YLLANA BAY VIEW COLLEGE

MODULE 7 (Week 1)
GE 7 (Understanding the Self)

Prepared by: Jhon Mark B. Rabe

MODULE 7: UNPACKING THE SELF

PHYSICAL SELF and SEXUAL SELF

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Understand the theoretical underpinnings for how to manage and care for different aspects of the self.
2. Acquire and hone new skills and learnings for better managing of one’s self and behaviors
3. Apply these new skills to one’s self and functioning for a better quality of life.
I. PHYSICAL SELF
Physical self refers to the body which we interface with our environment and fellow being. It is a tangible
aspect of the person that can be directly observed and examined. People now days are too conscious on how
they look. How they see themselves in the mirror, how people will look at them and what will people say about
them. Our concept of our self and the perception of people around us will always have big effect on how we
deal in a situation, cultural or not. This discussion of Physical Self has found place on different Schools of
Psychology, like psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanism etc. For example:

 William James considered body as initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin and
maintenance of personality. It is an element of spiritual hygiene of supreme significance. For example, a
boxer during a fight, do not notice/feels his wounds until the intensity of fight has subside.

 Sigmund Freud, In Psychoanalytical School, construction of self and personality makes the physical
body the core of human experience.

 ∙Wilhelm Reichargued that mind and body are one; all psychological processes, he postulated, are a
part of physical processes, and vice versa.

 According to Erik Erikson, 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 the individual will achieve a sense of competence and ability to choose demanding
roles in a complex society. For example a child get their confidence when they bigger, stronger, faster
and more capable of learning complex skills.

 Carl Jung, argued that the physical body and the external world can be known only as psychological
experiences.

 B.F. Skinner, says that the role of the body is of primary importance. Which from this different
orientation clearly show us and explains how people deals with their physical self. Regardless of what
culture or traditions he or she may be, his or her interpretation of himself will be how people act in the
community.

Self – Esteem

“We all know that self-esteem comes from what you think of you, not what other
people think of you” -Gloria Graynor –
 People from different culture have opted to change their features in attempt to meet the cultural
standards of beauty, as well as their religious and/or social obligations. They modify and adorn their bodies as
part of the part of complex process of creating and re-creating their personal and social identity to be accepted
by society and to be able to accept them self. This includes body painting, tattooing, jewelries and
adornments. Youth in present time are too conscious of their physical attributes that they are not confident to
face the day without make- up.
As our physical self, dictates how we act in front of other people it also defines how we will manage
our self-esteem. Yet, this self-esteem is vital on how we form positive and healthy relationships with people
around us. We have different kinds of self-esteem; The Inflated Self- Esteem (this people holds high regards
of themselves. Better than the other to the point of under estimating them), High Self-Esteem (this is a
positive self-esteem, which make the person be satisfied of themselves) and Low Self-Esteem (this person do
not value themselves and do not trust their possibilities).
Most of the times, this self-esteem are define by what physical attributes they have.
Beauty as define by the society, culture or traditions, is what matter to the person.

II. SEXUAL SELF

As we come to understand the beauty of physical self, it is also proper to learn to understand the sexual
self. As psychoanalytical theory states that physical body is the core of human experience as form of
construction of self and personality. Freud maintained that nature of the conflicts among id, ego and superego
changes overtime as a person grows from child to adult. There are psychosexual stages that focus: oral, anal,
phallic and genital. Thus, these stages are directly related to different physical center of pleasure.

To fully appreciate sexual self, it is necessary to understand human reproductive system, erogenous zone,
and human sexual behavior.

UNDERSTANDING BASIC OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Human sexual behavior is complex and complicated, thus, it is not at all different from other species
(Feldman, 2010). To illustrate; men sexual behavior can occur at any time, by being arouse to certain stimuli. At
puberty, the testes begin to secrete androgens (male sex hormones) which produce secondary sex characteristics
like growth of bodily hair and change in tone of voice. Female sexual behavior starts at puberty where the two
ovaries begin to produce estrogens and progesterone (female sex hormones). This stage of puberty for female
occurs in cyclical manner where also brought changes. While for nonhuman, period of ovulation is only when
the ovulation occurs to the female specie is receptive to sex.

Human reproductive system is an organ system by which reproduces and bear live offspring. It requires the
union between the male and female reproductive system to which carries out to produce another life form.
Provided that all organs are present, human reproductive system works from the released of egg cell from
female reproductive organ, to the fertilization of sperm cells, to the conception, up to the giving birth of the
baby and eventually to the return of the female physical body to the original state. (Harrison, 2018)
 Encyclopædia
Britannica, Inc.

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

a. Testis – is the most important part of male reproductive organ. It is the source of
Spermatozoa (male germ cell)
b. Scrotum – it is a sac of skin where the two testes are enveloped; directly below and outside of the
abdomen.
c. Prostate glands – it is a gland that carries out both urine and seminal fluid. It is connected by sperm
ducts from sperm ducts joining into single tube called urethra. Urethra then leads to the outside of the
body through penis.
d. Penis – it is where the ejaculation occurs by sending sperm cell from testis and secrete out.
e. Sperm – It is a male gametes, one that is necessary for the egg to develop and become a baby.

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

a. Ovary – It is a pair of small, oval organs which produces ova (ovum; female germ cells). Thousands of
ova will mature and will be taken up to the fallopian tube through the uterus by the time of puberty.
b. Fallopian Tube – are pair of thin tubes that leads from ovaries to the uterus.
c. Uterus – (womb) it is a hollow pear-shaped elastic muscular structure where fertilized ovum (zygote)
develops into a baby.
d. Vagina – It is a tube leading to outside of the body through an opening called the vulva.
During the sexual intercourse, the semen from male is discharged in the vagina. The sperms will begin moving
up to the uterus reaching the fallopian tube. During the travel most of the sperms will die while climbing up the
fallopian tube, only one sperm will enter the ovum and can remain alive for only 12 hours. In this time, if it
meets ovum which will lead to fertilization. This zygote (fertilized egg) will form in an embryo from which will
enter gestation period. It is around 9 months in time for the woman to give birth.

Physiological Aspects of Sexual Excitement

Erogenous Zone
 These are part of the body that particularly sensitive to touch, pressure and vibration which contributes to
sexual arousal. Identifying erogenous zone (“hot spots”) gives different reaction and effect to a person. For one,
these could bring sexual satisfaction, also, improves sexual health and stimulating different spots may produce
different reaction to the body. Female and male erogenous zone are reproductive organ (vagina, penis, scrotum
& clitoris), mouth ( lips), neck, breast (nipples) and ears.

Phases of Sexual Response

Although, erogenous zone brings us to sexual arousal which is unique to each individual, people shares same
basic aspects of sexual responsiveness. According to Johnson & Master (1966), sexual response follows a
regular pattern consisting of four (4) phases: arousal, plateau, orgasm and resolution.

The arousal phase is a subjective sense of sexual pleasure. The physiological sign in males is penile
tumescence (erection) and vasocongestion to female leads to vaginal lubrication and nipple erection.

The plateau phase is a brief period of time before the orgasm. It is the body’s preparation for
Orgasm.

The orgasm phase is an intense, highly pleasurable experience. When this phase is reached, rhythmic muscular
contractions occur in the genitals. In male, the contractions expel semen, a fluid containing sperm, a process
called ejaculation. For women and men, breathing and heart rates reach maximum.
Last stage of sexual arousal, the resolution stage where the decrease of arousal (particularly in male)
happens. Genitals resume their unaroused state and shape; blood pressure, breathing and heart rate return to
normal.