Physical Self - Persons who do not value themselves and do not

- Refers to the body which we interface with our trust their possibilities.
environment and fellow being.
2. High Self Esteem
Different Schools of Thought View on the - A positive self-esteem, which makes the person be
Physical Self satisfied of themselves.
William James
- considered body as initial source of sensation and 3. Inflated Self Esteem
necessary for the origin and maintenance of - People who holds high regards of themselves.
personality.
Sexual Self
Sigmund Freud Human Sexual Behavior
- Construction of self and personality makes the - Defined as any activity– solitary, between two
physical body the core of human experience. persons, or in a group – that induces sexual arousal.

Wilhelm Reich Understanding Basic of Sexual Behavior

- All psychological processes, are part of the - Men sexual behavior can occur any time, by being
physical process and vice versa. arouse to certain stimuli.
Mind + Body = One - At puberty, the testes begin to secrete androgens
(male sex hormones) which produces secondary sex
Erik Erikson characteristics like growth of bodily hair and change
- Bodily organs is important in early developmental in tone of voice.
stages of a persons life. - Female sexual behavior starts at puberty where the
two ovaries begin to produce estrogens and
Carl Jung progesterone (female sex hormones.).
- Argued that the physical body and the external
world can be known only as psychological TYPES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
experiences. 1. SOLITARY BEHAVIOR
- involving only one individual.
Burrhus Frederic Skinner
- The role of the body is of primary importance. 2. SOCIOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR
- involving more than one person.
3 Basic Body Types
1. Endomorph Diversity of Sexual Behavior
- Big, high body fat, often pear - shaped, with a high 1. Heterosexual
tendency to store body fat. - is a sexual attraction and behavior directed to other
2. Mesomorph sex.
- Muscular and well - built, with a high metabolism
and responsive muscle cells 2. Homosexuality
3. Ectomorph - is a romantic and/or sexual attraction between
- Lean and long, with difficulty building muscle members of the same sex.

Self – Esteem 3. Transgenderism

- Refers to the overall self -evaluation or sense of
self-worth.
Well, we all know that self-esteem comes from
what you think of you, not what other people think
of you. - “Gloria Gaynor”
3 Different Kinds of Self Esteem
1. Low Self Esteem
- these are people who view themselves as a third
gender, they are transvestites (who wears clothes of
the other gender).
4. Transsexuality
- these are people who believed they were born with
the body of the other gender.
5. Bisexuality
- are person who can be romantically or sexually
attracted to same sex
II. GENDER AND SEXUALITY
Interest in gender
• Shift in using “sex” and “gender”
• social psychologists opt to use the term gender
because it encompasses the range of difference
between men and women and emphasizes the social
construction of maleness and femaleness (Burn,
1996)
➢ Feminine or masculine
Gender identity
- The personal psychological sense of being male or
female.
▪ Often assumed to match one’s biological sex
Transsexuals
- people who have literally changed their sex
▪ They have been surgically and hormonally
altered so that they appear to be a sex different
from the one they were born in.

Sex Transgender
- Biological Sex- Biologically sex prescribed - In general, people whose gender identity or gender
characteristics that differentiate males and females expression differs from what is associated with their
in terms of reproductive organs and chromosomes. assigned sex at birth.
- Multidimensional Model of Sex (Crawford &
Unger, 2000): Gender role
1. Chromosomes (XY, XX) Social sex role or Gender role
2. Gonads (Ovaries & Testes) - the adherence to culturally created behaviors and
3. Gonadal hormones (Estrogens or androgens) attitudes deemed appropriate for females or males
4. Internal accessory organs (fallopian tubes, vas Gender belief system
deferens) - People’s expectations what it means to be male
5. External Genitalia (Penis, Clitoris) and female.
- People who fall outside the male and female • “Men should have big biceps”
dichotomy are generally called intersexuals (1.7 %
of the population) Gender Stereotypes
- Generalized beliefs about the characteristics of
Gender men and women.
- is commonly defined as socially or culturally • “Women are emotional”
prescribed characteristics, behaviors, and interests • “Manloloko lahat ng lalake”
appropriate for women and men (Howard &
Hollander, 1997). Gender role
- Males are expected to be masculine in appearance, • Gender Roles vary with culture.
behavior, and personality, and females are expected • To some country, spouses prefer that both of them
to be feminine share the labor in providing and nurturing their
children.
• SEX • Gender roles vary over time.
➢ Biological • In 1965 the Harvard Business School had never
➢ Determined at birth granted a degree to a woman. At the turn of the
➢ Universal twenty- first century, 30 percent of its graduates
were women.
➢ Present in either
• Even in the Philippines before, women were not
➢ Fixed allowed for schooling– gave birth to exclusive
➢ Male or Female schools.
• How is culture transmitted from one generation to
• GENDER another?
➢ Social, contextual • Peer influence suggests that who we are not
➢ Social expectations for males and females mostly because of how our parent’s raised us– but
➢ Present in both because of the peers that surround us.
➢ Changing • Much of culture’s influence is transmitted to
children by their peers.
Transgender & Transsexual
TRANSGENDER
- Person whose gender identity or gender
expression does not match their assigned birth sex
TRANSSEXUAL
- Person whose gender identity is opposite to his or
her biological sex to the extent that he/she will seek
surgical sex reassignment
Sexual orientation
• Sexuality
- Fuzzy term used to refer to sexual behaviors (what
you do), eroticism (what turns you on), sexual
orientation (who turns you on), as well as desires to
engage in sexual activity.
• Sexual Orientation
- the sexual and emotional attraction to the same
and/or opposite sex
Traditional binary gender model
Modern Continuum Gender Model
In the Philippines…
• Bakla- males who are feminine or effeminate and
who cross-dress
• A contraction of the words babae (female) and
lalaki (male) (Tan, 1995a)
• Refers to male homosexual or gay man.
• Tomboy- females who are masculine and who
crossdress
• Refers to female homosexual or lesbian.
**Gender and sexual orientation are fused into same
the same words/labels in Filipino culture (Ofreneo,
2000)
**Which means that gender expression is used to
signify sexual orientation.
Bisexual & silahis
Bisexual
– person who is attracted to both male and female
Silahis
- a male who is erotically attracted to both males
and females (male bisexual)
• *There is no distinct term for the Filipino female
bisexual
Theoretical approaches to gender
1. Essentialist approach
- Difference bet. Male and female are biologically
determined.
✓ Nature
2. Socialization approach
- gender is not innate, but rather learned from the
environment.
3. Social Constructionist approach
- gender is created through our social interactions.
✓ Gender is fluid.
4. Structuralist approach
- gender as a form of a social structure or the basis
for the systematic allocation of resources.
✓ Resources shape gendered behaviors.
“Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus”
Bio-psycho-social
- Do gender differences reflect natural selection?! -
- Are gender roles socially constructed? Or genes
has something to do with it?
“Your „opposite sex‟ is actually your nearly
identical sex.” - Hyde (2005)
however…
MALE
- slower to enter puberty (by about two years) but
quicker to die (by four years, worldwide).
- three times more likely to be diagnosed with
ADHD (attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder),
four times more likely to commit suicide, and five
times more likely to be killed by lightning.
- more capable of wiggling the ears.
FEMALE
- has 70 percent more fat, has 40 percent less
muscle, is 5 inches shorter, and weighs 40 pounds
less.
- is more sensitive to smells and sounds.
- is doubly vulnerable to anxiety disorders and
depression.
Independence & Connectedness
MALE
• Prefer larger groups than more intimate one.
• Less emotional in relationships.
• More independent
FEMALE
• More intimate– because they tend to read other’s
emotions.
• Skilled at expressing emotions nonverbally.
• More caring.
• More “connected”
Social dominance
MALE
• More dominant, driven, and aggressive.
• Takes more risks.
• Tend to talk louder and interrupt more.
FEMALE
• More dependent & submissive.
• Less interruptive, more sensitive, more polite, less
cocky.
Aggression
- Physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt
someone.
MALE
• Throughout the world, hunting, fighting, and
warring are primarily male activities.
• More aggressive in general.
FEMALE
• Less aggressive.
• Caveat: Aggression is also contingent.
• slapping a family member, throwing something, or
verbally attacking someone—women are no less
aggressive than men.
Sexuality
MALE
• More likely to initiate sexual activity.
• Desire sex more often.
FEMALE
• Wants more commitment than intercourse.
• Wants more emotional passion.
III. EVOLUTION & GENDER: DOING WHAT
COMES NATURALLY?
Gender and Mating Preferences
• We all have hidden evolutionary predispositions.
• We want to send our genes into the future.
• Everywhere, men preferred attractive physical
features suggesting youth and health— and
reproductive fitness. Everywhere, women preferred
men with resources and status.
Gender and Mating Preferences
• Females invest their reproductive opportunities
carefully, by looking for signs of resources and
commitment.
• Males compete with other males for chances to
win the genetic sweepstakes by sending their genes
into the future, and thus look for healthy, fertile soil
in which to plant their seed.
• Why are men attracted to beautiful (physically)
women?
• Evolutionary perspective: Because it suggest peak
of fertility.
• Why women are attracted to men with stature?
• Evolutionary perspective: Women everywhere feel
attracted to men whose wealth, power, and ambition
promise resources for protecting and nurturing
offspring.
Gender & hormones
• Are we all just biological beings?
• All our actions or thinking are due to hormonal
secretions?
• We could not deny the social forces that influence
us!
Physiological Aspects of Sexual Excitement
EROGENOUS ZONE
- These are part of the body that particularly
sensitive to touch, pressure and vibration which
contributes to sexual arousal.
Phases of Sexual Response
Arousal/Excitement Phase
- Is a subjective sense of sexual pleasure.
Plateau Phase
- Is a brief period of time before the orgasm. It is the
body’s preparation for orgasm.
Orgasm Phase
- Is an intense, highly pleasurable experience.
Resolution Phase
- Stage where the decrease of arousal happens.
Natural and Artificial Method of Contraception
Natural Contraception
- This is a type of birth control that depend with
observations on woman’s body through monitoring
and recording different fertility signals during her
menstrual cycle.
Artificial Method
- Is diverse method of contraception using to
prevent conception of a woman.
Natural Method of Contraception
Cervical Mucus Method
- woman is fertile when the cervical mucus is
profuse and watery.
Basal Body Temperature
- Done by monitoring the changes in the woman’s
temperature every morning before any activity.
Calendar Method
- It is also called as Rhythm Method. It involves
avoiding coitus during the days that the woman is
fertile.
Symptothermal Method
- It is a combination of Basal Body Temperature
and Cervical Mucus Method.
Ovulation Detection
- This method uses an over the counter kit that
requires the urine sample of the woman.
Abstinence
- Done thru abstaining from sexual intercourse.
Coitus Interruptus/Withdrawal Method
- This is where the couple proceeds with coitus but
the moment he ejaculates, the men withdraw before
emission of spermatozoa outside of the vagina.
Lactation Amenorrhea Method
- This is exclusive for breastfeeding woman.
Method is only effective you feed your baby at least
6 times a day -- every 4 hours during the day and
every 6 hours at night -- with both breasts.
Artificial Method of Contraception
Vaginal Ring
- Releases a combination of estrogen and
progesterone and surrounds the cervix. It remains in
there for 3 weeks and will be removed on the 4 th
week.
Oral Contraception
- Known as the ―Pill‖. Contains synthetic estrogen
and progesterone.
Transdermal Patch
- This patch contains both estrogen and
progesterone. The woman should apply one patch
every week for three weeks on the ff areas: upper
outer arm, upper torso, abdomen, or buttocks.
Subdermal Implants
- It is a two rod -like implants under the skin of
woman during menstruation. It contains
etonogestrel, desogestrel, and progestin.
Hormonal Injections
- Contains medroxyprogest erone & a progesterone.
This prevents ovulation and change in the cervical
mucus.
Intrauterine Device
- It is a small T-shaped objected in uterus thru
vagina to prevent fertilization.
Vasectomy
- Is a procedure done to male through small incision
made on each side of the scrotum to block the
passage of sperms.
Chemical Barriers
- These are used to cause death of the sperm before
it can enter the cervix of a woman. These are
spermicides, vaginal gels and creams, and glycerin
films.
Diaphragm
- Inhibits the entrance of into the vagina. It should
not be left in a place for more than 24 hours to
avoid irritation.
Male Condom
- a rubber sheath placed in the erect penis before
penetration to avoid the sperm to enter the vagina
during ejaculation.
Female Condom
- a synthetic rubber placed against the vaginal
opening to prevent the sperm to enter the vagina
during ejaculation.
Tubal Ligation
- Is a procedure done to female through cuttering,
cauterizing, or blocking the fallopian tube to inhibit
the passage of both sperm and the ova.
THE MATERIAL AND ECONOMICAL SELF
MATERIAL SELF
William James
- Father of American Psychology
- He identified various component of the Empirical
Self, one of which is what he called as the Material
Self.
- According to James, Man’s “Material Self” is not
only consisting of his own body but also includes
different things he possess from ones family and
friends.
- And things such as ones clothes, house, cars,
gadgets and even the amount of money he has in the
bank.
MATERIAL SELF INVESTMENT DIAGRAM
- Influenced by the “Philosophy of Dress” of
Herman Lotze
Body
- We strive hard to make sure our body functions
well
Clothes
- “Anytime we bring an object into the surface of
our body , we invest that object into the
consciousness of our personal existence, taking in
its contour to be our own and making it a part of the
self.”
Immediate family
- We see them as a replica of ourselves. What they
do or become affects us.
Home
- Is where our heart is. The earliest nest of our
selfhood
JAMES IDEA OF THE MATERIAL SELF
- One can define themselves and at the same time
defined by the people they are acquainted with thru
the accumulation of objects and achievements that
person acquired from different endeavors and
experiences in life.
THE SELF AS “ME”
“The possessions that we dearly have tell something
about who we are , our self concept, our past, and
even our future”
WE ARE WHAT WE HAVE
Russell W. Belk
- is an American business academician, currently a
Distinguished Research Professor and the Kraft
Foods Canada Chair in Marketing at Schulich
School of Business, York University
- The identification of the self to things started in
our infancy stage when we make a distinction
among self and environment and others who may
desire our possesions.
- “ We regard our possessions as part of ourselves.
We are what we have and what we posses.”
Andrew Carnegie
- Pioneering American Philanthropist
- Once set the standard for giving back:
“ No man can become rich without himself
enriching others”
“The man who dies rich dies disgraced.”
David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20,
2017)
- was an American banker who was chairman and
chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation.
- He was noted for his wide-ranging political
connections and foreign travel, in which he met
with many foreign leaders. His fortune was
estimated at $3.3 billion at the time of his death in
March 2017.
- “I am convinced that material things can
contribute a lot to making one’s life pleasant, but,
basically, if you do not have very good friends and
relatives who matter to you, life will be really
empty and sad and material things cease to be
important.”
As we grow older putting importance to material
possessions decreases.
Young vs. Experienced
Young
- Money may not buy happiness, but can damn well
give it!
Experienced
- You can have everything in the world and still be
the loneliest man. And that is the most bitter type of
loneliness, success has brought me world idolization
and millions of pounds. But it’s prevented me from
having the one thing we all need: A loving, ongoing
relationship.
“I've got a few good friends, a big house and I can
go wherever I want whenever I want... but the more
money you make the more miserable you get. It just
so happens that I have a lot of money.”
JIM CARREY
- When he was younger he became homeless for a
while after his father lost his job and as a result he
had to live in a minivan parked on a relative’s lawn.
- Even through the darkest times he believed in the
law of attraction. Jim Carrey is a firm believer that
the universe does listen to our wishes and that if we
work hard for them, they are attainable.
- He used to visualize how directors and fans
praised him because they were enjoying his work.
By the age of 28, he was still a struggling comedian
he decided to write himself a check for 10 million
dollars and gave himself 5 years to cash it in.
- He kept the check in his wallet almost 4 years –
until July 1995, when he found that that he would
be making 10 million$ for his role in Dumb and
Dumber.
And now …
- “I hope everybody could get rich and famous and
will have everything they ever dreamed of, so they
will know that it’s not the answer.”
- “I realize now more than ever that the most
valuable commodity in life is the feeling you get
when you give. Compassion is the currency that
leads to true wealth.”
However, material possessions gain higher value in
our lifetime if we use material possessions to find
happiness, associate these things with significant
events, accomplishment , and people in our life.
THE SPIRITUAL SELF
William James
- According to James (1890) people will find more
satisfaction in having been able to show of the
spiritual self like their intelligence, to have their
wishes be done, and to act upon their conscience
than to count or show their possession, because he
said that the spiritual self “is the most enduring and
intimate part of the self”.
- William James’s take on the spiritual self which is
inclined as the inner most workings of the person’s
mind, the behavior, beliefs and even morals that
involves every aspect of the human as a person.
Manifestation of the Spiritual Self
1. Person’s Will
- Refers to one’s wishes, these are the things that we
want to see and achieve in our lives.
2. Intelligence and abilities
- these area the perceived strengths of a person, the
things that they have confidence in doing and
believe to have a certain level of mastery.
3. Morals
- It is the definition of what is right and wrong ,
distinguish the things that are acceptable for a
person, the society and at the same time the
determination of the possible effects of their actions
to themselves, their environment and other people.
4. Values
- Is the person’s ability to distinguish what is
important and what is not. With one’s values system
a person may be able to prioritize what they think
are the task or thing that is needed, what are the
things that should be done or to be resolved
immediately, and what are those that they can delay
without grave repercussions.
The Practice of Religion: Belief in Supernatural
Being and Power
Difference between Religion and Spirituality
• Religion refers to beliefs and behaviors related to
supernatural beings and powers. Worldview is
broader than religion.
• Worldview refers to the collective body of ideas
that members of the culture generally share
concerning the ultimate shape and substance of their
reality.
• Religion also differs from spirituality, which is a
concern with the sacred in an individual manner. All
cultures have religion, spirituality, a worldview and
magic (Haviland, 2007).
Religion
- Religion is an organized system of ideas about
spiritual reality, or the supernatural, along with
associated beliefs and ceremonial practices
(Haviland, 2007)
Spirituality
- Concern with the sacred, as distinguished from
material matters. In contrast to religion, spirituality
is often individual rather than collective and does
not require a distinctive format or traditional
organization (Haviland, 2007)
Myth, Rituals and Supernatural
Myth
- A sacred narrative that explains the fundamentals
of human existence – where we and everything in
our world came from, why we are here, and where
we are going.
Rituals
- A culturally prescribed symbolic act or procedure
designed to guide members of a community in an
orderly way through personal and collective
transitions.
- Two types: calendric and crisis.
Supernatural
- The Supernatural is around you all the time,
especially in non-industrialized societies
- In a lot of cultures, health, wealth, and daily things
are related to supernatural.
Functions of Religion
a. Cognitive Function
- Enabling humans to explains the unexplainable
phenomena.
b. Emotional Function
- Helping individuals to cope up with anxieties that
often accompany illness, accidents, deaths,
c. Social Function
- Social control, conflict resolution and building
group solidarity
The Concept of “Dungan” – Spirit or Soul
• The “soul” or spirit of a person has two
dimensions; (1) human body and (2) spiritual. Soul
referred to as kaluluwa by the Tagalogs or Dungan
by the Ilonggos comes from the root word duwa,
two.
• The Dungan is not seen by the human eye, it takes
on a different form. For importance, it can be in a
form an insect or a small animal such as lizard.
Rituals and Ceremonies
• Rituals in the Philippines are quite common.
Visayan fishing villages practice the offering ritual
called harang.
• A local shaman invokes sea spirits. These are
several stages of the ritual purification, invocation,
entreaty and feast which cover community life such
as harvest, operation of fishing boats and cases of
illnesses (Kawada, 1996)
General Features of Harang Ritual
- Purification of the Place (tuob)
- Invocation of Spirits (pagtawag)
- Explanation of Motivation, Request, & Entreaty
(pangamuyo)
- Offering Communion (bayad)
- Feast (kan-on)
IN THE PHILIPPINES
• In the Philippines, our country is know to have a
culture that values the teaching of religion.
• Our notion of right and wrong is based on the
teachings of the church or any religion that the
people are following.
• It is imperative for one to fully understand the
extent and be able to define the cohesiveness of
their own beliefs to the teachings of their religion,
this will enable one to be able to understand further
who they are what they want to do, and what are the
things they can and cannot do based on the
acceptable behavior that are being taught in one’s
religious orientation.
• Religion refers to beliefs and behaviors related to
supernatural beings and powers.
• Worldview is broader than religion. Worldview
refers to the collective body of ideas that members
of the culture generally share concerning the
ultimate shape and substance of their reality.
• Religion also differs from spirituality, which is a
concern with the sacred in an individual manner. All
cultures have religion, spirituality, a worldview and
magic (Haviland, 2007).
The following are only brief definitions of the
worldviews from which all regions stem:
Theism – the belief in the existence of a supreme
Being (God)
Atheism – the view that does not believe in the
existence of a God
Polytheism –the view that there are many gods,
which contradicts the idea of a supreme Being
Pantheism – the worldview that God is all things,
in other words everything is God
Agnosticism – the view that one cannot truly know
if there is a God
Henotheism – the belief that there is one god who
is above other gods
Monotheism – the view that only one God exists
Some World Religion
a. Buddhism
• Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses.
Instead, there are suffering, pain, and frustrations.
• When people, they want to experience the
goodness of life and avoid disappointments.
• This becomes a habit known as the reactive cycle
of wanting, like, dislike, and craving and aversion.
• This reactive cycle can be broken through the
following:
- The practice of meditation
- Acquiring more wisdom and deeper understanding
- Acceptance of things as they are
Buddhism Custom and Practices
- There are two types of meditation practices:
1. The Samatha
- Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing
and development of loving-kindess (Metta
Bhavana).
2. The Vipassana
- The Vipassana and Dharma
• Vipassana practices aim at developing insight into
reality.
• Acquiring wisdom is by studying Buddha’s
teaching, the Dharma.
• Through the reflection of Dharma, Buddhis can
achieve a deeper understanding of life.
• Buddhists believe in nonviolence principle.
b. Christianity
Christians believes in the Trinitarian God. One God
in three personas:
1. God the Father (Creator)
2. God the Son (Savior)
3. God the Holy Spirit (Sustainer)
- Eternal life after death will be achieved through
faith in Jesus Christ
- Jesus Christ is, God the Son, who came into flesh,
to spread the Good News of Salvation. He died on
the Cross for sin for the humanity but resurrected
from the death
c. Hinduism
Beliefs:
• Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional
beliefs and religious groups; thus, there is no single
founder or leader.
• Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth,
death and rebirth, governed by Karma. Karma is a
concept where reincarnated life will depend on how
the past life was spent.
• Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle
of successive lives and its next incarnation is always
dependent on how the previous life was lived.
Hinduism Custom and Practices
• Diwali and Navrati are the most celebrated festival
of the Hindus.
• Diwali is the Festival of Lights
• Navrati is the festival of nine nights, which
celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
• Hindus have set dates to honor particular
manifestation of God.
d. Islam
Beliefs:
• Muslims believe in Allah, who is their “One God”.
• They believe in the unity and universality of God.
Muslims also have strong sense of community or
“ummah” and an awareness of their solidarity with
all Muslims worldwide.
• Islam means “willing submission to God.”
• Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and
final prophet sent by God.
• Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and
received revelations from God through the Angel
Gabriel over a period of 23 years.
• The Holy Book of Islam called the Quran, which
was taught to be recited in Arabic because any
translation is seen as inadequate.
- SHAHADA (THE CREED)
- SALAT (PRAYER)
- SAWM (FASTING)
- HAJI (PILGRIMAGE)
- ZAKAT (ALMGIVING)
e. Judaism
Beliefs:
• The Jews believe in the God of Abraham, the
same God that liberated the Hebrews slaves from
Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land through the
leadership of Moses and later, Joshua.
• The Jews believe in the coming of Messiah, the
Savior.
• The sacred scripture of the Jews is called the
Torah of the Law.
• The Torah is the guide of the Jewish living. The
study and interpretation of Torah is part of the
Jewish culture.
• The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic
Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious
law and theology.
• The Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural
life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and
aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily
life" of Jews
There are five major festivals observed by the
Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah- the New Year
2. Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement
3. Pesach- Passover
4. Shavout- Pentecost
5. Sukkot- Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins
on Friday evening at sunset and is an important time
when families gather for the Shabbat meal.
Finding and Creating Meaning in Life
Viktor E. Frankl
- “Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response. In
our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
• Viktor Frankl, the originator of Logotherapy,
indicates how his involvement in quest for the
significance of life in a Nazi death camp changed
his viewpoint of the world.
• Frankl states that we can’t abstain from affliction,
yet we can pick how to manage it and discover
significance in it.
• Frankl’s hypothesis questions the thoughts of
Freud, who trusted the significance of life was to
seek after joy. Frankl trusted that the motivation
behind life isolates the person from creatures as
well as enables us to survive troublesome
circumstances.
- “Everything can be taken from a man but one
thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose
one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to
choose one’s own way.”
- “When we are no longer able to change a situation
– we are challenged to change ourselves.”
• For Frankl, man cannot avoid suffering but can
find meaning from it. His theory holds three
primary human capabilities called as noological
possibilities:
• self-detachment,
• self-transcendence,
• the ability to “spiritually be in touch” with
something or someone independent of
spatiotemporal dimensions.
• To complement these capabilities, he identified
three postulates.
Anthropological
- “Man does not simply exist but always decides
what his existence will be, what he will become in
the next moment.” “Man is ultimately self-
determining”
Psychological
- “Man’s key motivation is the search for meaning.”

Philosophical
- Life has unconditional meaning, regardless of the
circumstances or situation.
- “His life in the concentration camp, Frankl writes
that he found meaning that helped strengthen his
will to survive.”

Meaning of Life …
- Costello (2015) captured Victor Frankl’s message:
“ The ultimate secret on the spiritual foundation of
life is that love is salvation and joy eternity.” The
ultimate factor to find the meaning of life is love.
- The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience
may be seen through the expressions of religion , its
beliefs and practices.
- In the same manner, cultural rituals and
ceremonies are some manifestation what people
believe in.
- Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey
that the spiritual self is on.