self-and-society

[self-and-society]

Physical health and well-being in a Socially-distanced World

In the era of COVID-19, people are urged to adapt to the Socially-distanced way of living. It is no debate that Social Distancing is one of the only deterrents that we have against the virus; however it also has its detrimental repercussions on sport participation and an individual’s psychological well-being.

Effect on the Youth

The imposition of Social Distancing protocols greatly impacted the Youth, much so that it may have a lasting impact on their Physical and Mental well-being. Countries that have opened schools post-lockdown required students to avoid sports involving contact, and contact all together. The utter lack of social interaction might greatly compromise their pre-existing peer relationship. The weight of social distancing also put a great toll on the Youth’s mental well-being, with increased anxiety and depression amongst the youth. 

Effects on Adults 

The closure of health and fitness gyms greatly deprived adult individuals to access to a space for physical activity. This prompted multiple requests world-wide for the reopening of gyms in order to give way for an avenue for physical activity. It could be noted however that with social distancing rules in place and heightened concerns on being exposed to the virus, the number of gym-goers greatly decreased in number. Additionally, for those living in dense urban areas, their options for physical activities are greatly diminished due to the limitations brought health protocols.

Effects on the Elderly

The Elderly population are also faced with the similar dilemma. The order for people to stay will cause an abrupt stoppage of physical activity. Within a span of two week, the sudden lack of physical activity may cause muscle atrophy, decreased aerobic capacity, decreased venous return and reduced coronary perfusion, increased blood pressure, accelerating the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. The social isolation may also have major psychological impacts and physical morbidities. 

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Personal and Social Development in Physical Education

According to Holt et al. (2011), young individuals often develop various personal and social skills through participating in Physical Education and Sports. Both personal and social development are cited to be the main goal of European Physical Education Programs. Moreover, participation in sports has often been linked to personal and social development. 

Given the aforementioned fixation of Physical Education and Sports on the social character, these components are considered to be one of the main contributors in developing students’ social and personal-relations skills. One of the main reasons that Physical Education and Sports are suitable components to learn such skills is due to the transferability of these skills to other domains in life. 

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Importance of Physical Activity

Physical Activity brings about many benefits to an individual’s wellbeing, be it physical or mental. As such, it is important to regularly participate in conducting physical activities in order to improve the chances of living a healthy lifestyle. 

There are several guidelines to abide by in order to guide people to living a healthy lifestyle. These guidelines include (but are not limited to):

Avoid inactivity as any activity is better than being stationary

For substantial health gain, an individual is required to partake in at least 150 minutes of Physical Activity of moderate-intensity per week 

For substantial health gain, an individual is required to partake in at least 75 minutes of Aerobic Physical Activity of vigorous-intensity per week 

For substantial health gain, an individual is required to partake in an equivalent of both moderate and vigorous Physical Activity.

Being physically activity can be manifested in different ways. One way is to do so during one’s leisure-time. Of which is distinguished into four modes: Team Sport, Individual Sport, organized but non-competitive Physical Activity; and non-organized Physical Activity. In the leisure-time context, there are many factors at play such as participation modes, settings, and types of Physical Activity.

[self-and-society]

Online Personal Branding

According to Lampel and Bhalla (2007), Online information implicitly brands users with a digital footprint. Some information, those that consists of what other people have written, is out of the person's control; however, much of those that an individual has composed is purposefully crafted and posted. 

The rise of new social media platforms and applications further enables people to manage their personal brand. People are free to alter their profiles to what they deem fit and are able to establish their own brand online, whether it aligns with their actual personality or not. 

In spite of all the aforementioned, many people continue to be unaware of the breadth and scope of the information available online. According to Solove (2007), people are also not fully conscious of the long-term impact of the online personal brands they have established on their reputations.

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The Impact of Social Media

In the midst of a pandemic, people sought solace in Social Media. The ever-growing social media-network has done bounds to connect people all throughout the world. The rise of the social media empire has greatly impacted the lives of our generation; connecting lives from people across the world, shifting the marketing platform, and even serving as the means for information dissemination. 

Social Media and Relationships

Although social media has greatly paved the way for more convenient forms of connecting and communicating. It has also brought the emergence of the phenomena of Social Displacement wherein Social Media is said to dominate and take over a person’s time, leaving little time for actual face-to-face time with people.

Expansion of Social Networks

The expansion of Social Networks, has greatly impacted and introduced a new avenue for marketing. It has brought life to new forms of entertainment that the market could profit from. Needless to day, the economic benefits brought by the existence of social media is unparalleled.  The expansion of Social Networks also brings about various risks that may cause harm. As the social network continuously grows, so does the need for moderating. Lax moderating of social media could greatly weaponize the platform into becoming a hub for cyberbullying, fake news, and the like. 

[self-and-society]

DIGITIZING THE VOICES OF THE PAST

“What does it mean for something to be “digital”? Narrowly speaking, it means that somewhere along the line, whatever sort of signals the device is using are encoded as sequences of bits and manipulated using the kinds of electronic circuits that are found in computers.” - Davidson, 2004

The process of “digitizing” voices or digital sound recording starts off by converting vibrations into varying electrical voltages through the use of a microphone. After that, the electrical voltage is measured and encoded into sequence of bits through the use of an analogue-to-digital converter. It is basically a conversion of the varying signals into numerical codes. Overall, the process of digitizing the voices of the past is an amalgamation of sound waves converted to numerical codes. The generational shift from analog to digital is driven by its numerical backbone.

[self-and-society]

“In the 1980s, the “re-discovery” of the concept of the self a signified a movement away from the typical regard of the self as mental substance to the notion of self as a product or construction that is built on other people’s responses and attitudes toward the individual. Since the responses and attitudes of others to the individual will necessarily be variable and inconsistent, there is a need to identify structures and processes that will synthesize and integrate diverse social responses to come up with a unified experience of the self.”                                                                              - Sta. Maria & Largoza, 2008

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Virgilio Enriquez

In an effort to combat the prevailing Western influence on the academic setting as well as to construct a more local and unrestrained understanding of the self without the limitations imposed by foreign influences, Virgilio Enriquez created Sikolohiyang Pilipino, also known as Filipino Psychology. Sikolohiyang Pilipino, is a discipline that derives specifically from one’s experiences, ideas, and cultural orientation of the Filipino. It became the one of the first attempts to formulate a connection between the formation of identity as a national collective and historical influences.

[self-and-society]

SIKOLOHIYANG PILIPINO

“Sikolohiyang Pilipino is a psychology of, about and for the Philippine people. As kapwa psychology, it is an orientation, an enduring worldview that links with the cultural heritage of indigenous Filipino people and their IKSP.” 

- De Guia, 2005

Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino Psychology) continuously maintains institutions all while relating it to the various facets of Filipino culture including language, history, art and religion.

In order to combat the widespread dominance of Western critique in the academic field, Sikolohiyang Pilipino is established. It served as the first local and indigenous psychology taught in the country. 

This discipline attempts to give a localized perspective in dissecting and studying Philippine social realities. This is done to also combat the prevailing and uncritical dependence on Western educational models. 

As such, programs under the discipline offers theories, concepts, and literature on indigenous Filipino topics in psychology. Oftentimes, these are available in the local language, bridging the language gap.