THE PHYSICAL SELF

The physical self refers to the body that can be observed and examined. It is the aspect of the self that
consists of the extremities and internal organs, both with a vital function of maintaining one’s life. As
one aged, these critical functions gradually change. During infancy and old age, physical efficiency
performs at least. Its peak is early adulthood and slowly declines into the middle age (Go-Monilla &
Ramirez, 2018, p. 97).

THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON BODY IMAGE AND SELF-ESTEEM

Morris Rosenberg (1965) defined self-esteem as one’s attitude toward oneself (Ackerman, 2020). It is
one’s self-worth or self-respect as a person. It is how much you appreciate and adores yourself. It
involves a variety of feelings about yourself, the appearance, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors (Cherry,
2019). He devised the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a test that measures self-worth by rating both
positive and negative feelings about the self.

Body image covers the emotional attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of a person towards their own
body. It relates to what a person believes and feels about their body. This also includes how they control
and sense their body (Brazier, 2017).

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (2015), body image and self-esteem influence
each other. It is hard to value yourself when you do not like your body. The reverse is also true: if you
cannot see the positive side of yourself and treat it with respect, you do not value it.

Below are illustrations of having a good body image and self-esteem and poor body image and self-
esteem and its effect on your mental health.
 Good body image and self-esteem
Source: Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division

Poor body image and self-esteem

Source: Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Culture has a great influence on a person’s self-esteem and body image. It can be positive, negative, or
both (Brazier, 2017). The traditions practiced culturally can either hurt or help us in our life. The culture
that we are surrounded by has a substantial influence on how we feel about ourselves and how we think
about our bodies. It can either be favorable to or resistant to the building of a healthy body image and
self-esteem. For example, dieting and body appearance have been a focus of Western Culture. It is the
same as in other cultures as digitally retouched photos become a norm in society. This kind of mentality
negatively influences an individual’s body image (Karges, 2015).

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY

People value physical appearance in different cultures. They tend to worry about how they look, how
people will now to look at them, and what people will say about them. The standard of beauty changes
through time as the preference of the people varies from time to time. What may be considered the
standard of beauty in one culture may be different in other cultures. It goes well with attractiveness as
what may be attractive to another one may not be appealing to another. The culture is greatly
influenced by society; thus, the concept of beauty is embedded by it (Palean et al., 2018, p. 74).

Across the globe, culture dictates what is beautiful. What is perceived as beautiful in Egyptian women
are slim, high-wasted, narrow hips, and long black hair. Contrastingly, during the Renaissance period,
women with a full figure or curvy and rounded hips were considered beautiful. During the Medieval Age,
gorgeous are chubby, fat or plump women like in some ancient tribes (e.g., Africa). In Asian countries
(Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia), which used to be beautiful, are women with flat noses. The
standards of beauty change over time due to culture. Traditionally considered most attractive are those
humans who have clear skin, thick shiny hair, well-proportioned bodies, and symmetrical faces. Beauty
is deemed necessary throughout history, with features that indicate youth, health, excellent genes, and
fertility (DeMello, 2014, pp. 173-205).

Body art and body modification like body piercing are also considered beautiful in various cultures. In
Ethiopia, Kara people use body painting to attract the opposite sex (exploring-africa.com, 2020).
Scarification, or scarring the skin to produce marks, is being practiced by the Masai people in Tanzania to
represent beauty and family pride to women and strength, courage, and bravery to the men
(newtimes.co.rw, 2010). Other tribes in Ethiopia, like the Mursi and Suri, women wear lip plates that
determine their beauty. The larger the lip plate, the more beautiful a woman is (Agbo, 2018). Maria Jose
Cristerna, the Mexican vampire woman, reinvented herself through body piercings to empower herself
(Valentine, 2015). Plastic surgery is also a form of body modification that is popular nowadays due to the
influence of social media (Walker et al., 2019). Printed materials (magazines, billboards, newspapers,
and others), television (entertainment, fashion and, other shows) and the social media (influencer,
vloggers, and others) profoundly influence the standard of beauty of the culture. What is perceived as
beautiful is copied; thus, it is unrealistic and unachievable.

The standard of beauty is not absolute as per culture. There will always a constant struggle to look at
the perfect measure of beauty. The usual definition of beauty is reliant on culture dictated by society.
Self-image problem arises when your beauty standards do not match with your looks (Gallinero et al.
2018, p. 61). There is a struggle of convincing the self because of their set standards. Remember that no
two persons are alike. Everyone is unique, and that makes one stand out amongst the crowd. Besides,
inner beauty should never be forgotten as it is part of a person’s development.
Sex and Human Values

Conceding that values are both personal and cultural, most sex researchers and educators struggle to
preserve their writings on sexuality value free. In research when they label the sexually reserved
individuals as “erotophobic” and as “high sex guilt” they explicit their own values.
Furthermore, we improve our lives by knowing ourselves, by realizing that others share our feelings, by
understanding what is likely to please or displease our loved one. Behold the increasing realization that
some types of sexually explicit material can lead people to devalue or hurt others.

Sex Drive

Psychologist thinks that sex drive peaks during the teens and early twenties (Hyde, 1982). The drive
declines gradually during the middle forties, another sharp decline in sexual activity appears in the late
sixties (Solnick and Corby, 1983).

Sex and Gender are parts of you that need to be continuously explored. These two remains to be used
interchangeably however current literature has provided us enough information to differentiate one
from the other. The emergence and/or development of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and
Expression termed as SOGIE is also an important topic in understanding one’s sexual self.

Sexual behavior brings connectedness. Sexuality may humanize or dehumanize, validate or invalidate
and incarnate or disincarnate existence. It makes a person comforted, loved and sometimes euphoric.

At a deeper level, sexuality is linked with birth and death, an association found in Freud’s notion of Eros
and Thanatos. Although ultimately death prevails over sex, sex affirms life. The instinctual sexual energy
or Eros expressed in the childbearing, art relationships transcends nonexistence. Life continues for the
new generation where one can be fondly remembered by important others. This close psychological
connection between sex and life or the absence of it is a concrete reminder of the existential
inseparability of this cycle.

Psychosexual Development

The famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud cited that children go through a sequence of psychosexual
stages that lead to the development of the adult personality. Freud’s theory defined how personality
developed over the course of childhood. Whereas the theory is well-known in psychology, it has always
been quite controversial, both during Freud's time and in modern psychology. These are named
psychosexual stages because each stage signifies the fixation of libido (roughly translated as sexual
drives or instincts) on a different area of the body.
Liking and Loving (Interpersonal attraction)

To like somebody or to have a desire to be in a relationship with somebody is called interpersonal

attraction. We like being with people, we enjoy the company of others.

Physical Attractiveness

We are attracted to those who are physically attractive. Surely, the attraction here is relative. “Beauty is
in the eye of the beholder”. Some men find women with long hair are attractive but some men like
women with short hair to see their neck area.

LUST
 focus on a person's looks and body.
 interested in having sex, but not in
having conversations
 keep the relationship on a fantasy
level, not discuss real feelings.
 want to leave soon after sex rather
than cuddling or breakfast the next
morning.
 are lovers, but not friends
LOVE
 spend quality time together with
other than sex
 get lost in conversations and
forget about the hours passing
 honestly listen to each other's
feelings, make each other happy.
 motivates you to be a better
person.
 want to get to meet his or her
family and friends
SEXUAL RESPONSE

It refers to the order of physical and emotional changes that arise as a person becomes sexually aroused
and partakes in sexually exciting activities, including intercourse (coitus) and masturbation. Perceptive
how your body reacts during each phase of the cycle can improve your relationship and help you find
the cause of any sexual difficulties. The sexual response cycle has four phases:

Both men and women encounter these phases, though the phasing usually is different. For instance, it is
improbable that both partners will reach orgasm at the same time. The intensity of the reaction and the
time spent in each phase differs from person to person. Knowing these differences may help partners
better understand one another's bodies and responses, and develop the sexual experience.

LGBTQ

Terms to understand:

1. Lesbian - A woman who is primarily attracted to women.

2. Gay- A man who is primarily attracted to men; sometimes a broad term for individuals primarily
attracted to same-sex.
3. Bisexual- An individual attracted to people of their own and opposite gender.
4. Transgender- A person whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth.
5. Transsexual- An outdated term that originated in the medical and psychological communities for
people who have permanently changed their gender identity through surgery and hormones.
6. Queer- An umbrella term to be more inclusive of the many identities and variations that make-
up the LGBTQ + community.
7. Intersex- An individual whose sexual anatomy or chromosomes do not fit with the traditional
markers of “female” and “male”.

Same- Sex Attraction

Homosexual behavior is likely to present in all societies and cultures and has been documented on all
six settled continents. The homosexuality-heterosexuality distinctions is not always a clear one. Not only
do some people self-identity as bisexual, but others may also change their sexual preference over the
course of their lives (Chivers, Seto, & Blanchard, 2007). Researchers are trying to understand why some
people are more strongly attracted to members of the same sex than are other people.

Forms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Contraception Methods:

Generally, procreation is the basic reason for the sexual act hence couples should have this in mind.

A. Artificial Method- this method can be stopped when couples decided to have a child again.
1. Pills
2. Injection (Depo Provera)
3. Implants
4. Cervical Sponge
5. Spermicidal Gel
6. Condom
7. IUD
B. Natural Method- this method is encouraged by the church because it does not use chemicals
and therefore has no side effects on the part of the partners.
1. Calendar Method
2. Abstinence
3. Mucus Method
4. Basal Body Temperature Method