Our Lady of Lourdes College Foundation GEC - Understanding The Self Module PDF

OUR LADY OF LOURDES COLLEGE FOUNDATION Vinzons Ave.,Daet, Camarines Norte, 4600 Philippines COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES FIRST SEMESTER...

OUR LADY OF LOURDES COLLEGE FOUNDATION Vinzons Ave.,Daet, Camarines Norte, 4600 Philippines COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES FIRST SEMESTER S.Y. 2022-2023 MIDTERM MODULE GEC – UNDERSTANDING THE SELF LESSON 5: THE SELF AS COGNITIVE CONSTRUCT Introduction: Understanding one’s self is a prime importance of this course. This chapter enables the students to understand the construct of the self from various perspectives: philosophy, sociology, anthropology and psychology. Several theories about self will explain how the self is formed or developed and will shed light for better understanding of one’s self. Overview: As discussed in the previous lessons, every field of study, at least in the social sciences, have their own research, definition, and conceptualization of self and identity. This lesson provides an overview of the themes of psychology regarding individuals’ cognitive functions and other possible factors that affect the individual. Lesson Proper: In confidence or in an attempt to avoid further analytical discussions, a lot of people say, “I am who I am.” Yet, this statement still begs the question, “if you are who you are, then who you are that makes you who you are?” There are various definitions of the “self” and other similar concepts in psychology. Simply put, “self” is “the sense of personal identity and of who we are as individuals.” William James was one of the earliest psychologists to study the self as having two concepts – the I and the Me. The “I” is the thinking, acting, and feeling self.” The “Me” is the physical characteristics as well as psychological capabilities that makes who you are. Carl Roger’s theory of personality also used the same terms, the “I” as the one who acts and decides while the “Me” is what you think or feel about yourself as an object. Identity is composed of personal characteristics, social roles, and responsibilities as well as affiliations that define who one is. Self-concept is what basically comes to your mind when you are asked about who you are. Self, Identity, and Self-concept are not fixed in one time frame. For example, when you me asked about who you are you can say, “I was a varsity player in 5th grade” which pertains to the past “a college student” which may be in the present, and” a future politician” which is the future. Carl Rogers captured this idea in his concepts of self-schema or our organized system or collection of knowledge about who we are. Imagine an organized list below. Hobbies Hobbies Family SELF Religion Famil SELF R Nationality The schema is not limited to the examples above. It may also include your interests, work, course, age etc. Under the theory of symbolic interactionism, G. H. Mead argues that the self is created and developed through human interaction. Basically, there are reasons why self and identity are social products: 1. We do not create ourselves out of nothing. Society helped in creating the foundations of who we are and even if we make our choices, we will still operate in our social and historical contexts in one way or the other. 2. Whether we like to admit it or not, we actually need others to affirm and reinforce who we think we are. We also need them as reference point about our personality. 3. What we think is important to us may also have been influenced by what is important in our social or historical context. Social interaction and group affiliation, therefore, are vital factors in creating our self-concept especially in the aspect of providing us with our social identity or our perception of who we are based on our membership to certain groups. Our group identity and self-awareness also has a great impact on our self-esteem. According to social comparison theory, we learn about ourselves the appropriateness of our behaviors, as well as social status by comparing aspects of ourselves with other people. However, in attempt to increase or maintain self-esteem, some people become narcissistic. Narcissism is a “trait characterized by overly high self-esteem, self-admiration, and self-centeredness.” They are often charismatic because of how they take care of their image. This makes them a bad romantic partners on fried since they engage in relationships only to serve themselves. Baumeister, Smart, and Boden in their research on self-esteem concluded that programs, activities, and parenting styles to boost self-esteem should only be for rewarding behavior and other achievements and not for the purpose of merely trying to make children feel better about themselves or to appease them when that get angry or sad. For our next lesson, we will discuss The Physical Self in terms of the following sub-topics: 1. Physical Development 3. Body Image and Self Esteem 2. Physical Attractiveness 4. Tips for improving body image Lesson 6: The Physical Self Introduction: The physical self includes physical development, attractiveness and characteristics which are the defining features about a person’s body physique, face hair, nose or the color of the skin which are indicators of fertility and health. The society in which we live shapes us in many ways. Shaping which may result to inevitable views that may range from positive to negative. Overview: This lesson helps us better understand ourselves on how our physical self is being shaped by society and how we able to care for ourselves as well as be aware of our own physical body. Lesson Proper: Physical Development The age of puberty is the stage of physical transformation from childhood to adulthood. Puberty is the stage of life, generally between ages of 10 and 15 years, when the reproductive organs grow to their adult size and become functional under the influence of rising levels of gonadal hormones (testosterone in males and estrogen in females). Females gain weight between 7 – 25 kilos during puberty and slow down at the time of the first menstrual period and continue until late adolescence. Male teens gain 7 – 30 kilos during puberty. As much as 25% of the final height is gained during puberty. In females, the budding of the breasts usually occurring at the age of 11 signals their puberty stage. Menarche is the first menstrual period of females which happens two years after the start of puberty. Hormones play an important role in the regulation of ovulation and fertility of females. Two important factors that affect our physical development are the primary sex characteristics and the secondary sex characteristics. The primary sex characteristics which are already present at birth refers to changes of the sexual organs that are directly concerned with reproduction. Nocturnal emission for boys and menarche for girls are indicators of readiness for reproduction. Secondary sex characteristics refer to visible changes and features that appear during puberty which are not directly part of the reproductive system. The development of secondary sex characteristics is usually earlier in girls than in boys. Boys Girls Body becomes muscular Enlargement of breasts Growth of body hair, including underarm, Growth of body hair, most prominently underarm abdominal, chest hair and pubic hair and pubic hair Greater mass of thigh muscles in front of the Greater development of the thigh muscles at the femur back of femur Greater mass of thigh muscles in front of the Greater development of the thigh muscles at the femur back of femur Shoulders grow broader than hips Hips grow wider than the shoulder Lower body fat percentage than prepubescent or Change distribution in weight and fat; more adult females or prepubescent males, on average subcutaneous fat and fat deposits, mainly around the buttocks, thighs, and hips Enlargement of larynx (Adam’s apple) and Voice becomes melodious deepening of voice Physical Attractiveness Physical attractiveness is the degree to which a person’s physical features are considered pleasing or beautiful which implies sexual attractiveness. Proximity, similarity, and reciprocity are some of the factors that affect physical attractiveness. This includes universal perceptions across cultures along with the individual’s view himself. Positive characteristics such as intelligence and honesty are also attributed to physically attractive people. Body Image and Self – Esteem Body image refers to how attractive you perceive yourself. It is one part of your self – image that becomes the focus of your attention when you reach the age of puberty where you undergo several changes as a result of the development of secondary sex characteristics. Body image is the major factor in self – esteem. Self – esteem is made up of the thoughts about your self – worth and how much you feel other people value you. A person with poor self-esteem often relies on how he is doing in the present and how he feels about himself. People with high self – esteem often tend to be more realistic and have better knowledge of themselves. They are aware of their strengths and weakness. Tips for Improving Body Image 1. Recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape or size it comes in. 2. Identify which aspects of your appearance you can realistically change which you can’t. 3. If there are things about yourself that you want to change and can, do this by making goals for yourself. 4. When you hear negative comments coming from within, tell yourself to stop. 5. Try building your self – esteem by giving yourself three compliments every day. GEC-UNDERSTANDING THE SELF LESSON 7: The Physical and Sexual Self Introduction: It has been believed that the sex chromosomes of humans define the sex (female or male) and their secondary sexual characteristics. From childhood, we are controlled by our genetic makeup. It influences the way we treat ourselves and others. Aside from our genes, our society or the external environment helps shape our selves. Overview: This lesson helps us better understand ourselves through a discussion on the development of our physical and human sexual behavior. Lesson Proper: Erogenous Zones Erogenous zones refer to parts of the body that are primarily receptive and increase sexual arousal when touched in a sexual manner. Some of the commonly known erogenous zones are the mouth, breasts, genitals, and anus. Erogenous zones may vary from one person to another. Other common areas of the body that can be aroused easily may include the neck, thighs, abdomen, and feet. Human Sexual Behavior Human sexual behavior is defined as any activity that induces sexual arousal. There are two major factors that determine human sexual behavior: the inherited sexual response patterns that have evolved as a means of ensuring reproduction and that become part of each individual’s genetic inheritance, and the degree of restraint or other types of influence exerted on the individual by society in the expression of his sexuality. Types of Behavior 1. Solitary behavior It involves only one individual. Self – gratification means self – stimulation that leads to sexual arousal and generally sexual climax. Usually, most self – gratification takes place in private as an end in itself, but can also be done in a socio sexual relationship. 2. Sociosexual behavior Sociosexual behavior is the greatest amount of sociosexual behavior that occurs between only one male and female. It usually begins in childhood and may be motivated by curiosity, such as showing or examining genitalia. Coitus, the insertion of the male reproductive structure into the female reproductive organ, is viewed by the society quite differently depending upon the spatial status of the individuals. Physiology of Human Sexual Response Sexual response follows a pattern of sequential stages or phases when sexual activity is continued. 1. Excitement phase It is caused by increase in pulse and blood pressure; a sudden rise in blood supply to the surface of the body resulting in increased skin temperature, flushing, and swelling of all distensible body parts, more rapid breathing, the secretion of genital fluid, vaginal expansion, and a general increase in muscle tension. 2. Plateau phase It is generally of brief duration; if stimulation is continued, orgasm usually occurs. 3. Sexual Climax It is marked by a feeling of abrupt, intense pleasure, a rapid increase in pulse rate and blood pressure, and spasms of the pelvic muscles causing contractions of the female reproductive organ and ejaculation by the male. Sexual climax may last for few seconds (normally not over ten). 4. Resolution phase It is the last stage that refers to the return to a normal or subnormal physiologic state. GEC - UNDERSTANDING THE SELF LESSON 8: The Sexual Self Introduction: It has been believed that the sex chromosomes of humans define the sex (female or male) and their secondary sexual characteristics. From childhood, we are controlled by our genetic makeup. It influences the way we treat ourselves and others. Aside from our genes, our society or the external environment helps shapes ourselves. Overview: This lesson helps us better understand the meaning of sexual self – concept and its major factors on how oneself perceive his/her sexuality. This lesson will also tackle the concepts that fall within the general domain of sexuality. Lesson Proper: What does it mean to be a man or woman? What does it mean to be lesbian or gay? Sexual Self – Concept Defined Sexual self – concept is characterized as a person’s evaluation of his or her own sexual feelings and actions. It is defined as an individual’s evaluation of his or her own sexual feelings and actions. A study in 2009 by Jokin De Iralawas conducted among 4,000 Filipino students from third year high school to third year college, aimed at looking into their views on relationships, love and sexuality. The sexual self – concept consists of four main factors: 1. Information or event (external events that affect sexual function or affect aspects of sexuality) 2. Sexual esteem (cognitive, attitudes, sexual schemata) 3. Sexual affect/feelings (feelings about sexuality and function) 4. Sexual behavior and function Sex and Sexuality in Adolescent Sex is a primary category of human social perception. Judging a person as a male or female has been described as an automatic social – cognitive process that is effortless, unintended, and involuntary. At birth, each individual is classified by biological sex. Biological sex means whether an individual is a girl or a boy. Generally speaking, a biologically prescribed characteristic that differentiate males and females has been defined as sex. Sex can be defined using: 1. Chromosomes (XX or YX) 2. Gonads (ovaries/testes) 3. Gonadal hormones (estrogen or testosterone) 4. Internal accessory organs (fallopian tubes, uterus or vas deferens) 5. External genitalia Individuals with mixed sexual configurations using these different biological criteria are known as intersexed or intersexual. (The continuation of our discussion will be on the next module.)