Physical Self and Development

• The physical self refers to the body and how one perceives their physical abilities and appearance.
• The performance of the body's physical extremities and internal organs changes as a person ages.
• The efficiency of the physical self peaks during early adulthood and declines into middle age.
• Physical development is rapid during babyhood but slows during childhood.
• Adolescence is a transition between childhood and adulthood, marked by physical changes like reproductive system maturation.
• Life span is the period of development from conception to natural death.

Factors Affecting Physical Growth

• Heredity and environment mold an individual's life and personality.
• Heredity is responsible for inherited traits from parents.
• Environment is responsible for physical, mental, and social traits.
• The 23rd pair of chromosomes determines gender and physical traits where X is female and Y is male.

Theories of Physical Self

• Physiognomy suggests personality is determined through outer appearance, especially the face.
• Ancient Chinese face reading is rooted in the 5 Element Theory (wood, fire, earth, metal, water).
• Hippocrates theorized personality traits and behaviors are based on 4 temperaments and body fluids.
• The 4 temperaments are Sanguine, Melancholic, Choleric, and Phlegmatic.
• Sanguine: Predominant red bile, impulsive, cheerful, happy, and optimistic.
• Melancholic: Predominant black bile, depressed and pessimistic.
• Choleric: Predominant yellow bile, easily angered, jumpy, and temperamental.
• Phlegmatic: High phlegm, sluggish, dull, and slow.
• William Sheldon's Body-type Theory (1940s) links personality to body types.
• The 3 body types are Endomorphic, Mesomorphic, and Ectomorphic.
• Endomorphic: Soft and plump, easygoing and sociable.
• Mesomorphic: Strong and muscular, energetic, adventurous, and sociable.
• Ectomorphic: Tall and thin, socially awkward, introverted, and artistic.
• Jean Haner (2008) and Squier & Mew (1981) theorized personality depends on face shape.

Body Image

• Body image is a person's perception of their body and physical appearance.
• Appearance includes everything others can observe about a person.
• Body image is related to self-esteem.
• Body image affects physical and psychological well-being, especially during adolescence.
• Sociocultural factors like peers, parents, media, and advertising play a vital role.
• Standards of beauty change over time, influenced by sociocultural factors.
• People may modify their appearance to meet beauty standards through tattoos, makeup, piercing, cosmetic surgery, or diet pills.
• Beauty is important but physical appearance alone cannot measure a person's character.

Sexual Aspect of Self

• Freud's psychoanalytic approach suggests pleasure-seeking influences behavior.
• Adolescence is when the reproductive system and sexual characteristics develop.
• Primary Sex Characteristics are physical traits that already are present at birth.
• Males have a penis, testes, scrotum, and prostate.
• Females have a vagina, uterus, and ovaries.
• Secondary Sex Characteristics develop at puberty.
• These include breast enlargement, menstruation, and pubic hair in women.
• These include testicular growth, sperm production, facial/pubic hair, and voice deepening in men.
• The human reproductive system reproduces and bears offspring through the union of male and female systems.
• After the release of the egg cell from the female reproductive organ, sperm cells fertilize the cells, leading to conception, birth, and the return of the female body to its original state.
• Testes are the source of spermatozoa.
• The scrotum is a sac of skin enveloping the testes below the abdomen.
• Prostate glands carry out urine and seminal fluid connected to the urethra.
• The penis ejaculates sperm.
• Sperm are male gametes needed for the egg to develop.
• Ovaries are small organs that produce egg cells (ova).
• Fallopian tubes lead from the ovaries to the uterus.
• The Uterus is a hollow pear-shaped elastic structure where the fertilized ovum develops into a baby.
• The vagina leads to the outside of the body through the vulva.
• During intercourse, sperm moves to the uterus, reaching the fallopian tube where fertilization occurs.
• The zygote (fertilized egg) forms an embryo, entering gestation for about 9 months.

Sexual Excitement

• Erogenous zones are areas of the body sensitive to touch, pressure, and vibration and will contribute to sexual arousal.
• Erogenous zones vary, potentially improving sexual health.
• Female and male erogenous zones include reproductive organs, mouth, neck, breast, and ears.
• The sexual response pattern has four phases: arousal, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.
• Excitement/arousal phase marks the beginning of the sexual arousal is said to be and is highly subjective.
• The plateau phase is a period before orgasm.
• The orgasm phase is an intense, pleasurable experience marked by muscular contractions in the genitals. For males, contractions expel semen.
• Resolution marks the stage of sexual arousal where the body returns to its normal state.

Diversity of Sexual Orientations

• Sexual orientation refers to sexual identity and behavior based on gender association.
• Heterosexuality is sexual attraction and behavior directed to the opposite sex, involving kissing, petting, caressing, massaging, and intercourse.
• Homosexuality_is characterized by romantic and sexual attraction between members of the same sex.
• Bisexuals are romantically or sexually attracted to both sexes.
• Some male homosexuals prefer the term Gay and some female homosexuals prefer the term Lesbian as a terminology not only to refer to their sexual preference but also as a Gender preference.
• Transsexuals believe they were born with the body of the other gender, sometimes seeking sex exchange operations.
• Transgender people view themselves as a third gender.

Sexually transmitted diseases and contraception

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and the threat of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cause government to educate people about contraception.
• Natural contraception does not necessarily require external devices or medications.
• Artificial contraception uses various devices/medications to prevent conception.
• Methods include oral contraception, transdermal patches, vaginal rings, sub dermal implants, hormonal injection, Intrauterine device (IUD), surgical methods (vasectomy and tubal ligation).