CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE

PDEV 1013: Understanding the Self

AY 2024-2025

Lesson 2: Unpacking The Self

Topic: The Physical Self

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:

At the end of this learning module, the student is expected to:

a. Enumerate various factors that influence to body image and self-esteem
b. Evaluate the role of culture in the perception of beauty and the creation of an ideal in the society
c. Explain how media affects a person’s self-definition and identity
d. Cite ways how you can develop a healthy/positive self-esteem

INTRODUCTION

Our physical self is mostly represented by our face. It gives other people a
first impression about who we are and what we are. How we look give initial
clues about our attitudes and the cosmetics put onto our faces may give hints
about our economic status in life. It is undeniable to most of us that we give too
much attention to our faces than any other part of our body from the time we
wake up to the moment before we sleep. Our face is the primary part of our
body that we protect in times of danger. We do not want any scars inflicted on
any part of our face and admittedly, many of us are willing to spend money to
make it pleasing to other people. We maintain a face value because we
consider our face as our initial asset. Before other people can discover our true attitude and capabilities, they
first rely on what they can physically see. The way we take care of ourselves, especially our faces, represents
the kind of personality we have. It is no wonder that people spend significant amounts of money just to make
themselves beautiful.

In this module, you are going to learn about how your physical self play a role in defining who you are.
This will also help you learn about the physical self from various sources of information. We will talk about the
physical self in a way that we will see how our perception of our body affects how we think of ourselves.

Now let’s begin by how taking a look at the different conceptualizations of the physical self:

1. The Self as Impacted by the Body

Through the years, the concept of physical self has gained a considerable attention in the fields of
Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology, including religious and biological or health studies. These
disciplines agree on the premise that the physical self is an important component in the study of the person's
self and identity.

Sanjay Singh, the physical self refers to the body, a marvelous container and
complex, finely timed machine with which we interface with our environment and
fellow beings. The Physical Self is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of a
person that can be directly observed and examined.
 As with William James “The self is the sum total of all that man call his, which includes his body,
family and reputation, also his clothes and his house….”

Such body, family, clothes, and the like are also described by Russell W. Belk as part of our
Extended Self. But what do we mean by physical self? The concrete or tangible aspect or dimension of
the person which is primarily observed and examined through the body is known as the physical self.

James considered body as the initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin
and maintenance of personality. However, James considered body as subservient to
the mind e.g., mental concentration can be so tightly focused… as not only to banish
ordinary sensations, but even the severest pain. (James, 1890, Vol. 1, p.49). A simple
example could be the numerous reports of soldiers in the battle or a boxer in the ring
who suffer severe wounds but were not notice of them until the intensity of the fighting
abates. For James, the body is an expressive tool of indwelling consciousness and
good physical health. It is an element of spiritual hygiene of supreme significance
(James, 1899. p. 103).

Sigmund Freud's construction of self and personality makes the

physical body the core of human experience. Freud was of the view that the
ego is first and foremost a body ego. However, in spite of Freud's recognition
of the centrality of body, his own writings on therapy rarely discussed it.

Erikson, on the other hand, mentioned that experience is anchored in the ground-
plan of body. According to him the role of bodily organs is especially important in early
developmental stages of a person's life. Later in life, the development of physical as well
as intellectual skills help determine whether an individual will achieve a sense of
competency and ability to choose demanding roles in a complex society.

For example, healthy children derive a sense of competence as their bodies

become larger, stronger, faster, and more capable of learning complex skills. However, as a stage theorist
Erikson is aware of the constant interaction of the body, psychological processes and social forces. He
acknowledges the classical Freudian view of fundamental biological drives but insists that these drives are
socially modifiable.

Furthermore, Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1945) placed the body at the center of human
existence, as a way of experiencing the world. Such ideas make clear to us the fact
that the body is the way through which we make sense of the world and our
environment. We experience life through our bodies and senses (sight, smell, touch,
etc.), allowing us to interpret the world around us. However, the body is not merely an
object in the world but we are also our bodies in that the body is the vehicle for our
expression in the world. The body is the sight for the articulation of all our
identifications of gender, class, sexuality, race, ethnicity and religion.

The emergence of "body culture".

 From the late 1970s to 1980s, Humanities and Sociology developed a
new and broader interest in the body. Sociologists, historians, philosophers,
and anthropologists, including scholars from sport studies and medical studies
spoke about this interest on the body which was then called then called "body
culure". The sociologists, Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens, agree in saying
that the body is the only fix-point of “self-identity”.

Studies also show that one of the visible and deeper changes in relation
to the modern body concerns the dress reform and the appearance of the
naked body. The change from noble pale skin to suntanned skin as a "sportive"
distinction was not only linked to sport, but had a strong impact on society as a
whole. The change of appreciated body color reversed the social-bodily
distinctions between people and classes, and nudism became a radical
expression of this body-cultural change.

2. The Impact of Culture on Body Image and Self-esteem: The Importance of Beauty

Do you consider yourself beautiful?

What is your concept of beauty?
What is the society's concept of beauty?
Do these perceptions really matter?

Well dressed, elegant, good-looking, attractive! These are the words we usually associate with beauty. As
Kenny and Nichols describe, they are the determining factors shaping beauty. "Attractive children, and
adults are treated more favorably by others in the society.

Some people as you would agree are lucky to possess features that stick to the standardized ideals of
beauty though nature bestows less-than-perfect physical attributes upon others such as slightly misshapen
noses, protuberant chins, breasts that appear too large or too small. For the most part, people have learned to
live with these inadequacies. But in some cases, there are people who are dissatisfied with their physical
characteristics that they seek to alter them through surgical means. The process appears trouble-free, yet
there are many unseen pitfalls.

THE MALE IDEAL “Adonis” body built”

"muscular wash-board abs, powerful legs, chiseled features.

6-pack or ripped abs shoved in the face of men via famous sportsmen and
male fitness models, which for many is impossible to achieve without
illegal steroids.”

THE FEMALE IDEAL

"coca-cola contoured figure”

Life today sees image upon image of fashionably clad women, perfect skin,
tiny waists, ample breasts, fashionably protruding behinds (of Kardashian
and Beyonce fame) all with a weight of no greater than 59kg.
 Needless to say, this pursuit of perfection puts a huge strain on both genders but “females in particular
receive a massive amount of societal pressure to conform to conventional beauty standards.”

People do set unrealistic images of beauty, genetically impossible for many of us to emulate. Yet we
are told that these unattainable bodies are normal, desirable, and achievable. When we don't measure up to
this satisfaction, we develop a strong sense of dissatisfaction.

What do we exactly mean by body image?

Now, let’s talk about "body image" and "identity". Popular interest in body image issues has grown
dramatically in recent years, due to an emphasis on individual limitless capacities of modern medicine.

Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than we realize from our interactions to our personal
development through to other's perception of our bodies as a reflection of self-worth. We are social beings.
Genetically, we rely on one another for the survival of humanity. That primal connection makes our interactions
physiologically and psychologically important. So it is not surprising that how society perceives our bodies.

Body image is both internal (personal) and external (society)

The inner beauty which refers to the inner qualities of the person and the external beauty which
refers to the physical characteristics of the person. External beauty focuses on the physical features of the
body commonly defined as "a combination of qualities, which includes shape, color, or form that pleases the
aesthetic senses, especially the sight."

Body image is the perception that a person has of their physical

self and the thoughts and feelings that result from that perception. These
feelings can be positive, negative or both, and are influenced by individual
and environmental factors. (Psych alive by Collin Mc Shirley)
Body image lies at the heart of adolescence. In this concept, we
think of how attractive our body is. It is the mental representation of one's
own body, or somebody’s own impression of how his or her body looks
which is a very important aspect of identity.

This includes:

 How we perceive our bodies visually

 How we feel about our physical appearance
 How we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies
 Our sense of how other people view our bodies

Body image is determined by 4 factors:

1. How you SEE your body is your perceptual body image. This is not always a correct representation
of how you actually look. For example, a person may perceive themselves as overweight when they
are actually underweight.

2. The way you FEEL about your body is your affective body image. This relates to the amount of
satisfaction or dissatisfaction you feel about your shape, weight, and individual body parts.

3. The way you THINK about your body is your cognitive body image. This can lead to preoccupation
with body shape and weight.
4. BEHAVIORS in which you engage as a result of your body image encompass your behavioral
body image. When a person is dissatisfied with the way he/she looks, they may isolate themselves
because they feel bad about their appearance.

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Now that you have your “body image cheat sheet,” does it give you a better understanding of how you
perceive your own body and thoughts? How does the four aspects resonate with you?
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How we look at our bodies has possibly never held as much societal importance or reflected so
significantly on our perceived self-worth. Each one, male or female, strives to acquire the body of his/her
dream. We are in a culture in which beauty is judged by numbers. As commonly observed, attraction to
another person’s body increases if that body is symmetrical and in proportionate, we are more likely to
notice it and find it beautiful. We even perceive proportional bodies to be healthier.

Take a minute to ponder the following questions.

This is not part of the learning task

Look at yourself in front of a mirror and answer the following questions:

1. Which part of your body are you most proud of?

2. Which part of your body are you not happy about? Why?
3. What is your ideal body? Describe the body you want to have.
4. Do you really need another body to be happy? Why? Why not?

The promise of an “aesthetic capital”

The presence of aesthetically based cultural goods and their ever- increasing influence in modern
society poses a new conceptual opportunity to Sociology. A new term “aesthetic capital”, is introduced. Such
concept covers the privileges and wealth people receive from aesthetic traits, such as their face, hair, body,
clothes, grooming habits and other markers of beauty.

For Samantha Lovascio, visually appealing traits greatly impact our lives, in matters of
modest importance (friend selection) to great importance (friend selection) (e.g. getting
a job career mobility). Thus, the promise of an aesthetic capital concept lies in enabling
Sociology to better understand inequality and the socially based forms of wealth
available to modern society. It seems such attraction to “body image” and “aesthetic
capital” is increasingly becoming today's preoccupation, especially of young people as it
gradually becomes the basis upon which one's identity and self-esteem are built.

ADDITIONAL READ:
 AESTHETIC CAPITAL
Authored by: Sylvia Holla , Giselinde Kuipers
ROUTLEDGE INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF ART
AND CULTURE

People are also inclined to associate ‘good looks’ with other positive qualities, from
moral goodness to economic success.
Social psychologists call this the ‘halo effect’: the assumption that persons with
visible desirable traits also have other, maybe less visible, positive qualities (Nisbett
and Wilson 1977; Kaplan 1978). In present-day societies, research has shown that
people who are deemed more attractive tend to have higher wages, more durable
relationships, higher grades and better assessments (Andreoni and Petrie 2008).
Thus, physical attractiveness comes with many rewards, also in fields that at first
glance have nothing to do with physical appearance.

Beauty comes with benefits. There are the obvious perks, such as sexual attractiveness and a desire
on the part of others to seek out the company of good-looking people.

The Role of Culture in our Understanding of "Body Image" and "Self-esteem"

What is culture?
It is commonly defined as the shared patterns of thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and habits in both
material and symbolic realms.

"Culture includes language, technology, economic, political and educational systems, religious and
aesthetic patterns, social structures and so on. It is widely recognized by social scientists that the self is
shaped, in part, through interaction with groups."(Harry Triandis).

Through culture, society shapes us in many ways. As mentioned earlier, body image is both internal
(personal) and external (society). These include how we perceive our bodies visually, how we feel about our
physical appearance, how we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies, and our sense of how other people
view our bodies.

What do you think are characteristics that Filipinos find to

be attractive? Are they similar with other the American’s
perception of beauty?

Try to watch this video to see the various beauty standards

different cultures hold.

As/Is (2014), Beauty Standards Around The World,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT9FmDBrewA

We are all body-builders

“Drawing on contemporary culture, our bodies are not only biological but also cultural in that we say, we
all shape and manipulate our bodies. We are all body-builders as we build and style
our bodies on a daily basis. We decide how to dress and style our bodies, we decide
how much hair we want on our bodies, and we shave, wax, etc. We manipulate our
bodies' weight through diet and exercise and we even modify our bodies to extreme
levels and introduce mechanical agents into our bodies merging flesh and technology. The body is enthralled
to cultural regimes, telling us how we should look - especially how we should dress and what our bodies weight
(fat levels) should be".

What happens when your body doesn’t look like how it's supposed to look like, or feel how it's
supposed to feel, or do what it’s supposed to do?

Who or what defines the ideals behind these expectations?

How can we challenge them and live more peacefully in our bodies?

De Mello (2014). In the ‘Encyclopedia of Body Adornment', De Mello explores these questions as she says:

All cultures everywhere have attempted to change their body in an attempt to meet their cultural
standards of beauty, as well as their religious. In addition, people modify and adorn their bodies as part of the
complex or process of creating and recreating their personal and social identities.

Body adornment refers to the practice of

physically enhancing the body by styling
and decorating the hair, painting and
embellishing the fingernails, wearing
makeup, painting the body, wearing
jewelry, and the use of clothing Body
adornments are by definition temporary.

Body modification, on the other hand,

refers to the physical alteration of the body
through the use of surgery, tattooing
piercing, scarification, branding, genital
mutilation, implants, and other practices.
Body modifications can be permanent or
temporary, although most are permanent
and alter the body forever" (Margo de Mello, 2014).

A particular practice related to body modification is Female Genital Mutilization (FGM). Here are some
key facts regarding FGM provided by the World Health Organization (2020).

 Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other
injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
 The practice has no health benefits for girls and women.
 FGM can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating,
and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in
childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.
 More than 200 million girls and women alive today have
been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia
where FGM is concentrated.
 FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy
and age 15.
 FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.
 WHO is opposed to all forms of FGM, and is opposed to health care providers performing FGM
(medicalization of FGM).
 Treatment of health complications of FGM in 27 high prevalence countries costs 1.4 billion USD per year.

What is Pop culture?

Audrey Tramel (2013) mentions that the predominance of "pop culture” in today’s society definitely
has some effects such as the way teenagers think of themselves, how they associate with others, and how
they express characteristics of their maturation.

Pop culture or popular culture from a common understanding is a culture widely accepted and
patronized by the public as in pop music which is very appealing to the youth. Pop culture influences how
teens define themselves as in the case of a recent famous K-pop group, named "Momoland" which gained the
admiration of millions of Filipino teenagers.

Its influence on them goes to the point of imitating the way they dress and style their bodies, the way
they talk and express themselves. It influences the way they define themselves. Indeed, an important
characteristic of every teenagers’ maturation is his/her self-definition.

Self-definition refers to the way a person sees himself. For teens, that image is influenced to a large
extent by personal choices, which are, in turn, influenced by the images and associations teens glean
from pop culture on a daily basis.

Recent researchers agree that pop culture has some impact on teenagers’ self- definition. Pop culture
can provide benchmarks which become the teenagers’ basis of their self-definition. In this way, they see
themselves adopting certain characteristics from the various celebrities and other models they see in pop
culture. Lastly, self-definition can be intrinsically tied into self-esteem and confidence, two critical components
of a healthy disposition throughout maturation and into adulthood.

Pop culture icons tend to extend their visibility beyond culture and into brands, which they sell via
advertisements or products carrying their name.

Teenagers who see, for instance, Liza Soberano or James Reid using beauty
products like Vicky Belo's kojic soap, may then be influenced to patronize that label. Beyond
fostering a certain degree of commercialism, these brands have associations in and of
themselves that tie into self- definition or social groups within a teenager’s life. Often,
celebrity brands tie into an acceptance level among teenagers, such that some teenagers
feel they must own a particular brand in order to be accepted. These sentiments can distract
teenagers from key aspects of their development.
 So then, in our hyper-mediated society, we are constantly beset with media images especially
advertisements representing appropriate bodies or skin, so that we internalize these and either attempt to
conform to them or resist them. The media creates ideals, in the form of celebrities and models, for men and
women to admire. These give us pressure to conform to expectations. Images in the media often make us
worry about our own appearance, defining what body is attractive and which one is not, seeing being fat as
unattractive, etc.

It seems contemporary culture is obsessed with the body. At any moment, we are likely to be told, from
a variety of media, how the body should act and should look; also telling us how we should dress, what our
weight should be, how we should spend our leisure and even how our bodies should age. Through media,
campaign on the use of certain beauty products, has the goal of improving the look of the spokes model in
order to improve his/her appearance to perfection using those cosmetics. As a result, most women are
dissatisfied with their appearance which, Annie Lennox says, is the "stuff that fuels the fashion and beauty
industries". This results in women feeling insecure about their own appearance and then conforming to the
media's perception of beauty by buying beauty products such as make-up, creams, and hair dyes. "Beauty has
become a currency system and it assigns hierarchical value to women, encouraging escalating consumerism.

The Influence of Media on the Adolescent's Understanding of Beauty

Genesis M. Javellana (2014) mentions that the media plays a large role in how teenagers view
themselves by shaping images or what teenagers are supposed to be or do. Research findings revealed that:

Internet- is the most frequently used media with the respondents using it often.

Magazines-have the strongest negative relationship with the weight of the

respondents, and, proposed that measures such as media awareness seminars
and screening and balancing or commercials and advertisements on television and
magazines are needed to balance the effects of media on adolescents.

Findings from further studies, showed that teenagers:

  Imagine themselves being the actor/actress in a movie they have watched.
 They copy an actor's/actress' clothes, hairstyle, and/or lines in the movie because it would make
them look cool or feel good.
 They like a movie because the actor/s and or actress/ es clothes, in that movie look exceptionally
good.
 They immediately try any new product that they saw in a commercial.
 They use the product endorsed by their favorite actor/actress.
 They feel upset after seeing handsome/beautiful personalities on or internet.
 They spend more than nine hours in a week online, searching tips, advice and/or procedures from
the internet that would improve their outward appearance.
 They edit their solo pictures to make them look better before posting them online.
 They feel handsome/beautiful when their solo picture gets a lot of likes.
 Similarly, teenagers follow a lot of beauty, fashion and/or fitness advice that they rea ad from
magazines.
 They also feel unhappy about their weight after seeing a model from a magazine.

The impact of Media on the Self-esteem of the Adolescent

In the concepts of physical changes in the body and identity of

the adolescent, Davies& Furnham, found out that the average
teenager is sensitive to, and critical of, his/her physical self. Constant
exposure to cultural standards of beauty in evaluating own body
image (via media and social networks) may produce non-normative
shit in the form of dieting practices which may lead to eating
disorders as a result of body image dissatisfaction, the feeling of
discrepancy between actual and ideal body image.

Researchers have found body image dissatisfaction to be a strong predictor of depression, exercise
dependence, eating disorders and steroid use among young people in the US (Stice and Withenton, 2002).

Boys body image is generally more positive than girls, and boys are much more likely to welcome
weight gain. Simmons and Blyth's "Cultural ldeal Hypothesis" indicate that puberty brings boys closer to
their ideal body while girls shift further from theirs. A Cultural ideal is that male bodies be big and strong
while ideal female bodies in Western (and Asian) culture is slim.

The Cultural Ideal Hypothesis predicts that, since the cultural ideal for the female body is being slim,
adolescent girls should more likely to express body dissatisfaction and resort to dieting.

Caufmann and Steinberg say that girls in western cultures are more concerned about appearance and
express more worry and concern about how other people respond to them than in other cultures. If
body shape is far from dominant cultural ideal of slimness, teens are more likely to develop low self-
esteem and negative body image.

Strikingly, today, girls exposed to images of Barbie dolls reported lower body esteem and a greater
desire for a thinner body shape. Clearly, the body-image expectations of pre-teens can be distorted
with their ‘If Barbie and Ken Were Real’ thinking. Barbie's neck would be too long and thin to support
the weight of her head, and her upper body proportions would make it difficult for her to walk upright. In
Ken's case, his huge barrel chest and enormously thick neck would nearly preclude him from wearing a
shirt. Ken would be 7 feet 2 inches tall while Barbie would be 5 feet 2 inches. (Brownell and Napolitano,
1995).
 Certainly, the exposure to the thin-ideal media image on women posed a great impact on their self-
esteem. It increased body dissatisfaction, negative mood states, and eating disorder symptoms and decreased
self-esteem. "Exposure to thin-ideal media images may contribute to the development of eating disorders by
causing body dissatisfaction, negative moods, low self-esteem, and eating disorders symptoms among
women" (Hawkins, et. al., 2010). Miller also speaks of the disturbing problem of very young girls dieting and
having negative thoughts about their body.

Who's to blame for our body perceptions, be it good or bad?

Society gives us a number of reference points that shape our perceptions whether positive or negative.
When it comes to our bodies there are a number of sources that affect us more than the others.

The Media

The images of perfection we see in print, film, and television projects an unrealistic version of
reality that we are continually told is attainable - if we work out, eat less, and lather our bodies in
transformative, firming and tightening creams.

The media are powerful tools that reinforces cultural beliefs and values, and while they may not be
fully responsible for determining the standards tor physical attractiveness, they make escaping the
barrage of images and attitudes almost impossible.

Prejudice – Size

Intolerance of body diversity has a lot to do with prejudice of size and shape in our culture. Being
thin, toned, and muscular has become associated with the hard-working, successful, popular, beautiful,
strong, and the disciplined. Being fat is associated with lazy, ugly, weak, and lacking in will-power.

With this prejudice, fat is not a description like tall or redhead - it's an indication of moral character
and we are conditioned to think that fat is bad.

Those closest to us - family and friends

We learn from other people, particularly those closest to us about the things that are considered
important. Friendships are particularly important in body image development because we place high value
in them, spends lots of time with our friends and develop shared experiences, values, and beliefs.

Classrooms, university dorms, and common rooms are often filled with negative body talk: "I wish I
had her stomach" "I hate my thighs," "I feel fat." Listening to this tends to reinforce the need to focus on
appearance and make comparisons between us and other people's bodies.

But the impact of media and society in general, are not all bad.

As with most things, with the bad comes the potential for good. If not for this awakening, we would not
have initiatives like Live Life, Get Active; where awakening ourselves to a healthy and fulfilled life is at the
core of what we do.

Live Life Get Active is a social initiative built to create a fitter, healthier, and happier lifestyle. We
approach health and well-being from a fun and socially engaging perspective and the importance we put on a
healthy lifestyle. People nowadays exposed themselves to biking, yoga, Zumba, sports and other wellness
activities.
 Self-esteem and its Significance

”Self-esteem, sometimes referred to as self-worth or self-respect, is an important part of success.

Too little self-esteem can leave people feeling

defeated or depressed. It can also lead people to make
bad choices, fall into destructive relationships, or fail to
live up to their full potential.

Too much self-esteem, however, as exhibited in

narcissistic personality disorder, can certainly be
irritating to others and can even damage personal
relationships". (Kendra Cherry)

The Concept of Self-esteem

Self-esteem levels at the extreme high and low ends of the spectrum can be harmful, so ideally, it's
best to strike a balance somewhere in the middle. A realistic yet positive view of yourself is generally
considered the ideal. But what exactly is self-esteem? Where does it come from and what influence does it
really have on our lives?

In Psychology, the term self-esteem is used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or
personal value. In other words, it is how much you appreciate and like yourself. Self-esteem is often seen as a
personality trait which tends to be stable and enduring. Self-esteem can involve a variety of beliefs about
yourself, such as the appraisal of your own appearance, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.

Why is Self-esteem important?

Self-esteem can play a significant role in one’s motivation and success throughout life. Low self-esteem
may hold you back from succeeding at school or work because you don't believe yourself to be capable of
success. By contrast, having a healthy self-esteem can help you achieve because you navigate life with a
positive, assertive attitude and believe you can accomplish your goals.

Maslow suggested that people need both esteem from other people as well as inner
self-respect. Both of these needs must be fulfilled in order for an individual to grow as a
person and achieve self-actualization. Self-esteem is one of the basic human motivations.

Those who consistently receive overly critical or negative assessments from

caregivers, family members, and friends, for example, will likely experience problems with low self-esteem.
Additionally, your inner thinking, age, any potential illnesses, disabilities, or physical limitations, and your job
can affect your self-esteem.

“Possessing little self-regard can lead people to become depressed, to fall short of their potential, or to tolerate
abusive situations and relationships. Too much self-love, on the other hand, results in an irritating sense of
entitlement and an inability to learn from failures. It can also be a sign of clinical narcissism which is a
personality disorder.”

So how can we build a strong, positive body image?

Positive body image involves understanding that healthy attractive bodies come in many shapes and
sizes, and that physical appearance says very little about our character or value as a person. How we get to
this point of acceptance often depends on our individual development and self-acceptance. To get too that all
important point of balance, there are a few steps we can take:
 a. Talk back to the media and speak our dissatisfaction with the focus on appearance;
b. De-emphasize numbers as pounds, kilograms or inches, feet and meters on the scale; they don't
tell us anything meaningful about the body as a whole or our health;
c. Stop comparing ourselves with others and remember that each one is unique;
d. We need to appreciate and enjoy our bodies in the uniqueness of what we have;
e. Spend time with people who have a healthy relationship with food, activity, and their bodies;
f. Question the degree to which self-esteem depends on our appearance because basing our
happiness on how we look is likely to lead us to failure and frustration, and may therefore prevent
us from finding true happiness;
g. Broaden our perspective about health and beauty by reading about body image cultural variances,
or media influence and check out a local art gallery paying particular attention to fine art collections
that show a variety of body types throughout the ages and in different cultures;
h. Recognize that size prejudice is a form of discrimination, as shape and size are not indicators of
character, morality, intelligence, or success;
i. Approach health and well-being from a firm and socially engaging perspective; and put importance
on a healthy lifestyle and;
j. Keep in mind that the body, in whatever shape or size, is good and sacred, having been created in
the image and likeness of god. Such body deserves love and respect.

We will have a positive body image when we have a realistic perception of our bodies, when we enjoy,
accept and celebrate who or what and how we are, and let go of negative societal or media perpetuated
conditioning.

IT PAYS TO READ!
Clothing and Self-Image
By: Jill L Ferguson

Your style and the clothes you choose reflect and affect your mood, health, and overall
confidence. Scientists call this phenomenon "enclothed cognition.” Adam Hajo and Adam D.
Galinsky, both professors at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University wrote
in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology that enclothed cognition "involves the co-
occurrence of two independent factors the symbolic meaning of the clothes and the physical
experience of wearing them.”
It was further asserted that when we put on a piece of clothing we cannot help but adopt
some of the characteristics associated with it unconsciously. The Business Insider says that
clothes don't just affect your confidence level, they can affect your success, as clothing
significantly influences how others perceive you and how they respond to you.
Understanding the psychological dynamics of why the right-for-us clothing can contribute to
our confidence, raise our self-esteem, and help propel us in the workplace has become big
business. So the next time you reach for those yoga pants or for that fiery red dress, ask yourself
how will that clothing item make you feel and what is it saying to the world around you today?

“If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages. But
for those who live simply, walk humbly and love genuinely, all good will come back to you! That's life.
Enjoy yours!"

-Dr. Ben Carson

** END of LESSON on THE PHYSICAL SELF***

 CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE
PDEV 1013: Understanding the Self
AY 2024-2025

Lesson 2: Unpacking The Self

Topic: The Sexual Self

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:

At the end of this learning module, the student is expected to:

e. Explore the sexual aspects of self and identity
f. Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in integrating the various aspects of the sexual self and identity
g. Identify the different forces that impact the development of sexual self and identity
h. Promote cultural sensitivity and protection of human rights (specifically on sexuality)

INTRODUCTION

Sexuality is one of the fundamental drives behind everyone’s

feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It defines the means of biological
reproduction, describes psychological and sociological representations of
self, and orients a person’s attraction to others. Further, it shapes the brain
and body to be pleasure-seeking. Yet, as important as sexuality is to being
human, it is often viewed as a sensitive topic for personal or scientific inquiry.

This module presents an opportunity for you to think openly and

objectively about sex. Without shame or sensitivity, using science as a lens, we examine fundamental
aspects of human sexuality— including gender, sexual orientation, fantasies, behaviors, paraphilia, and
sexual consent.

Sexuality is commonly defined as “the ways people experience and express themselves as sexual
beings” (King, 2014, p. 373).

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a working definition of the term “sexuality” that
encompasses or specifies much more.

Sexuality is a central aspect of being human throughout life encompasses sex, gender identities and
roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction. Sexuality is experienced and
expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, practices, roles and
relationships. While sexuality can include all of these dimensions, not all of them are always
experienced or expressed (WHO, 2006a as cited in “Defining Sexual Health”, 2018, para. 6).

Sex influences the way we dress, talk and behave. In many ways, sex defines who we are. It is so
important that the eminent neuropsychologist Karl Pribram (1958) described sex as one of four basic human
drive states. Drive states motivate us to accomplish goals. They are linked to our survival. According to
Pribram, feeding, fighting, fleeing, and sex are the four drives behind every thought, feeling, and behavior.
Since these drives are so closely associated with our psychological and physical health, you might assume
people would study, understand, and discuss them openly. Your assumption would be generally correct for
three of the four drives (Malacane & Beckmeyer, 2016).

Ignorance about sex and sexuality is deadly and may cause serious problems. Sex education may not
yet have been implemented in the country in a full blast but it doesn’t mean that learning cannot take place. If
more Filipinos would continue to learn, whether formally or informally, about proper sex education, than it may
be indirectly passed on to young children through teaching proper hygiene or through being discerning of a
child’s actions, reactions, questions, or comments about sex. Sex education is not to promote sexual
intercourse but to promote good sexual health and safety from sexual violence. “Withholding information
about sex and sexuality will not keep children safe; it will only keep them ignorant” (Hauser, 2013, para.
2).

*The Genderbread Person (Killerman, 2016)

SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT

As one grows up, one experiences many changes. There are changes in the body; in the way one
behaves and the way others expect one to be. There are also changes in interests and preoccupations. All of
this is normal. It is part of growing up, but growing up is not easy. This is a time when one has many questions
and hardly any answers. It is difficult to talk about the things upper-most in your mind. Why is my body
changing? Why do I get an erection? Why do I feel attracted to the opposite sex? Many older people are not
willing to discuss these issues openly. As a result, your friends (peer group), TV, films, magazines and
imagination become your sources of information.

In order to deal with the confusion, we need to know the facts of growing up, distinguish between myths
and realities and come to terms with change. This module deals with these issues.

“It’s natural for everyone to become more sexually aware, but it doesn’t mean you are ready to have
sex” (Cole, 2009, p. 11).

Puberty could have been less stressful if only we were properly oriented of what to expect physically
and emotionally. Just by reading few books on sexuality, we would be comforted to know how normal the
things and feelings we thought were abnormal. Though puberty is normal, it is not a one size fits all
experience. It could manifest in varying rates and specific ages. Every individual “develops and reacts in
different ways” due to factors like stress, weight, nutrition, hormonal activity, and inherent characteristics”
(Cole, 2009, p. 4).
 People have been scientifically investigating sex for only about 125 years. The first scientific
investigations of sex employed the case study method of research. Using this method, the English physician
Henry Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) examined diverse topics within sexuality. From 1897 to 1923, his findings
were published in a seven-volume set of books titled Studies in the Psychology of Sex. Among his most
noteworthy findings is that transgender people are distinct from homosexual people. Ellis’s studies led him to
be an advocate of equal rights for women and comprehensive human sexuality education in public schools.

Using case studies, the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud

(1856-1939) is credited with being the first scientist to link sex to
healthy development and to recognize humans as being sexual
throughout their lifespans, including childhood (Freud, 1905).

Freud believed that personality develops during early childhood.

For Freud, childhood experiences shape our personalities and behavior
as adults. Freud viewed development as discontinuous; he believed
that each of us must pass through a serious of stages during
childhood, and that if we lack proper nurturance and parenting during a
stage, we may become stuck, or fixated, in that stage. Freud’s stages
are called the stages of psychosexual development. According to Freud, children’s pleasure-seeking urges are
focused on a different area of the body, called an erogenous zone, at each of the five stages of development:
oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

While most of Freud’s ideas have not found support in modern research, we cannot discount the
contributions that Freud has made to the field of psychology. Psychologists today dispute Freud’s
psychosexual stages as a legitimate explanation for how one’s personality develops, but what we can take
away from Freud’s theory is that personality is shaped, in some part, by experiences we have in childhood.

According to Freud, each of these stages could be passed through in a healthy or unhealthy manner. In
unhealthy manners, people might develop psychological problems, such as frigidity, impotence, or anal-
retentiveness.
 THE DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Applying for a scholarship or filling out a job application requires your name, address, and birth-date.
Additionally, applications usually ask for your sex or gender. It’s common for us to use the terms “sex” and
“gender” interchangeably. However, in modern usage, these terms are distinct from one another.

Sex describes means of biological reproduction. Sex includes sexual organs, such as ovaries—
defining what it is to be a female—or testes—defining what it is to be a male. Interestingly, biological sex is
not as easily defined or determined as you might expect (see the section on variations in sex, below). By
contrast, the term gender describes psychological (gender identity) and sociological (gender role)
representations of biological sex. At an early age, we begin learning cultural norms for what is considered
masculine and feminine. For example, children may associate long hair or dresses with femininity. Later in
life, as adults, we often conform to these norms by behaving in gender-specific ways: as men, we build
houses; as women, we bake cookies (Marshall, 1989; Money et al., 1955; Weinraub et al., 1984).

Because cultures change over time, so too do ideas about gender. For example, European and
American cultures today associate pink with femininity and blue with masculinity. However, less than a
century ago, these same cultures were swaddling baby boys in pink, because of its masculine associations
with “blood and war,” and dressing little girls in blue, because of its feminine associations with the Virgin Mary
(Kimmel, 1996).

An explanation of the diversity of human sexuality and sexual orientation

Sex and gender are important aspects of a person’s identity. However, they do not tell us about a
person’s sexual orientation (Rule & Ambady, 2008). Sexual orientation refers to a person’s sexual attraction
to others. Within the context of sexual orientation, sexual attraction refers to a person’s capacity to arouse
the sexual interest of another, or, conversely, the sexual interest one person feels toward another.

We live in an era when sex, gender, and sexual orientation are controversial religious and political
issues. Some nations have laws against homosexuality, while others have laws protecting same-sex
marriages. At a time when there seems to be little agreement among religious and political groups, it makes
sense to wonder, “What is normal?” and, “Who decides?”
 The international scientific and medical communities (e.g., World Health Organization, World Medical
Association, World Psychiatric Association, Association for Psychological Science) view variations of sex,
gender, and sexual orientation as normal. Furthermore, variations of sex, gender, and sexual orientation
occur naturally throughout the animal kingdom. More than 500 animal species have homosexual or bisexual
orientations (Lehrer, 2006). More than 65,000 animal species are intersex—born with either an absence or
some combination of male and female reproductive organs, sex hormones, or sex chromosomes (Jarne &
Auld, 2006). In humans, intersex individuals make up about two percent—more than 150 million people—of
the world’s population (Blackless et al., 2000). There are dozens of intersex conditions, such as Androgen
Insensitivity Syndrome and Turner’s Syndrome (Lee et al., 2006). The term “syndrome” can be misleading;
although intersex individuals may have physical limitations (e.g., about a third of Turner’s individuals have
heart defects; Matura et al., 2007), they otherwise lead relatively normal intellectual, personal, and social
lives. In any case, intersex individuals demonstrate the diverse variations of biological sex.

Just as biological sex varies more widely than is commonly thought, so too does gender. Cisgender
individuals’ gender identities correspond with their birth sexes, whereas transgender individuals’ gender
identities do not correspond with their birth sexes. Because gender is so deeply ingrained culturally, rates of
transgender individuals vary widely around the world.

Sexual orientation is as diverse as gender identity. Instead of thinking of sexual orientation as being two
categories—homosexual and heterosexual—Kinsey argued that it’s a continuum (Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin,
1948). He measured orientation on a continuum, using a 7-point Likert scale called the Heterosexual-
Homosexual Rating Scale, in which 0 is exclusively heterosexual, 3 is bisexual, and 6 is exclusively
homosexual. Later researchers using this method have found 18% to 39% of Europeans and Americans
identifying as somewhere between heterosexual and homosexual (Lucas et al., 2017; YouGov.com, 2015). Of
the 39 countries covered by a global survey, only 17 countries had majorities that accepted homosexuality,
with the Philippines ranking at number 10 among the 17 (https://globalnation.inquirer.net/).

THE BASIC BIOLOGY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR: TEEN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

The change from child to adult is an especially

dangerous time for adolescents in our society. From their
earliest years, children watch television shows and
movies that insist that "sex appeal" is a
personal quality that people need to develop
to the fullest (focusas.com/SexualBehavior-
Range.html, 2008). While adolescents and
their parents generally agree about many
issues and aspects of life, they hold strikingly
different views on sex. Parents, based on
their perspective from greater experience,
urge caution and restraint.

Adolescents, experiencing strong

sexual desire for the first time and eager for
all pleasures life can offer, are frequently
tempted to throw caution to the wind and
indulge (Tria, et al., 2012). TV, movies, and
music are not the only influences the Internet
provides teens with seemingly unlimited
access to information on sex as well as a steady supply of people willing to talk about sex with them. Teens
may feel safe because they can remain anonymous while looking for information on sex. Sexual predators
know this and manipulate young people into online relationships and, later, set up a time and place to meet.
(commercialexploitation.org/factsheets/ccfc-factsmarketingsex.pdf, 2008).

What about sexual orientation and coming out during the adolescence?

Adolescence is a period when people separate from their parents and families begin to develop
autonomy. Adolescent can be a period of experimentation and many youth may question their sexual feelings.
Becoming aware of sexual feelings is a normal developmental task of adolescence. Sometimes adolescent
have same sex feelings or experiences that cause confusion about their sexual orientation. This confusion
appears to decline over time, with different outcomes for different individuals. Some adolescents desire and
engage in same sex behaviour but do not identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, sometimes because of the
stigma associated with a non-hetero sexual orientation.

Some adolescents experience continuing feelings of same-sex attraction but do not engage in any
sexual activity or may engage in heterosexual behavior for varying lengths of time. Because of the stigma
associated with same-sex attractions, many youths experience same-sex attraction or many years before
becoming sexually active with partners of the same sex or disclosing their attractions to others. For some
young people, this process of exploring same-sex attractions leads to a lesbian, gay, or bisexual identity. For
some, acknowledging this identity can bring an end to confusion. When these young people receive the
support of parents and others, they are often able to live satisfying and healthy lives and move through the
usual process of adolescent development. The younger a person is when she or he acknowledges a non-
heterosexual identity, the fewer internal and external resources she or he is likely to have. Therefore, youths
who come out early are particularly in need of support from parents and others. Young people who identify as
lesbian, gay, or bisexual may be more likely to face certain problems, including being bullied and having
negative experiences in school. These experiences are associated with negative outcomes, such as suicidal
thoughts, and high-risk activities, such as unprotected sex and alcohol and drug use. On the other hand, many
lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths appear to experience no greater level of health or mental health risks. Where
problems occur, they are closely associate with experience of bias and discrimination in their environments.
Support from important people in teen’s life can provide a very helpful counterpart to bias and discrimination.

CIRCLES OF SEXUALITY
Adapted from Life Planning Education, a comprehensive sex education curriculum. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, 2007.
 Sexuality is much more than sexual feelings or sexual intercourse. It is an important part of who a
person is and what she/he will become. It includes all the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors associated with
being female or male, being attractive and being in love, as well as being in relationships that include sexual
intimacy and sensual and sexual activity. It also includes enjoyment of the world as we know it through the five
senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight.

Circle
#1—

Sensuality

Sensuality is awareness and feeling about your own body and other people's bodies, especially the body of
a sexual partner. Sensuality enables us to feel good about how our bodies look and feel and what they can do.
Sensuality also allows us to enjoy the pleasure our bodies can give us and others. This part of our sexuality
affects our behavior in several ways.

• Body image—Feeling attractive and proud of one's own body and the way it functions influences many
aspects of life. Adolescents often choose media personalities as the standard for how they should look,
so they are often disappointed by what they see in the mirror. They may be especially dissatisfied when
the mainstream media does not portray or does not positively portray physical characteristics the teens
see in the mirror, such as color of skin, type or hair, shape of eyes, height, or body shape.

• Experiencing pleasure—Sensuality allows a person to experience pleasure when certain parts of the
body are touched. People also experience sensual pleasure from taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell
as part of being alive.

• Satisfying skin hunger—The need to be touched and held by others in loving, caring ways is often
referred to as skin hunger. Adolescents typically receive considerably less touch from their parents than
do younger children. Many teens satisfy their skin hunger through close physical contact with peers.
Sexual intercourse may sometimes result from a teen's need to be held, rather than from sexual desire.
 • Feeling physical attraction for another person—The center of sensuality and attraction to others is not
in the genitals (despite all the jokes). The center of sensuality and attraction to others is in the brain,
humans' most important "sex organ." The unexplained mechanism responsible for sexual attraction
rests in the brain, not in the genitalia.

• Fantasy—The brain also gives people the capacity to have fantasies about sexual behaviors and
experiences. Adolescents often need help understanding that sexual fantasy is normal and that one
does not have to act upon sexual fantasies.

Circle #2—Sexual Intimacy

Sexual intimacy is the ability to be emotionally close to another human being and to
accept closeness in return. Several aspects of intimacy include

• Sharing—Sharing intimacy is what makes personal relationships rich. While sensuality is about physical
closeness, intimacy focuses on emotional closeness.
• Caring—Caring about others means feeling their joy and their pain. It means being open to emotions
that may not be comfortable or convenient. Nevertheless, an intimate relationship is possible only when
we care.

• Liking or loving another person—Having emotional attachment or connection to others is a

manifestation of intimacy.\

• Emotional risk-taking—To have true intimacy with others, a person must open up and share feelings
and personal information. Sharing personal thoughts and feelings with someone else is risky, because
the other person may not feel the same way. But it is not possible to be really close with another person
without being honest and open with her/him.

• Vulnerability—To have intimacy means that we share and care, like or love, and take emotional risks.
That makes us vulnerable—the person with whom we share, about whom we care, and whom we like
or love, has the power to hurt us emotionally. Intimacy requires vulnerability, on the part of each person
in the relationship.

Circle #3—Sexual Identity

Sexual identity is a person's understanding of who she/he is sexually,

including the sense of being male or of being female. Sexual identity consists of
three "interlocking pieces" that, together, affect how each person sees
him/herself. Each "piece" is important.

• Gender identity—Knowing whether one is male or female. Most young children determine their own
gender identity by age two. Sometime, a person's biological gender is not the same as his/her gender
identity—this is called being transgender.

• Gender role—Identifying actions and/or behaviors for each gender. Some things are determined by the
way male and female bodies are built or function. For example, only women menstruate and only men
produce sperm. Other gender roles are culturally determined. In some countries like the Philippines, it
 is considered appropriate for only women to wear dresses to work in the business world. In other
cultures, men may wear skirt-like outfits everywhere.

There are many "rules" about what men and women can/should do that have nothing to do with the
way their bodies are built or function. This aspect of sexuality is especially important for young
adolescents to understand, since peer, parent, and cultural pressures to be "masculine" or "feminine"
increase during the adolescent years. Both young men and young women need help sorting out how
perceptions about gender roles affect whether they feel encouraged or discouraged in their choices
about relationships, leisure activities, education, and career.

Gender bias means holding stereotyped opinions about people according to their gender. Gender bias
might include believing that women are less intelligent or less capable than men, that men suffer from
"testosterone poisoning," that men cannot raise children without the help of women, that women cannot
be analytical, that men cannot be sensitive. Many times, people hold fast to these stereotyped opinions
without giving rational thought to the subject of gender.

• Sexual orientation—Whether a person's primary attraction is to people of the other gender

(heterosexuality) or to the same gender (homosexuality) or to both genders (bisexuality) defines his/her
sexual orientation. Sexual orientation begins to emerge by adolescence although many gay and lesbian
youth say they knew they felt same sex attraction by age 10 or 11. Between three and 10—percent of
the general population is probably exclusively homosexual in orientation. Perhaps another 10 percent
of the general population feel attracted to both genders.

Heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth can all experience same-gender sexual attraction
and/or activity around puberty. Such behavior, including sexual play with samegender peers, crushes
on same-gender adults, or sexual fantasies about same-gender people are normal for pre-teens and
young teens and are not necessarily related to sexual orientation.

Negative social messages and homophobic culture in the society can mean that young adolescents
who are experiencing sexual attraction to and romantic feelings for someone of their own gender need
support so they can clarify their feelings and accept their sexuality.

Circle #4—Reproduction and Sexual Health

These are a person's capacity to reproduce and the behaviors and attitudes that
make sexual relationships healthy and enjoyable.

• Factual information about reproduction—Is necessary so youth will understand how male and female
reproductive systems function and how conception and/or STD infection occur. Adolescents often have
inadequate information about their own and/or their partner's body. Teens need this information so they
can make informed decisions about sexual expression and protect their health. Youth need to
understand anatomy and physiology because every adolescent needs the knowledge and
understanding to help him/her appreciate the ways in which his/her body functions.

• Feelings and attitudes—Are wide-ranging when it comes to sexual expression and reproduction and to
sexual health-related topics such as STD infection, HIV and AIDS, contraceptive use, abortion,
pregnancy, and childbirth.
 • Sexual intercourse—Is one of the most common behaviors among humans. Sexual intercourse is a
behavior that may produce sexual pleasure that often culminates in orgasm in females and in males.
Sexual intercourse may also result in pregnancy and/or STDs. In programs for youth, discussion of
sexual intercourse is often limited to the bare mention of male-female (penile-vaginal) intercourse.
However, youth need accurate health information about sexual intercourse—vaginal, oral, and anal.

• Reproductive and sexual anatomy—The male and female body and the ways in which they actually
function is a part of sexual health. Youth can learn to protect their reproductive and sexual health. This
means that teens need information about all the effective methods of contraception currently available,
how they work, where to obtain them, their effectiveness, and their side effects. This means that youth
also need to know how to use latex condoms to prevent STD infection. Even if youth are not currently
engaging in sexual intercourse, they probably will do so at some point in the future. They must know
how to prevent pregnancy and/or disease.

Finally, youth also need to know that traditional methods of preventing pregnancy (that may be
common in that particular community and/or culture) may be ineffective in preventing pregnancy and
may, depending on the method, even increase susceptibility to STDs. The leader will need to determine
what those traditional methods are, their effectiveness, and their side effects before he/she can discuss
traditional methods of contraception in a culturally appropriate and informative way.

• Sexual reproduction—The actual processes of conception, pregnancy, delivery, and recovery following
childbirth are important parts of sexuality. Youth need information about sexual reproduction—the
process whereby two different individuals each contribute half of the genetic material to their child. The
child is, therefore, not identical to either parent. [Asexual reproduction is a process whereby simple
one-celled organisms reproduce by splitting, creating two separate one-celled organisms identical to
the original [female] organism before it split.] Too many programs focus exclusively on sexual
reproduction when providing sexuality education and ignore all the other aspects of human sexuality.

Circle #5—Sexualization

Sexualization is that aspect of sexuality in which people behave

sexually to influence, manipulate, or control other people. Often called the
"shadowy" side of human sexuality, sexualization spans behaviors that range
from the relatively harmless to the sadistically violent, cruel, and criminal.
These sexual behaviors include flirting, seduction, withholding sex from an
intimate partner to punish her/him or to get something, sexual harassment,
sexual abuse, and rape. Teens need to know that no one has the right to
exploit them sexually and that they do not have the right to exploit anyone else sexually.

• Flirting—Is a relatively harmless sexualization behavior. Nevertheless, upon occasion it is an attempt to

manipulate someone else, and it can cause the person manipulated to feel hurt, humiliation, and
shame.

• Seduction—Is the act of enticing someone to engage in sexual activity. The act of seduction implies
manipulation that at times may prove harmful for the one who is seduced.

• Sexual harassment—Is an illegal behavior. Sexual harassment means harassing someone else
because of her/his gender. It could mean making personal, embarrassing remarks about someone's
 appearance, especially characteristics associated with sexual maturity, such as the size of a woman's
breasts or of a man's testicles and penis. It could mean unwanted touching, such as hugging a
subordinate or patting someone's bottom. It could mean demands by a teacher, supervisor, or other
person in authority for sexual intercourse in exchange for grades, promotion, hiring, raises, etc. All
these behaviors are manipulative. The Philippine laws of the {provide protection against sexual
harassment. Youth should know that they have the right to file a complaint with appropriate authorities if
they are sexually harassed and that others may complain of their behavior if they sexually harass
someone else.

• Rape—Means coercing or forcing someone else to have genital contact with another. Sexual assault
can include forced petting as well as forced sexual intercourse. Force, in the case of rape, can include
use of overpowering strength, threats, and/or implied threats that arouse fear in the person raped.
Youth need to know that rape is always illegal and always cruel. Youth should know that they are
legally entitled to the protection of the criminal justice system if they are the victims of rape and that
they may be prosecuted if they force anyone else to have genital contact with them for any reason.
Refusing to accept no and forcing the other person to have sexual intercourse always means rape.

• Incest—Means forcing sexual contact on any minor who is related to the perpetrator by birth or
marriage. Incest is always illegal and is extremely cruel because it betrays the trust that children and
youth give to their families. Moreover, because the older person knows that incest is illegal and tries to
hide the crime, he/she often blames the child/youth. The triple burden of forced sexual contact,
betrayed trust, and self-blame makes incest particularly damaging to survivors of incest.

SEXUAL RESPONSE CYCLE

 SEXUAL HEALTH AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES INFECTIONS

The factual information about reproduction is necessary so youth will understand how male and female
reproductive systems function and how conception and or STD infection occur. Adolescents often have
inadequate information about their own and/or their partner's body Teens need this information so they can
make informed decisions about sexual expression and protect their health. Youth need to understand anatomy
and physiology because every adolescent needs the knowledge and understanding to help him/her appreciate
the ways in which his her body functions (advocatesforyouth.org/publications/Ipe/index.htm, 2008).

Sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse is one of the most common behaviors among humans Sexual intercourse is a
behavior that may produce sexual pleasure that often culminates in orgasm in females and in males. Sexual
intercourse may also result in pregnancy and or STDs. ln programs for youth, discussion of sexual intercourse
is often limited to the bare mention of male-female (penile-vaginal) intercourse. However, youth need accurate
health information about sexual intercourse—vaginal, oral, and anal.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS HAVING SEX

 all teens are having sex

 having sex makes you matured and an adult
 something is wrong with an older teen (17-1() who is not having sex
 a girl can’t get pregnant when she is menstruating
 a girl can’t get pregnant if it’s her first time
 you are a virgin can't have sexual intercourse --- oral sex doesn't count
  oral sex is not sex

Premarital Sex

Is sexual activity practiced by people who are unmarried. It can be any sexual relations a person has
prior to marriage. The alternative terms for premarital sex have been suggested, including non-marital sex
(which overlaps with adultery), youthful sex, adolescent and young adult sex.

A 2014 Pew study on global morality found that premarital sex was considered particularly
unacceptable in predominantly Muslim nations", such as Indonesia. Jordan, Pakistan and Egypt, each having
over disapproval, while people in Western European countries were the most accepting with Spain, Germany
and France expressing less than 10% disapproval. People who have premarital sex are recommended by
health professionals to tak precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
such as HIV/AIDS. There is also a risk of an unplanned pregnancy in heterosexual relationships

FACTORS THAT ENCOURAGE HAVING PREMARITAL SEX

 Having poorly educated parents

 Unsupportive family relationships
 Lack of Parental supervision
 Friends who are sexually active
 Poor school grades poor academic performance
 Poor spiritual exercises (not hearing mass, lack of church involvement
 Engaged in risky leisure activities

Sexually Transmitted Diseases/Infections

These are also known as Venereal Diseases (VD). They are passed through sexual contact or genital
through vaginal intercourse, oral sex and anal sex. The term STI evolved from "venereal disease" to "sexually
transmitted disease", then "sexually transmitted infection" which has a broader range of meaning: that it can be
passed without disease. (You don't have to be ill to infect others)

HIV/AIDS

HIV is "Human Immunodeficiency Virus". This is a retrovirus-genetic info @RNA than DNA. HIV is the
virus that causes AIDS and it is preventable and manageable but no curable. AIDS is "Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome". Since this is a syndrome, there are several manifestations of the breakdown in
body's immune system and have developed in people who have been infected by HIV.

How do people get AIDS? AIDS is developed through:

1) Bodily fluids (blood products--transfusions, semen and vaginal fluids)

2) Intravenous (IV) Drug Abuse (sharing needles and use of unsterilized blades)
3) Sexual intercourse (unprotected vaginal, oral and anal sex)

HIV/AIDS Situationer:
 In the Philippines, here is the number of HIV/AIDS cases reported:

2000 1 case in every 3 days

2009 2 cases in each day
2010 5 cases in each day
2012 1 in every 3 hours (8 cases in each day)
2014 17 cases in each day
2015 22 cases in each day

Around the World, there are 448 million new infections of curable sexually transmitted infections which
occur yearly.

TEENAGE PREGNANCY

This is pregnancy in human females under the age of 20 at the time that the pregnancy ends. Pregnant
teenagers face many of the same obstetrics issues as other women. There are, however, additional medical
concerns for mothers aged below 15 years old. For mothers aged 15-19, risks are associated more with socio-
economic factors than with the biological effects of age. In teenage pregnancy, there are risks of low birth
weight, premature labor, anemia, and pre-eclampsia are connected to the biological age itself, as it was
observed in teen births. Every day in developing countries, 20,000 girls under age 18 give birth.

This amounts to 73 million births a year. And if all pregnancies are included, the number of adolescent
pregnancies is much higher

THINK ABOUT THESE:

 Having SEX isn't always a healthy choice. Impulsive decisions can lead to lifelong problems: serious
disease and infertility
 Abstinence is an OPTION. Choosing not to engage in sexual contact with another person can be a very
powerful personal choice.

Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy

Comprehensive sex education and access to birth control appear to reduce unplanned teenage
pregnancy. It is unclear if a single intervention is most effective. In the United States free access to a long
acting form of reversible birth control along with education decreased the rates of teen pregnancies by around
80% and the rate of abortions by more than 75%.

Education

The Dutch approach to preventing teenage pregnancy has often been seen as a model by other
countries. The curriculum focuses on values, attitudes, communication and negotiation skills, as well as
biological aspects of reproduction. The media has encouraged open dialogue and the health care system
guarantees confidentiality and a non-judgmental approach.

Abstinence only education

 Some schools provide abstinence-only sex education. Evidence does not support the effectiveness of
abstinence-only sex education. It has been found to be ineffective in decreasing HIV risk in the developed
world, and does not decrease rates of unplanned pregnancy when compared to comprehensive sex education.

FAMILY PLANNING/RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD

In Philippine education, the concept of Family Planning is a mandatory topic in the curriculum. Family
Planning, also called Responsible Parenthood, is as old as humankind. It is a simple way of regulating and
spacing the births of children. It is giving birth according to the health and economic conditions of the family,
giving birth of the mother according to her right age. Conception is not left to chance. Benefits derived from
Family Planning are identified as follows:

1. For the family to promote healthy, happy family.

2. For the mother - she can recover her health and strength after delivery.
3. For the child - a better chance of growing healthy and well cared.

Family Planning Methods / Methods of Contraception

Youth also need to know that traditional methods of preventing pregnancy (that may be common in that
particular community and/or culture) may be ineffective in preventing pregnancy and may, depending on the
method, even increase susceptibility to STDs. It should be determined what the traditional methods are, their
effectiveness, and their side effects and know traditional methods of contraception in a culturally appropriate
and informative way, (advocatesforyouth.org publications/Ipe/index.htm, 2008).

A concept linked to family planning is contraception, also known as birth control and fertility control.
This is a method or device used to prevent pregnancy. It is also defined as a deliberate prevention of
conception or impregnation. Family planning methods and/or contraception methods are presented as follows:

1. Natural Birth Control employs natural control methods that people do to help prevent an
unintended pregnancy are without the use of modern/artificial ways of contraception. These require
commitment when you make the decision, discipline and self-control for it to be effective. These include
abstinence, fertility awareness methods, the rhythm, calendar or standard days method, intercourse and
continued breastfeeding, all requiring discipline and responsibility which the Catholic Church approves.

2. Artificial Birth Control employs artificial control methods to help prevent unintended pregnancy use
modern/contemporary measures such as contraceptive or birth control pills, diaphragm, male and female
condoms, spermicide, cervical cap, today sponge, birth control patch, birth control shot, birth control implant,
intrauterine device (IUD), tubal ligation/vasectomy, tubal implants and emergency contraception pill.

The best way to avoid these infections is prevention. “Prevention is better than cure”.

** END of LESSON on THE SEXUAL SELF***

CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE

PDEV 1013: Understanding the Self
AY 2024-2025
Lesson 2: Unpacking The Self

Topic: The Material/Economic Self

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:
At the end of this learning module, the student is expected to:
1. Identify personal factors that affect purchasing behavior
2. Explain how consumer culture shapes one's identity
3. Examine how personal things act as an extension of the self

Weekly Timetable
Date Topics Activities or Tasks
Material/Economic Self Read the topic on Material Self
Completion of learning tasks
Return module

INTRODUCTION

MATERIAL SELF
A man’s self is the sum total of what he can call his (James, 1980)

CHAPTER X, The Consciousness of Self (A) THE EMPIRICAL SELF OR ME, The
Principles of Psychology (JAMES, 1890)

The body is the innermost part of the material Self in each of us; and certain
parts of the body seem more intimately ours than the rest.
Body
The clothes come next. The old saying that the human person is composed of
three parts - soul, body and clothes - is more than a joke. We so appropriate our
clothes and identify ourselves with them that there are few of us who, if asked to
Clothes choose between having a beautiful body clad in raiment perpetually shabby and
unclean, and having an ugly and blemished form always spotlessly attired, would
not hesitate a moment before making a decisive reply.

Immediate family Next, our immediate family is a part of ourselves. Our father and mother, our wife
and babes, are bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. When they die, a part of
our very selves is gone. If they do anything wrong, it is our shame. If they are
insulted, our anger flashes forth as readily as if we stood in their place.
Home
Our home comes next. Its scenes are part of our life; its aspects awaken the
tenderest feelings of affection; and we do not easily forgive the stranger who, in
visiting it, finds fault with its arrangements or treats it with contempt. All these
different things are the objects of instinctive preferences coupled with the most
important practical interests of life. We all have a blind impulse to watch over our
body, to deck it with clothing of [p. 293] an ornamental sort, to cherish parents,
wife and babes, and to find for ourselves a home of our own which we may live in
and 'improve.'
EVIDENCES BEHIND THE IDEA THAT MONEY TRULY CAN CHANGE
PEOPLE
Lifted from Understanding the Self by Villafuerte, S., Quilope, A., Tunac, R. and Borja, E. (2018)
Psychologists who study the impact of wealth and inequality on human behavior have found that money can
powerfully influence our thoughts and actions in ways that we’re often not aware of, no matter what our
circumstances are (Greogoire, 2014)

Curtis (2017) manifested that cash can have serious bearing on one’s belief regarding the way a person views
himself/herself. The following are evidences of such idea.

A. Social and Business Value

 By recognizing a task’s social value a person sees it as a worthy investment of time and a part of
his/her social duty, and he/she is usually happy to help out. When money is offered as the
motivation, however, people then sat thinking less of the social aspect and more about the business
value.

For example, if a relative asked you to baby-sit their kids or tend the elderly for few hours, you may
be more motivated to do so when you will receive more in exchange of your service. You may even
be more enthusiastic the next time around. However, if you will be paid less or think that you will not
gain from the activity, then you are more likely to give alibis and excuses.

B. Self Sufficiency and Service

 Those who are conscious of money typical strive to be more self-sufficient than those for whom
money isn’t a priority. In a research that was conducted, it was found that when given a very difficult
and even impossible task, with instructions that help was available, it was the money-related group
that seems the most intent on getting the job done alone, even when it was not possible to finish the
task solo. It only means that money-conscious individuals are more self-sufficient than their peers,
particularly when money is made the focus.

C. Self-view
 The wealthiest people are those with the deepest sense of class essentialism – the idea that
differences between classes are based upon identity and genetics, rather than circumstance. Poor
people tend to believe that social class was not related to genes, that essentially, anyone can be rich
and anyone can be poor. Rich people were more likely to believe that wealth was part of genes and
identity, that they were entitled to wealth based upon their personal circumstances and actions.
Wealthy people also believe that more or less, life is fair and people mostly get what they deserve.

D. Ethics
 Those who perceive themselves to be in a higher class were most likely to engage in unethical
behaviour, particularly when a symbol of wealth is introduced. That is, people who have more
tendencies to break the law. e.g. cutting off a pedestrian when in a luxury car.

 Piff (2012) also found in his research a phenomenon he labelled as self-interest maximization. It is
the idea that suggests that those who have the most money or occupy higher classes are more likely
to take a “what’s in it for me?” attitude. They actively work toward the most benefit for themselves.

E. Addiction
 Many addictions begin because a person gets a positive response from a certain type of behaviour.
Whether it’s a happy feeling that one gets from shopping or a thrill that comes from gambling,
actively seeking out that behaviour again and again for the same outcome can trigger addiction.

 Behavioral or process addiction – a compulsive behavior not motivated by dependency on an

addictive substance, but rather by the process that leads to a seemingly positive outcome.

IMPULSIVE BUYING COMPULSIVE BUYING

This refers to a sudden and powerful urge in the consumer to buy This is characterized by an excessive preoccupation or poor impulse
immediately. It occurs when desire for a product or brand outweighs control with shopping, with adverse consequences, like marital
one's willpower to resist. conflict and financial problems.
MONEY WORLDS AND WELL-BEING
Materialism as a philosophy is held by those who maintain that existence is explainable solely in material terms,
with no accounting of spirit or consciousness. Individuals who hold to this belief see the universe as a huge device
held together by pieces of matter functioning in subjection to naturalistic laws. (https://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/materialism.htm)

 Cycle of work and spend - work more to buy more. The level of consumption is set mainly by people’s
choices about how much to work, and therefore how much income to earn

CORRELATES OF MATERIALISM
Lifted from Understanding the Self: Developing Life Skills by Magalona, E., Sadsad, E., and Cruz, E (2018)
1. Materialism and happiness reportedly do not go well together as it was shown that people who value
possessions and material wealth over other more significant life goals are said to be less happy and are
more prone to depression.
2. Materialism and self-esteem show an inverted relationship.
3. Materialism and financial stability show an inverted relationship.
4. Materialism and well-being manifest opposite relationship as individuals practicing this principle tend to
isolate themselves from the significant others as they continue try to derive gratification from amassing
objects rather than interacting with the people around them.
5. Materialism and self-concept prove how insecurity motivates people to work so hard for material
possessions as the same wealth becomes their source of security.
6. Materialism and lack of engagement mean losing one’s ability to empathize with others as they become
callous to other people’s needs.

ACCORDING TO GREGOIRE (2017) MATERIALISM MAKES PEOPLE

UNHAPPY FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

1. Consumer culture may be harming individual well-being.

 Allegedly those who pursue more wealth and greater material
possessions are less satisfied as they experience less positive
emotions.

2. Materialistic values are linked to Type-A

behaviour.
 Those who are highly ambitious are highly competitive and
materialistic. These are traits of a Type-A personality.

3. Money really cannot buy you happiness.

 Several studies have shown that wealthy people are highly
susceptible to depression.
 Researches have also shown that money is not exactly what

 brings about the dissatisfaction and the unhappiness but the extreme
desire to earn more.

4. Materialism could ruin your relationship.

 Materialistic values result to low-quality relationships and
disconnectedness.

5. Consumer cultures may breed narcissistic

personalities.
 Narcissist are highly arrogant as they are deeply concerned with
inadequacy. They work a lot for power and prestige to cover up their
perceived emptiness and low self-worth. All these sentiments
demand validation form others through praises, compliments and
approval.
 6. Consumerism is fuelled by insecurity.
 Research shows that those who are extremely doubtful of their self-
worth are highly insecure and thus have the tendency to be more
materialistic.
 Consumerism capitalizes on insecurity so their products and services
will sell and be highly demanded.

THE ART OF BUYING: COMING TO TERMS WITH MONEY AND MATERIALISM

Tatzel, M (2003), The Art of Buying: Coming to Terms with Money and Materialism, Journal of Happiness Studies
420-429

ABSTRACT. Money and possessions hold strong attractions, but being driven to acquire them in order to enhance
one’s social standing is associated with lowered well-being. Literatures on money and happiness, materialism, and
cultural mediators are reviewed. Consumer well-being is associated with being neither very tight nor very loose with
money, with having relatively low financial aspirations, and with being low in materialism. Price-related behaviors –
whether to spend low, spend high, or attempt to maximize value – are ways of responding to economic outlay vis-a-
vis material wants, and these “strategies” offer a window into broader consumer lifestyles: the Value Seeker type is
tight with money and materialistic; the Big Spender is loose with money and materialistic; the Non-Spender is tight
with money and not materialistic; and the Experiencer is loose with money and not materialistic. Each of these
types is described in terms of the potentials for well-being as well as the risks. Intrinsic motivation emerges as a key
to well-being.

TIGHT WITH MONEY LOOSE WITH MONEY

Value seeker Big spender
Bargain hunter Exhibitionist
Hold possessions Replace possessions
HIGH MATERIALISM
Enjoy price comparison shopping Price-quality schema
Cool involvement Trend conscious
Save-to-spend Debt prone
Non-spender Experiencer
Saver Spend for recreation, self-development
LOW MATERIALISM Ascetic lifestyle and services
Price averse Generous
Quality less important

Here is an excerpt from Tatzel, M (2003), The Art of Buying: Coming to Terms with Money and Materialism,
Journal of Happiness Studies 420-429

What type of consumer are you?

Value Seeker: Tight with Money and Materialistic

Given the combination of high materialism and tight with money, we might expect the Value Seeker to be especially
unhappy – anxious about money, other directed, dissatisfied, and in conflict between material desires and reluctance to
spend.
 Value Seekers enjoy price comparison shopping, through which they derive knowledge and hedonic benefits
(Mamorstein et al., 1992).
 This is a “smart shopper” who can outwit the retailer and thus save money by paying less than the going price
(Mano and Elliott, 1997).
 Good value can be thought of as the lowest price for a given level of quality (Bei and Heslin, 1997). Bargain
hunters can ply their skills at virtually all points along the quality continuum, even for luxury goods.
 Instead of the “hot” materialism of “I must have it now”, they can wait for the synchrony of the right product at the
right price. The pleasure of delayed acquisition is sweetened by the triumph of the good buy.
 A preference for saving for expensive purchases (“save-to-spend”), rather than borrowing, is also a form of
delayed gratification.
 The Value Seeker should be debt averse. Debt is a form of loss of control over money. Not only has one not held
on to money (as the tight-with-money prefer to do), not only has one spent what one has, one has also spent
 what one does not have. Furthermore, paying interest on a loan is a “waste” of money for which one gets
nothing (no thing) in return.
 Many traits of the Value Seeker can support well-being: this is
a competent consumer, who enjoys shopping, enjoys
saving money, and enjoys possessions.
 Yet being tight with money and materialistic are both
associated with lowered well-being. The risks to well-being
for this type come from being extreme in these traits plus having
strong financial aspirations. The Value Seeker could become a
fretful individual, who feels poor, agonizes over purchases,
and is a compulsive bargain hunter.

Big Spender: Loose with Money and Materialistic

The Big Spender enjoys spending money and displaying high status possessions. The price-seeking Big Spender feels
successful with conspicuously expensive purchases. They have attraction to spending, the belief that expensive things
are better, and prestige-seeking, with its overtones of competitiveness.
 The Big Spender is concerned with consuming in a showy manner. Thus possessions that hold value may be of
less interest, and money would flow into renewable possessions, like cars, and into replacing outdated
possessions, such as furniture. The Big Spender wants the latest and the best.
 The Big Spender lifestyle is especially treacherous for those with limited means. Low inhibitions about
spending can lead to buying on credit, and debt in itself is detrimental to well-being (Ahuvia and Friedman,
1998). If living within one’s means requires buying a used car, the trend-conscious Big Spender may instead
lease an outsized sport utility vehicle, even if it means stretching credit to the limit.
 The Big Spender illustrates what is wrong with consumer culture: in the elusive quest for the “good life”, the
driven consumer overworks (Schor, 1992), overspends (Schor,
1998), and goes into debt in order to own too many
possessions (Dominguez and Robin, 1992).
 Making one’s possessions visible to others and being fashionable
both be speak sociability. In its positive aspect, we can find in the
Big Spender a healthy extraversion, even though the need for
admiration hints at the social anxiety and competitiveness that
motivate materialism.
 Being overly loose with money and highly materialistic, however,
are both risk factors for well-being. So is strong financial motivation,
particularly for these ends, and it is likely that the Big Spender will
need lots of money to support a lifestyle of free spending and
endless material wants or else he will be at risk for compulsive
spending, social anxiety, guilt, low self-esteem, and dissatisfaction
with life.

Non-Spender: Tight with Money and Not Materialistic

The Non-Spender is unmoved by the temptations of materialism.
 There is anxiety over parting with money and the fear over being cheated, and on the other hand there is the
enjoyment of holding money, tracking it, and perhaps watching it grow.
 The Non-Spender is probably ill-at-ease in the marketplace and relatively unskilled. He or she suspects that
prices do not reflect quality, and this suspicion strengthens the resolve to buy “low” and spend as little as
possible (Rao and Sieben, 1992).
 Not spending is an adaptation to being poor, a strategy for survival in constrained circumstances. In less
constrained circumstances, such self-restraint can be a route to financial independence and may even be the
road to riches. The “millionaire next door” (Stanley and Danko, 1996) lives modestly while amassing a fortune
through scrimping, saving and investing.
 The Non-Spender, free from the lures of consumer culture and
free from the needs for social approval that induce consumer
conformity, may be particularly individualistic, self-reliant, and self-
controlled.
 The Non-Spender is also prone to the drawbacks of being overly tight
with money – worried, suspicious, stingy, withholding. Although low
materialism is mostly a positive force for well-being, one can imagine that
a life of severe material denial would be bleak and unstimulating with
 little to nourish growth. If the motive to hoard money supercedes other life values, there would be little to counter
the barrenness.

The Experiencer: Loose with Money and Not Materialistic

The Experiencer is someone who is relaxed about spending money and lacks material motives, and so likely to spend on
the transitory intangibles that enhance life.
 Spending for experience can take various forms.
o Activities is one category. Examples include recreation, travel, self-improvement workshops,
entertainment.
o Another category is service, the willingness to pay to have someone tend to one’s needs. Dining at good
restaurants and shopping at boutiques and specialty stores can provide the personal attention and
pleasant surroundings that are hard to come by in serve-yourself supermarkets and in stark, impersonal
discount stores.
 When money is spent on material objects, the value for the Experiencer lies more in using the possessions
than in showcasing them (Holt, 1995).
 It seems that of all the types, the Experiencer, who spends for personal growth and pleasure and is low in
materialism, is the most attuned to intrinsic motivation and is therefore the most likely to enjoy wellbeing. Yet for
the Experiencer, too, there are risk factors, and one lies in the motive when spending for experience. Just as
objects can satisfy intrinsic or extrinsic motives, so can experiences.
o Tourism is one such example: it can be a way of authentically participating in the spirit of other cultures,
or it can be a source of ego gratification, especially when the tourist destination has been fashioned so as
to flatter the tourist (MacCannell, 2002). Is the motive for travel to savor the experience or to boast about
having been to the in-spots and thereby enhance one’s social standing? When experiences are valued as
status symbols (and certainly one can spend conspicuously for experiences as well as for things), the
Experiencer has moved toward the Big Spender type.

 A risk factor is being overly loose with money. A lack of concern

about spending, or a lack of self-control, can eventuate in the money
problems and debt associated with compulsive spending. When a
large inflow of money is required in order to feed the stream of
spending, the pressure to acquire more money, which can
strengthen financial drives, can have negative consequences for
well-being.

Let us consider how the same consumer choice may be assessed in the four money worlds. Given a choice between
replacing old, shabby furniture and going on vacation, the Value Seeker might shop around for furniture sales or else
refurbish the old furniture, the Big Spender might upgrade and update the furniture in the latest style, the Non-Spender
might neither go on a vacation nor do anything about the furniture, and the Experiencer is likely to opt for the vacation and
make do with the shabby furniture for a while longer.
VARIOUS WAY TO APPRECIATE OUR OWN UNIQUENESS AND BE GENUINELY JOYOUS
ABOUT IT.
Lifted from Understanding the Self: Developing Life Skills by Magalona, E., Sadsad, E., and Cruz, E (2018)
1. Learn to share your blessings no matter how simple it is.
2. Improve your self-esteem and self-worth by engaging in worthwhile activities.
3. Learn to communicate and relate with people around you.
4. Take time to appreciate the beauty of life and God’s creations.
5. Be grateful to those who compliment you by returning the favour.
6. Focus on your strengths and not on your flaws.
7. Stop projecting on media accounts about what you have and others do not.
8. Learn to let go of things that are not significantly needed,
9. Develop a mantra to counter the negativities entering your thoughts.
10. Stop brewing on negativities and on hurtful past. Focus on the future and what you can do to be
productive and happy.
SHAPING THE WAY WE SEE OURSELVES : The Roles of Consumer Culture on Our Sense of
Self and Identity Lifted from Understanding the Self by Villafuerte, S., Quilope, A., Tunac, R. and Borja, E. (2018)
POSSESSIONS AND THE EXTENDED SELF
If possessions are viewed as part of the self, it follows that an unintentional loss of possessions should be regarded
as loss or lessening of self

Example: In situations that deliberately such as mental hospitals, prisons,

concentration camps or military training camps, the firsts step in receiving members is
to systematically deprive them of all personal possessions including clothing, money
or even names. Their bodies may be standardized to some degree (e.g. military
haircuts, standard wardrobe) and their behaviors and conversations may be strictly
prohibited. The result of this systematic substitution of standardize “identity kits” for
former possessions is an elimination of uniqueness (Snyder and Fromkin, 1981) and a
corresponding and often traumatic lessening of the individual’s sense of self.

Another instance of non-voluntary loss of possession that bring about a diminished sense of
self is when possessions are lost due to theft or casualty. Rosenblatt, Walsh and Jackson
(1976) suggest that a process of grief and mourning may follow the discovery of theft just as
one might grieve and mourn the death of a loved one who had been part of one’s life.
 Handbag snatching can produce not only a financial but also emotional, long term
effects on victims.
 Losing photographs of loved ones that are often carried in a purse may cause victims sense of security
impaired
 Those who lost possessions to a natural disasters went through a process of grief similar to that of losing a
loved one.

SPECIAL CASES OF EXTENDED SELF

1. Collections (I shop, therefore, I am)
a. Humans and animals once primarily assemble collections of necessities for future security, but today
humans more often assemble collection of non-necessities for distinction and self-definition. The
cultivation of a collection is a purposeful self-defining act. Collecting has become a significant activity
in our consumer society as it has become more widely affordable through the discretionary time and
money available to the general population rather than just to the wealthy elite (Mason, 1981)
b. Many collectors who are inhibited and uncomfortable in social interaction, surround themselves with
favoured objects upon which they project human-like qualities. They practically talk to these objects;
they find comfort in being with them and regard them as friends (Goldberg & Lewis, 1978). Note that
not all collectors are inhibited and uncomfortable in social interaction.
c. Collections may be seen as transition objects or security blankets for adults.
2. Pets
a. Pets are regarded as family members (Cain, 1985; Friedman & Thomas, 1985 etc).
b. It is significant that we name our pets, feed them, sleep and play with them, and mourn their death
(Hickrod & Schmitt 1982; Meer 1984)
c. In some cases, the mourning that comes with the death of the pet is similar to the loss of a home or
the loss of a limb (Carmack, 1985; Cowles; 1985 & Keddie 1977)
d. Pets are so instrumental to self-identity that they are often useful as transition objects (surrogate
parents) for children and as surrogate children for adults (Levinson, 1972; Robin & Bensel, 1985)

3. Body Parts
a. In psychology, cathexis is defined as the process of allocation of mental or emotional energy to a
person, object, or idea. Body cathexis is defined as the degree of satisfaction reported by an
individual for the parts of his body. (Jourard and Secord, 1955). This refers to the feelings (positive
or negative) one feels towards his own body. When a body a body is highly cathected, there is
greater use of grooming products to care for this part of the body.
b. Since we are permanently attached to out body parts, these body parts are expected to be more
strongly cathected than material possessions that can be more easily acquired and discarded. And
since body parts are normally central to conceptions of self, the loss of body parts is tantamount to
losing one’s identity and one’s very being. Indeed the loss of limb is often viewed by those from
whom it has been severed in just this way.

** END of LESSON on THE MATERIAL SELF***