HEALTH

family health
LESSON 3
Gender and Human Sexuality

Introductio
n values oftentimes determine your own values. It was greatly influence by our
Family
parents, our siblings and even our relatives. We model our parents as our way of learning on
different tasks. Attitudes, values, beliefs and skills were first learned in our home and these are
contributory factors on how we treat other people.

Learning
Outcomes
 Understand and appreciate the family health
 Explains the dimensions of human sexuality
 Applies decision-making skills in managing sexuality-related issues (

Preliminary
Activities
 Directions: In the Venn diagram, write the roles played by the father and mother in the space
provided. In the space where the two circles meet, write the common roles played by both.
Where they don’t join, write their specific roles.

FATHER
MOTHER
Common Roles
Played by both

Teaching Physical Education and Health in Elementary Grades

KARLA C. SALVALLON
 Preliminary
Content
Family Health is the ability of the family to maintain wellness, prevent, control, or
resolve problems in order to achieve health and well-being among its members.

Five Essential
Roles for
Effective
Family
Functioning
There are many
roles within a
family; however,
researchers
have identified the following five roles as being
essential for a healthy family.

 Provision of Resources

Providing resources, such as money, food, clothing, and shelter, for all family members
is one of the most basic, yet important, roles within a family. This is primarily an
instrumental role.

 Nurturance and Support

Nurturing and supporting other family members is primarily an affective role and includes
providing comfort, warmth, and reassurance for family members. Examples of this role
are a parent comforting a child after he/she has a bad day at school, or family members
supporting one another after the death of a loved one.

 Life Skills Development

The life skills development role includes the physical emotional, educational, and social
development of children and adults. Examples of this role are a parent helping a child
make it through school, or a parent helping a young adult child decide on a career path.

 Maintenance and Management of the Family System

This fourth role involves many tasks, including leadership, decision making, handling
family finances, and maintaining appropriate roles with respect to extended family,
friends and neighbours. Other responsibilities of this role include maintaining discipline
and enforcing behavioral standards.

Teaching Physical Education and Health in Elementary Grades

KARLA C. SALVALLON
  Sexual Gratification of Marital Partners

A satisfying sexual relationship is one of the keys to a quality marital relationship. This
role involves meeting sexual needs in a manner that is satisfying to both spouses.

Common Family Roles

The following are a number of roles that can exist within a family:

 Hero: This is the “good” and “responsible” child. This person is a high achiever,
carries the pride of the family, and he/she overcompensates to avoid looking or
feeling inadequate. He/she is often a good leader and organizer, and is goal-oriented
and self-disciplined. Sometimes the hero lacks the ability to play, relax, follow others,
or allow others to be right.
 Rescuer: The rescuer takes care of others’ needs and emotions and problem-solves
for others in the family. The rescuer might have difficulty with conflict. He/she takes
on the role of rescuer in the name of helping others, though it is often to meet his/her
own needs, such as relieving anxiety. This person doesn’t realize that sometimes
helping hurts. He/she also lives with a lot of guilt and finds it challenging to focus on
him/herself.
 Mediator: The mediator can be a rescuer-type although he/she works to keep peace
in the family system. This person does the emotional work of the family to avoid
conflict. He/she acts as a buffer, and does it in the name of helping others, although it
may be for his/her needs. This can be a healthy role depending on how the person
mediates.
 Scapegoat/Black sheep: This is the person the other family members feel needs the
most help. Usually this is the family member in need of treatment or in treatment. This
person often shows the obvious symptoms of the family being unable to work through
problems. The person may have strengths such as a sense of humor, a greater level
of honesty, and the willingness to be close to his/her feelings. Yet there can also be
an inappropriate expression of feelings, and the person may experience social or
emotional problems.
 Switchboard: This person is the central information center in the family. He/she
keeps track of what’s going on by being aware of who is doing what and when. This
person has strength in being the central person to go to and understanding how the
family is doing. However, this person focuses on everyone else’s issues rather than
his/her own.
 Power broker: This person works at maintaining a hierarchy in the family with
him/herself at the top. His/her safety and security with life depends on feeling in
control of the environment around him/her.
 Lost child: The lost child is the subservient good child. He/she is obedient, passive,
and hidden in the family trauma. He/she stays hidden to avoid being a problem.
Generally, this person is flexible and easygoing. However, he/she lacks direction, is
fearful in making decisions, and follows without questioning.

Teaching Physical Education and Health in Elementary Grades

KARLA C. SALVALLON
  Clown: The clown uses humor to offset the family conflict and to create a sense that
things are okay. This person has a talent to readily lighten the moment but he/she
hides his/her true feelings.
 Cheerleader: The cheerleader provides support and encouragement to others. There
is usually balance in taking care of his/her own needs while providing a positive
influence on those around him/her.
 Nurturer: This person provides emotional support, creates safety, is available to
others, and can be a mediator. He/she focuses on having and meeting emotional
needs, usually in a balanced manner.
 Thinker: The thinker provides the objective, reasoning focus. His/her strength is
being able to see situations in a logical, objective manner. However, he/she may find
it difficult to connect emotionally with others.

 Truth teller: This person reflects the system as it is. At times the challenge is how
that information is relayed. Other members in the family might be offended or avoid
the truth teller because of the power of the truth he/she holds. Strength occurs when
this person is coupled with another positive role, such as a nurturer or cheerleader.

Learning Task
Directions: Read the problems carefully, make and present at least 3 solutions to the
problem. Write your answers on the space provided in each column.

1. You are invited by your classmates to go swimming on Saturday, but then you discern that
your parents will not approve it and this is the first time that you are invited by a friend to go
to the beach. You don’t want to make your friends disappointed by not going, but you also
don’t want to get in trouble with your parents. Find solutions to your problem.

Solution 3
Solution 1 Solution 2
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2. Your close friend Anna confided you that she’s pregnant. She needs someone to help her
and chooses you. She’s having a hard time telling her problem to her parents. How can you
help her and show support?

Teaching Physical Education and Health in Elementary Grades

KARLA C. SALVALLON
 Solution 1 Solution 2 Solution 3
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Learning
Assessment
 Directions: Visualize a scenario of a typical Filipino family. Analyze and enumerate at
least three roles being played by male and female members of the family.

Roles Being Played By Male Members of Roles Being Played By Female Members of
the Family the Family
Grandfather Grandmother

Father Mother

Male Siblings Female Siblings

Uncles Aunties

Teaching Physical Education and Health in Elementary Grades

KARLA C. SALVALLON