6 The Sexual Self

SS031
THE SEXUAL SELF:

Enter If You Dare
“Could you use a balloon as a condom?”

-Anonymous
Palean, E., Nazario, M., Valero, J., & Descartin, I. (2018). Introspection: Understanding the Self. Mandaluyong City, Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate critical, analytical, and creative

thinking.
2. Appreciate the complexity of the human condition.
3. Examine the contemporary world from both

Philippine and global perspectives.
4. Reflect critically on shared concerns.
Introduction
We will discuss sexuality from an

academic and scientific perspective
relevant to understanding who we are so
we may know better how to take care and
protect ourselves and even those we love.
I’m all about context. Talking about
sexuality, intimacy, relationships,
and pleasure can’t be done in a
vacuum. -Al Vernacchio
https://ideas.ted.com/what-teens-really-want-to-know-about-sex/
Sexuality (King, 2014, p. 373)
Sexuality is commonly defined as

“the ways people experience and
express themselves as sexual
beings.”
Sexuality (WHO, 2006a as cited in “Defining Sexual Health,” 2018, para. 6)
• a central aspect of being human

throughout life encompasses:
• sex,
• gender identities and roles,
• sexual orientation,
• eroticism,
• pleasure,
• intimacy, and
• reproduction.
Sexuality (WHO, 2006a as cited in “Defining Sexual Health,” 2018, para. 6)
• can include all of • desires,

• beliefs,
these dimensions,
• attitudes,
not all of them are • values,
always • behaviors,
• practices,
experienced or
• roles, and
expressed • relationships
View about sexuality
Our view about sexuality is heavily

affected by education, occupation,
income, economics, law, politics, history,
media, society, culture, and religion
(“Defining Sexual Health,” 2018; McKee, 2013).
Sexual Health
In our country,
“few data [are] collected nationally
on sexual health, or sexual
practices or behavior”
(“Defining Sexual Health,” 2002, p. 16).
Thought to Ponder On
“Withholding information about sex

and sexuality will not keep children
safe; it will only keep them
ignorant” (Hauser, 2013, para. 2).
If more Filipinos would continue to learn,
whether formally or informally, about proper sex
education, then it may be indirectly passed on
to young children through teaching proper
hygiene or through being discerning of a
child’s actions, reactions, questions, or
cmments about sex.
Sex education is NOT to
promote sexual intercourse but
to promote good sexual health
and safety from sexual violence.
• You may want to watch:
https://www.ted.com/talks/al_vernacchio_s
ex_needs_a_new_metaphor_here_s_one
?language=en
Sex vs. Gender
SEX vs. GENDER

What's the difference?
Sex vs. Gender
Wise et al. (2016) states that:

• SEX refers to a person’s characterization as
female or male at birth, typically based on the
appearance of external genitalia or other
biological characteristics including
chromosomes
Sex vs. Gender
Wise et al. (2016) states that:

• GENDER refers to social characteristics that
may be [or may not be] aligned with a
person’s sex and adopted by an individual as
their gender identity (para. 4).
Sexual Awareness
“It’s natural for everyone to

become more sexually aware, but
it doesn’t mean you are ready to
have sex” (Cole, 2009, p. 11).
Puberty
“Puberty is the one to three-year process

of hormonal and physical change that
causes the young person to reach sexual
maturity, girls usually entering it about a
year [or two] earlier than boys” (Pickhardt,
2010, para. 3).
Puberty
Every individual “develops and reacts in

different ways” due to factors like stress,
weight, “nutrition, hormonal activity, and
inherent characteristics”
(Cole, 2009, p. 4).
Secondary sex characteristics
“Secondary sex characteristics are

traits that differ between the two sexes but
are not part of the reproductive system;
they include breasts in females and facial
hair in males” (King, 2014, p. 359).
“The emotional region of the brain
develops maturity ahead of the part
controlling the rational thought”
(Cole, 2009, p. 8).
Since most teenagers are not

oriented on the drastic
transformations and temporary
emotional takeover, what usually
does this result to?
Mishandled stress, sadness,

shame, low self-esteem, unmet
expectations, from school, work,
family, and peers, may lead to
depression.
“young men are more likely to be arrested than

anyone else in society.
Statistics show that for most boys, criminal
behavior begins around the age of 13, peaks at
17 and disappears in early adulthood”
(Cole, 2009, p. 10).
All adults have gone through

puberty but not all adults have gone
through proper sex education.
Erogenous Zones
Information on erogenous zones

relevant are beneficial not only for
sexual excitement but also for
protection against sexual violence.
Erogenous Zones
When the erogenous zones are touched,

there is an expected automatic sensation.
However, the quality of the sensation
depends on who and how the zones are
being touched (Evans, 2015).
We all need to be aware of the

importance of how to take care of
ourselves, protect ourselves, our loved
ones, and the young children from the
reality that we are still working on
eradicating: sexual violence.
“You're NOT a victim for sharing your

story. You are a survivor setting the world
on fire with your truth. And you never
know who needs your light, your warmth,
and raging courage" — Alex Elle
This is not to scare you but to equip

and empower you with knowledge
and vigilance, and even the
capability of protecting and helping
others.
Sexual violence
Sexual violence is defined by WHO (2012) as:

• any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act,
unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts
to traffic, or otherwise directed, against a person’s
sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless
of their relationship to the victim, in any setting,
including but not limited to home and work (p.
149).
(9) forms and contexts of sexual violence happening
around the world as listed by WHO
Learn to protect oneself
• In our own ways, we can prevent sexual

violence.
• Be aware.
• Be vigilant, not paranoid.
• Filter what ideas you expose yourself to.
• Talk to people who can help.
• Report to concerned agencies based
on Republic Act 9262:
Understanding Human Sexual Response
If the audiences are not high media

literate, concepts of healthy-safe sex,
morality, and even love could be
blurred and become double standard.
“Falling in love is stronger than the

sex drive” (Fisher, 2005, p. 60).
[Love is almost uncontrollable but
sex drive is definitely controllable!]
According to Fisher, “we are drawn to

certain people not only for cultural
reasons, such as socioeconomics,
intelligence, and values, but also for
biological reasons” (Zamosky, 2009, para.
2).
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-
attraction-dawn-maslar#watch
3 stages of romantic love
(3) stages of romantic love as far as

our brain chemicals are concerned:
1. lust,
2. attraction, and
3. attachment (Greenberg, 2016)
To be able to maintain dopamine and oxytocin,

couples need to keep trying something new together –
food, movie, hobby, travel, etc. – and they also have to
spend time with each other and feel each other’s
warmth through gentle touch, holding of hands,
hugging, etc. (“The Chemistry of Love,” 2018;
Zamosky, 2009).
According to Maslar (2016) in her TEDx talk, the

right time for a female to agree to have sex with
her male partner is when he commits – which is
never on the first date. Neurosciencebacks up
the claim of most of our elders’ advice for a
better and long lasting relationship.
sexual response pattern
The sexual response pattern

is the physical and emotional
responses one experiences during a
sexual activity.
This is backed up by Wolfson

(2010) stating that “desire and
sexuality are practically
inextricable” (para. 3).
• Whatever we desire is a summation of

what we have been exposed to or
shown growing up (Wolfson, 2010).
• This is a reminder for us to be careful of
what we continually expose ourselves
to.
Diversity of Sexual Orientation
Being able to respect diversity,

can help in effective, ethical,
relational, and professional
communication.
Diversity of Sexual Orientation
“Many teenagers who have

crushes on people of the same sex
never have same-sex
relationships” (Cole, 2009, p. 36).
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation refers to our

sexual preferences towards
males, females, or both (Cole,
2009; King, 2014).
Gender identity
Gender identity is one’s concept of

being male, female, both, or neither
and is “entirely determined by
socialization (nurture), not biological
factors (nature)” (King, 2014, p. 361).
In the acronym LGBT which stands for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender,
“LGB” pertains to sexual orientation”
(“Lesbian, gay,” 2018).
The “T” in LGBT, which stands for transgender

or gender non-conforming, pertains to gender
identity.
“Some who do not identify as either male or female
prefer the term “genderqueer” (“Lesbian, gay,” 2018, para. 2).
transgender vs transsexual
• A transgender is different from a

transsexual.
• A transsexual is one who transitions
from one sex to another through
undergoing several surgical
procedures.
sexual awareness
Though we may have experienced

“having feelings towards or fantasies
about people of the same sex, it doesn’t
mean you are gay or bisexual, it can be
part of emerging sexual awareness”
(Cole, 2009, p. 12).
sexual awareness
Sexual orientation, sexual

behavior, and gender identity
are independent concepts.
All could be fluid or changing.
sexual awareness
We may have the freedom to choose to whom we

engage sex with and with how many, but if we are not
careful and discerning, we cannot and will never be
able to choose or limit the number of unpleasant
irreversible long term consequences it can bring to our
lives, to people who matter most to us, and even to
the society we are part of.
Risky sexual behaviors
1. having more than 1 sexual partner

2. changing sexual partners frequently
3. having oral, vaginal or anal sexual contact
without a condom
4. using unreliable methods of birth control, or
using birth control inconsistently
(Belizario, 2018)
Teen Pregnancy is the term used when an

underage girl become pregnant, usually
refers to girls from 13-17 years old.
(Belizario, 2018)
Teenage pregnancy remains aStatistics

huge problem in many countries:
 About 16.4% teen pregnancies
happen each year
 80% of these teen pregnancies
are accidental
 50% of the pregnancies end up
in abortion
(Belizario, 2018)
Around the world,

adolescent pregnancies
are more likely to occur
in marginalized
communities, commonly
driven by poverty and
lack of education and
employment
opportunities,”
https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/05/13/the-
pregnant-teen-a-growing-problem/
(Belizario, 2018)
https://news.mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/3-41.jpg
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
• also known as a sexually transmitted

infection (STI), or venereal disease (VD)
• threaten everyone who is sexually active
• prostitutes, drug users and promiscuous

individuals are at higher risk than others
(Belizario, 2018)
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Engaging in sexual contact, either vaginal, oral,

or anal, can give temporary intense pleasure
and, with it, a possibility of transmitting “more
than 30 different bacteria, viruses and parasites”
(“Sexually Transmitted,” 2016, para. 2) that may
result to a lifetime of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs).
STDs are easily spread through any

person-to-person transfer of bodily fluids
such as semen, vaginal secretions, or
blood.
(Belizario, 2018)
Many women infected with certain types of

STDs have no early symptoms at all and may
unknowingly infect sexual partner(s).
(Belizario, 2018)
(Belizario, 2018)
Two Kinds of Sexual Transmission
1) Skin to Skin
S-S
Infected/ + Contact with  transmission

infested susceptible
skin skin
2) Body Fluid N B-F

Body Fluid + Entry into Body  transmission
(blood, semen, (needle, open skin,
vaginal fluids mucous membrane)
& breast milk)
(Belizario, 2018)
STD Transmission
S-S B-F
• Genital Herpes  Chlamydia
• Genital Warts (HPV)  Gonorrhea
• Syphilis  HIV
• Pubic Lice  Hepatitis A

 Hepatitis B
• Scabies
 Hepatitis C
(Belizario, 2018)
• bacterial WHAT CAUSES STD?
• viral
• parasites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llnXtPZ
OazM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKiPfX8
0pK4
https://www.manilatimes.net/i-am-hiv-positive/28500/
Family Planning / Contraception
The information on family planning

(FP) and contraception is for
everyone, even for those who are
still in their adolescent years.
The family planning programs intend to provide

accessible information on sexual and
reproductive health for people to choose from
depending on their needs and preferences
(“Family Planning,” 2018).
For in-depth information and safe sexual

health decisions, it is always best to
consult with a medical expert.
Misuse or abuse of use of artificial
contraception may lead to sever health
risks.
(4) basic principles of family planning
1. Responsible Parenthood which means

that each family has the right and duty to
determine the desired number of children they
might have and when they might have them -
proper upbringing and education of children so
that they grow up to be upright, productive and
civic-minded citizens (para. 2).
(4) basic principles of FP
2. Respect for Life. The 1987

Constitution states that the
government protects the sanctity of
life. Abortion is NOT an FP method
(para. 3).
(4) basic principles of FP
3. Birth Spacing refers to interval between

pregnancies (which is ideally 3 years). It enables
women to recover their health and improve
women's potential to be more productive and to
realize their personal aspirations and allow more
time to care for children and spouse/husband
(para. 4).
(4) basic principlesof FP
4. Informed Choice that is upholding and

ensuring the rights of couples to determine
the number and spacing of their children
according to their life's aspirations and
reminding couples that planning size of their
families has a direct bearing on the quality of
their children's and their own lives (para. 5).
natural and artificial types of contraception
To aid in family planning are a range of

natural and artificial types of
contraception to choose from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VrPWR
soyJI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv7P_W
UKb4o
natural contraception
Abstinence, not engaging in any

form of sex, a natural method, is
the most effective means of
contraception since time
immemorial.
Topics and content about sex
may be rampant but it does not
mean that people are well
educated about it.
There is still much to learn and much
to do for us to be able to better
understand ourselves and even
improve who we are every day for the
greater good.
Reminders
• Read book / readings.
• Regularly check BBL.
https://reallyliving.ca/event/church-business-meeting/
• Submit on time.
• Other concerns? 
• Do your best.
Thank you for your time.
https://weneedfun.com/quotes-about-thank-you/ https://www.thefreshquotes.com/thank-you-quotes-gratitude/

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SS031

THE SEXUAL SELF:

“Could you use a balloon as a condom?”

1. Demonstrate critical, analytical, and creative

3. Examine the contemporary world from both

We will discuss sexuality from an

Sexuality is commonly defined as

• a central aspect of being human

• can include all of • desires,

Our view about sexuality is heavily

“Withholding information about sex

SEX vs. GENDER

Wise et al. (2016) states that:

Wise et al. (2016) states that:

“It’s natural for everyone to

“Puberty is the one to three-year process

Every individual “develops and reacts in

“Secondary sex characteristics are

Since most teenagers are not

Mishandled stress, sadness,

“young men are more likely to be arrested than

All adults have gone through

Information on erogenous zones

When the erogenous zones are touched,

We all need to be aware of the

“You're NOT a victim for sharing your

This is not to scare you but to equip

Sexual violence is defined by WHO (2012) as:

• In our own ways, we can prevent sexual

If the audiences are not high media

“Falling in love is stronger than the

According to Fisher, “we are drawn to

(3) stages of romantic love as far as

To be able to maintain dopamine and oxytocin,

According to Maslar (2016) in her TEDx talk, the

The sexual response pattern

This is backed up by Wolfson

• Whatever we desire is a summation of

Being able to respect diversity,

“Many teenagers who have

Sexual orientation refers to our

Gender identity is one’s concept of

The “T” in LGBT, which stands for transgender

• A transgender is different from a

Though we may have experienced

Sexual orientation, sexual

We may have the freedom to choose to whom we

1. having more than 1 sexual partner

Teen Pregnancy is the term used when an

Teenage pregnancy remains aStatistics

Around the world,

• also known as a sexually transmitted

• prostitutes, drug users and promiscuous

Engaging in sexual contact, either vaginal, oral,

STDs are easily spread through any

Many women infected with certain types of

Infected/ + Contact with  transmission

2) Body Fluid N B-F

• Genital Herpes  Chlamydia