UNDERSTANDING THE SELF: MODULE 7-9

CHAPTER 7.1: SEXUAL ASPECT OF THE SELF

Why talk about sex?
Talking about sex should be deemed normal for there is a need for people to
learn more about their sexuality. Academic institutions are the best space to educate
people about sexuality and sexual behaviors under the topic sex education.
The goal of including sex education in the curriculum is to battle ignorance of
the youth on sex, sexuality, relationships, and sexual health and thus help them make
informed decisions as they grow into sexually healthy adults.

Sigmund Freud and the Desire for Pleasure

Sex
• it is not of the same level as how human beings need for oxygen, water, and
food.
• without it, humankind will perish.
• not simply for procreation but it is also a source of pleasure which is an
important part of sexual health.

Eros
Sigmund Freud
• for him, all human behavior is motivated by the desire to feel pleasure.
Pleasure
• is organized and controlled by two instincts: sexuality and aggression
Libido
• a form of internal psychic energy that drives the 2 instincts.
Freud
• according to him, human instinct continuously seeks the pleasure of the flesh
which can be satisfied through sex.
Robert Michael, John Gagnon, Edward Laumann (1992)
• conducted a study to know whether human actions are really influenced by
sexual urges or not.
• conducted the study among Americans in order to know how much men and
women think about sex.
Results
• Men think about sex far more than women do
• 54% of the men surveyed said they think about sex every day or several
times a day
• 65% of the women said they think about it only a few times a week or a few
times a month.

Development of Secondary Sex Characteristics and the Human Reproductive System

Adolescence
• the time wherein boys and girls develop their secondary sex characteristics
along with other physical changes they experience in this stage.
Puberty
• the stage wherein an individual becomes physically mature.
• Physical changes during adolescence are brought about by sex hormones
from the testes on males and ovaries on females.
Sex hormone/s
• Testosterone (males)
• Estrogen and progesterone (females)
The age wherein the increase in hormone/s takes place
• 12 – 14 years (males)
• 10 – 12 years (females)
Time when rapid growth and changes happen
• 16 – 17 years of age (males)
• 15 – 17 years of age (females)

Physical Changes on Males and Females when they reach adolescence

Males Females
Rapid increase in height and weight Rapid increase in height and weight
Growth of Adam’s apple Onset of menstruation
Deepening of voice Development of breasts and hips
Widening of shoulders
Appearance and growth of pubic hair
Underarm and facial hair
Male Reproductive System
Main function
• the production of sperm for the fertilization of the ovum.

Parts/ components
Penis
• primary male sex organ.
• has a long shaft and an enlarged tip called the glans penis.
Testes/testicles
• responsible for the production of sperm cells and testosterone.
Vas deferens
• tube that connects the testes with the urethra.
• serves as a passageway of the sperm from the epididymis to the ejaculatory
ducts for ejaculation.
Scrotum
• sac of skin that carries the testes.
• protects the testes and is responsible for maintaining the body temperature.
Sperm
• the male sex cell
• produced in the testes and matures in the epididymis and passes from the vas
deferens to urethra.
• released out through the semen, the fluid that carries the sperm along with a
range of organic and inorganic constituents.
Prostate gland
• surrounds the upper part of the urethra just below the bladder.
• secretes fluids that nourish and protect the sperm.
Epididymis
• long-coiled tube located at the back of the testicles that stores and carries
sperm.

Female Reproductive System

Main function
• the production, transportation, and fertilization of eggs and the production of
sex hormones.
Parts/components
Ovary
• located in the pelvic cavity
• produces the ova (egg cells)
• secretes the female hormones.
Ovum
• the female reproductive cell also called the egg cell.
Fallopian tube/oviducts
• extend from the uterus to the ovaries.
• carry the egg from the ovary to the uterus.
Uterus
• the thick-walled, pear-sized and
• shaped muscular organ that lies above the urinary bladder.
• nurtures the fertilized ovum that develops into the fetus and it carries the baby
until its birth.
Cervix
• the lower part of the uterus.
• directs the sperm into the uterus during sexual intercourse.
Vagina
• elastic passageway from the cervix to the outside of the female body.
• receives the penis during sexual intercourse and it is where the baby passes
during childbirth.
Vulva
• the external genital organ of the female.
• consists the labia majora, labia minora, mons pubis, clitoris, vestibules, and the
vaginal opening.

Erogenous zone
• part of the body that is highly sensitive and the stimulation of which leads to
sexual responses such as relaxation, fantasies, arousal, and orgasm.
Male body Female body
Mouth Mouth
Lips Lips
Neck Neck
 Ears Ears
Nipples Breasts
Scrotum Nipples
Perineum (the area between the anus Cervix (lower end of the uterus)
and scrotum)
Penis Clitoris

➢ Research shows that stimulating these spots may produce different reactions
to the body such as relaxation of the muscle and the production of the “feel-
good” hormone called prolactin.

Human Sexual Responses

• Sexual response cycle – the term used to describe the changes that occur in
the body as men and women become sexually aroused (masters & johnson,
1966).

4 Phases of Sexual Response Cycle

• Excitement
o happens when the body gets ready for sexual activity.
• Plateau
o during this, intensified breathing, high blood pressure, and faster heart
rate may be experienced as well as muscle contraction in the face,
feet, and hands.
• Orgasm
o referred to as the climax of the cycle.
o during this phase, breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate are further
intensified.

• Resolution
o time that the body gradually returns to its normal level of functioning.
o fatigue begins to be felt but the overall sexual activity is also expected
to bring a sense of biological fulfillment.
Understanding the Chemistry of Lust, Attraction, and Attachment
Helen Fisher (1948)
• identified the 3 stages of love.
3 stages of love
• Lust
o (libido/sex drive)
o desire for sexual gratification which is inherent to every living organism.
o associated with the sex hormones testosterone (males) and estrogen
(females).
• Attraction
o (passionate/obssessive love, infatuation)
o intense attention given to a desired partner.
o driven by:
▪ Adrenaline – released by the body for “fight” or “flight”.
▪ Dopamine – ignites an intense rush of pleasure when released.
▪ Serotonin – attributed to “falling in love” as this hormone makes a
person thinks of his/her desired partner at most times.
• Attachment
o (compassionate love)
o desire by couples to stay together
o includes behaviors anchored on long-term companionship.
o driven by 2 major hormones: oxytocin and vasopressin
Oxytocin
• (cuddle hormone) released during orgasm.
Vasopressin
• (anti-diuretic hormone)
• released after sexual intercourse.

What turns people on and off?

• “Turn on” – refers to something that someone may find desirable, pleasant,
beautiful, likeable, or any other positive quality.
• “Turn off” – complete opposite of “turn on”.
 • What turns people on and off are qualities and acts that people observe and
experience. An individual’s turn ons and turn offs can simply serve as markers
of one’s personality and identity.

The Diversity of Sexual Behaviors

• Masturbation – a sexual act of stimulating one’s own genitals done alone by
an individual.
• Premarital sex – refers to the sexual activities people engage in outside of
marriage.
• Marital sex – sexual activities that happen within the bounds of marriage.
• Extramarital sex – sexual activities that married people engage in with people
they are not married to.
• Heterosexuality – a sexual behavior that happens between persons of the
opposite sex.
• Homosexuality – sexual behavior that refers to sexual attraction and activities
that happen between 2 persons of the same sex.
• Bisexuality – sexual behavior of one who engages in sexual acts with someone
from the opposite or same sex.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (SDTs)
• refers to health conditions that are passed on from a person to another through
sexual contact.

HIV/Aids (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome)

• primarily transmitted through unprotected sex, contaminated needle
exchange and blood transfusion, and during pregnancy.
• Aids – occurrence of a disease caused by the HIV.
• HIV – virus that is being transmitted.

Gonorrhea
• bacterial infection of the mucuos membranes including the eye, throat,
genitals, and other organs.
Syphilis
• an infection caused by corkscrew-shaped bacterium called treponema
pallidum.
• transmitted through direct contact with a syphilitic sore on the skin.
• leads to paralysis, crippling, blindness, heart disease, brain and organ damage,
dementia, and even death.
Genital herpes
• viral infection that causes blisters on the genitals.
Genital warts
• warts caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that grows in the genital or
anal area.
Chancroid
• bacterial infection that causes sores or ulcers on the genitals.
Pubic lice (crabs)
• very small parasites that infest the genital area which are primarily spread
through sexual contact.
Scabies
• a skin condition that is caused by infestation of tiny mites called Sarcoptes
Scabiei.
Trichomoniasis
• an infection caused by a parasite calle trichomonas vaginalis.
Molluscum contagiosum
• sexually transmitted infection caused by molluscum contagiosum virus.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
• not a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), but a complication resulting from STIs.
Chlamydia
• a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteria chlamydia trachomatis
that do significant damage to the human reproductive system.
• can infect the penis, vagina, cervix, anus, urethra, eyes, and throat.

Methods of Contraception
Factors in choosing a particular Method of Contraception
1. It should be safe enough. There should be no unwanted side-effect for every
individual using the contraceptive.
 2. It should be efficient in averting unwanted pregnancy.
3. It should be simple and easy to use.
4. It should be available at any time.

Some of the Recognized Methods in Family Planning

Folk method
• Postcoital douche or douching
o douching is a method used by women to flush out the vagina with a
medicinal solution to remove/destroy the sperm.
o relatively ineffective because the sperm enters into the cervical canal
within 2 minutes after ejaculation and such access may occur before
the seminal fluid can be washed off from the vagina.
• Prolonged lactation
o used by women and is done through breastfeeding their baby for a
longer period.

Behavioral contraceptives
• Rhythm method
o a natural method supported by the catholic church.
o couples are enjoined to abstain for a certain period while the woman is
fertile.
• Ovulation method
o makes use of the observed mocous discharge from the vagina at the
beginning of a woman’s fertile period.
• Withdrawal/coitus interruptus
o a process wherein the man, during sexual intercourse, withdraws the
penis out of the vagina before orgasm.
• Coitus reservatus
o a practice in which the man withholds ejaculation and let the erection
subside inside the vagina.
Mechanical Contraception
• act as barriers to prevent the sperm from entering the uterus, thereby
preventing pregnancy.
o Condom – a thin material made of rubber used during sexual activity.
 o Diaphragm – a shallow rubber cup inserted into the vagina.
o Cervical caps – fitted over the cervix by a doctor.

Chemical contraception
• known as the spermicides, used to prevent pregnancy by stopping the sperm
from entering the uterus.
o Vaginal suppositories and tablets – a suppository is a small, bullet-
shaped dosage form containing chemicals used in destroying the sperm
cells.
o Contraceptive jellies, creams, and vaginal foams - applied onto the
vagina shortly before sexual intercourse.

Intrauterine Devices (IUD)

• a small device of polyethlene plastic or thin copper wire inserted into the uterus
by a physician.
o Coil
o Loop
o Cooper T
Pills
• taking this is completely dissociated from the sexual act.
• renders the woman infertile; she does not need to think about pregnancy.
• contains hormones which prevent conception by inhibiting the ovaries from
releasing egg cells.
Sterilization (surgery)
• done with comparative ease and is virtually 100% effective.
o Vasectomy (for males) – the vas deferens is tied off/cauterized.
o Tubal ligation (for females) – the fallopian tubes are cut/tied off.
Injectables
• injected in a woman to inhibit ovulation.
 CHAPTER 8: MATERIAL ASPECT OF SELF
Material Aspect of Self
• Now days many people perceive material things as the extension of their
identities. The attachment od human beings to material thing is influenced by
many factors in the environment and in the present times, is greatly influenced
by media.
• They assume that their participation in consumption of goods and services
represents their material self as this participation furnishes them a status and
role in society.

Material Self
• The movie “Confessions of the Shopaholic (2009)” shows the story of Rebecca,
a woman who is addicted to shopping. She believes that every material or
clothing she purchased define her.
• When she incurs a huge debt and begins to hide from the credit collector
which affects her career, relationship and her best friend.
• When the credit collector starts looking for Rebecca and asks “Will Rebecca
Bluewood please stand up?”.
• The question implies that a person’s real self can be taken over by another self-
dedicated by the desire to acquire material goods.
• William James (1890) introduced the concept of being fixated on acquiring
material things as way to identify oneself is related to the concept of “Material
Self”.
• He defined material self as the self that consists of the body, clothes, immediate
family, home and other things considered to be his/her own.
• The more people invest themselves in their possessions, the more attached they
become.
• Material possessions are objects of instinctive preferences that may or may not
be related on a person’s practical interest in life.
• An individual’s body is the primary component of his or her material self.
• This includes the kinds of clothes one prefers to wear and what kind of
accessories or ornaments he/she would like to wear. Because of it one has
control over his/her body and how he or she wants to be presented for others
to see.
 • In some instances, people alter their physical features with tattoos, piercings
and surgeries to improve their bodies on how they are perceived by others.
• Aside from body and materials, one’s immediate family is also part of one’s
material self.
• It can be seen as an extension of one’s identity because of the members affect
one’s actions and disposition in the environment.
• These material things serve as the extension of one’s identity that is influenced
of how he or she is perceived by others.
• In early 2000s, the use of the credit cards became a trend and more people
started patronizing it.
• Credit cards brought convenience, security and comfort in a way people
engage in consumptions of goods/services but with transactions by swiping the
card.
• The CONS of credit cards may also have hidden charges, unauthorized
transactions and frauds. These issues are not addressed and it cause to
decrease in usage of credit cards.
• Credit cards had drastically changes consumer culture and its role of how
consumers, function as part of process of production and consumption, while
many of the consumers are to incur too much debt.
• This is why a credit card holder must be responsible of in monitoring of the
consumer’s limits when purchasing a product or services via credit card.
• Advertising is influential in shaping how and why people consume good and
services.
• It lets individual relate to particular products in order to convince or compel
them to purchase a product or services.

Needs vs. Wants

• At our early ages, we are taught the difference between Needs and Wants.
• Needs – that a person must have in order to live.
• Wants – that a person desires to have but it can live without it.
• Such as food, shelter, medicines, clothes and other necessities in order to
survive are in needs, while things that are considered luxuries or things that are
desired on are wants.
 • Other consumers do not tend to easily differentiate between needs and wants
because they do not inculcate self-control in their consumption behavior.
• As a consumer one should prioritize and have the knowledge things that would
benefit them in the long run.
• One should avoid being impulsive and instead be practical and prudent for
your future.

MODULE 9: SPIRITUAL ASPECT OF THE SELF

Spiritual Self
• The spiritual self is quite difficult to discover as it is impossible for every human
being to know the true will of God.
• People rely only on their faith and faith dictates that the reason for living is to
follow the works and examples of Jesus Christ.
• The life of Jesus on earth is a perfect example of what love is-love is
unconditional and without limit, love that is willing to endure all pain.
• He sacrificed his life to save humankind and from being God, he became man
and died on the cross.
• His sacrifice shows selflessness. This is the self that Jesus wants people to follow.

• For Christianity, there is no self. To be a Christian, one has to deny himself or

herself, leave his or her family, give all his or her possessions to the poor and
needy, and follow the example of Jesus.
• This is the Self in Roman Catholic faith. God’s words are so demanding yet fair.
• He wants his followers to live a selfless life, a life that free from attachment to
material things. A self that is higher than material, sexual, and physical self can
be simplified as a holy self.

The Practice of Religion

• Does God really exist? From the point of view of an atheist, He does not exist.
God is dead and irrelevant.

• However, using reason and logic, one may be convinced that He really exists
by answering such questions as “Why does it seem like everything in the
universe is perfect?” “Why does the human body seem to be perfectly
designed from the brain up to the bones?”
 • With these questions, there has to be an “architect” who designed all these
things. This supposition leads people into the idea of a god, a supreme being.

• Religion introduces the concept of supreme beings (God, gods, or goddesses)

as cause or reason of all phenomena.

• The traditional concept based on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam regards god
as an independent being, the creator of the universe.

• The highest being who shows concern for the suffering of humankind, the face
of justice that manifests ultimate forms of rationality and morality.

• This supreme being is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and
omnipresent (everywhere at once).

• This god is also the beginning and the end and the lawgiver. This god is
regarded as the most merciful, most just, most patient, and cannot be
represented in any worldly form.

• Anthony Wallace, as cited by Haviland, Prins, Walrath and Mcbride (2008),

explained that religion is a set of rituals made to coordinate with the goal of
either obtaining or hindering changes in human condition and nature’s state.

• These rituals or practices are usually justified by myths.

• Behind this definition lies a recognition that when people are unable to fix
serious problems they resort to manipulation of supernatural or spiritual beings
and power.

• Religion has many functions such as providing sense of the world, strengthening
norms and identity, setting sanctions for individual behavior and giving serenity
in facing life challenges.

The Concept of the Soul

• Monism is a view that there is only one substance and only one being.

• It means that the soul and the body are one.

• On the contrary, Dualism is a view that mind and body are two independent
substances.
 • Western philosophers believed that the human person is a rational being which
constituted of soul and body. The soul is superior to the body and can exist
independently without the body.

• It is invisible and immortal and it directs the physical body.

• Death is viewed as the release of the soul from the body, but death does not
mean the end of personal existence.

• The soul is the life-force of the body. It is the source of motion as well as the
intelligence or mind of a person that pre-exists bodily existence.

• The Filipino term for soul is Kaluluwa. It is believed that it has two existences.

• One is physical, in which the sou; is connected to the human body.

• The other one is spiritual which exists on its own.

• The Philippines, a small country with more than 80 percent of its population as
Roman Catholics believe in the immortality of the soul and the life after death.

• Eternal life can be attained by good deeds, following the commandments of

God, and avoiding sins.

• The soul can be purified through confession.

• A Catholic who failed to live a moral life is believed to be thrown in hell.

Dungan: The Bisayan Concept of Soul

• Dungan is the Ilonggo term for the soul. It lacks material substance and is
extremely light that it travels with the wind.

• It is believed that Dungan dwells above the surface of the earth before
inhabiting the human body.

• It patiently chooses an unborn child’s body to inhabit.

• It does not stay in any specific part of the body but it grows proportionately
with the physical body- the bigger the person the bigger the Dungan.
 • Ilonggos believe that it must be protected and nurtured when a person is at
young age due to vulnerability to usug which may manifest through different
kinds of diseases.

• Ilonggos believes that dungan cannot be seen by the naked eye but there are
times that when it separates from the body and appears in the form of a
butterfly, grasshopper, or other small animals.

• The elderly uses the dungan, for instance, to threaten children who refuse to
eat dinner and such that their dungan will get hungry and leaves their body.

• For the people of Visayas, one’s dungan leaves the body when a person sees
his or her dungan when dreaming. With such belief, they warn people not to
bluntly awaken those sleeping to give chance for the dungan to return to the
physical body.

Religious Rituals

• Rituals are patterns of behavior or practices that are related to the sacred.

• In Catholicism, rituals are called sacraments. There are 7 sacraments, namely,

baptism, Holy Eucharist, confirmation, reconciliation, anointing of the sick,
marriage and holy order.

• Baptism, for example, is much more than pouring of oil and washing of the
head with water;

• it is celebrated to welcome the child to the catholic faith and to free him or
her from the original sin inherited from Adam and Eve.

• In the Holy Eucharist, the host and the wine represent the body and blood of
Christ which are believed to be very important for the forgiveness of sins.

• Adherents of a certain religion use rituals to give honor to the divine power or
powers they believe in and to serve as a reminder of their religious obligations.

• The independence between rituals and beliefs is possible such that rituals
validate beliefs.

• Religion establishes norms that mold or shape human behaviors.

 • For the Roman Catholics, it is expected that certain rituals are observed during
Lenten season, such as Stations of the Cross and Salubong which is the
ceremony during Easter Sunday when the risen Christ meets His mother.

• There are also religious rituals that involve self-flagellation such as carrying of
the cross, infliction of wounds at a person’s back using a whip, walking
barefooted, and crucifixion.

• The faithful believe that doing these acts will cleanse their sins, cure their
illnesses, and grant their wishes.

• Filipinos, being dominantly catholic, follow certain norms during Lenten season
such as the observance of fasting and abstinence and even the prohibition of
playing loud music during Good Friday.

• These rituals signify and strengthens our sense of belongingness.

• Public ceremonies provide the avenue to build harmonious relationships

among people in a social unit.

Rites of Passage

• These are rituals that mark important stages in an individual’s life cycle.

• In one of anthropology’s classic works, French social scientist Arnold van

Gennep analyzed the rites or major social transitions in their lives, such as birth,
puberty, and marriage.

• He found it useful to divide ceremonies for all of these life crises into three
stages, namely separation, transition, and incorporation.

• The first being ritual of removal from the society, followed by isolation and
finally, formal return and readmission with his or her new status.

• One example is the male initiation rites of the aborigines of Australia.

• The boys are separated from the people of the village ( separation)

• The ritual includes circumcision and knocking out of tooth

 • They are considered dead in reference to the ordinary life of the tribe
(transition).

• Ceremonies are held when they return to the village (incorporation) as if they
have returned from the dead.

Magic and Witchcraft

• Anthropologists call the practice of compelling the supernatural forces to work

or behave in a specific way as magic.

• Spoken words and objects are key components of magic.

• It may be used in good or evil.

• Magic rituals are usually performed to ensure good harvest, fertility, and
prevention of illnesses.

• This belief is often associated with simple or primitive societies.

• The 2 forms of magic are sorcery and witchcraft.

• Sorcery makes use of materials, objects, medicines to invoke supernatural

malevolence.

• Witchcraft, on the other hand, may accomplish the same by means of thought
and emotion alone.

• In the Philippines , barang (magic or sorcery in Cebuano) is done as an act of

revenge for the wrongdoing of the other party.

• The victim is called “natabang” or “nabarang”

• The “natabang” may experience illness like stomachache while;

• the “nabarang” would have more painful and deadly experience as a swarm
of insects may enter through the nose, ears, and other openings of the victims
body.

• Victims of witchcraft in the Philippines are called “nagaway” or “nakulam”.

• Many forms of illness may be inflicted through the use of dolls, candles, and
prayers during the ritual.
 • It may not be only caused by requests but also envy or jealousy towards
another person.

Perspectives from the Roman Catholics and the Atheists

• For the Roman Catholics, God is the creator of all things.

• They also believe that life is temporary; faith gives the believers hope that in life
after death they will meet their creator in heaven.

• To reach heaven, every individual must live a selfless life which is modeled by
Jesus when he became a man.

• On the contrary, what if there is no life after death? What if humans are just
bodies without soul? Will life have meaning? Are we still willing to submit
ourselves to religion and norms of society?

• For existentialists, God is dead, there is no life after death, and life has no
meaning.

• They posit that it is the person who should create his or her own meaning of
existence.

• To have a meaningful existence is to satisfy his or her bodily desires for there is
no heaven.

• Furthermore, existentialists assert that heaven is here on earth and this entails
the worldly things and deeds that satisfy one’s senses.

• For Albert Camus, a well-known existentialist and atheist, human life is absurd.

• He posited that life is absurd because people are constantly looking for
answers, reasons, or justifications for the good and bad things happening.

• He pointed out that humans have a sense of justice and fairness which they
project onto the world, but the world continues to disappoint them by not
adhering to their established standards of fairness.

• Humans continue to seek answers for so many questions and end up with
nothing.
 • This illustrates absurdity which is the term used to describe the search for
answers in an answerless world.

• For Camus, it does not matter if God really exists or not.

• In Atheists’ perspective, religions contradict each other as to which values are

correct and even religious people sometimes seemingly become confused
with their faith.

• For him, meaning or purpose does not exist.

Essence versus Existence

• For Plato and Aristotle, all have core elements and without those, things would
not be what they are.

• These elements, collectively called essence, are inherent properties that give
things their defining features.

• For two philosophers, all entities have substance and form.

• E.g a shaver could be manual or electronic; it does not really matter as long as
it can shave hair. But if it does not have a blade, it is not a shaver anymore.

• The blade defines the purpose of the shaver.

• The two agreed that everything has essence including humans and they
believed that it already exists even before the time of birth.

• In this belief, one aspect of being a good human adheres to one’s essence.

• People were created to fulfill a specific purpose.

• This is the philosophy of essentialism.

• Jean Paul Sartre, on the contrary, argued that “existence (das-sein) precedes
essence (was-sein).”

• Under this claim, human beings are not defined by essences.

• People are free to live their lives and they should define what they are, not in
accordance with an idealized set of characteristics.
 • One is responsible for his own actions.

• For Sartre, “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.”

• What matters is how one does with his life at this moment and not what will
happen to him after death.

• This is the philosophy of existentialism.

• In addition, theistic existentialism tries to invalidate the concept of God

created all for a purpose.

• For them, the existence of God is possible but does not predetermine the
meaning of life or existence.

• People are born into this world wherein their existence, actions, and world do
not posses real and inherent importance.

• This is the fundamental philosophy of existentialism but it has to be noted that

it is not the same with atheism for there are existentialists who believe in God.

Man’s Search for Meaning

• Viktor Frankl, who wrote the book Man’s Search for Meaning (1946), was a
neurologist who developed logotherapy.

• Logotherapy is a psychotherapeutic approach which is anchored to 3

principles:

1) Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable
ones.
2) The impetus to live is one’s will to discover meaning in life.
3) Humans are free to discover meaning in everything they do.
• His logotherapy was influenced by the work of Soren Kierkegaard’s will to
meaning as opposed to Alfred Adler’s will to power and Sigmund Freud’s will
to pleasure,
• Regardless of how long one lives, it still has meaning.
• For Frankl, there are 3 ways to find meaning in life:
1) doing an action,
2) having personal experiences and interpersonal interactions, and
 3) evaluating one’s attitude in midst of suffering.
• Upon discovering the meaning of life, humans must prepare for suffering and
to deal with it, one has to undergo a change of attitude.