THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE that can happen to a person.

Thus, he
noted that an “unexamined life is
As a broad field about knowledge, thinking, not worth living.”
reasoning, nature, as well as how we should live,
among others, it is almost inevitable that the study PROFILE
of philosophy would lead to the philosophers to • Mentor of Plato and first martyr of education,
reflect on themselves and ask, “Who am i? What knowledge, and philosophy.
characterizes this “self” that I say I am?” • The wisest of all men by Delphi Oracle
Greek thinkers prior to Socrates, like Thales, •Charged with corruption of minors and sentences
Pythagoras, and Heraclitus, among others, focused into death
on the composition and processes of the world
CONTRIBUTIONS
around them. Unsatisfied with mere mythological
• Socratic/Dialectic Method (the search for the
and supernatural explanations, these so-called Pre-
correct/proper definition of a thing); its goal is to
Socratic philosophers turned to observation,
bring the person closer to the final understanding
documentation, and reasoning.
• It is known to the world esp. in educational
institutions (asking and answering questions to
stimulate critical thinking, and to draw out ideas
KEY TERMS and underlying presumptions).
• Rationalism – regards reason as the chief source
and test of knowledge. Philosophers: Socrates, Socrates saw a person as dualistic, that is, every
Plato, and Descartes person is composed of body and soul. There is
• Skepticism – always in doubt and that knowledge an imperfect and impermanent aspect of every one
is uncertain. Philosophers: Humes and Socrates of us, which is our physical body, and then, there is
• Empiricism – all of our knowledge comes from our also the perfect and permanent, which is the soul.
sensory experience. Philosophers: Humes, Locke
and Aristotle
• Naturalism – all beings and events in the universe
are natural.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know

nothing” – Socrates (469-399 BCE)
PHILOSOPHY
• Socrates provided a change of
perspective by focusing on the self. • Knowing thyself (“The only true wisdom is in
• His life and ideas, documented by his knowing you know nothing”
students, the historian Xenophon and • Happiness motivates us to act towards or avoid
the philosopher Plato, showed how things that could have negative effects in our lives.
Socrates applied systematic
questioning of the self.
• Socrates believed that it is the duty of
the philosopher to know oneself. To
live without knowing who you are and
what virtues you can attain is the worst
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE CONTRIBUTIONS
•Theory of Forms (forms refers to what are real;
• “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
they’re not objects that are encountered with the
(Making people think, seek and ask again and again
senses but can only be grasped intellectually)
and get them to touch their souls, which are the
thinking and willing subj.) FORMS are:
• A person’s acceptance of ignorance is the
1. Ageless, therefore are eternal.
beginning of acquisition of knowledge
2. Unchanging, therefore permanent.
3. Unmoving and indivisible

“The soul of man is immortal and imperishable.” Platonic Dualism

-Plato (428-347 BCE) 1.The Realm of the Shadows (changing sensible
things which are lesser entities and therefore
• Plato further expounded on the idea of the soul by
imperfect and flawed)
stating that it has three parts/components:
2.The Realm of Forms (eternal things which
1. the appetitive soul – responsible for the desires
are permanent and perfect-the source of all reality
and cravings of a person;
and true knowledge)
2. the rational soul – the thinking, reasoning, and
judging aspect; and PHILOSOPHY
3. the spirited soul – accountable for emotions and • A person who is a follower of truth and wisdom
also makes sure that the rule of reason is followed will not be tempted by vices and will always be
in order to attain victory and/or honor. correct/moral/ethical.

• In his work The Republic, he emphasized that all • “Allegory of cave” (what people in the cave see
three parts of the soul must work harmoniously to are only shadows of reality which they believe are
attain justice and virtue in a person. The rational real things and represents knowledge; what these
soul must be well-developed and in-charge, the people fail to realize is that the shadows are not
emotions from the spirited soul are checked, and real)
the desires of the appetitive must be controlled and
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
focused to those that give life, like eating, drinking,
• Believed in the divisions of a person’s body and
and sleeping, among others.
soul which forms the person as a whole aside from
the material things and that could be observed and
associated with a person.
•Knowledge lies within the person’s soul.
•Plato’s love begins with feeling or experience of
what is lacking. He also agreed that people are
intrinsically good.

PROFILE

•Father of Academy (a place where learning and

sharing happens)

•Followed the idea of Socrates in Knowing Thyself.

“The good man though a slave is free; the wicked, •God as the source of all reality and truth – man is
though he reigns, is a slave.” capable of knowing eternal truths through the
-ST. AUGUSTINE (354-430 CE) existence of the one eternal truth which is God.
•The sinfulness of man – the cause of sin or evil is
•St. Augustine is considered as one of the most an act of man’s freewill.
significant Christian thinkers, esp. in the •Men are sinners who do not follow God’s will.
development of the Latin Christianity theology.
• His idea of the “self” merged that of Plato and the OTHERS
then new Christian perspective, which led him to •Real happiness can only be found in God. Problems
believe in the duality of a person. arise because of the objects humans choose to love.
1. Love of physical objects leads to the sin of
St. Augustine greed.
• He believes that there is an imperfect part of us, 2. Love for the other people is not lasting and
which is connected with the world and yearns to be excessive love for them is the sin of jealousy
with the divine; 3. Love for the self leads to the sin of pride.
• and there is part of us that is not bound by this Love for God is the supreme virtue and only through
world and therefore attain immortality; loving God can man find real happiness.
• The imperfection of the body incapacitates it from
thriving in the spiritual communion with God, thus, “I think, therefore I am”
it must die for the soul to reach the eternal realm. -Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
However, this communion of the soul with God can
only be attained if the body lives in this world with •René Descartes was a French mathematician,
virtue. scientist, and philosopher.
•He claimed that the person is composed of the
PROFILE cogito (the mind), and the extenza (the body),
•A saint and a philosopher of the church which is the extension of the mind.
•Wants to know about moral evil and why it existed •He argues that a person should only believe the
in people, his personal desire for sensual pleasures things that can pass the test of doubt.
and questions about all the sufferings in the world. •In his “Discourse on the Method” and
“Meditations on First Philosophy”, he therefore
CONTRIBUTIONS concluded that the only thing that a person cannot
•An important figure in the development of doubt is the existence of his/her “self”. Because
Western Christianity, even doubt about the self proves that there is a
•To love God means to love one’s fellowmen, and thinking/doubting self (“cogito ergo sum”)
to love one’s fellowmen means never to do any
harm to another. René Descartes
• The mind makes a person, and the body is just
PHILOSOPHY some kind of a machine that is attached and
•God encompasses us all, that everything will be controlled by it.
better if we are with God. • “I think therefore I am.”
•What is a thinking thing? It is a thing that doubts,
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses;
imagines and perceives.
PHILOSOPHY •Simply, the self is a combination of experiences of
a person.
•There were always differences in the facts, ideas
•Experiences can be categorized into:
and opinions.
1. impressions – real/actual experiences or
•Reasoning could produce absolute truths about
sensations like feeling the rough edges of a stone or
nature, existence, morality, and God; the truths can
tasting a sweet ice cream
be discovered are a priori
2. ideas – copies of
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE impressions/representation of the world and
sensations, like love, faith, or even an association
•Morality has to do with choosing or willing the that this certain event is caused by something in the
good (Price, 2000); moral good depends on past could possibly create another reaction in the
conformity or non-conformity of a person’s future.
behavior towards some law.

LAWS:
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
1. Law of opinion – where actions that are
praiseworthy are called virtues and those 1. Cause and Effect – the idea of cause and
that are not called vice. effect arise only when people experience
2. Civil Law – where right actions are enforced certain relations between objects thus it
by people in authority. cannot be a basis for knowledge.
3. Devine Law – set by God on the actions of 2. Resemblance- implying common properties,
man. This is deemed to be the true law for being dyadic etc.
human behavior. 3. Contiguity – ideas, memories and
experiences are linked when one is
frequently experienced with other.
“Be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, “All our knowledge begins with senses, turns into
be still a man.” -David Hume (1711-1776) understanding, and ends with reason. There is
• David Hume was a Scottish philosopher and an nothing higher than reason”
empiricist who believes that all concepts as well as -Immanuel Kant (1711-1776)
knowledge come from the senses and experiences •One of the most influential philosophers in
• He argued that there is no self beyond what can Western philosophy.
be experienced. • Kant contributed to the fields of metaphysics,
•We do not know others because we have ethics, and aesthetics among others.
seen/touched their souls; we know them because of • While everything starts with sensations and
what we can actually observe. impressions, he believes that there must necessarily
•This “self” according to him is a “bundle or be something in us that organizes these sensations
collection of different perceptions, which succeed to create knowledge and ideas.
each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are a • Kant is against Locke who is an empiricist.
perpetual flux and movement” • He thinks that reason, not mere experience, is the
foundation of knowledge. It is like seeing a visual
effect in television, your experience say it is there,
David Hume but the reason says it is only a computer-generated
image.
• The “self” organizes our experience into
something meaningful. It can do such thing because apply the same observation and reflections on
it is independent from sensory experiences; ourselves.
something that transcends or is above even our
consciousness.

“In search for the self, one cannot simultaneously

be the hunter and the hunted.”
- Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

•A British philosopher mainly associated with

Ordinary Language Philosophy Movement.
• Gilbert Ryle proposed that we should
instead focus on the observable behavior of a “We know not through our intellect but through
person in defining the “self”. our experience.”
• One of the things that the duality approach seems - Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961)
to state is that there can be a private, unobservable
aspect of a person, and a different public and • A leading French existentialist and
observable phenomenologist, also contributes to the idea by
part; one can stating that mind and body are interconnected with
describe “self” as good but do otherwise in real life. each other and therefore, cannot be separated.
Gilbert Ryle • Our body is our connection to the external world,
• Ryle do not adhere to the idea of duality and sees including other people, thus all experiences are
the self as an entirely of thoughts, emotions and embodied. This also includes the thoughts and
actions of a person that relates to observable emotions of a person
behavior.
• We get to know others by observing their
behavior and inferring about their “selves”; we can
“The self is the brain.”
- Paul Churchland (1942)

• Self is inseparable from the brain and the

physiology of the body
• All we have is the brain and so, if the brain is
gone, there is no self.
• The physical brain and not the imaginary mins,
gives us our sense of self.
•
CHAPTER 2: UNPACKING THE SELF environment and fellow beings. The physical self is
the
concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the
person that
can be directly observed and examined. It is
composed of
systems that receive and respond to various
external and
internal stimuli.
Shavelson describes the total self or general self as
being made up of:
1. Academic self – influenced by the learning
process and the individual’s emotions, behavior and
experiences during the learning process.
2. Non-academic self – shaped by an individual’s
social self, emotional self, and physical self.
 Social self – greatly influenced by parents,
colleagues, friends, and acquaintances among
others.
 Emotional self – the person’s experiences of joy,
anger, fear, anxiety, and other emotions.
 Physical self – affected by involvement in sports,
exercise, and other activities that enhance the
physical body (Medišauskaite 2009)

K.R. Fox (2000) emphasized the factors that

encompass
physical self-esteem, which include sport
competence,
attractive body, physical power, and physical
condition, and
how they actually shape the global self-esteem.
Physical self is the amazing vessel, complex, woven
and
knitted, finely tuned creature in which we interact
with our
LESSON 2: SEXUAL SELF behavior. They maybe object, sight, smells
or sound and other stimuli that may lead to sexual
Research says that the sex chromosomes of
excitement.
humans define the sex and their secondary
• Sex and sex related behavior are influenced by
characteristics. From childhood, we are
social expectation, attitudes, beliefs, and biological
controlled by our genetic makeup. It influences the
knowledge. The generation in today’s society knows
way we treat ourselves and others.
that sexual behavior has diverse form. What was
Our society or the environment we live in also seen as an unusual or unnatural and lewd are likely
shapes ourselves. Some people’s innate sexuality accepted.
has been changed due to external factors. • At the start of puberty, changes that happen in
the bodies of young males and females are both
secondary and primary sexual changes.
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN SEXUALITY Secondary sexual changes are physical changes that
• Sexual selfhood is defined as how one thinks distinguish the males from females.
about himself or herself as a sexual individual.
• Human sexuality is a topic that just like beauty is
culturally diverse.
• For the learner to be able to grasp it in its totality,
he should be aware of the varied ways in which it
can be understood.

• Human sexuality has been defined as the ways in

which people experienced and expressed
themselves as sexual being, as expected by specific
society. The study of human sexuality draws upon • On the other hand. The primary sexual changes
the scientific expertise of some anthropologists, that happen during the course of
biologists, medical researchers, sociologists, and puberty prepare the male and females body for
psychologists who attest procreation.
that human sexuality reflects biological capabilities, • These involve changes in the reproductive organs
psychological characteristics, and social and cultural for these parts to attain functional
differences. In a way human sexuality connotes maturity.
gender role typing. • Female's ovaries begin producing egg cells (ova)
• Research reveal that male and female generally and the male's testicles begin producing live sperm
do not differ in their gender roles, or the maleness cells (spermatozoa).
and femaleness. Their sexual behaviors are shaped
by attitudes, cultural traditions and beliefs.
• Nevertheless, it is evident that males have
stronger sex drives than females, although their
differences are based on society’s discouragement
on females’ sexuality rather than on male and
female differences.
• It is evident that males think about sex more than
the females, not only due to the release of
androgens in the testes but more than the
hormones that motivate and produce sexual
The Erogenous Zones the society. Gender identity is the extent to which
Erogenous Zones are areas of the body that are one identifies as being either masculine or feminine,
particularly responsive to tactile pleasurable parts. or how someone feels
Erogenous zones maybe primary erogenous zones on the inside (WAAC 2020).
and secondary erogenous zones.
• Gender expression describes how someone
• Primary erogenous zones pertain to areas that
prefers to express his/her gender to the world. For
contain thick concentration of nerve ending
instance, we have been accustomed to associating
(genitals, buttocks, anus, nipples, inner surface of
color pink to girls and blue for boys;
the thighs, armpits, navel, neck, ears, lips,
from childhood, we give dolls for baby girls, while
tongue and entire oral cavities.
trucks or plastic guns for baby boys. Men are sporty,
•Secondary erogenous zones include all other
while women are encouraged to use makeup, do
regions of the body. For instance, if one’s lover
hairstyle, and paint their nails.
tenderly kissed and stroked the upper back of his
partner during sexual interplay, that area can be Gender Variations (WAAC 2020)
transformed to an erogenous zone because they are 1. Cisgender – a person identifying himself or
touched in a context of sexual intimacies (Crooks & herself with the sex assigned to them at birth. Ex. A
Baur, 2014). person who was assigned as a male at birth and
identifies as male or vice versa.
2. Transgender – gender identity does not match
Sex and Gender
the sex that they were assigned at birth. Ex. A
•Sex refers to the physical or physiological
person who was assigned as a male at birth, but
differences between males and females, including
identifies as female, or vice versa.
both the primary sex characteristics (the
3. Gender fluid – a person whose gender is not fixed
reproductive system) and the secondary
and/or shifts depending on the situation. These
characteristics, such as height and muscularity
people do not feel the need to act according to the
(Diamond 2002). Sex therefore, defined by the
sex that they were assigned
reproductive organs, including the cellular
at birth and the associated traditional social roles.
components, the chromosomes, and the hormones.
There are three sex variations according to Western • Some transgender people opt to undergo surgery
Australian AIDS Council (2020): or take hormones in order to align their physical
1. Male is a person with the penis or the male body with what they identify with themselves. But
reproductive organ, with XY chromosomes in his not all transgender need to do such acts.
cells and the body is capable of producing high • Being transgender does not depend on the
levels of testosterone. physical appearance or medical procedures. It may
2. Female is a person with vagina or the male lie from within the person’s emotions and how he
reproductive organ, with XX chromosomes and is or she identifies himself or herself.
capable of producing high levels of estrogen. • Nowadays, there is an increasing number of
3. Intersex is a person born with the sexual anatomy individuals who identifies themselves as gender
or chromosomes that do not fit the traditional fluid. Some claim that it is due to influence from
definition of male or female. The person has the peers, trauma from past experiences, and other
combination of reproductive sex organs, including environmental factors.
internal sex organs, chromosomes and hormones.
• Sexuality pertains to the part of a person
• According to Diamond (2002), gender refers to expressed through sexual activities and
social or cultural roles played by male or female in relationships. It is often represented through one’s
feelings, sexual identity, and behaviors. theory disagree with the idea of labeling and they
• Sexual identity is how a person chooses to embrace the term “queer” to describe their group.
describe or label his/her sexuality. There They do not adhere to the idea of
are many labels a person can choose: heterosexual, dominant gender schema and the classification of
homosexual, bisexual, asexual, sexual orientations into homosexual and
hypersexual, pansexual, and questioning among heterosexual. They emphasize the need for a more
others flexible and fluid conceptualizations of sexuality,
one that will permit freedom, negotiation, and
Heterosexual – a person who is attracted to the
change (Little and McGivern 2020).
people of opposite sex.
Homosexual – a person attracted to the people of Queer theorist Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick pointed out
the same sex. dozens of other ways in which people’s sexualities
Bisexual – a person who is attracted to both were different (Little and McGivern 2020).
genders (male and female) According to Sedgwick, even identical
Asexual – a person having no sexual attraction (they genital acts mean very different things to different
do not experience sexual drives or attraction) people. Moreover, some people, whether
Hypersexual - persons with an excessive interest in homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual, experience
sex to the point where it can cause problems in their sexuality as deeply embedded in the matrix of
one's life. gender meanings and gender differentials, while
Pansexual – a person’s attraction to multiple others of each sexuality may not be expressing
genders. Some may describe their attraction based them in the same manner.
on chemistry rather than gender, but everyone is People who belong to the queer group desires for
different. more flexible way of expressing their sexuality. They
want more freedom, yet a more inclusive
Questioning – some people who may be unsure
environment where they could thrive in.
about their sexuality and/or are exploring it.
• Nowadays, sexuality is becoming more confusing Basic Sexual Behavior
for some. The list of sexuality labels expands; there 1. Masturbation or Solitary Sex -
are more labels being added to the traditional Years ago some physicians reported that
qualification. There are three common aspects used masturbation would lead to a variety of physical
to describe sexuality and mental disorders or insanity. Masturbation is
(WAAC 2020): sexual satisfaction. Men and women typically start
1. feelings and fantasies – these may include the to masturbate for the first time at different ages
center of the affection or the person we are ranging from 5-21 years with the
attracted to, and we are intimately connected with. highest peak at 9-13 years for males and 12-16
2. behaviors – expressed through any form of sexual years for females (Feldman, 2014).
contact as well as flirting. Male masturbation is common in the early teens
3. identity – that corresponds to the label or and then slow down, whereas female, begin to
description of someone’s sexuality masturbate early with maximum frequency later.
Masturbation or solitary sex is more often engaged
to those who do not have sexual outlet, an idea that
Queer Theory has no relation to
Queer Theory is a perspective that questions the reality. It was reported that married men aged 20-
manner in which we have been thought to think 40 usually masturbated 24 times a year whereas
about sexual orientation. The proponents of the
married women of the same age had it 10 times a “permissiveness with affection”.
year (Feldman, 2016). According to (De Gaton et., al., 1996 & Hyde, 2006)
as quoted by Feldman (2014), premarital sex is
In-spite of the common practice of masturbation, permissible to both males and females who have
attitude toward long-termed commitment or loving relationship.
masturbation are still negative. Some who practice 4. Marital Sex -
this activity Sex in marriage is the most standard and acceptable
experience a feeling of guilt or consider themselves sexual behavior, and generally the gauge of wedded
perverse. bliss. However, there are many various dimensions
However, despite negative attitudes, most experts of how to measure the marital happiness; to some
on sex look at frequency of sexual act are the common standards.
masturbation as a healthy, legitimate and harmless As to how often sexual act be done, depends on
sexual activity. particular couples. There are those who do it
In addition, masturbation is viewed as a means of regularly, others have it few times a month, some
knowing about have it 2-3 times a week. However, with
one’s own sexuality and a way of discovering increasing age and length of marriage, the
changes in one’s own frequency of sexual act decreases. Yet it still
body such as the occurrence of precancerous lump. continues into late adulthood and majority of
2. Heterosexuality - these people engage in sexual act at least 1 or 2
Some people believe that the first time they times a month but this is of high quality.
experience sexual act they have already reached 4. Extramarital Sex -
significance in their lives. There are some researches that reveal about
Heterosexuality, an attraction and behavior toward extramarital sex. Extramarital sex is a practice
the other sex is far more than male and female between a married person and someone who is not
sexual act, kissing, petting, caressing, necking and his/her spouse. This was said to be widely
massaging, and other forms of sex practiced although not exactly the reality because
play are parts of heterosexual behavior. generally there is still a high percentage of married
3. Premarital Sex - couples who are faithful to their spouses and there
Before, premarital sex particularly for women was a is a high degree of disapproval to this extramarital
major taboo, generally in the Filipino values.
Traditional women were prohibited by Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
society that the “nice girls” never do it. Men were
• Sexually transmitted infections are diseases
more or less allowed to engage in premarital sex,
that are contracted primarily through sexual
but they were advised to marry
contact with an infected individual.
“virgins”. The idea that premarital sex is allowed for
• Many STIs—including syphilis, hepatitis B, HIV,
the males but not permitted for the females is
chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and HPV—can also
termed double standard.
be transmitted from mother to child during
In the 1960s, there was a dramatic change in the
pregnancy and childbirth.
view of premarital
• It is an increasing health Problem.
sex. There seems a convergence of males and
females’ attitudes and behavior toward premarital
sex, but this did not end to the idea of double KEY FACTS
standard. However, to the younger generations the
double standard had been replaced by More than 30 different bacteria, viruses and
parasites are known to be transmitted through
sexual contact. Eight of these pathogens are linked highest HIV infection growth in Asia-Pacific as
to the greatest incidence of sexually transmitted reported by the health ministry and the United
disease. Of these 8 infections, 4 are Nation.
currently curable: syphilis, gonorrhea chlamydia and • From January to March 2020, there were 2,818
trichomoniasis. The other 4 are viral infections newly confirmed HIV-positive individuals reported
which are incurable: hepatitis B, herpes simplex to the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines
virus (HSV or herpes), HIV, and human (HARP). Seventeen percent (473) had clinical
papillomavirus (HPV). Symptoms or disease due to manifestations of advanced HIV infection at the
the incurable viral infections can be reduced or time of testing.
modified through treatment • Ninety-four percent (2,658) of the newly
diagnosed were male. The median age was 28 years
The following are some examples of STIs:
old (age range: 1-78 years old). Almost half of the
1.HIV/AIDS - HIV stands for Human
cases (48%), 1,359) were 25-34 years old and 30%
Immunodeficiency Virus while AIDS stands for
(834) were 15-24 years old at the time of diagnosis.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Almost a third (30%, 852) were from the National
• HIV is a virus while AIDS is a condition or
Capital Region (NCR). Region 4A (18%, 517), Region
syndrome.
3 (11%, 304), Region 7 (8%, 212), and Region 6(7%,
• HIV can lead to infections that attack and destroy
201) comprised the top five regions with the most
the CD4 (T cell) of the immune system which is the
number of newly diagnosed cases for this reporting
body's natural defense against such illnesses as
period, together accounting for 74% of the total
tuberculosis, pneumonia and cancer.
cases
• HIV without treatment can lead to AIDS but not all
• Sexual contact remained as the predominant
cases of HIV develop AIDS.
mode of transmission (98%, 2,749). Among the
• Only untreated HIV may lead to AIDS.
newly diagnosed, 63% (1,768) reported
• Presently, there is no effective cure for HIV. But
transmission through male to male sex, 22% (612)
the condition can be controlled with proper medical
through males who have sex with both
care.
males and females, and 13% (369) were through
• The antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a combination
male to female sex. Other modes of transmission
of medications that are used to prevent HIV from
were sharing of infected needles (1%, 32) and
replicating to protect the body against the virus and
mother-to-child transmission (<1%, 6). Thirty-one
infection.
cases (1%) had no data on mode of transmission.
• However, ART is not a cure. It helps those with
• Among the newly diagnosed females this
HIV positive to live longer and happier and lowers
reporting period, 35 were pregnant at the time of
the risk of advancing the condition into AIDS.
diagnosis. Eleven cases were from NCR, six cases
• AIDS can be diagnosed by the number of CD4 cell
from region 4A; five cases from Region 3; four cases
count. A count of less than 200 cells/mm3 in the
from Region 7; two cases each from
blood indicates AIDS, whereas a typical, healthy
Regions 12 and 5; and one case each from Regions
individual has around 500-1,600 cells/mm3 in a
1, 2, 6, 8 and 10.
blood sample. When someone dies of AIDS, it is
3. Genital Warts - This is an STI caused by the
typically because they got
human papillomavirus; genital warts are very
sick with another type of disease or infection. The
contagious and are the most commonly acquired
immune system is not strong enough to fight the
STI in the United States in the 15- to 24-year-old age
infection
group.
• According to a news article (news.abs-cbn.com)
posted August 1, 2017, the Philippines has the
4. Gonorrhea. This is a sexually transmitted 1. Hormonal method of contraception (prevents the
infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria release of an egg or ovulation)
gonorrhoeae which thrives in the moist mucous a. Oral contraceptives (Pills) – These are daily oral
membranes linings of the mouth, throat, vagina, contraceptives. Some contain estrogen and
cervix, urethra, and the anal tract. progestogen; others are progestin only and is over
• Symptoms for males are discharge from the penis 99% effective if used according to instructions.
and burning sensations during urination. b. The patch - it is a small patch you stick on to the
• For females, sometimes irritating vaginal skin that releases estrogen and progestogen. It
discharge. stops ovulation and is over 99 percent effective if
• Complication for males may include prostate, used according to instructions.
bladder and kidney problems as well as sterility. c. The ring - The contraceptive vaginal ring is a small
• For females, it may lead to infertility. plastic ring a woman inserts into her vagina every
5. Syphilis. This is a sexually transmitted infection month and releases hormones to stop ovulation. It
caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, a is over 99 per cent effective if used appropriately
spirochete. If left untreated, syphilis may progress based on the instructions.
through four phases: d. Implants - The contraceptive implant is a small
• Primary (chancre sores appear), flexible rod that is place under the skin of the upper
• Secondary (general skin rashes occur), arm by a health professional and releases
• latent (a period that can last for several years with progestogen to stop ovulation.
no overt symptoms), and e. Injectable - The contraceptive injection which is a
• tertiary (cardiovascular disease, blindness, long- acting reversible contraception does not
paralysis, skin ulcers, liver damage, mental depend on taking it daily and is more than
problem and even death may occur) 99 percent effective.
6. Chlamydia. This is one of the most common
sexually transmitted infections, named for 2. Barrier methods (methods that physically or
Chlamydia trachomatis, an organism that spreads chemically block the sperm from reaching an egg
through sexual contact and infects the genital and provide a barrier between direct skin to skin
organs of both sexes. contacts)
• Many females with chlamydia are asymptomatic. a) Diaphragm - It is a soft dome made of latex or
• Although they can occur without sexual contact, silicone and is used with spermicide. It is put into
urinary tract or bladder infection and vaginal yeast the vagina to cover the cervix and is 92 to 96 per
infection are common cent effective when used correctly.
among sexually active females. b) Cervical Caps - These are similar to the
diaphragm, though they are generally always made
METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION (ARTIFICIAL AND
of silicone. They are put into the vagina to cover the
NATURAL)
cervix and are 92 to 96 percent effective when used
• In 1930 the first mainstream Christian sect—the
correctly.
Anglican Church—officially permitted certain forms
c. Male and Female Condoms or spermicides —
of birth control.
Male condom is made up of thin latex put over the
• Nowadays, some religions, including the Roman
penis to stop the sperm from entering vagina. It is
Catholic Church, a few Protestant denominations,
98% effective when used exactly according to
and many Hindus condemn the use of
instructions. The female condom is made of thin
contraception.
polyurethane that loosely lines the vagina and stops
• Contraceptives are medicines and other devices
that are used to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
sperm from entering. It is 95% effective if properly
used.
3. Behavioral Methods
a. Rhythm or Calendar Method — It is a way to
determine a woman’s most fertile and infertile
times by charting the menstrual cycle. It is also
known as natural family planning or fertility
awareness.
b. Abstinence or celibacy — It refer to the
avoidance of sexual intercourse.
c. Outercourse — It is a sexual activity that does not
include the insertion of the penis into the vagina.
d. Withdrawal (Latin — coitus interruptus) — It
happens when a man removes his penis from the
vagina and ejaculates outside of the woman's body.
4. Sterilization (procedures that make an individual
permanently incapable of conceiving or fertilizing a
partner)
a. Tubal ligation I sterilization —It is the surgery for
woman in which fallopian tubes are tied to prevent
eggs from travelling to the uterus so a woman
cannot get pregnant.

b. Vasectomy — It is an operation in which the

surgeon makes a small cut in the upper part of the
scrotum then ties or blocks the vas deferens. Men
can still have orgasm or ejaculation after the
operation.
5. Intrauterine Device (IUD) - It is a small device that
is placed in the uterus by a doctor to prevent
pregnancy.
6. Emergency Contraception (EC) - It is an measure
that protects against pregnancy after unprotected
sex has already occurred. It could be through IUD or
higher dosage of pills
(Rosenthal, 2013).