THE SEXUAL

SELF
SEXUAL SELF-CONCEPT DEFINED
• Sexual self-concept is characterized as a person’s evaluation of his or her own sexual
feelings and action.
• A study in 2009 by Jokin De Irala was conducted among 4,000 Filipino students from
third year high school to third-year college, aimed at looking into their views on
relationship, love and sexuality mainly from friends. However, they valued parent’s
opinion more than friends.

The sexual self-concept consist of four main factors;

1. Information or event (external events that affect sexual function or affect aspects of
sexuality)
2. Sexual esteem (cognitive, attitudes, sexual schemata)
3. Sexual affect/feelings (feelings about sexuality and function), and
4. Sexual behaviour and function
SEX AND SEXUALITY IN ADOLESCENT
• Sex is a primary category of human social perception.
• (Stangor, Lynch, Duan and Glass, 1992) Judging a person as male and female has been
described as a automatic social-cognitive process that is effortless, unintended, and
involuntary.
• At birth, each individual is classified by biological sex, (means whether an individual is
a girl or boy.)

Sex can be defined using:

1. Chromosomes (XX or XY)
2. Gonads (ovaries/testes)
3. Gonadal hormones (estrogens or androgens/testosterone)
4. Internal accessory organs (fallopian tubes, uterus or vas deferens/seminal
vesicles)
5. External genitalia (clitoris, labia minora, vaginal orifice or penis, scrotum.)
 Individuals with mixed sexual configurations using these different biological criteria are
know as intersexed or intersexual (Macapagal, 2013)
 Developmet of sexuality begins as early as in intrauterine life following conception and
continues through infancy, childhood, adolescene, adulthood till death.
 During infancy, there is no awareness of gender.
 The child acknowledges their gender as early as by three years.
 Adolescene is phase of transition during which major developments of sexuality takes
place.
 Puberty is reached during adolescence, which is a major landmark in the development of
sexuality.

According to US National Library of Medicine (2015), adolescence can be broadly divided

into three stages:
• Early (10-13 years)
• Middle (14-16 years), and
• Late (17-19 years)
 Physical changes begin in early adolescence, where they are extremely concerned about
their body image.
 During adolescence, cognitive development happens; adolescents develop abstract thinking
and reasoning.
 Emotionally, they build up a sense of identity during late adolescence; social involvement,
peer interaction, as well as sexual interest, develop in this phase.
 Different behavioral experimentation is seen in early in adolescence, risk taking in middle
of adolescence, and later adolescence learns to asses their own risk taking.

SEX, GENDER, and SEXUAL ORIENTATION

 In 2015, the eminent psychologist Dr. Margie Holmes gave the primer on Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer (LGBTIQ) issues and definitions, raising that sex is about
biological dimensions of chromosomes, gonads, and hormones (Sayson & Nisperos, 2015).
 While an individual’s gender identity, on the other hand, refers to the intimate
knowledge and experience of the individual’s own gender roles.
 Gender expressions or how gender is manifested include heteronormative, transgender,
and transsexual.
 In gender a gender-binary or heteronormative paradigm where male and female are the
only gender that acceptable genders, transgender and transsexual are ostracized (Sayson
& Niperos, 2015).
 Holmes cited cases of transgender denied entry in both male and female public
restrooms in nightclub.
 According to Holmes, studies have shown that transphobia—antagonism towards
transsexual and transgender– is often worse than homophobia.
 Seen previously as a simple matter of sexual attraction the term has now come to include
actions and behavior in response to attraction (commonly referred as sexual orientation)
Sexual orientation- is an “enduring emotional, romantic, sexual or affectional attraction to
another person” (APA, 1998, p.1).
 Sexual orientation, as one of the aspect within the broad umbrella of sexuality, is defined
by the sex of the person to whom one is sexually attracted to and has the potential of loving
(Hyde, 1990).
 Following gendered expectations of sexuality, males are expected to fall inlove and be
sexually attracted to females and females are expected to fall inlove and be sexually
attracted to male, (Howard and Hollander, 1997 as cited by Macapagal).
The following are emerging nature of sexual orientation:
• Heterosexual- is an attraction and behavior towards the opposite sex,
• Homosexual- is an attraction to the same sex,
• Bisexual- is an attraction to both male and female.
• Asexual- is a person who do not have attraction towards any sex or gender.
Pansexual, on the other hand, have the ability to be attracted to anyone regardless of sex.
Intersexed are people who fall outside the male and female dichotomy.

 An example of intersexed individual is the male pseudo hermaphrodite who has a defective
androgen receptor.
 Male pseudo hermaphrodite look like normal women, with well-developed breast, long legs,
flawless complexion, with the added height of a man. When they fail to menstruate, their
intersexuality is discovered.
 It is soon discovered that their vagina ends blindly with no uterus, fallopian
tubes or upper vagina. Instead, a normal testes is buried in the groin or labia.

 Holmes stressed that sex is “a three letter word needing four letter words to convey its true
meaning– heal, give, take, and love” (Rappler, 2015)

Gender Identity
Gender identity, It is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male or female a blend of
both or neither-how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves.
 One’s gender identify can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.
 However, human experience shows proof that one’s biological sex may not always match
one’s physical gender (Golden, 2019).
 Kevin Balot- The first Filipina transgender who won and
crowned as the Miss international Queen 2012 held in
Pattaya, Thailand.

BB gandang hari- Rustom Padilla’s legal identity has been

changed to Binibini Gandanghari, and her gender formally
recognized as female. A Los Angeles court approved the
name and gender change documents.
 Jake Zyrus- (born Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco;
May 10, 1992), who performed under the mononym Charice
until his gender transition to male as Filipino singer who
rose to popularity through YouTube.

Aiza Seguerra- spoke at length about his sexual orientation

in an interview on “Aquino and Abunda Tonigth” back in
August 2014, Seguerra said he realized that he is
transgender after a long time of having unanswered
questions.
Geraldine Roman- the first transgender politician in the
Philippines. Roman won seat in the first district of Bataan in
the 2016 elections. A graduate student in Applied
Mathematics, she was the first transgender head of the
student council at the University of the Philippines.
Aspects of Sexuality

 There are several researchers today that focus on aspects of sexuality.

Include, sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, sexual desire, sexual agencies and sexual self-
concept.

• Sexual pleasure- The emotional satisfaction that arises from the movement of those organs
and secretions that aid the act of procreation.
• Sexual Satisfaction- Feeling fulfilled and satisfied with one’s sexual life, may include both
physical and psychological/emotional satisfaction. (Higgins, Trussell, Moore, & Davidson,
2010)
• Sexual Desire- A motivational state that generates increased attention to sexual stimuli, and
variable subjective and physiologic arousal (Basson & Schultz, 2007).
• Sexual Agency- Agency is the ability to act in a way that accomplishes your goals.
(Madsen, 2014)
 In sexuality, when we say “sexual agency,” it is composed of complex group
of skill, rights and abilities. According to Madsen (2014), sexual agency include
• The ability to define yourself sexually- whether that means along the
heterosexually/homosexuality spectrum, along the spectrum that runs from asexual to highly
interested in sex, or both.
• The ability to choose whether or not you want to experience sexual activity- both in general
and with a specific person at a specific time in a specific way.
• The ability to choose how you want to engage in sexual activity.
• The ability to stop engaging in a sexual act that is no longer wanted or to refuse an act that
was never desired.

In other words, if you have this sexual agency, you are in control of what is the “must” and
“limitations” when it comes to your sex life. Your sexuality is defined by your choice and not
by the perceptions of others.
SEXUAL SELF CONCEPT
Sexual self-concept is also reffered as “sexual self-view.”
 It is complex mix of physiological, interpersonal, cultural, emotional and psychological
factors.

There are three (3) aspects of sexual self-concept.

Sexual Self-esteem • The sexual self-esteem is a feeling or self worth in sexual

Sex isn’t everything and you
situations, (Buzwell and Rosenthal, 1996).
don’t need to have sex to be • Sexual self-esteem tends to positively evaluate one’s own
in a good relationship. Just capacity to engage in healthy sexual behaviors and to
find someone who you love experience one’s sexuality in a satisfying and enjoyable
and who loves you back. way.
Sex isn’t something
mandatory. Never think that
it is
Sub factors are defined as follows:
Sexual behaviors perceptions of one’s overall sexuality, with whom have you actually had
sex? People express their sexual self through their intimate relationship. It very much linked to
how people from romantic relationship and meet their needs for attachment, intimacy and love
(APA, 2008).

Sexual conduct feelings of adequancy of behavior in sexual situations and with partner.

Sexual attractiveness feelings of sexual appearance and desirability, with whom are you really
attracted? In the Philippines, Ofreneo (2003), sexual attraction and emotional preference
affirmed person sexually.
 Sexual Anxiety
Sexual anxiety tends to feel tension, discomfort, and anxiety about the
sexual aspects of one’s life, (Snell, 1998). According to the study, traditional sex role propose
that open expressions of sexuality are seen as shameful for women who are not married, (or at
least not strongly committed), married and strongly committed are expected to yield to their
male partners sexual desire, becoming capable sexual counterparts who are able to satisfy their
partners.

Sexual Self-exploration
Scientific studies are replete with data suggesting that most teenagers admit that they are too
young to engage in sexual intercourse.
But teenagers are thoughtful people. And sex is a powerful urge. So teenagers figure out ways
to have sex, oftentimes, unfortunately, to their detriment: unwanted pregnancies, tarnished
reputations, emotional (and sometimes physical) scars, bad first experience, and sexually
transmitted disease.
Erotic Self-Exploration
The first step towards realizing a healthy sex life in the 21 st century is erotic
self-exploration: providing a pleasurable sexual experience to a partner is much more likely if
one has had first-hand experience with providing sexual pleasurable to oneself.
Self-examination also enables a gentleman to closely and regularly monitor his body, in some
cases alerting him to slight changes that may be the early indicators of progressing health
conditions and diseases.
Sexual Self-Efficacy
One of the most important issues that we can understand in terms of sexual health is sexual
self-efficacy. When someone has sexual self-efficacy,
a. She is able to see herself as a person who can make decisions about what happens to her
sexually.
b. He knows how to say yes and no to sexual behaviors and relationships.
c. He knows how to ask for consent from a partner before engaging in sexual behavior how to
demand that others ask for consent,
Sexual self-efficacy is incredibly important for sexual health. So, how do we
sexual self-efficacy? Some specific things that adults can do to help children build sexual self-
efficacy in different age groups

Toodlers & Preschoolers

• Call body parts by proper names
• Avoid shaming self-touch
• Begin to talk about “private parts” that are their own. Nobody but them or a trusted adult
(parent, doctor, etc.) should touch them.
• Talk about good touch and bad touch and how to respond if anyone touches them in a way
that makes them uncomfortable.
 At a young age you want to begin talking with children about their own rights
to say what happens with their bodies. The idea is to get the child thinking about the consent:
1. What it means to say yes to physical affection, and what it means to say no.
2. You want to give the child the chance to think about how to respond when someone wants
to give them affection that they don’t want, and also how to ask others for consent for
physical touch.
3. Teaching children what it means to consent to physical affection, how to say yes, how to
say no, and how to ask for consent, all of these are vitally important messages for all
children. This is a first step in building strong sexual-efficacy.

SEX AND RELATIONSHIP

Concomitant to be discussion on sexual self is the views of the individuals on sexual
relationship and conduct.
Emerging Sexual Trend
• Partner Swapping- Swinging, sometimes called wife swapping or partner, is a non-
monogamous behavior in which both singles and partners in a committed relationship
engage in sexual activities with others as recreational or social.
• Orgies- These are parties where people engage in unrestrained intimacy with each other. It
happen with both strangers and known people.

The Online Space

• Pornography (often abbreviated porn) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the
purpose of sexual arousal.
• Pornography may be presented in a variety of media, including books, magazines,
postcards, photographs, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, writing,
film, video, and video games.
• The primary subjects of present-day pornographic depictions are pornographic,
who pose for still photographs, and pornographic actors or porn stars, who perform in
Cybersex, also called computer sex, Internet sex, net sex and, colloquially, cyber or cybering is
a encounter in which two or more people connected remotely via send each other messages
describing a sexual experience.

Education, Guidance, and Support

Developing a sexual self-concept is an important development task of adolescence. However,
little empirical evidence describes this development, nor how these changes are related to
development in sexual behavior.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES

Nature of Sexually Transmitted Disease

• Sexually transmitted disease, commonly called STDs, are diseases that are
spread by having sex with someone who has an STD. You can get a sexually transmitted
disease from sexual activity that involves the mouth, anus, vagina, or penis (webmd.N.D)
• According to the review of T. Johnson (2017), individuals who are active in sexual
activities are more prone in this disease.
• There are factors that could identify an individual if he or she is at high risk, if have sex
with someone who has had sexed with different people, who have than one sex partner and
training sex for money or drugs. Half of those infected individuals are among ages 15 to 24
and they can have long term consequences.
• Most STIs are treatable and reprerable
Common types of STDs and their treatments
STDs are infections that are passed from one person to another during vaginal,
anal, and oral sex. They’re really common, and lost of people who have them don’t have any
symptoms. STDs can be dangerous, but the good news is that getting tested is no big deal, and
most STDs are easy to treat.

 Chlamydia- is a bacteria infection that’s easily cured with antibiotic medicine. It’s one of
the most common STDs, and most people who have chlamydia don’t show symptoms.
 Chlamydia is spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sex.

 Genital Warts- Common and are caused by certain types of HPV. Genital warts can be
annoying, but they’re treatable and aren’t dangerous.
 Gonorrhea- Very common sexually transmitted infection, especially for teens and people in
their 20s. Gonorrhea is sometimes called “the clap” or “the drip”
 Hepatitis B- is a liver infection caused by a virus (called the Hepatitis B
virus, or HBV). It can be serious and there’s no cure; but the good news is it’s easy to prevent.

Human Immunodefiency Virus- or HIV. It’s a virus that breaks down certain cells in
immune system (the body’s defense against diseases that helps a person stay healthy).
 HIV is the virus causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Defiency Syndrome.

 Human Papillomavirus- or HPV. It’s the most commonly transmitted infection.

HPV is usually harmless and goes away by itself, but some types can lead to cancer or genital
warts.