GEC 1 Lessons 5 8 9 Finals 1st Sem AY20 21
GEC 1 Lessons 5 8 9 Finals 1st Sem AY20 21
Contents:
Lesson 5.A: The Physical Self
Lesson 5.B: The Sexual Self
Lesson 8: The Political Self
Lesson 9: The Digital Self
LESSON 5.A
The Physical Self
I. Lesson objectives:
Physical appearance is among the major concerns of people today especially in our world which
is heavily influenced by media (Villafuerte, et al., 2018). According to Ervin Goffman (1971) as cited by
Villafuerte, et al. (2018, p. 67), ―people are concerned with the way others perceive them, and such
concern serves as a motivation to manage their behavior in order to present favorable and appropriate
images to others. Such self-presentation includes not only the individual‘s social behaviors but also
his/her physical body.‖ So, most people nowadays are conscious with their physical appearance that
they are busier with making themselves prettier, sexier, and more handsome with the aim of making
themselves more acceptable. Although some may be contented of how they look and how they are,
others go for transformation of one‘s physical characteristics by exerting much effort and money just to
improve their bodies.
In this lesson, we will explore and learn the concept of physical self and this will require us to also
learn and understand what sexual self is.
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III. StimUlating LeArning (Motivation)
PROPONENT IDEAS
William James The body is the initial source of sensation and
necessary for the origin and maintenance of
personality.
Erik Erickson Experience is anchored in the ground-plan of
the body.
Sigmund Freud The physical body is the core of human
experience.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty The body is at the center of human existence,
as a way of experiencing the world.
According to Villafuerte, et al. (2018, p. 67), the ideas of the proponents presented in the matrix
above explain to us the fact that;
the body is the way through which we make sense of the world and our environment. We
experience life through our bodies and senses (sight, smell, touch, etc.) allowing us to
interpret the world around us.
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the body is not merely an object in the world but we are also our bodies in that the body is
the vehicle of our expression in the world.
the body is the sight for the articulation of all our identifications of gender, class, sexuality,
race, ethnicity and religion.
Furthermore, the human body is endowed with varied forms of social significance which
Sociology has addressed by asking questions like:
To what extent do individuals have control over their own bodies?
How significant is the body to the development and performance of the self in everyday
life?
What images of the body influence people‘s expectations of themselves and others?‖
2. WHAT IS BEAUTY?
Based on your observation, what are the common standards of society today for beauty?
More often, being beautiful is equated with being well-dressed, elegant, good-looking and
attractive! These are some of the words that we commonly associate with beauty. These have become
―the determining factors‖ that shape the societal concept of beauty (Kenny & Nichols, 2014). Hence,
adults and children who look good are more treated kindly by others in the society.
So, what is the ideal body and who determines it? First, let us take a look at the existing societal
standards that define what beauty is.
WOMEN MEN
Wavy, blond hair Muscular wash-board abs
Light skin Powerful legs
Big eyes Chiseled features
Tall and slender frame
Pointed nose
Large breasts
Well-formed biceps
Tiny waists
Round yet toned posterior (butt)
The matrix above manifests the weightier pressures placed on women when it comes to making
the physical aspect beautiful and attractive (Yi, 2015). Furthermore, the leaning of the above
expectations presenting the image of a beautiful woman and a handsome man is more influenced by the
western thought (Poorani, 2012). There is that conformity to the ―socially constructed notion‖ of the
Western standards of beauty (Yi, 2015, p. 48).
Commonly, media use the same theme because it is found to be more appealing to many
especially the masses. Hence, through media, being beautiful means being sexy! So commonly, you will
see in numerous advertisements the images of scantily-clad men and women. In turn, it is not surprising
to see our ladies both young and old showing off their bodies and at the expense of health and modesty,
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sacrifice wearing outfit approved by fashion designers and trendsetters as what will make a woman
beautiful and fashionable.
To overcome adverse effects on the issues of self-esteem, here are our best insights on how to
strike a balance between accurate self-knowledge for who you are. You need to develop a positive body
image which involves:
a. understanding that healthy, attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes;
b. physical appearance says very little about our character or value as a person; and
c. how we get to this point of acceptance often depends on our individual development and self-
acceptance.
We will have a positive body image when we have a realistic perception of our bodies,
when we enjoy, accept and celebrate who or what and how we are, and let go of negative societal
or media perpetuated conditioning.
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LESSON 5.B
The Sexual Self
I. Lesson objectives:
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to be able to:
1. explain and characterize the diversity of human sexual behavior; and
2. discuss chemistry of lust, love, and attachment
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Gone were the days that we only associate people as being male or female. With the advent of
contemporary perspectives on sexuality and gender, a more specified spectrum representing various
classifications and expressions of sex and gender provided a venue for people to choose and a brand
new sense of freedom. Masculinity and femininity, nowadays, became a fluid [indefinite] concept shared
by gender identities in both and neither sides of the sexual binary. Can you specify your sense of
sexuality? To help you do that, here‘s a list of terms you should understand:
Sexuality refers to a human‘s capacity for sexual feelings and includes sexual orientation, sexual
identity, social gender roles and sexual activity. Sexuality is an integral part of all persons, a basic
need, and an aspect of being human. Sexuality includes eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and
reproduction.
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given
society considers appropriate for men and women. To put it another way: ‘Male‘ and ‗female‘ are sex
categories, while ‗masculine‘ and ‗feminine‘ are gender categories (PAHO, 2009).
Gender identity: A person‘s private sense of being male, female or another gender. This may or
may not match the biological sex a person was assigned at birth.
LGBTI: An abbreviation referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. ―LGB‖
are sexual orientations, while ―T‖ is a gender identity and ―I‖ is a biological variant. They are clustered
together in one abbreviation due to similarities in experiences of marginalisation, exclusion,
discrimination and victimisation in a heteronormative and heterosexist society, in an effort to ensure
equality before the law and equal protection by the law (PsySSA Position Statement, 2013).
Lesbian: A woman who has sexual, romantic and intimate feelings for or a love relationship with
another woman (or women).
Gay: A man who has sexual, romantic and intimate feelings for or a love relationship with
another man (or men).
Transgender: A term for people who have a gender identity, and often a gender expression, that
is different to the sex they were assigned at birth by default of their primary sexual characteristics.
Queer: An inclusive term that refers not only to lesbian and gay persons, but also to any person
who feels marginalized because of her or his sexual practices, or who resists the heteronormative
sex/gender/sexual identity system.
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Biological sex is defined by primary and secondary sexual characteristics identified at birth. ‗Sex‘
refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women. It is generally
understood as a biological construct, referring to the genetic, hormonal, anatomical, and
physiological characteristics of males or females. Sex is typically assigned at birth based on the
appearance of the external genitalia.
Sexual orientation is primarily about attraction and is demarcated mostly by the sex of those to
whom one is attracted. The focus of sexual orientation is the biological sex of a person‘s actual or
potential relationship partners– and this can be people of the same sex as the individual, of the other
sex, or of either sex (Diamond, 2014; Feinstein et al., 2014; Seto, 2012). This attraction can be felt as
a romantic, emotional, affectionate or sexual attraction, as well as some combination of these.
Asexual: A person who has low or no sexual desire, little or no sexual behaviour, and a
concomitant lack of subjective distress. Identifying as asexual does not preclude the ability of the
person to have a romantic or love relationship with someone of the same and/ or different
genders.
Bisexual: A person who is capable of having sexual, romantic and intimate feelings for or a love
relationship with someone of the same gender and/or with someone of other genders.
Heterosexual: Having sexual, romantic and intimate feelings for or a love relationship with a
person or persons of a gender other than your own.
Homosexual: Having sexual, romantic and intimate feelings for or a love relationship with a
person or persons of your own gender.
Pansexual: Having sexual, romantic, and intimate feelings for all gender identities in the
spectrum.
Sexual orientation has a number of different dimensions (Vrangalova and Savin-Williams 2014). It
has implications for identity formation and how people come to see themselves in social contexts
(Victoret al., 2014). Dimensions of sexual orientation include:
1. Attraction (or desire), where sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of experiencing sexual or
romantic feelings for men, women, transgender persons, or some combination of these groups.
2. Behaviour, where sexual orientation refers to an enduring pattern of sexual or romantic activity
with men, women, transgender persons, or some combination of these groups.
3. Personal identity where sexual orientation is claimed as a personal identity, or a conception of
the self, based on one‘s deep pattern of sexual and romantic attractions and behaviours toward
men, women, or both sexes.
4. Social (or collective) identity, where sexual orientation can be felt and expressed as a sense of
membership in a social group based on a shared sexual orientation and a linkage of one‘s self-
esteem to that group.
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Sexual behaviour refers to participation in sexual acts that might or might not be related to sexual
orientation or be normative for a particular gender. People, for instance, in same-sex physical
locations, like mine compounds (a single-sex hostel for migrant mine workers), might participate in a
same-sex sexual act, but may not consider this having any impact on their heterosexual orientation.
Sexual behaviour is distinguished from sexual orientation because the former refers to acts, while the
latter refers to feelings and self-concept. People may or may not express their sexual orientation in
their behaviour.
Having read the different terms and concepts concerning your sexuality, have you recognized what
fits to your understanding of your own gender identity and behaviors? Take note that it is not just about
one‘s identity, it must be recognized that sexual orientation and behaviour matters in one‘s choice and
expression of sexuality. Take for example the case of Enzo and Mike. Analyze how they differ from each
other.
Enzo Mike
Sex Gender Sexual Sexual Sex Gender Sexual Sexual behavior
Identity Orientation behavior Identity Orientation
(Description)
Does not Likes both shares Born Calls Married to a Consummates
Born
want to be men and sexual with a himself woman; likes marriage with wife;
with a
identified as women activities penis a man women had a history of
penis
either with same-sex sexual
girl/woman men activities during his
or boy/man teenage years
(Classification)
QUEER BISEXUAL MALE MAN HETEROSEXUAL
MALE
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LESSON 8
The Political Self
I. Lesson objectives:
Political self – Refers to the aspect of the self developed through the interplay of social factors
affecting its political dimension
Here are interrelated factors affecting the dimensions of your political self being discussed below.
1. Family
*Orientation and dynamics
*Personality
The family's central role in forming the individual's political personality derives from its
role as the main source and locus for the satisfaction of all his basic, innate needs. The child
therefore tends to identify with his parents and to adopt their outlook toward the political system.
The father becomes the prototypical authority figure and thereby initiates the child's view of
political authority. Under familial and other social circumstances in which the child progresses
from dependence to autonomy, he is likely to develop into a mature and responsible citizen.
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Families are generally the first, and often the most enduring, influence on young people's
developing political opinions. As people grow older, other influences crisscross the family, and
naturally their attitudes tend to diverge from those of their parents. However, the influence still
remains.
2. School/Educational Institution
School often have multiple roles to play. Not only should they give students the
knowledge they need to enter the labor market, they should also teach young people about
democracy, and develop students‘ capacity to exercise their citizenship. A third task for schools
is to enhance political equality in society by supporting the least privileged students.
4. Culture/Belief System
Culture certainly influences politics. As such, culture is intrinsic to society and to the
human being. It is not meaningful to see culture as an outside force which limits the freedom of
the individual but rather as that which makes the individual human. It is hard to envisage a
person not tempered by culture, or a society not governed according to the values, beliefs, and
norms embedded in a particular culture.
5. Religion/Church
Religious beliefs are significantly related to national political participation. For religious
activities, identifying with a religious tradition reduces participation, but participation in church
activities increases political participation.
Beliefs influence personal and social identity as the values and religious beliefs make up
part of an individual's identity. The different influences however may have a negative or positive
effect in influencing beliefs.
6. Media
Media's portrayal of religions can impact strongly on to a person‘s beliefs as the media is
a strong influence and can frame or shape certain perceptions. For example if a TV show
promotes Buddhism then those who idolize the TV show may be strongly impacted to believe in
such religions.
7. Government
Government implies that there are relations of power between rulers and ruled, but the
context of rule is not limited to the state. Government in this sense is in operation whether the
power relationship is between states and citizens, institutions and clients, parents and children,
doctors and patients, employers and employees, masters and dogs, or even oneself and
oneself. (Think of the training regimes, studying routines, or diets people put themselves
through as they seek to change or direct their lives in a particular way). The role of the state and
its influence on society (and vice versa) is just one aspect of governmental relationships.
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The colonial influence may have tainted our values and traits but we remain faithful to one
another and to our nation. Despite numerous foreign influences, and the imposition of authoritarian rule,
we continue to build democratic communities and strong institutions to demonstrate distinct and separate
national identity.
LESSON 9
The Digital Self
I. Lesson objectives:
The term online identity implies that there is distinction between how people present themselves
online and how they do offline. But any split between online and offline identity is narrowing, for two
reasons, Firstly in contrast to Internet of the 1990s, people today use social media, primarily to
communicate with people they know in real life contexts like home, work, and school. Secondly, wireless
networking and portable devices like smartphones and tablets make it easy to access social media as
part of day-today life, rather than having to formally log on to the internet (Marwick, 2013).
Nowadays, we are living in a digital age, wherein we interact with people involving technology –
cellular phones, computers and other gadgets, thus building our DIGITAL SELF. Here, you will
understand how online identity is established based on the information you offer in technology-
interactions.
Likewise, this will present the risk and dangers in posting too much of your personal life or
pretending you are somebody else in the social media world. This module will also present what you can
do to protect your online personality that can affect your online personality.
How do you describe your digital self? How do you represent yourself online?
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IV. IncUlcAting Concepts (Inputs/Lesson Proper)
A. Online Identity and Self in Cyberspace: (I, Me, Myself, and My User ID Online Identity)
Your digital self is the mask you put on to engage in the technological world. Thus, your online
identity is the sum of your characteristics and interactions. Because you interact differently with each
website you visit, each of those websites will have different picture of who you are and what you do.
Sometimes the different representations of you are referred to as partial identities, because one of them
has the full and true picture of who you are.
Your online identity is not the same as your real-world identity because the characteristics you
represent online differ from the characteristics you represent in the physical world. Every website you
interact with has its own idea of your identity because each one you visit sees you and your
characteristics differently ([Link], 2011).
Online, most research on identity focused on self-presentation (Boyd, 2010; Wynn & Katz, 1997;
Papacharissi, 2002; Baym, 2010). Social media lie social network sites, blogs, and online personals
require users to self-consciously create virtual deceptions of themselves. One way of understanding
such self-representation is the information and materials people choose to show others on a Facebook
profile or Twitter stream. But identity is also expressed through interacting with others, whether over
instant messenger or email.
Since there are fewer identity cues available online than face-to-face, every piece of digital
information a person provides, from typing speed to nickname and email address, can and is used to
make inferences about them (Marwick, 2013).
How do you build your online identity? Every website that you interact with will collect its own
version of who you are, based on the information that you have shared. Thus, it is up to you how you will
represent yourself as closely as who you are and what you do in real life or selectively, to create a
representation far from your real life.
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C. Boundaries of the Online Self: Private vs. Public; Personal vs. Social identity Online; Gender
and Sexuality Online.
Extra care with full sense of accountability must be observed in the use of the social media
to protect the self.
Description
Classification
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APPENDIX
SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS IN LESSONS 6 AND 7
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