CHAPTER 7: THE POLITICAL SELF

SEEKING FILIPINO IDENTITY

According to the 1987 Philippine constitution, article 4 section 1 . These are the
citizens of the Philippines:
 those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this
constitution;

 Whose father or mothers are citizens of the Philippines.

 Those born before January 17 , 1973
 Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority
 are naturalized in accordance of law.

HISTORICAL BACKROUND – INDIO TO FILIPINO

The role of the young people cannot be ignored in the shaping for it is from their ranks where Rizal came from. Rizal was
a person of enlightened education – one of the Illustrados, whose heightened conscience made it difficult for him to
forget the poor plight of this people. At an early age, his genius made him cognizant of the racial disparity demonstrate
towards the Filipinos at a time when they were called the derogatory term-Indio. This recognition instilled in him a sense
of responsibility to seek the true identity of the Filipinos, one which is removed from the concept of Indio's (stupid,
barbaric, idiotic) as claimed by the Spanish colonizers.
DEMOCRACY
The idea of democracy did not emerge from our identity but it was forced on us and rigidly shaped us and our identity
according to the definition given by our colonizers, most especially USA true democracy is a rule coming from the
people, but if the people do not understand it how can they say that they are the one’s who rule?
According to this article, three things should be provided by the government before we can enjoy democracy.
1. Maintenance of peace and order.
2. Protection of life, liberty and property.
3. Promotion of general welfare
Pinoy Life: Classic Filipino Traits and Characteristics
Characteristics of Filipinos
Every country has its differing values and stereotypes, and the Philippines is no exception. We Filipinos firmly believe
that our country has the best values in the world. Although we have been colonized by several countries, many core values
from our ancestors remained intact and are still honored to this day. Filipinos are not perfect, but we have great
characteristics and qualities every one of us should be proud of. Below I've listed some of the most well-known positive
and negative traits of Filipinos.
1. Hospitality
This is one of the most popular qualities of Filipinos. Foreigners who have gone to the Philippines find themselves falling
in love with the warm hospitality they are shown. It's a different kind of value system, which has existed for thousands of
years. Here are some examples of the hospitality that Filipinos show, not only to foreigners, but also to their fellow
citizens:
2. Respect
This is often observed—not just by younger people—but also by people of all ages. Children respect elders by saying
"po" and "opo," which mean "yes," when answering their elders.
Children or young adults also show respect by putting their elders' hands on their foreheads. Filipinos also show respect at
work by making a bow to their employers.
3. Strong Family Ties and Religions
Yes. Filipinos value their families so much that they tend to keep families intact through the generations. Families go to
church and pray together because their religion is important and creates a strong bond, marking God as the center of their
lives.
4. Generosity and Helpfulness
Filipinos are generous people. Even when we have very little, we always share with those around us.During special
occasions such as birthdays or "fiestas" —parties when people from other places visit your home to celebrate with you—
there are lots of foods specially prepared for everyone!
5. Strong Work Ethic
Yes, we are hardworking people to the point that we are willing to work almost the whole day just to feed our families.
That's how Filipinos are. One example of a hardworking person is a farmer. They earn so little but they still work very
hard for not much compensation.
6. Love and Caring
This is so true! Filipinos are the sweetest and most loving people in the world. I'm not just saying this because I'm a
Filipino; if you know us well, you will soon figure this out.
Men are so sweet and romantic when it comes to love. They will send their beloved flowers, bring her to a very romantic
place, text her sweet quotes, and tell often how special she is to them.
Filipino women are also romantic and very caring, which often makes foreigners want to marry them. Women tend to
prepare dinner before their husband comes home. They are loving, and value the relationship, always staying faithful to
their husbands.
CHAPTER 8: THE VIRTUAL SELF
REAL-LIFE REALITY
-Outside the cyberspace is the reality with which you engage most frequently.
-Basically this pertains to life away from digital devices and where interaction happens on a physical level.
-Relationship in the tangible world can sometimes be affected as well by purely abstract one established online.
SIMULATION
-Quite simply, simulation’s basic purpose is to copy reality as closely as it can.
-This abstraction offers uncanny representation of real-world aspects, and can also be used for instructions (i.e. flight
navigation simulators)
AUGMENTED REALITY
-This is real life reality splice with the unreal. Through rather creative ways, augmented reality permits you to
simultaneously interact with both the tangible world and various digital add-ons for more enhanced experience.

-
Augmented reality (AR) is an experience where designers enhance parts of users' physical world with computer-
generated input.
VIRTUAL REALITY

- Is a type of abstraction completely detached from real-life reality. Here, you are granted relative freedom to
explore and eventually inhabit digitally made-up worlds vicariously through a character or avatar you can
create yourself.
 - Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that appear to be real, making
the user feel they are immersed in their surroundings.

THE DRAMATURGY OF THE SELF

- Dramaturgy emphasizes expressiveness as the main component of interactions.

The Elements of the Dramaturgical Self:

1. PERFORMANCE - based on Erving Goffman's framework, performance explicitly refers to the set of
activities in which the self-participated in front of others (labeled the "audience").

2. SETTING - this primarily centers on the scenery where an interaction where take place.

3. APPEARANCE- the function of appearance rest mainly on it's ability to portray the self's various statuses,
with one of it's several props being a person's attire of choice.

4. MANNER - this pertains to how an actor sense various signals to the audience to ultimately inform them in
advance of the role he/she seeks or is about to perform; a prompt, if you may.

5. FRONT - this works as a kind of social script that actors follow for a more guided performance.

ANONYMITY VS. PSEUDONYMITY

ANONYMITY - Honesty and openness are hallmark virtues, through in some cases, they need to take the backseat to
privacy.

PSEUDONYMITY - on the other hand lies in the middle of the identity continuum, especially as it combines both the
benefits of anonymity and joys of assuming some semblance of identity.

THE DISINHIBITED SELF

Online Disinhibitions: The Causes
DISSOCIATIVE ANONYMITY ("People Don't Know Me") - this is the confidence you feel every time you
anonymously engage in online activities.
INVISIBILITY ("People Can See Me") - in this factor you can sometimes intentionally misrepresent yourself to come
across as an entirely different person.
ASYNCHRONICITY ("See You When I See You") - time is a very important element in face to face communications.
SOLIPSISTIC INTROJECTION ("It's All In The Mind") - we essentially communicate online through type written
words.
DISSOCIATIVE IMAGINATION ("It's All A Player") - simply put, this is the faulty belief that online interaction is a
game, and whose rules you can easily break with in perceived implications.

MINIMIZATIONS OF STATUS AND AUTHORITY ("Your Rules Don't Work Online") - take notice how complete
nobodies suddenly have the guts to engage influential people in arguments on social media.

Defining Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Sex- refers to biological characteristics, while gender is socially determined based on those characteristics.
Sex - denotes biological characteristics and exists along a spectrum from male to female.
Gender- on the other hand, denotes social and cultural characteristics that are assigned to different sexes.
Sex and gender are not always synchronous, meaning they do not always line up in an easy-to-categorize way.
“Sex” refers to physiological differences found among male, female, and various intersex bodies.
Sex includes both primary sex characteristics (those related to the reproductive system)
secondary sex characteristics (those that are not directly related to the reproductive system, such as breasts and facial
hair).
In humans, the biological sex of a child is determined at birth based on several factors, including chromosomes, gonads,
hormones, internal reproductive anatomy, and genitalia.
Biological sex has traditionally been conceptualized as a binary in Western medicine, typically divided into male and
female.

Gender
A person’s sex, as determined by his or her biology, does not always correspond with their gender; therefore, the terms
“sex” and “gender” are not interchangeable.
“Gender” is a term that refers to social or cultural distinctions associated with being male, female, or intersex.

Cultural Variations of Gender

Since the term “sex” refers to biological or physical distinctions, characteristics of sex will not vary significantly between
different human societies. For example, persons of the female sex, in general, regardless of culture, will eventually
menstruate and develop breasts that can lactate. Characteristics of gender, on the other hand, may vary greatly between
different societies.
For example, in American culture, it is considered feminine (or a trait of the female gender) to wear a dress or skirt.
However, in many Middle Eastern, Asian, and African cultures, dresses or skirts (often referred to as sarongs, robes, or
gowns) can be considered masculine. Similarly, the kilt worn by a Scottish male does not make him appear feminine in
his culture.

Sexuality
“Human sexuality” refers to people’s sexual interest in and attraction to others, as well as their capacity to have erotic
experiences and responses. People’s sexual orientation is their emotional and sexual attraction to particular sexes or
genders, which often shapes their sexuality.
Sexuality may be experienced and expressed in a variety of ways, including thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes,
values, behaviors, practices, roles, and relationships.
These may manifest themselves in biological, physical, emotional, social, or spiritual aspects.
The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human
sexual-response cycle and the basic biological drive that exists in all species.
Emotional aspects of sexuality include bonds between individuals that are expressed through profound feelings or
physical manifestations of love, trust, and care.
Social aspects deal with the effects of human society on one’s sexuality
Spirituality concerns an individual’s spiritual connection with others through sexuality.
Sexuality also impacts and is impacted by cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral, ethical, and religious aspects of
life.
CHAPTER 10: MANAGING STRESS

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When you sense danger—whether it’s real or
imagined—the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the ―fight-or-flight‖ reaction
or the ―stress response.

The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and
alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life— giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or
spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid a car accident.

Stress can also help you rise to meet challenges. It’s what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens
your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when you’d
rather be watching TV.

3 TYPES OF STRESS
EUSTRESS (+)
-Good stress
- Any stressor that motivates an individual toward an optional level of performance or health.
NEUSTRESS
-Any kind of information of sensory stimulus that is perceived as unimportant or inconsequential
-Neither positive nor negative.
DISTRESS (-)
-Unfavorable or negative interpretation of an event. (real or imagined) promotes feeling of fear nor anger.

COGNITIVE APPRAISAL- type of stress response; process of perceiving and interpreting a stimulus ( thing, change,
event, people ). (Passer & Smith, 2007)
2 TYPES OF COGNITIVE APPRAISAL
1. PRIMARY APPRAISAL- initial evolution of a stimulus and categorizing is either positive, negative, or
neutral (Weiten,2014)
2. SECONDARY APPRAISAL- evaluation of our ―perceived ability to cope with the situation, that is, the
resources you have to deal with it‖ (Passer & Smith, 2007)
STRESSOR
- Any real or imagined situation, circumstances, or stimulus that is perceived to be a threat‖
- List of Stressors is not only endless, but also varies from person to person (Seaward, 2018)
Three general types of stressors:
1. CATACLYSMIC EVENTS
- Strong stressors
- Occur suddenly
- May affect many people simultaneously
- Disaster such as tornadoes, plane crashes
- Natural or man-made calamity
2. PERSONAL STRESSORS
- Major life events
- Death of a parent or spouse, loss of one’s job, major personal failure
- Even something positive like getting married
3. BACKGROUND STRESSORS
- Daily hassles
- Minor irritations in life
- Standing in a long line in a bank
- Getting stuck in traffic jam
- Long term chronic problem- dissatisfaction with school or a job, unhappy relationship.

STRESS AND FILIPINOS : THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF STRESS

By now, we already have an understanding that what we consider stressful is subjective and dependent on our perspective
– which is highly influenced by our social and cultural experience (Weiten, 2014).
As Tan (2006) puts it:
―Not enough being done to understand stress in its local context, yet stress is mediated through culture: from the very
nature of the stressors, to the ways we respond to the stress
Simple communication in our everyday lives may lead to stress when we give and get a response such as ―Okay lang.
We hear or maybe are guilty of conversations like: ―Do you want to have some?
―Okay lang. The indirect answer hoping to be interpreted as how the speaker want it to be may pose possible conflicts.

TAKING CARE OF SELF

7 PILLARS OF SELF-CARE
1. Health Literacy
2. Self-Awareness of Physical and Mental Condition
3. Physical Activity
4. Healthy Eating
5. Risk Avoidance or Mitigation
6. Good Hygiene
7. Rational and Responsible Use of Products, Services, Diagnostics and Medicines

“CARING [ for others and self ] CREATES RESILIENCE” -Kelly McGonigal

Improving your Ability to Handle Stress

Get moving. Upping your activity level is one tactic you can employ right now to help relieve stress and start to feel
better.

Regular exercise. can lift your mood and serve as a distraction from worries

Connect to others. The simple act of talking face-to-face with another human

Engage your senses. Another fast way to relieve stress is by engaging one or more of your senses—sight, sound, taste,
smell, touch, or movement.

Learn to relax. You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you.
Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of
restfulness that is the polar opposite of the stress response.

Eat a healthy diet. The food you eat can improve or worsen your mood and affect your ability to cope with life’s
stressors. Eating a diet full of processed and convenience food, refined carbohydrates, and sugary snacks can worsen
symptoms of stress, while a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, high-quality protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, can help
you better cope with life’s ups and downs.

Get your rest. Feeling tired can increase stress by causing you to think irrationally. At the same time, chronic stress can
disrupt your sleep.