Understanding the Self

1. UNPACKING THE PHYSICAL,
SEXUAL AND MATERIAL SELF

2. S E L F
• The person is that someone’s normality or
truly is… or entire person of individual
• The total characteristics or qualities of a
person both known to others (but known to
oneself)

3. I D E N T I T Y
• The quantities, beliefs, etc., that make a
particular person or group of different from
others.. Or the distinguishing character or
personality of an individual.
• Distinguishes one from another or can be
used to compare (similarities and
differences) of a person to other persons.

4. Erik Erikson’s Biography
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Born June 15,1902 Frankfurt, Germany
Died May 12, 1994 Massachusetts, USA
Nationality American/ German
Fields Developmental Psychology
Influences Sigmund Freud/ Anna Freud
Coined the term Lifespan Development
Key Idea Theories of Social
Psychological Development
Erik Erikson 1902-1994

6. Erik Erikson and the
8 Stages of Development
• Best known theories of personality and
development.
• Personality develops in a series of
predetermined stages.
• Psychosocial, and not psychosexual.
• In each stage of development
conflicts acts as turning points in life.

7. Personality
• Personality consists of all the relatively
stable and distinctive styles of thought,
behavior, and emotional responses that
characterize a person’s adaptations to
surrounding situations

8. Why Study Personality?
•
•
•
Identify patterns in the way people
behave.
Explain the differences between
people.
Explore how people function in life (The
good and bad).
• How to improve life.

9. Psychosexual Stages of
Development-Sigmund Freud
•
•
•
•
•
•
Oral Stage (Birth to 1) Sucking/Pleasure With Mouth
Anal Stage (1 to 3)
Controlling Bowel Movements
Phallic Stage (3 to 6)
Discovery of reproductive organs
Latency Period (6 to 13)
• Cognitive skills learned while interest in sexuality is
in the background
• Genital Phase (adolescence)
• Sexual interests arise

10. Psychosocial Development
• Refers to the emotional and psychological
changes across the life cycle that occurs
in the context of the individual’s social
environment.

11. Psychosocial Development
• According to Erikson- Each part of the
personality has a particular time in the life
span when it must develop, if it is going to
develop at all. If it failed to developed on
schedule, the rest of the development is
unfavorably altered. The individual is
then hindered from dealing effectively
with reality.

12. Psychosocial Stages
• Stage 1- Trust vs. Mistrust
• Stage 2- Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
• Stage 3- Initiative vs. Guilt
• Stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority
• Stage 5- Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Stage 6- Intimacy vs. Isolation
• Stage 7- Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Stage 8- Integrity vs. Despair

13. Stage 1-Trust vs. Mistrust
• Age- Birth to 18 months
• Conflict- Trust vs. Mistrust
• Relationship- Mother
• Strength- Hopes
• Question- Can I trust the world?
• Key Event- Feeding

14. Stage 1-Trust vs. Mistrust
• Children are completely dependent on others
• Trust: Established when babies given
adequate warmth, touching, love, and
physical care-Dependable & Reliable.
• Mistrust: Caused by inadequate or
unpredictable care and by cold,
indifferent, and rejecting parents-
Undependable, Unpredictable &
Dangerous.

15. Stage 2-
Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
• Age- 18 month to 3 years
• Conflict- Autonomy vs. Shame
• Relationship- Parents
• Strength- Will
• Question- Is it ok to be me?
• Key Event- Toilet Training

16. Stage 2-
Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
• Autonomy: Doing things for themselves
such as body control & making choices.
- Secure and confident self.
• Shame: Overprotective or ridiculing parents
may cause children to doubt abilities
and feel shameful about their
actions- Inadequacy & self doubt.

17. Stage 3- Initiative vs. Guilt
• Age- 3 years to 6 years
• Conflict- Initiative vs. Guilt
• Relationship- Family
• Strength- Purpose
• Question- Is it okay for me to do,
move & act?
• Key Event- Independence

18. Stage 3- Initiative vs. Guilt
• Initiative: Parents reinforce via giving
children freedom to play, use imagination,
and ask questions- Creative, Constructive.
• Guilt: May occur if parents criticize,
prevent play, or discourage a child’s
questions- Always being wrong, Failed
to explore world.
• Initiative and Guilt should be balanced
in order to have moral judgment.

19. Stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority
• Age- 6 years to 12 years
• Conflict- Industry vs. Inferiority
• Relationship- Neighbors, School
• Strength- Competence
• Question- Can I make it in the world
of people and things?
• Key Event- School

20. Stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority
• Children's have to cope with new social
and academic demands
• Industry: Occurs when child is praised for
productive activities, such as painting and
building- Sense of competence
• Inferiority: Occurs if child’s efforts are
regarded as messy or inadequate-
Weak sense of self, Incapable to take
responsibility

21. Stage 5-
Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Age- 12 years to 18 years
• Conflict- Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Relationship- Peers, Role Model
• Strength- Fidelity
• Question- Who am I? what can I be?
• Key Event- Peer relationships

22. Stage 5-
Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Children learn a number of different roles.
• Identity: One’s organization of individual
drives, abilities, beliefs, and experience
into consistent image of self. Who we are.
• Role Confusion: Failure to establish
an individual identity separate from
the family and having no peer
relationships and plans for an
occupation- Ego diffusion

23. Stage 6-Intimacy vs. Isolation
• Age- 19 years to 40 years
• Conflict- Intimacy vs. Isolation
• Relationship- Friends, Partners
• Strength- Love
• Question- Can I love?
• Key Event- Love relationships

24. Stage 6-Intimacy vs. Isolation
• Start of families
• Intimacy: Ability to care about others and
to share experiences with them-
Strong relationship
• Isolation: Feeling alone and uncared
for in life- Loneliness

25. Stage 7-
Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Age- 40 years to 65 years
• Conflict- Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Relationship- Household, Workmates
• Strength- Care
• Question- Can I make my life count?
• Key Event- Parenting

26. Stage 7-
Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Primary developmental task is one of
contributing to society and helping to
guide future generation.
• Generativity: Interest in guiding the next
generation- Social involvement, Parenting
• Stagnation: When one is only
concerned with one’s own needs and
comforts- Material possession,
Physical well being, Non productive

27. Stage 8-Integrity vs. Despair
• Age- 65 years to Death
• Conflict- Integrity vs. Despair
• Relationship- Mankind, My kind
• Strength- Wisdom
• Question- Is it ok to have been me?
• Key Event-Reflecting on and
acceptance of one’s life

28. Stage 8-Integrity vs. Despair
• In the last stages of life individuals look
back over their lives and judge them.
• Integrity: Self-respect; developed when
people have lived richly and responsibly-
Feeling of wisdom and meaning
• Despair: Occurs when previous life
events are viewed with regret;
experiences heartache and remorse-
Regret, Bitterness

29. Erikson’s
Psychosocial Development
Stage Psychosocial
Crisis
Psychosocial
Strength
Environmental
Influence
Age
(Years)
1 Infancy Trust vs. Mistrust Hope Maternal
2-3 Early childhood Autonomy vs.
Shame and Doubt
Willpower Both parents or
adult substitutes
4-5 Preschool Initiative vs. Guilt Purpose
6-11 Middle Childhood Competence
Parents, family and
friends
School
12-18 Adolescence Fidelity Peers
18-35 Young adulthood Love
35-65 Middle age Care
Spouse, lover,
friends
Family, society
Over 65 Old age
Industry vs.
Inferiority
Identity vs. Role
confusion
Intimacy vs.
Isolation
Generativity vs.
Stagnation
Integrity vs. Despair Wisdom All humans

30. FACTORS OF SELF AND IDENTITY
• Social factors
• Environmental factors
• Hereditary factors and Person-Volition
factors

31. PHYSICAL SELF
• Refers to the body, this marvelous container
and complex, finely tuned, machine with
which we interface with our environment and
fellow beings (Sing, n.d)
• The body
• The concrete and tangible dimension of the
person that can be directly observed and
examined (Sing n.d)

32. PHYSICAL SELF
Gene – is the basic unit of genetic information.
Genes determine the inherited characters.
Gerome – the collection of genetic information
Chromosomes – storage units of genes
DNA – is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic
instructions specifying the biological development of
all cellular forms of life.

33. PHYSICAL SELF
Allele – one variant form of a gene/marker at a
particular locus.
Autosomes – 22 pairs of chromosomes
Genotype – at each locus (except for sex
chromosomes) there are 2 genes.
Phenotype – expression of genotype; hair color,
weight, or the presence or absence of a disease.

34. PHYSICAL SELF
Dominant Allele – is expressed even if it paired
with a recessive allele.
Recessive Allele – is only visible when paired
with another recessive allele.
Maturation – refers to the completion of growth
of genetic character due within an organism or
the unfolding of an individual’s inherent traits or
potential.

35. PHYSICAL SELF
Environment – is our surroundings
• Plays an important role in development of our
physical self
Body Image
• The way you see yourself
• The way you imagine how you look
• A major factor in self-esteem; which is the way you
think and feel about yourself as a person.

36. PHYSICAL SELF
Physical Features:
You identity (a description of who you are) and
your personality (a collection of your enduring
characteristics)
Physical Characteristics – are defining traits or features
about your body. Ex. Hairstyles and facial features
Erik Erikson – experience is anchored in the ground – plan
of body (1963)

37. PHYSICAL SELF
William James – considered body as initial source of
sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance of
personality.
Sigmund Freud – the construction of self and personality
makes the physical body the core of human experience.
B.F. Skinner – he treats human beings as an unopened, but
certainly not empty box.

38. PHYSICAL SELF
Physical Self Concept – a person’s perception or
description of their physical self, including their physical
appearance, typically not involving an evaluative
component.
Baumeister (1999) – “the individual’s belief about himself
or herself, including the person’s attributes and who and
what the self is”
Motivation – is an outcome thet helps us to understand the
different individual perceptions that take place in
students.

39. PHYSICAL SELF
Fox (1997) – indicated, the domains that compromise the
physical self-concept vary as a function of the age of the
individual and their social and cultural context.
Five components of Physical Self-Concept:
1. Endurance
2. Balance
3. Flexibility
4. Static Strength
5. Explosive Strength/Power

40. SOCIAL SELF

41. a) The Cultural Self
b) The Digital Self
c) The Economic
Self/Material Self

42. ECONOMIC/MATERIAL SELF
Wants – things people would like to have
Needs – things people must have to live
Material Culture – the study of things; artifacts of
everyday life
• Artifacts are tools but also as signals, signs, and
symbols
• Their use and functions are multiple and
intertwined; their meaning is often subliminal and
unconscious.

43. ECONOMIC/MATERIAL SELF
The Meaning of Things:
• The things that surround us are inseparable
from who we are
• The material environment that surrounds
us is rarely neutral
John Heskett
• industrial designer and design theorist
• Utility and significance of everyday things

44. ECONOMIC/MATERIAL SELF
Utility
• Concerned with how things work and serve a
practical purpose
Significance
• How forms assume meaning in the ways they are
used, or the roles and meaning assigned to them
• How objects become powerful symbols or icons of
habit and ritual

45. ECONOMIC/MATERIAL SELF
Roland Barthes – popularized the field of
semiology (study of objects as signs) through a
number of newspaper articles that read
everyday objects and practices.
• Signifier: its physical form; engagement ring
• Signified: the mental concept it refers to
engagement
• Everyday objects are not just things but a
complex system of signs which allow us to read
meaning into people and places.

46. ECONOMIC/MATERIAL SELF
Semiotics – examines how words, photographs,
images and objects can work as a language to
communicate a range of ideas, associations, and
feelings.
Mihaly Csiksentmihalyi – the things that surround
us inseperable from who we are (things are
never neutral)

47. SEXUAL SELF
Sexual Selfhood – defined as how one thinks
about himself or herself as a sexual individual
Sexual Self-Schema – more specific sexual self
model that focuses primarily on the cognitive
attributions and evaluations of the sexual self
Sexual Subjectivity – another sexual self model
that focuses primarily on physical esteem and
entitlement to sexual pleasure

48. SEXUAL SELF
Sexual Self-Concept – a broader sexual self
model compared to other models
• Includes attributins of desire and arousal
• “thoughts and feelings” of a person about
his/her own sexuality
• The most common term within sexual
selfhood research
• An active, dynamic structure that forms by
organizing perceptions of personal sexual
qualities into a conhesive, internalized
construct

49. SEXUAL SELF
Sexual Activity – metaphysical exploration,
knowing the body and person of another as a
map or microcosm of the very deepest reality, a
clue to its nature and purpose.
Sexuality – the most intense way to relate to
one another person
• As just another and mostly innocuous
dimension of our existence as embodied or
animal – like creatures.
• The way people express their sexual
feelings.

50. SEXUAL SELF
Sex – the biological features that distinguish
humans as female, male or intersex
• Based on Biology
• Includes external genitalia, chromosomes,
hormones, and the reproductive system
• Assigned at birth
• Is a rich and fertile language for
discovering and articulating the meaning of
human life
• Makes of the loved person an Object of
Appetite

51. SEXUAL SELF
Gender – and identity that is learned
• it changes over time and it changes from
one culture or society to another
• both social construct and a personal
identity
Sexual Preference – suggest a degree of
voluntary choice

52. SEXUAL SELF
Sexual Orientation – not a choice
• defined as an innate feeling of attraction
toward individual regardless of gender
• erotic or romantic attraction for sharing
sexual expression with:
Heterosexuality – members of the opposite sex
• A person who has emotional and sexual
feelings towards a person of the opposite
sex

53. SEXUAL SELF
Homosexuality – members of your own sex
• People who have sexual and romantitc
feelings towards people of the same sex as
themselves.
• Example: gay and lesbian
Bisexuality – members of both sexes
• A person who is sexually attracted to
people of either sex
Gender Stereotypes – narrow, fixed expectations
about being a male or being a female.

54. SEXUAL SELF
Homophobia – fear of hostility towards people
who are homosexual
• Sometimes expressed through bullying or
insulting people who appear to be different ,
whether or not they are gay, lesbian, or
bisexual.

55. SEXUAL SELF
Masturbation – often the first sexual experience
• One way that people express and explore
their sexual feelings
• Normal and healthy
• They may then reach a peak of sexual
excitement which is called having an
orgasm or coming

56. SEXUAL SELF
Conceptual Analysis – carried out in the
philosophy of sex in order to clarify the
fundamentals notions of the discipline, including
sexual desire and sexual activity
• also, attempting to arrive at satisfactory
definitions of specific sexual practices, for
example, adultery, rape and prostitution

57. SEXUAL SELF
Normative Philosophy – talks about the value
of sexual activity and sexual pleasure and of
the various forms they take
• concerned with the perennial questions of
sexual morality and constitutes a large
branch of applied ethics.

58. SEXUAL SELF
Types of Contraception:
1. Barrier contraceptives
2. Hormonal contraceptives
3. Sterilization

59. SEXUAL SELF
Barriers Contraceptives – methods that
physically or chemically block sperm from
reaching an egg and provide a barrier between
direct skin to skin contacts
• Act as a physical block between you and
your sexual partner
• Great for STD protection

60. SEXUAL SELF
Dental Dam – small, thin, square pieces of
latex
• Used to keep partner’s body fluids out of
each other’s bodies
• Can help to prevent skin-to-skin contact
• Placed on the vulva or the anus when the
mouth, lips or tongue are used to
sexually arouse a partner
• Can also cut a condom open on one side

61. SEXUAL SELF
Hormonal Methods – prevent the release of an
egg (ovulation)
• prevents a fertilized egg from irmplanting
in the uterus (prevents pregnancy)
• no hormonal methods reduce chances of
STD’s
Oral Contraceptives – also called the “pill”
• some contain estrogen, progestin, or mix
of other hormones depending on pill
• the pill is 91 to 99 percent effective at
preventing pregnancy
• prescribed by doctor

62. SEXUAL SELF
Birth Control Patch – this skin patch is worn on
the lower abdomen, buttocks, or upper body
• 91 or 99 percent effective at preventing
pregnancy
• it releases hormones progestin and estrogen
into the bloodstream

63. SEXUAL SELF
Vaginal Ring- the birth control ring releases the
hormones progestin and estrogen
• 91 or 99 percent effective at preventing
pregnancy
• ring goes inside vagina up around your cervix
• this method does not protect you from HIV or
other STDs

64. SEXUAL SELF
Birth Control Shot- every 3 months (12 weeks),
women get shots of the hormone progestin in
the buttocks or arm from their doctor
• 94 or 99 percent effective at preventing
pregnancy
• it does not protect you from HIV or other STDs

65. SEXUAL SELF
Emergency Contraception- also known as the
‘morning after pill’
• 74 or 89 percent effective at preventing
pregnancy
• can be taken up to 3-5 days after unprotected
sex (depending on brand)
• no prescription needed over age of 15
• effectiveness decreases after 24 hours
• it should not only be used after no birth
control was used during sex, or if the birth
control method failed, such as if a condom
broke

66. SEXUAL SELF
Ultrauterine Device- it is placed inside the
uterus by a doctor
• 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy
• Copper IUD: can stay for up to 10 years;
interferes with sperm, fertilization and
prevents implantation
• Hormonal IUD: can stay for up to 5 years;
releases a small amount of hormone each day
to keep you from getting pregnant

67. SEXUAL SELF
Sterilization- Vasectomy: this operation is done
to keep a man’s sperm from going to his penis,
so his ejaculate never has any sperm in it that
can fertilize an egg
• an operation is more simple than tying a
woman’s tubes
• Tubal ligation or ‘tying tubes’: a woman can
have her fallopian tube tied (or closed) to stop
eggs from being fertilized
• Over time, the ends of your fallopian tubes
could fuse back together, and it may be
possible to get pregnant

68. SEXUAL SELF
• Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
• Infections that are most commonly passed
through sexual contact: Oral, Vaginal, Anal and
Skin- to- skin
• Transmission: it is necessary to have: a body
fluid with the sperm in it and a way of
spreading the germ from one person to
another

69. SEXUAL SELF
Body Fluids:
• Semen
• Vaginal fluid
• Blood
• Fluid in sores or blisters
• Saliva
• Tears
• Sweat
• Urine
• Ear wax

70. SEXUAL SELF
Methods of Transmission
• Low Risk: Abstaining, Hugging, Kissing,
Holding hands, Dancing, Sitting on toilets,
Sharing lip balm, Mutual monogamy, Massage,
Sharing forks and knives, etc.
• High Risk: Sexual intercourse (Oral, Anal,
Vaginal), Blood- to- blood contact, Sharing
needles or other drug- use equipment, Tattoo
or body piercing, and Infected mother to her
baby

71. SEXUAL SELF
Bacterial STI’s: Chlamydia, LGV, Gonorrhea and
Syphilis
• Can be treated and cured with antibiotics
• Untreated infection can cause PID, infertility
and epididymitis

72. SEXUAL SELF
Viral STI’s: HPV, HIV, Herpes and Hepatitis B
There is NO cure
• Medication available to treat symptoms only
• Can pass onto others for the rest of your life

73. SEXUAL SELF
Latex or
Polyurethane Male
Condom
99 percent effective
Against HIV, and also
reduces the risk of
many other STDs when
used consistently and
correctly every time

74. SEXUAL SELF
Female Condom
• May reduce the risk of STDs,
including HIV, when used
consistently and correctly
every time

75. SEXUAL SELF
Monogamy- having a long term mutually
monogamous relationship with one partner who
has been tested and is known to be uninfected
can lower your risk of getting STDs including HIV
Polygyny- long- term simultaneous unions
between one man and multiple wives
Polyandry- long- term simultaneous unions
between one woman and multiple husbands

76. SEXUAL SELF
Chlamydia- the
most common
bacterial STI
Greatest number
of infections found
in people 15 to 24
years old

77. SEXUAL SELF
• Can be transmitted by having anal, oral, or
vaginal sex with an infected person
• Untreated, it can affect the cervix and urethra
and occasionally the rectum, throat and eye
• 50 percent have No symptoms- men and
women
• Can be treated with antibiotics

78. SEXUAL SELF
Gonorrhea- the second
most
common bacterial STI
Most common in people
aged 15- 29

79. SEXUAL SELF
• Can affect the cervix, urethra, rectum, throat, and
occasionally the eyes
• Can be treated with antibiotics
• Often NO symptoms, especially in females
• Female: Increased vaginal discharge, Painful urination,
Lower abdominal pain, Bleeding after sex and between
periods, and pain during sex
• Male: Thick, yellowish- green discharge from penis,
Painful urination, Testicular pain or swelling and Rectal
pain, discharge or itching

80. SEXUAL SELF
Syphilis- a bacterial
infection that progresses
in stages

81. SEXUAL SELF
Primary: (3 days- 3 months) starts as a small, painless sore
called a chance; goes away on its own
Second: (2- 24 weeks) rash on the body, palms of hands and
soles of feet, hair loss, feeling sick
Latent: lesions or rashes can recur
Complications: Untreated syphilis may lead to tertiary syphilis,
which can damage: the cardiovascular system (heart and blood
vessels), the neurological system, Other major organs of the
body and complications may lead to death

82. SEXUAL SELF
Genital Herpes (Herpes
Simplex Virus- HSV)

83. SEXUAL SELF
Two Types: HSV 1- causing cold sores; and HSV
2- causing genital herpes
It is viral infection causing outbreaks of painful
sores and blisters
Spread through direct vaginal, oral or anal
sexual contact with an infected partner

84. SEXUAL SELF
Also transmitted by receiving oral sex from a partner with
a history of cold sores
Symptoms can be treated with antiviral medications, but
NO CURE
Signs and Symptoms: prior to an outbreak, the person
may feel a tingling or burning sensation where the virus
first entered the skin
Painful sores (external or internal)
Inflammation and redness
Fever, Muscular pain and Tender lymph nodes

85. SEXUAL SELF
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
• is an infection in the womb, ovaries and
fallopian tubes
• affects WOMEN only
• can be treated and cured with antibiotics

86. SEXUAL SELF
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• common viral STD that can be
transmitted by oral, anal, or
vaginal sex with an infected
person

87. SEXUAL SELF
Hepatitis B (HBV)
• Virus that attacks the liver
• Most infected people (90
percent) naturally produce
antibodies to fight the
disease, but some develop
chronic HBV and will carry
the virus for the rest of
their life

88. SEXUAL SELF
• Chronic infection can lead to liver damage,
cirrhosis and cancer
• There is NO CURE, but vaccination can
prevent infection

89. SEXUAL SELF
Human Papilloma Virus or HPV
(Genital Warts)
• One of the most common STIs
• About 75 percent of people will have
at least one HPV infection during
their lifetime
• There are over 100 types of HPV
• Low- risk HPV types cause genital
warts

90. SEXUAL SELF
Human Papilloma Virus or HPV (Genital Warts)
• High- risk HPV types may cause cancer of the
cervix
• There is NO CURE, but vaccination is available
to prevent certain types of HPV
• Signs and Symptoms: Many people with low-
risk types have no symptoms
• Other HPV types may cause: Warts on vulva,
cervix, penis, scrotum, anus, or in the urethra;
itchiness; and discomfort and bleeding during
sex

91. SEXUAL SELF
HIV/ AIDS- a virus that destroys the immune
system over time, robbing the body of its ability
to fight other infections and illnesses
• Once the immune system is weakened, other
infections occur and AIDS develop (the fatal
stage of HIV infection)
• The virus is present in blood, semen, vaginal
secretions and breast milk

92. SEXUAL SELF
• Signs and Symptoms: 2 to 4 weeks after
exposure, some people experience mild flu-
like symptoms that last a few weeks, then
disappear
• Many people have NO symptoms until years
after exposure
• The only way to know is to get TESTED!

93. SEXUAL SELF
Pubic Lice and Scabies-
infections caused by
parasitic infestations
• Pubic Lice: tiny crab-
like insects that nest
in public hair and bite
their host to feed on
blood

94. SEXUAL SELF
• Scabies: mites that
burrow below the surface
of the skin to lay their
eggs
• Can live for 1- 3 days on
bedding, towels and
clothing
• Treated with medical
creams and lotions

95. SEXUAL SELF
STI Prevention:
• Abstain from sexual intercourse ( only method
that is 100 percent effective)
• Don’t share needles or other drug- use
equipment
• Have only 1 mutually faithful, uninfected
sexual partner

96. SEXUAL SELF
STI Prevention:
• Get tested for STI’s before having sex
• Use a latex condom and spermicide
• Avoid alcohol and other drugs

97. SEXUAL SELF
• When should I get tested?
• Once you become sexually active,
you need a check- up and STI testing once a
year

98. SEXUAL SELF
You also need an STI test if:
• You didn’t use a condom or the condom broke
• Your partner has an STI
• Your partner is having sex with someone else o
• You have ever injected drugs
• You or your partner have any STI symptoms o
• You have been raped

99. SEXUAL SELF
Where to go for help?
Parents, Health Teacher, Health Unit Clinic,
Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner, Walk- in-
clinic and Hospital Emergency Department, RITM
(Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) – STD
prevention and cure