MODULE 1.

The Self from various

philosophical perspective
Philosophers Perspective on the Self
SOCRATES
Lesson 1. Philosophical Perspective
o first philosopher who engaged
systematic questioning about the self.
o he believed that every man is composed
Philosophy
of body and soul.
The history of philosophy is replete with
PLATO
men and women who inquired into the
fundamental nature of the self. o supported the idea that man is a dual
Greek - earliest thinkers in the history nature of body and soul.
of philosophy Three Components of the Soul
o Study of the fundamental nature of Rational - forged by reason and
knowledge, reality, and existence, intellect earliest thinkers in the history of
especially in an academic discipline. philosophy
o A theory that someone has about how to
live or how to deal with a particular Spirited - in charge of emotions and should
situation. be kept at bay.
o The academic discipline concerned with Appetitive - in charge of base desire like
investigating the nature of the eating, drinking and having sex should be
significance of ordinary and scientific controlled
beliefs investigates the legitimacy of
concepts by a rational argument When this ideal state is attained, then
concerning their implications, the human person’s soul becomes just and
relationships as well as reality, virtuous.
knowledge, moral judgment, etc. AUGUSTINE
o believed that man is bifurcated nature.
The main branches of Philosophy o an aspect of man dwells in the
world and is imperfect and
Axiology continuously yearns to be with the
o Study of the nature of value and Divine and the other is capable of
valuation reaching immortality
o the body is bound to die on earth
Metaphysics and the soul is to anticipate living
eternally in a realm of spiritual
o Study of the fundamental nature of
bliss in communion with God.
reality
o the goal of every human person is to
Epistemology attain this communion and
bliss with the Divine by living his
o Study of the nature, origin, and limits of life on earth in virtue.
human knowledge
THOMAS AQUINAS
Ethics Philosophy
o Most eminent thirteenth century scholar
o Study of what is right and wrong in and stalwart of the medieval philosophy.
human behavior o Man is composed of two parts Matter
Aesthetics (hyle) - common stuff that makes up
everything in the universe. Man’s body
o Study of beauty and taste is part of this matter.
Form (morphe) - the essence of a
Logic Philosophy
substance or thing.
o Study of the nature and types of logic o The soul is what animates the body; it is
what makes us humans.
Political Philosophy
RENE DESCARTES
o Study of government, addressing
questions about the nature, scope, and o father of modern philosophy, conceived
legitimacy of public agents and of the human person as having a body
institutions and a mind.
 o cogito ergo sum “I think therefore, I LESSON: 2 'THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND
am” CULTURE.
o Self is a combination of two distinct
entities, the cogito, the thing that thinks,
which is the mind, and the extenza or Self
extension of the mind, which is the
body. o Stevens (1996), defined ‘self’ by the
following characteristics
DAVID HUME
Separate - it is meant that the self is
o Scottish philosopher, has a unique way
distinct from other selves. The self is
of looking at man.
always unique and has his own identify.
o The self is a bundle or collection of
One cannot be another person.
different perceptions, which succeed
each other with an inconceivable Self-contained - tending to keep
rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and thoughts and feelings private and to
movement. deal with things without help from other
o What one thinks is a unified self; simply people.
a combination of all experiences with a
particular person. Independent - it is someone who
Impression - basic objects of our doesn't rely on other people for money,
experience/sensation - forms the core of help, or emotional reassurance.
our thoughts
Consistent - someone who is consistent
Idea - copies of impressions - not as always behaves in the same way, has the
“real” as impressions same attitudes towards people or things,
or achieves the same level of success in
Self - a collection of different
something.
perceptions which rapidly succeed each
other.
Unitary - the self is the center of all
experiences and thoughts that run
through a certain person.
IMMANUEL KANT
o Self is not just what gives one his Private - each person sorts out
information, feelings, and emotions, and
personality. It is also the seat of
thought processes within the self that are
knowledge acquisition for all human
never accessible to anyone but the self.
persons.
o We all have an inner and an outer self
which together forms our consciousness.
The inner self is comprised of our Social constructivist argues…
psychological state and our rational o self should not be seen as a static entity
intellect. The outer self includes our that stays constant through and through.
senses and the physical world. o self has to be seen as something that is
GILBERT RYLE in unceasing flux, in a constant struggle
with external reality and is malleable in
o Self is not an entity one can locate and its dealings with society.
analyze but simply the convenient name o self is capable of morphing and fitting
that people use to refer to all the itself into any circumstances it finds
behaviors that people make. itself.
o The self is how you behave. The actions
we make are the same as what our
minds are thinking. The Self and Culture
MERLEAU-PONTY Marcel Mauss
- A phenomenologist who said that mind o French Anthropologist
and body are so intertwined that they o Self has two faces
cannot be separated from one another. Moi - refers to a person's sense of who
he is, his body, and his basic identity,
his biological giveness.
Personne - is composed of the social
concepts of what it means to be who he
 is. personne has much to do with what it o has to be personally discovered and
means to live in a particular instruction, asserted and not dictated by culture and
a particular family, a particular religion the society.
a particular nationality, and how to
behave given expectations and Gendered self is shaped within a particular
influences from others. context of time and space.

Filipinos tend to consider their territory as a part

of who they are, and consider their immediate Difference between Sex and Gender
surrounding as a part of them, thus the perennial
"tapat ko linis ko". Sex
o whether or not a person is a male or
female.
Language
Gender
o Interesting aspect of social
constructivism o the characteristics of women, men, girls
o Has something to do with culture and boys that are socially constructed.
Lesson 3. The self as a Cognitive Construct

The self and the Development of the Social

World William James (1890)
Mead and Vygostky
o One of the earliest psychologist to study
o human persons develop is with the use the self and conceptualized the self as
of language acquisition and interaction having to aspects the “I” (the thinking,
with others. acting, and feeling self) and “me”
o the way that we process information is (physical characteristics as well as
normally a form of an internal dialogue psychological capabilities
in our head. that makes who you are)

Social constructivists argue that the self

should not be seen as a static entity that stays Carl Rogers (1959)
constant through and through. o His theory of personality uses the “I” as
the one who acts and decides while the
“me” is what you think or feel about
Self in Families yourself as an object.
Sociologists focus on the different institutions o Captured the concept of self-schema or
and powers at play in the society. Among these, our organized system or collection of
the most prominent is the family. knowledge about who we are (hobbies,
religion, family, nationality, interests,
Human persons are one of those beings whose work, course, age, name, physical
importance of family cannot be denied. characteristics and among others)
"Without family, biologically and
sociologically, a person may not even G.M Head (1934)
survive or become a human person."
o argued that the self is created and
One who he is because of his family for the most developed through human interaction
part. (theory of symbolic interactionism).
Family as the basic unit in the society plays a Three reasons why self and identity are
major role in shaping one’s self but reality tells social products…
that each of us are unique as to how it function.
1. We do not create ourselves out of
nothing.
Gender and the Self 2. Whether we like it or not, we actually
need others to affirm and reinforce who
Gender we think we are.
3. What we think is important to us may
o important aspect of the self
also have been influenced by what is
o one of those loci (a particular position, important in our social or historical
point, or place) of the self that is subject context.
to alteration, change, and development.
Sigmund Freud  budding of their breasts usually
occurring at the age of 11 signals
o most influential psychologist
their puberty stage
o Self is a mental processes and one's
behavior is the result of the interaction Menarche - is the first menstrual period of
between the Id, the Ego and the females which happens two years after the start
Superego. of puberty.

MODULE 2. Unpacking the Self Hormones - plays an important role in the

regulation of ovulation and fertility of females.

Lesson 4. The Physical Self

Synthesis…
Physical attributes - includes not only the
Physical Features physical features but also our physical
o crucial aspect of the self competencies, valuation of physical worth &
o includes face, bodily structures, height perception of beauty.
and weight Physical self - is shaped by biological (genetic
endowment) and environmental factors.

Physical Self Physical Traits - largely influenced by the

environment that includes social networks,
o includes issues like health, hygiene, social expectations and cultural practices.
nutrition and standards of beauty.
o not only limited to what can be seen by
the naked eye
o largely determined by heredity
Lesson 5: The Sexual Self
Self is shaped and enhanced is largely
"Our Sexual Self is a complex combination of
determined by environmental influences.
our social, culture, and biological inheritance."
Sexual Health Awareness
Developmental aspect of Reproductive
o requires a positive and respectful
System
approach to sexuality and sexual
Early stages of human development relationships, as well as the possibility
of having pleasurable and safe sexual
o the embryonic reproductive structures of
experiences, free of coercion,
males and females are alike
discrimination and violence.

Puberty
Developmental aspect of the Reproductive
o the period of life, generally between the System
ages of 10-15 years old, when the o Male and female embryonic
reproductive organs grow to their adult
reproductive structures are similar
size and become functional under the
during the early stages of human
influence of rising levels of gonadal
development.
hormones (testosterone in males and
estrogen in
females).

Male
 at the age of 13, puberty is
characterized by the increase of Human Sexual Behavior
the size of the reproductive organs A human sexual behavior may be
followed by the appearance of hair interpreted by society or the individual as erotic
in the area, axillary and face. depending on the context in which the behavior
occurs.

Female Sex
 o Whether or not a person is male or o infections transmitted from an infected
female, whether a person has a penis or person to an uninfected person through
vagina sexual contact.
o caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

Example: Gonorrhea, Herpes, and

Sexuality/Identity
Chlamydia
o different from “sex”
o refer to the total expression of who you
are as a human being, your femaleness Methods of Contraception
or your maleness
Natural Methods
o begins at birth, ends at death
o an interplay between body image, 1. Abstinence
gender identity, gender role, sexual o A decision to refrain from engaging in
orientation, eroticism, genitals, any sexual activity and therefore not
intimacy, relationships, and love and have sex.
affection. 2. Calendar Method
o includes much more than sexual o a type of fertility awareness method
intercourse (FAM), meaning it involves tracking
your ovulation to prevent pregnancy.
3. Basal Body Temperature
Two Types of Human Sexual Behavior o a method of natural family planning
that requires only the purchase of a
1. Solitary Behavior involving only one very accurate thermometer.
individual. 4. Cervical Mucus Method
2. Sociosexual Behavior involving more than o also called the Billings ovulation
one person. Sociosexual behavior is
method, relies on tracking the changes
generally divided into heterosexual
in a woman's cervical mucus to plan
behavior and homosexual behavior.
the best days to have or avoid sexual
intercourse.
Physiology of Human Sexual Response 5. Symptotermal Method
o a combination of methods. The two
Cycle of Sexual Response most commonly used are the Basal
Excitement Phase > Plateau Phase > Sexual Body Temperature (BBT) Method
Climax > Resolution Phase and the Cervical Mucus Method.
6. Ovulation Detection
Nervous system plays a significant role during o determine the occurrence of
sexual response. OVULATION by direct (analyses of
Autonomic system is involved in controlling circulating hormones in blood and
response. ultrasonography) or indirect (examine
the effects of PROGESTERONE on
In the presence of a stimulus capable enough of cervical mucus, or basal body
initiating a sexual response, the efferent temperature) means.
cerebrospinal nerves transmit the sensory 7. Coitus Interruptus
messages to the brain. o withdrawal, pulling out, or the pull-
out method.
Hypothalamus and limbic system are the parts
of the brain believed to be responsible for
regulating the sexual response, but there is no
specialized “sex center” that has been located in Artificial Method
the human brain. 1. Oral Contraceptives (birth control
Reflex sexual response is mediated by the pills)
lower spinal cord and leads to erection and o medications that prevent pregnancy.
ejaculation for male, vaginal discharges and 2. Transdermal Patch (skin patch)
lubrication for female when the genital and o a medicated adhesive patch that is
perineal areas are stimulated. placed on the skin to deliver a specific
dose of medication through the skin
The brain can overrule and suppress such reflex and into the bloodstream.
activity – as it does when an individual decides 3. Vaginal Ring
that a sexual response is socially inappropriate. o a small flexible ring that sends
hormones into your vagina.
4. Subdermal Implants
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
 o A body modification that is placed “Biological sex” refers to how one’s anatomy,
underneath the skin, therefore physiology, hormones, and genetics are
allowing the body to heal over the classified.
implant and creating a raised design.
“Know thyself” is a well-known saying of
5. Hormonal Injections
Socrates. Knowing ourselves connotes self-
o it is injected in the muscle of the arm
mastery, self-discipline and wisdom. To achieve
or buttocks every 12–13 weeks, it
this, we need to KNOW and ASK ourselves first
stops your ovaries from releasing an
as Socrates would emphasize, “To find yourself,
egg every month.
think for yourself”
6. Intrauterine Device (IUD)
o small devices that are placed inside
the uterus (womb) to prevent
pregnancy. There are 2 types of IUD
— the hormonal IUD and the copper
IUD.
7. Chemical Barriers
o includes skin, tears, mucus, cilia,
stomach acid, urine f'friendly' bacteria
and white blood cells called
neutrophils.
8. Diaphragm
o a shallow dome of silicone with a firm
and flexible rim. It is placed in your
vagina like a tampon so that it covers
the cervix (entrance to the uterus) and
tucks in behind the pubic bone to stop
sperm from entering.
9. Cervical Cap
o fits over the cervix and blocks sperm
from entering the uterus through the
external orifice of the uterus, called
the os.
10. Male Condoms
o a thin sheath placed over the erect
penis.
11. Female Condoms
o inserted into the vagina before sex to
prevent pregnancy and sexually
transmitted infections (STIs).
12. Surgical Methods
o two kinds of surgical methods are
used by either the male or the female,
and would ensure that conception is
inhibited after the surgery for as long
as the client lives.
Surgical procedures for family planning include
tubal ligation or tubectomy for female
sterilization and vasectomy for male
sterilization.

SYNTHESIS
"Human sexuality” refers to people’s sexual
interest in and attraction to others; it is the
capacity to have erotic or sexual feelings and
experiences. Sexuality differs from biological
sex.
"Sexuality” refers to the capacity for sexual
feelings and attraction.