The Physical Self: The Self

as Impacted by the Body

Understanding The Self – Week 7
Intended Learning Outcomes:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of
the physical self, encompassing one's body image,
perception, and awareness of their own physical
attributes;
• Analyze how societal norms, media portrayals,
and cultural factors influence individuals'
perceptions of their own body image and physical
appearance; and,
Intended Learning Outcomes:
• Apply psychological concepts related to the
physical self to personal experiences, reflecting on
how body image, self-esteem, and self-acceptance
have influenced one's own perception of their
physicality.
PHYSICAL SELF
 What is physical self?
According to Sanjay Singh, “the physical body
refers to the body, a marvelous container and
complex, finely timed machine with which
people interface with the environment and fellow
beings.”
 Different Perspectives about the Physical Self
William James The body is the primary source of sensations and is
necessary for the development and maintenance of
one’s personality.
Sigmund Freud The physical body is the core of human experiences
which contributes to the construction of the self and
personality.
Wilhelm Reich The core of a person’s existence is his/her physical
body. Everything about a person can be attributed to
his/her bodily functions, experiences, and interaction
with his/her environment.
 Different Perspectives about the Physical Self
Erik Erikson The physical changes happening to the body and the
experiences that an individual goes can have an
impact on his/her psychosocial development and
personal identity.
Carl Gustav Jung The physical body could not be separated from the
psyche since it is an integral part of it.
B.F. Skinner The significance of the body in psychological
functioning, and its role in managing and utilizing
the bioenergy.
CONCEPT OF
BEAUTY
Definition of Beauty According to Different Philosophers

Two most debated views about beauty:

1. Beauty is objective.
2. Beauty is subjective.
 Beauty is an objective quality.
SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
• Beauty is considered as pure manifestation
of the good.
• God is the supreme good, and the source of
all beings, and all of beauty.
• He further examined the three negative
forms of the absence of beauty: (1) The
absence of metaphysical beauty, (2) The
absence of moral beauty, and (3) The
absence of physical beauty.
 Beauty is an objective quality.
PLATO
• Beauty is a response to love and desire.
• The concept of beauty exists in the world
of Forms. Objects are beautiful because
they are reflections of the idea of beauty
that already exists in the realm of Forms.
• Beauty can exist independently of its
perceiver, and being beautiful does not
depend upon personal evaluation.
 Beauty is an objective quality.
ARISTOTLE
• “to be beautiful, a living creature, and every
whole made up of parts, must … present a
certain order in its arrangement of parts”
• Beauty can be measured through order,
symmetry, and definitiveness (mathematical
sciences).
• The Golden Ratio, formula of beauty which is a
set of proportions found in nature and applied
by man to all manner of visual culture.
 Beauty is a subjective quality.
DAVID HUME
• “Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It
exists merely in the mind which
contemplates them; and each mind
perceives a different beauty. One person
may even perceive deformity, where another
is sensible of beauty; and every individual
ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment,
without pretending to regulate those of
others.”
 Beauty is a subjective quality.
IMMANUEL KANT
• “The judgment of taste is therefore not a
judgment cognition, and is consequently not
logical but aesthetical, by which we understand
that whose determining ground can be no other
than subjective.”
• Four distinguishing features of aesthetic
judgment: (a) disinterested, (b) universal, (c)
necessary, and (d) purposive without purpose or
final without end.
• Beauty is purposive and pleasurable.
 Beauty is a subjective quality.
FRANCIS HUTCHESON
• “The perception of beauty does not depend on
the external sense of sight; however, the
internal sense of beauty operates as an
internal or reflex sense. The same is the case
with hearing: hearing music does not
necessarily give the perception of harmony as
it is distinct from the hearing.”
• Involvement of internal and external senses. If
there is no internal sense of beauty, then there
is no perception of it.
Definition of Beauty According to Different Psychologists
COGNITIVE BIAS
• It is an error in reasoning , evaluating,
or any other mental process that is
often a result of holding on to one’s
preference or beliefs regardless of
contrary information.
HALO EFFECT
• Physical attractiveness stereotype
• What is beautiful is also good.
Definition of Beauty According to Different Psychologists
EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY
• Beauty or attractiveness is a function of the
genetic quality of an individual.
• Factors that influence attraction: symmetry,
averageness, and sexually dimorphic traits
• Physical attractiveness has important social
consequences, for instance, people and animals
rely on external traits to attract mates.
How Cultural Traditions Shape Body Image?
Beauty and body image have been subjected to
transformation, reflecting cultural values, norms,
and historical context. Being a part of a cultural
group plays an integral part of who people are.
 SELF-ESTEEM BODY IMAGE
It refers to a person’s beliefs It is the way one sees the physical
about his or her own worth and self and the thoughts and feelings
value. that result from that perception.

It is often associated with one’s

self-confidence.
“Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself,
When you love yourself, that’s when you’re
most beautiful.”
- Zoe Kravitz
 REFERENCES
• Otig, V.S. et al. (2019). A Holistic Approach in Understanding the Self. Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
• Ariola, M.M. (2018). Understanding the Self. Unlimited Books Library Services & Publishing Inc.
• BuzzFeedVideo. (2015). Men's Standards Of Beauty Around The World [Video file]. Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tneKwarw1Yk
• Dating Beyond Borders. (2016). What are the women's beauty standards around the world? [Video file].
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya2iGCi2cqI
• The Concept of Beauty in Saint Augustine. https://sryahwapublications.com/storage/papers/journal-of-
religion-and-theology/v5-i1/RT0501002.pdf
• Philosophy: “Beauty, according to Plato.
https://aquileana.wordpress.com/2015/11/25/%E2%96%BAphilosophy-beauty-according-to-plato-
mythology-some-greek-myths-based-on-beauty%E2%AD%90/
• Beauty and the Mind: a Study about Beauty. https://www.byarcadia.org/post/beauty-and-the-mind-a-
study-about-beauty
• David Hume on the Perception of Beauty. https://oll.libertyfund.org/quote/david-hume-beauty
• Immanuel Kant: Aesthetics.
https://iep.utm.edu/kantaest/#:~:text=Kant%20argues%20that%20beauty%20is,with%20respect%20to
%20determinate%20cognition.
 REFERENCES
• Francis Hutcheson (1694—1745). https://iep.utm.edu/hutcheso/
• What Is the Halo Effect? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-halo-effect-2795906
• Cut. (2015). Philippines (April) | 100 Years of Beauty - Ep 6 | Cut. [Video file]. Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIsAeFYZFXE&list=PLJic7bfGlo3qlgmccaaNAXTChp_N
y8CE4&index=59
• BuzzFeedVideo. (2015). Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History. [Video file].
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrp0zJZu0a4