can also consider factors such as if other
people also says that he or she can sing, if he or she belongs to a family of singers,
have trophies and awards relating to singing (winning a singing contest), or works as a
singer in a band or in a concert hall.

48
 The losing of such objects or people will render one feel that apart of him was
also lost at the same time, for example, in cases of death in the family, losing a
business that a person have invested for his entire life, sudden inability to play music
because of an accident. Also, the time a person died his possessions and associations
with other people will be the only objects that will remind the world of who that person
were.
So we represent ourselves through clothes, the gadgets we wear, the friends we
have and the things that we do. All of these contribute to whether we are accepted or
not in the world we live in. With this in mind, the choices that we make in order to
achieve the recognition of others depends not only on our own capabilities but more so
on the value we and the other people give to what we have or can acquire. For
example, now the things like having an Iphone, drinking coffee at Starbucks, or buying
branded clothes maybe used as a manifestation of a good social standing it may not be
similar to owning a company, having a house at an exclusive subdivision but the former
are much easier to acquire and achieve than the latter.

Having the ability to find the things that will define yourself that will persist
through time, were your life and achievements both defines who you are and what you
are capable of and at the same time provide you with the direction and knowledge on
what to prioritize will result to a more cohesive and easier establishment of who you are
as a person and what you want to be in life.

Required Reading/s:

Dittmer, H. The Individual Centered Approach: Material Possessions as Parts of the

Extended Self. Pp. 41 – 64 and Possessions as Symbolic Expressions of
Identity.Pp 95 – 121 in TheSocial Psychology of Material Possessions: To Have
is to Be?. St. Martin’s Press.

Gibbs et al. (2006). Self presentation in online personals: The role of anticipated future
interactions, self-disclosures and perceived success in internet dating.
Communications Research. 33.2.152-172.

Gonzales & Hancock (2010). Mirror, Mirror on my FB Wall: Effects of Exposure to FB on

self- esteem. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking  .
Doi:10.1089/cyber.2009.0411

Walther (2007). Selective self-presentation in computer mediated communication:

Hyperpersonal dimensions of technology, language and cognition. Computers in
Human Behavior  . 23. 2538 – 2557.

49
50
58
 Chapter 10

The Political
Self 

Developing a Filipino Identity: Values, Traits, Community and Institutional Factors

Collective action, shared vision, means of sustainable future and the link to generation
has been crucial in the construction of identity and sense of belonging in the democratic
standpoint. On the other hand, in the socio psychological perspective, citizenship or
being a Filipino serves a a cognitive and motivational basis for ones beliefs and
behavior. Thus, enhancing the practice of citizenship and democracy is crucial to the
awareness and understanding of self and community.

Three Major Concerns in Building an Identity

The level of individual, community and institution are primary factors that come into play
in the building an identity. At the same time, it is essential to consider the following
concerns in building an identity:

1.Instrumental - An individual act in accordance with rules and identities consistent with
supportive of democratic processes.

2. Morals - Values and beliefs embody and reinforce democratic principles.

3.Transformative - Includes process of self-reflection and redefinition of individuals,

institutions and communities.

Community

Person

Level of
Institution
Individual

59
Aspects in Developing T its
Filipino Identity r •Dualism of Filipino
a Traits (negative and
Individual Attitudes and
 positive)
•Colonial/Accomodative
Surface Value (hiya, utang
na loob, pakikisama) Macro-Factors at
Institutional Factors
•Confrontatie Surface the Societal
Value(bahala na,
sama/lakas ng loob,
•Family •ImmeLdeiavtel
pakikibaka) •Church community with
•Pivotal Interpersonal •School which one readily
Value (pakiramdam) •Media identifies one's self 
•Government •Less intimate grouping
•Linking/socio-personal
Value (kagandahang- loob) •Non-government of which one is a
• Associated Societal •People's organization member 
Value (karangalan,
katarungan,kalayaan)

Establishing a Democratic Culture

Sense of community and public good and empowerment of people are central questions
to consider in the development of democracy agenda. The following frameworks were
used as a guide in the development of action agenda. According to Diokno 1999, in her
article Becoming a Filipino Citizen, Perspective on Citizenship and Democracy  , the
agenda was crafted in September 1996 conference in which perceptions of citizenship
and democracy from different standpoints were discussed.

March and Olsen’s Framework Przeworski’s Concept of Effective

of Democratic Political Citizenship
Development

• Building institutions that civilize ∙ Official conduct in accordance

expressions of solidarity and with the law.
confrontation of conflict among ∙  A judicial system appied equally
identities. to all.
∙ Social conditions for the
exercise of citizen's rights.

60
 • Forming specific identities (character,
habits of thought, sense of reality and
codes of conduct) that fit into and
support a democratic political order 
• Sense of solidarity that connects the
individual to a broad political
community of others and organize
others and organizes other
belongings in a way that enriches
the community

Based on the following frameworks, the democratic agenda was crafted.

1. Improve the political and social environment and reduce poverty through
structural reforms in order to foster a sense of community and enable
citizens to exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations.
2. Continually re-examine societal institutions responsible for value formation so
that they can inculcate, rather than indoctrinate, democratic citizenship values.
3. Incorporate cross-cultural activities in public and private sector
programs, including
those of schools, churches, NGOs and POs, so as to recognize
ethnolinguistic and cultural diversity in the country and encourage the
sharing of experiences.
4. Further promote the use of Filipino and Philippine languages in all transactions
so as to enable the articulation of citizenship and democratic views and values.
5. Continue to harness institutional as well as informal mechanisms that open up
space for the exercise of citizenship and democracy.
Required Reading/s:

Doronilla, ML (1997). An overview of Filipino perspectives on democracy and

citizenship. In
Perspectives on citizenship and democracy  (pp 69 – 112 ). UP TWSC.

Diokno, MS (1997). Becoming a Filipino citizen. In Perspectives on citizenship and

democracy  (pp 17 -38) . UP TWSC.

Zialcita, F. (1997). Barriers and bridges to a democratic culture. In Perspectives on

citizenship and democracy ( pp 39 – 68) . UP TWSC.

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 Belk’s Summary of Digital Modification of the Extended
Self Digital D imension Self Possession
Dematerialization Attachment to and
singularization of virtual
possessions; almost, but
not quite the same
Reembodiment Avatars affect offline self;  Attachment to avatars
multiplicity of selves
Sharing Self r evelation; l oss o  Aggregate possessions;
f control sense
of shared place online
Co-construction of self Affirmation of self;building
aggregate extended self;
“Attachment to Virtual
Possessions in
Videogames”
Distributed memory Narratives of self Digital clutter; digital cues
to sense of past
Selective Presentation and Impression Management

Self-presentation is behavior that attempts to convey some information about oneself or

some image of oneself to other people. These behaviors are activated by the evaluative
presence of other people and by others' knowledge of one's behavior. In new situations,
many people would like to impress and become self-conscious. People behave in ways
designed to create a favorable impression or even to one’s ideals. Humans are social
animals and regulate our behavior to fit in world or adjust it to impression that we
desire. People monitor their behavior, observe how others react and adjust their
performance to create a desired impression.

Two Types of Self-Presentation

1. Pleasing the audience – This type of self-presentation which try to match self to the
audience's expectations and preferences.

2. Self-construction – This type of self-presentation tries to match oneself to one's own

ideal self. The expression of the audience-pleasing motive varies across situations.

Multiple Aspects of the Self 

Higgins (1987) argues that there are three domains of the self: the actual self, the ideal
self and the ought self.

1.Actual self – this refers to the attributes an individual possesses.

64
2. Ideal self – this refers to the attributes an individual would ideally possess.

3. Ought self – this refers to the attributes an individual ought to possess.

 According to Higgins, the discrepancies between the actual self and ideal self leads to
feelings of dejection. Our sense of self helps organize our thoughts, feelings and
behaviors. Our overall self- evaluation influences our cognitive processes. For instance,
when people with high self- evaluation fail, they sustain their self-worth by looking at
others failure.

Ideal
Ought

Re
al

Multiple Aspects of the Self 

Impact of Online Interaction on Self 

Computer-Mediated Communication

Computer-mediated communication encompasses human communication involving

several exchanges through various platforms such as text, audio, and/or video
messages. A CMC interaction occurs through various types of networking technology
and software, including email, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), instant messaging (IM),
Usenet and mailing list servers. An interesting discussion can stem from a comparison
of how we construct our identity in the “real world” versus how we construct it in the
online world. As Dutton (1996) points out, that technology can work two ways – open or
close social choices. Individuals shape the impact of technology has on their lives by
choosing which technology to use and how to use it.

65
Boundaries of Self Online

The line between offline and online self has become blurred. Since people nowadays
are becoming more connected digitally, self-identity is becoming more fashioned in
transmedia paradigm. In the present culture of constant connectivity, the Internet is
coordinated into our lives with the end goal that the experience of being on the web is
subjectively not quite the same as before.

Required Reading/s:

Belk, R. (2013). Extended self in a digital world. Journal of consumer research . 40.3.
477 -500.

Ellison, et al. (2006). Managing impressions online: Self presentation processes in the
online dating environment. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication. 11.
415 – 441. Doi 10.111/j. 1083-6101.2006. 00020x

Gibbs et al. (2006). Self Presentation in online personals: The role of anticipated future
interactions, self-disclosures and perceived success in internet dating.
Communications Research. 33.2.152-172.

Gonzales & Hancock (2010). Mirror, Mirror on my FB Wall: Effects of Exposure to FB on

self- esteem. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking  .
Doi:10.1089/cyber.2009.0411

Walther (2007). Selective self-presentation in computer mediated communication:

Hyperpersonal dimensions of technology, language and cognition. Computers in
Human Behavior  .  . 23. 2538 – 2557.

66
67
 Managing and Caring for
the Self 

Learning
Outcomes

∙ Understand the theoretical underpinnings for how to manage and care

for different aspects of the self 
∙  Acquire and hone new skills and learnings for better managing of one’s self
and behaviors
∙  Apply these new skills to one’s self and functioning for a better quality of life

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 Chapter 12

Learning to be a Better

Student Becoming a Better Student

 As a person growth is an inevitable goal and change will always be present in
what we do. As such, for students, the need to understand that just barely passing the
different subjects and graduating after is not necessarily the best option for successfully
landing you dream job, or becoming successful in the world of work. It is also important
to note that being a student does not necessarily mean that the only thing you have to
do is to read books, go to class, or prepare and answer tests, these things may be the
usual things expected for a student to do in school, but understanding that the
preparation for real life endeavors may start in the class room, but not necessarily end
there.

In terms of having freedom in the classroom, there are several things that needs
to be noted, one of which is in the freedom of the students towards their choices of
what to learn as well as how they are going to use such learning in real life situations.
 Aside from having a good learning environment where the needs of the students are
being met, the students should also understand the value of what they are learning and
why they are learning those (Kujjpers, Meijers, Gundy, 2011).

To become a better student, several things are needed to be done, aside from
 just listening from the discussions and following the directions taught by the teachers a
student should be able to have a better understanding of what they are doing, have the
ability to recognize and sort the different information that they are encountering, and to
be able to have a certain level of understanding on the concepts that they are studying
in which could result for better application and appreciation of such learnings.

Tips to Become a Better Student

1. Prepare Before going to school

 Always try to research or read the next lesson, do your assignments
∙

at home or before going to school, eat and have proper rest before
going to school.
∙ In preparation for school not only your assignments, or making sure
that you have all the tools you need for class ready and prepared but
to also make sure to have your body prepared by making sure to
have enough rest and eating as

69
 Chapter 14

Taking Charge of One’s Health

Stressors and Reponses

Stress is person’s response to events that threaten them. A student can

experience various kinds of deadline from deadline of projects or exam, family problem,
peer pressure to the complex stress such as ever changing environment or terrorist
attack. Even the pleasant events, such as preparing for a party or starting a sought-
after job can produce stress.

In recent years, focus on this issue has been broadened as psychology came to
see stress and coping in broader context. Health Psychology, a newer subfield of
psychology, investigates the psychological factors such as stress of different kind and
in different situation. It also includes coping mechanism, prevention, diagnosis and
treatment.

Muscle Tension Uncontrolled blood glucose

Stress Effect on the
∙ ∙

∙ Tension-type headache Body

level
and migraine headache ∙ Heartburn or acid reflux
∙ Difficulty in breathing ∙ Ulcer 
∙  Asthma ∙ Severe stomach pain
∙ Increased heartrate ∙ Diarrhea
∙ Stronger contraction of ∙ Constipation
the heart muscle ∙ Increased respiration rate
∙ Elevated blood pressure ∙ Dilated blood vessel in
∙ Heart attack the arms and legs
∙ Stroke ∙  Affects testosterone production
∙ Inflammation of ∙ Sperm production
the respiratory ∙ Erectile dysfunction
system ∙  Absent or irregular
∙ Elevated epinephrine menstrual cycle
and cortisol hormones ∙ Difficult premenstrual
symptoms
Stress and Filipinos: The Social and Cultural Dimension of Stress

Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon it (Selye,
1926).Stress is an individual’s physiological and/or psychological reaction to the real
and imagined demands of life. It is the way a person reacts physically and emotionally
to change. On the other hand,
77
culture is best defined as a highly complex, continually changing system of meaning that
is learned, shared, transmitted and altered from one generation to another (Triandis,
1995). How does culture might influence environmental system, personal system,
transitory conditions, cognitive appraisal and coping skills, and health and well-being?

Stress has turned into an unavoidable truth, and for a few, the day by day standard.
However, incidental stress can help enhance our concentration and execution, living
with incessant stress can reverse discharge by causing uneasiness, discouragement,
and serious medical issues.Stress affects the body’s immune system. Filipinos
experience stress and results to illnesses, physical and mental, fleeting and serious
and life-threatening. This can also lead to depression and other maladaptive behavior
that can be harmful to self and others. On the other hand,stress can be mediated
through culture. For instance, Filipinos have various threshold and ways to cope with
stressors. Concurrently, men and women express emotion in different patterns. Women
deal with stressful situation through tiis (endurance)and kimkim (repression). Men are
less expressive than women and prone to confront “political economy of stress “(Tan,
2006). Thus, culture influences how people react to stressors.

Required Reading/s:

Tan, M. (2008).Stress and the Filipino. Retrieved from

http://pcij.org/stories/stress-and-the- filipino/

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Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of personality . In Pervin and John (eds). Handbook of
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Dittmer, H. The Individual Centered Approach: Material Possessions as Parts of the Extended
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Diokno, MS (1997). Becoming a Filipino citizen. In Perspectives on citizenship and democracy

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