Unpacking The

Self
 A. Physical Self
1.Stages of Human Development
What is Physical Self?
According to Sanjay Singh, the physical self is our tangible body, a complex
machine that interacts with our environment and others. Physical efficiency
peaks in early adulthood, declines in middle age, and childhood growth is
slower than in infancy.
Adolescence begins with the onset of puberty - this stage is characterized
by rapid physical changes that include the maturation of the reproductive
system.
Human Development is the study of how people change throughout their
lives
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span and divided the
stages into 10 parts.
 10 Stages of Human Development

01 Prenatal – fertilization to the birth 06 Puberty – 10 or 12 to 14

years old

02 Infancy – birth to 2 weeks of life 07 Adolescence -14 to 18 years old

Babyhood – 2 weeks of life to 2nd Early Adulthood – 18 to

03 year 08 40 years old
Middle Adulthood – 40 to 60
04 Early Childhood – 2 to 6 years old 09 years old

05 Late Childhood – 6 to 10 or 12
10 Late Adulthood – 60 years
years old old to death
 2. Factors that affect Physical Development
Human Nature: Nature vs. Nurture?
Nature – socio-biologists, psychologists and others in the natural sciences
argue that behaviour traits can
be explained by genetics.
Nurture – Sociologists, anthropologists and others in the social sciences
argue that human behaviour is
learned and shaped through interaction.
HEREDITY
• biological process of transmission of traits from parents of offspring.
• the sex and other physical traits are determined by the combination
of (1) chromosome and (2) genes during fertilization (the union of the
two cells: Egg and Sperm)

CHROMOSOMES
• thread like tissues that carries the genes, and are usually found in
pairs
• 23 pairs of chromosomes
Two (2) types:
1. Autosomes or trait chromosomes (22 pairs)
2. Gonosome or sex chromosomes (the X and Y)
GENES
• Basic carriers of hereditary traits and can be classified into:
1. Dominant (strong genes)
2. Recessive (weak genes)

ENVIRONMENT
• Refers to the factors to which the individual is exposed after
conception to death which includes
learning and experience.
• Factors such as diet, nutrition, and diseases play an important role
in physical development.
3. Impact of Culture and Body Image
Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than we realise – from our
interactions to our personal development through to other’s perception of
our bodies as a reflection of self-worth.
We are social beings. Genetically, we rely on one another for the survival of
humanity. That primal connection makes our interactions physiologically and
psychologically important. So it is not surprising how society perceives our
bodies.
Culture is defined as a social system that is characterized by the shared
meanings that are attributed to people and events by its members.
 The Body Image created by adolescents which includes perceptions and
feelings about oneself could either be positive or negative. This is based on
how the adolescent measures up to the cultural standards of an ideal body

Body image is both internal (personal) and external (society)

This includes:
How do we perceive our bodies visually?
How do we feel about our physical appearance?
How do we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies?
Our sense of how other people view our bodies

Positive body image is related to body satisfaction and acceptance.

Negative body image, driven by a desire for physical change and
dissatisfaction, is closely connected to eating disorders, disordered eating
behaviors, depression, and low self-esteem, as indicated by numerous
research studies.
Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It's based on our
opinions and beliefs about ourselves.
 Body Image
I`m comfortable with the
Mental Health way I look

I make time to take care of I`m in tune with what my

myself, even when I`m dealing body needs
with difficult feelings
I know that looks have
I know I can start working to nothing to do with worth Self Esteem
solve problems or abilities
I feel confident and
Things may not be 100% capable
perfect all the time, and that`s
ok I place realistic
expectations on myself
and others
I respect myself

Is body image, Self-Esteem and Mental Health related to each other?

See how good/poor body image and self-esteem positively/negatively impact
mental health
4. How to build a strong positive body image?

Positive body image involves understanding that healthy

attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes, and
that physical appearance says very little about our
character or value as a person.
How we get to this point of acceptance often depends on
our individual development and self-acceptance.
To get to that all-important point of balance, there are a few steps we can take:
1. Realize that we cannot change our body type: thin, large, short or tall, we need to
appreciate the uniqueness of what we have – and work with it.
2. Stop comparing ourselves to others. We are unique and we can’t get a sense of our
own body’s needs and abilities by comparing it to someone else.
3. We need to move and enjoy our bodies not because we have to, but because it
makes us feel good.
4. De-emphasize numbers. Kilograms on a scale do not tell us anything meaningful
about the body as a whole or our health. Eating habits and activity patterns are much
more important.
5. Talk back to the media. All media and messages are developed or constructed and
are not reflections of reality. So, shout back. Speak our dissatisfaction with the focus
on appearance and lack of size acceptance.
B. MATERIAL AND ECONOMIC SELF
1.Consumer Culture on One’s Sense of Self and
Identity
What is Consumer Culture?
Consumer culture is a type of material culture made possible by the
market. As a result, a specific relationship was established between the
consumer and the products or services they use or consume.
Consumer culture is one of the key areas in which components of
social change are manifested in daily life.
Consumer culture gives us the tools to express who we are, but it also
promotes an economic structure in which the individual's freedom to
be free or choose is, unfortunately, limited.
What is Consumer Identity?
Consumer identity is the consumption pattern through which a
consumer describes themselves. In consumer culture, people no
longer consume goods and services merely for functional
satisfaction. Consumption has become increasingly more meaning-
based; brands are often used as symbolic resources for the
construction and maintenance of identity. Consumers use brands
and products to express their identities.
Consumer identity is established as a critical psychological driver
of behaviour in the marketplace.
How Does the Consumer Culture Affect your Identity?
If a person wants to belong to a certain social group,
they might adopt their particular consumption habits
(like the purchase of luxury items) and obtain similar
cultural capital. Thus, both that social group and its
consumption trends become part of the person's social
identity.
The term consumer cultures refers to a theory according
to which modern human society is strongly subjected to
consumerism and stresses the centrality of purchasing
commodities and services (and along with them power)
as a cultural practice that fosters social behaviours or
identity.
 2. Needs Vs. Wants
NEEDS - It is a basic deficiency given a particular essential item. We need
food, water, air, security, and so forth. These are something that are needed
to survive. Need is required because it is very essential or very important
rather than just desire. A primary distinguishing feature of a need is that it is
necessary to sustain life. These things are always what we needs.

WANTS - These are something that an individual desires, but would be able
to live without. It something we demand. Wants are things that a person
would like to have but are not needed for survival. A want is placing certain
personal criteria as to how that need must be fulfilled. Wants can be changed
with time.
 ABRAHAM MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
(FIVE CATEGORIES)
published by: Saul McLeod
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a
motivational theory in psychology
comprising a five-tier model of human
needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels
within a pyramid. Needs lower down in the
hierarchy must be satisfied before
individuals can attend to needs higher up.
From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards,
the needs are: physiological, safety, love
and belonging, esteem and self-
actualization.
 Physiological needs are biological requirements for Human survival,
1 e.g. air, food, drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, sleep. If these needs
are not satisfied the human body cannot function optimally. Maslow
considered physiological needs the most important as all the other needs
become secondary until these needs are met.

2 Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability,

freedom from fear.

Love and belongingness needs it involve forming relationships,

3 including friendships, trust, and love, and being part of groups like family
and friends.
 Esteem needs - which Maslow classified into two categories:
4 esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence)
The desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status,
prestige).
Maslow indicated that the need for respect or reputation is most
important for children and adolescents and precedes real self-esteem or
dignity.

Self-actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfilment,

5 seeking personal growth and peak experiences. A desire “to become
everything one is capable of becoming” (Maslow, 1987, p. 64).
 Hierarchy Of Needs Summary
(a) Needs human beings are motivated by a hierarchy of
needs.
(b) Needs are organized in a hierarchy of prepotency in which
more basic needs must be more or less met (rather than all or
. none) prior to higher needs.
(c) The order of needs is not rigid but instead may be flexible
based on external circumstances or individual differences.
(d) Most behaviour is multi-motivated, that is, simultaneously
determined by more than one basic need.
Example scenario for Needs and Wants
When you choose to hang-out with friends than to review your
notes at home because you’ll be having a quiz the next
school day. –WANTS
When you choose to use your bonus as a budget for foods
inside your house rather than to use it as your shopping
money. -NEEDS
When you save your extra money rather than spend it buying
liquors. –NEEDS
When you choose a faithful and loyal man as your partner not
just a good-looking man with a lots of hot chick. -NEEDS
When you used your money buying a new car rather than
investing it to the bank to make your money bigger. –WANTS
C. Emotional self
1.Fundamentals of Emotion
THE 6 TYPES OF BASIC EMOTIONS AND THEIR
EFFECT ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR
• Basic Emotions
During the 1970s, psychologist Paul Eckman identified six basic
emotions that he suggested were universally experienced in all human
cultures. The emotions he identified were happiness, sadness, disgust,
fear, surprise, and anger. He later expanded his list of basic emotions to
include such things as pride, shame, embarrassment, and excitement.
Let's take a closer look at some of the basic types of emotions and explore
the impact they have on human behaviour.
1. Happiness 2. Sadness
Of all the different types of emotions, Sadness is a transient emotional
happiness tends to be the one that state marked by disappointment,
people strive for the most. grief, hopelessness, disinterest, and
Happiness is often defined as a pleasant a low mood. It's a universal human
emotional state that is characterized by experience, but in some instances,
feelings of contentment, joy, gratification, prolonged and severe sadness can
satisfaction, and well-being. develop into depression.
This type of emotion is sometimes
Sadness can be expressed in a
expressed through:
number of ways including:
Facial expressions: such as smiling
• Crying
Body language: such as a relaxed
• Lethargy
stance
• Quietness
Tone of voice: an upbeat, pleasant
• Withdrawal from others
way of speaking
3. Fear 4. Disgust
Fear is a crucial emotion for survival. It This sense of revulsion can originate
triggers the "fight or flight" response, from a number of things, including
leading to muscle tension, increased an unpleasant taste, sight, or smell.
heart rate and respiration, and Researchers believe that this
heightened mental alertness. This emotion evolved as a reaction to
prepares the body to either confront or foods that might be harmful or fatal.
escape from a threat. When people smell or taste foods
that have gone bad, for example,
Expressions of this type of disgust is a typical reaction.
emotion can include:
Disgust can be displayed in a
Facial expressions: such as number of ways including:
widening the eyes and pulling back Body language: turning away from
the chin the object of disgust
Body language: attempts to hide or Physical reactions: such as vomiting
flea from the threat or retching
Facial expressions: such as
Physiological reactions: such as
wrinkling the nose and curling the
rapid breathing and heartbeat upper lip
 5. Anger
Anger can be a particularly powerful
6. Surprise
emotion characterized by feelings of
Surprise is a brief emotion caused by
hostility, agitation, frustration, and
unexpected events, with positive and
antagonism towards others. Like
negative examples like a birthday
fear, anger can play a part in your
surprise or a sudden scare.
body's fight or flight response.
Anger is often displayed through:
Facial expressions: such as frowning
Surprise is often characterized by:
or glaring
Facial expressions: such as raising
Body language: such as taking a
the brows, widening the eyes, and
strong stance or turning away
opening the mouth
Tone of voice: such as speaking
Physical responses: such as jumping
gruffly or yelling
back
Physiological responses: such as
Verbal reactions: such as yelling,
sweating or turning red
screaming, or gasping
Aggressive behaviors: such as
hitting, kicking, or throwing objects
Combining Emotions
Psychologist Robert Plutchik
put forth a "wheel of
emotions" that worked
something like the colour
wheel. Emotions can be
combined to form different
feelings, much like colours can
be mixed to create other
shades.
Blendings of these more basic
ones. For example, basic
emotions such as joy and trust
can be combined to create
love.
2. Emotion Management Strategies
5 WAYS TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS
1. Increase your awareness of your emotions
Do regular self-check-ins. Take time throughout the day to ask yourself
what you are feeling. Identify your thoughts and actions to see if those are
contributing to your emotions.

2. Accept your feelings

Allow yourself to feel both positive and negative emotions. Learn to let
yourself feel negative emotions and not just ignore them. All types of
emotions are part of the human experience, and it is OK to feel all types of
emotions.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Practice focusing on what is happening right here and now. Learning to be
mindful helps us to be in touch with what we are experiencing in the
present moment.

4. Practice Optimism And Laugh

Learn to not force happiness and try not to dwell on negative emotions. Let
yourself experience them, but learn to not hang on to those feelings. While
we feel negative emotions, and that is OK, it doesn’t mean that has to be
our whole experience. Find the humour in situations or something that
makes you laugh to shift the emotions you experience to more positive
ones.

5. Increase Emotional Regulation

Be aware of and experience your emotions and work to not let your
feelings control how you act.
That`s all
thank you