Understanding the Physical Self

• The physical self is the body as seen by others and interacted with in the environment.
• Socialization is a key factor in shaping one's body image.
• Beauty reflects the degree to which physical traits are considered pleasing.
• Self-esteem is how one values oneself and how one perceives others value them.
• Body image is how one thinks and feels about their body.

Steps to Build a Positive Body Image

• Spend time with people who have healthy relationships with food and their bodies.
• Challenge media portrayals of ideal bodies.
• Accept that one cannot change their body type.
• Downplay the importance of numbers such as weight.
• Avoid comparing oneself to others.

The Concept of Fat and Thin

• Individuals with higher leptin and insulin sensitivity tend to find it easier to lose and maintain weight.
• The craving to eat accounts for approximately 28% of daily urges.
• Obesity is the state of being excessively fat or overweight.
• Metabolism is the process of converting food into energy for cellular functions.
• Calories measure the energy content in food and beverages.

Factors Influencing Hormones and Weight

• Diet, weight loss, and exercise improve hormone levels and sensitivity.
• Poor food choices, hormone imbalances, lack of responsibility, misplaced priorities, and lack of self-control contribute to weight gain.

Sex Hormones

• Testosterone stimulates male secondary sexual characteristics
• Estrogen stimulates female secondary sexual characteristics, repairs the uterine wall, and controls ovulation.

Sexual Self

• The sexual self encompasses feelings, actions, and behaviors related to secondary and primary sex characteristics, and sexual behavior.
• Sex is a label assigned at birth and is determined by genitals and chromosomes.
• Gender identity is an internal sense of self expressed through clothing, behavior, and appearance, developing early in life.
• Gender is a social and legal status with expectations around behaviors, characteristics, and thoughts.
• Sexual orientation is a person's emotional and erotic attraction toward others.
• Secondary sex characteristics appear during puberty in humans.

Love, Lust, Attraction, and Attachment

• Affection is a gentle feeling of fondness.
• Lust is characterized by physical attraction and the desire for seduction.
• Attraction involves craving a partner's presence and fantasizing about shared activities.
• Attachment is the desire for lasting commitment, potentially leading to marriage and children.

Human Sexual Response

• The human sexual response is a sequence of physical and emotional occurrences during sexual activity like intercourse or masturbation.
• The excitement phase is the initial stage of the sexual response cycle, triggered by erotic stimuli leading to arousal.
• Plateau phase is the period of heightened sexual excitement before orgasm.
• Orgasmic phase is the climax of the sexual response cycle, experienced by both males and females.
• Resolution phase is the period after orgasm when muscles relax, blood pressure drops, and the body returns to its resting state.
• Refractory period is a time when a man is temporarily unable to achieve another orgasm; women can also experience this.
• Fertilization is the process of creating a new individual through the introduction of male reproductive material.

Contraceptives

• Abstinence prevents sexual indulgence.
• Coitus interruptus/withdrawal involves removing the penis from the vagina before ejaculation.

Permanent Contraception

• Tubal ligation is a surgery blocking the fallopian tubes.
• Vasectomy is a surgery cutting the tube carrying sperm, resulting in permanent male contraception.

Hormonal Methods of Contraception

• Oral contraceptive pills include combined (estrogen and progestin) and progestin-only types.
• Contraceptive injections are hormone shots preventing pregnancy for a period.
• Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are small devices inserted into the uterus and can be hormonal or non-hormonal.
• Vaginal rings release hormones through the vaginal wall to prevent pregnancy.
• Subdermal implants deliver progestin under the skin.
• Transdermal contraceptive patches deliver medication through the skin.

Barrier Methods of Contraception

• Male condoms are barriers that prevent sperm from entering the vagina during intercourse.
• Female condoms are pouches inserted into the vagina before sex to prevent pregnancy and STDs.

STIs and AIDS

• A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is acquired through sexual contact via blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or other bodily fluids.
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks the immune system by destroying cells that fight disease and infection.
• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of HIV infection.