Physical Self
o Cultural traditions can either be a
What Philosophers think about beauty?
In general – beauty, traditionally, was among the
ultimate values along with goodness, truth and
justice
St. Augustine – everyone of us is beautiful in
nature
- asked whether things were beautiful
because it gave delight, or whether it
gave delight because it was beautiful.
Plato – connected beauty to love and desire
Aristotle – standards
- asserted that the chief forms of beauty
are order, symmetry, and definiteness.
David Hume – modern philosophy “beauty is in
the eye of the beholder”
- beauty is no quality in things
themselves; it exists merely in the mind
which contemplates them.
Francis Hutcheson – physical
- the perception of beauty does depend
on the external sense of sight.
What did Psychology discover about beauty?
o A person who is perceived as attractive
makes more money than a person of
below-average looks
o In politics, voters who are not actively
engaged in social and political issues
choose candidates based on “looks”.
o Halo Effect – tendency of people to rate
attractive individuals more favorably for
their personality traits to characteristics
o Horn Effect – less attractive individuals
are rated with negative attributes
Culture and Perception of Beauty?
positive or negative influence on the
body image and self-esteem.
o Ideal standards of body sizes are
culturally specific
o Americans have emphasized
thinness
o Filipinos emphasized dieting and
body appearance
o People experience body
dissatisfaction due to cultural
standards
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
§ Imagined Ugliness
- a preoccupation with some
imagined defect in appearance by
someone who actually looks
reasonably normal.
Eating Disorders
§ Bulimia Nervosa
- Out-of-control eating episodes, or
binges, are followed by self-induced
vomiting, excessive use of laxatives,
or other attempts to purge the
food.
§ Anorexia Nervosa
- Person eats only minimal amounts
of foods or exercises vigorously to
offset food intake so body weight
sometimes drops dangerously.
§ Binge-eating disorder
- Individuals may binge repeatedly
and find it distressing, but they do
not attempt to purge the food.
Etiology of Eating Disorders
Psychological Influence
- Anxiety focused on appearance and
presentation to others
- Distorted body image
Biological Influences
- Inherited vulnerability (unstable or
excessive neurological response to
stress associated with impulsive eating)
Social Influences
- Cultural pressures to be thin
- Family interactions/pressures
re: social presentation
Sexual Self
Historical perspective of human sexuality
In Ancient Greece
- Men assume the dominant role
- The male symbol is viewed as the
symbol of fertility. Women are
considered as objects to be possessed.
- Women were forbidden to own
property and had no legal rights
The Middle Ages
- The church decreed that all sexual acts
that do not lead to procreation were
considered evil.
- Women are labeled either as a
temptress or a woman of virtue.
Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century
- Movements were initiated against the
Catholic church.
- Protestantism believed that sexuality is a
natural part of life and that priest should
be able to marry
- Sexual intimacy strengthens the bond
between the couple
17th to 18th Century
- The Puritans rallied for a religious, moral
and societal reformation.
- Premarital sex was considered immoral.
Victorian Era
- Homosexuality and prostitution were
considered to be threats to social order
- Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory became
famous.
- It was believed that women should not
enjoy sexual intercourse.
- Ejaculating for more than once a month
weakens the man.
Philippines
Women in Pre-Colonial Era
- Sexually aggressive
- Liberated
- Progressive
- Karapatan at responsibilidad sa lipunan
ay kapantay ng mga lalaki
Babaylan – spiritual leaders namumuno sa
ritwal, manggagamot, sikolohista, kalinangan sa
Diyos
Aspetao – kaligayahang sexual
Urbana at Feliza – kung ano ang dapat iasal ng
mga babae
Biological Perspective of Human Sexuality
Primary Sex Characteristics
- Ones who are directly involved in human
sexual interaction.
• Male – penis
• Female – vagina
Secondary Sex Characteristics
- Indirectly involved in human interaction
- Body features or manifestation that our
body is ready for reproduction
- Development happens after we enter
pubescence or puberty period
• Female – first menstrual period,
time that are fertile 7 days
before/after menstrual period
• Male – signal of pubescence: first
wet dreams from 10-14 years old;
yellow-ish fluid in underwear
Evolutionary Perspective of Human Sexuality
- Beauty is more than just a cultural
standard. It is primarily an evolutionary
standard for attracting the best partner.
- Preference for females with large breast
and males with broad shoulders
instinctively for genetic survival.
Psychological Perspective of Human Sexuality
Key Concepts
Gender Roles
- Cultural behavioral expectations for
males or females
Gender Typing
- Process by which people learn gender
roles
Gender Identity
- Sense of being male or female
(influenced by both biology and
environment)
Gender
- The psychological aspects of being
masculine or feminine and is influenced
by culture, individual personality, and
self-identity.
§ Biological Influences
- Sexual characteristics of the genitals,
hormonal differences, and possible
differences in brain structure and
processing.
§ Environmental influences
- Parental influences and cultural
expectations to adhere to gender
roles
§ Culture
- Individualistic/nontraditional versus
collectivistic/traditional role adoption
The Human Sexual Response Cycle¨ John Lee’s Styles of Love
o Eros – sexual and emotional
Ø Desire Phase o Agape – altruistic and selfless love
- Sexual urges occur in response to sexual o Stroge – love-related friendship
cues or fantasies o Ludus – love is just a game
o Mania – obsessive and possessive
Ø Arousal Stage o Pragma – practical lovers
- A subjective of sexual pleasure and
physiological signs of sexual arousal Robert Strenberg’s Triangular Theory of Love
• Male: penile tumescence
(increased flow of blood into
penis)
• Female: vasocongestion (blood
pools in the pelvic area) leading
to vaginal lubrication and breast
tumescence (erect nipples)

Ø Plateau Phase
- Brief period occurs before orgasm

Orgasm phase
Spiritual Self
• Male: feelings of inevitability of
ejaculation, followed by ejaculation
The Spiritual Self
• Female contractions of the walls of the
- Unseen part of who we are that
lower third of the vagina
provides our physical self with insight,
intuition, and other ways of knowing and
Resolution Phase
being beyond what our five senses
- Decrease in arousal occurs after orgasm
experience in the physical world.
(particularly in men)
- Our five senses and our emotions may
be access points or portals into
experiencing the spiritual self
Three Phases of Romantic Love

Spirituality
1. Lust Phase: intense craving for sexual
- Includes a sense of connection to
contact
something bigger than ourselves, and it
2. Attraction Phase: couples are infatuated
typically involves a search for meaning in
and pursue a relationship
life.
3. Attachment Phase: long-term bond
- People may describe a spiritual
between partners characterized by
experience sacred or transcendent or
feelings of security, comfort and
simply a deep sense of aliveness and
emotional union
interconnectedness.
 Why Spirituality is important?
o Meaninglessness in life is a significant
factor in causing anxiety, depression,
and other mental health concerns.
Contemplative Practices
- Method of deep concentration, deepen
understanding and insight, cultivate
awareness and compassion.
1. Mindfulness
2. Prayer
3. Journaling
Religion
- Fundamental set of beliefs and practices
generally agreed upon by a group of
people
- These set of beliefs concern the cause,
nature, and purpose of the universe,
and involve devotional and ritual
observances.
- They also often contain a moral code
governing the conduct of human affair.
Religiousness
- Degree by which one is affiliated with an
organized religion in terms of person’s
participation in the prescribed rituals
and practices, connection with its
beliefs, and involvement with its
community of believers
The Four Dimension of Religion
1. Beliefs – generalized system of ideas
and values
2. Rituals – repeated gestures or activities
such as prayers and mantras
3. Spiritual Experience – feeling of
immediate connection with higher being
4. Unique social forms of community –
unite in one single community called
Church
Religious Classifications
1. Polytheism – many gods
2. Monotheism – single god
3. Atheism – no deity
4. Animism – non-human beings
The Practice of Religion: Belief in Supernatural
Being and Power
Supernatural
- Events or things that cannot be
explained by the nature or science and
that are assumed to come from beyond
or to originate from the otherworldly
forces.
The Filipino Concept of “Dungan” (spirit or soul)
Animism
- Belief that all things, such as plants,
animals, rocks, and thunder, have spirits
and can influence human events.
Kaluluwa (Soul)
- The part of a person that some people
believe continues to exist in some form
after the body has died, or part of a
person or thing that expresses the basic
qualities that make it what it is.
Magic and Witchcraft
Mambabarang
- Filipino version of a sorcerer; the witch
is a Mamalarang. The name is derived
from the word barang.
- Synonym: Hiligaynon word manog hiwit,
which is also synonymous to kulam. The
verb barangon or hiwitan means “to
place a hex”; curse in Filipino is sumpa
Faith Healer
- Someone who uses the practice of
prayer and gestures (such as laying on of
hands) that are believed by some to
elicit diving intervention in spiritual and
physical healing, especially the Christian
practice.
Filipino Mythical Creatures
Aswang
- Generic term applying to group of
creature types such as witches,
vampires, manananggals, shapeshifters,
therianthropes and monsters.
- Original definition is an eater of the
dead
- Stories recount aswangs as female
shapeshifters living among regular
townspeople. They enjoy eating unborn
fetuses and small children, favoring
livers and hearts.
Manananggal
- Described as being hideous, scary
vampire-like creature
- Capable of severing its upper torso in
order to fly into the night with huge bat-
like wings to prey unsuspecting,
pregnant women.
Kapre
- Filthy, dark giant who like to smoke
huge roll of cigar, and hide within and
atop large trees
- Scares away children who play at night
- If you’re stuck in a place and keep going
around in circles, you’re said to be
played around by kapre.
Duwende/Nuno
- Goblins or elves who live within
mysterious lumps of soil (ant hills)
- Step on their shelter = good luck or
misfortune
- Strange and sudden illness that befall a
person are sometimes attributed to
nunos.
Tiyanak (Impakto)
- Babies who died before receiving
baptism rites.
- They go to place known as Limbo, a
chamber of hell which unbaptized dead
people fall into
Tikbalang (Tigbalang)
- It has a horse’s head, the body of a
human but with the feet of the horse.
- It travels at night to rape female mortals
Sigbin
- A creature in Philippine mythology said
to come out at night to suck the blood
of victims of their shadows.
Digital Self
Digital Literacy
- Defined as those capabilities possessed
by individuals who are living, learning
and working in digital society.
What makes cyberspace a dangerous place to
be?
o People are more willing to speak out
and misbehave
o Authority is minimized
Online Disinhibition – unwanted behavior
Two Categories of Online Disinhibition § Intimidation
- Using physical, or emotional threats
to get what you want from others.
- Naghahamon online

§ Supplication
- “Acting weak or dependent in order
to get favors from others”
Managing Online Disinhibition - Humihingi ng tulong
1. Don’t send or post anything you would
be embarrassed for certain others to
see.
2. Do be careful about over-sharing.
3. Don’t hang out with the “wrong crowd”
online/offline.
4. Do consider your emotional state before
virtually posting or responding to
anything.
5. Do consider the reaction individual are
expecting from toxic disinhibition.
6. Do search for yourself online.

Self-Presentation

§ Ingratiation
- “Behaving in ways to make oneself
likeable to others’
- People pleaser

§ Self-promotion
- Accenting your strong points in order
to earn respect.
- Promoting for their future endeavors

§ Exemplification
- “Demonstrating exemplary behavior
in order to boost your integrity or
character”
- Magandang bagay/pagtulong