The

Physica
Self
l
Objectives
•Explore the different aspects of self and
identity

•Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in

integrating the Various aspects of self and
identity.
•Identity the different forces and institutions that
impact the Development of various aspects of self and
identity.

•Examine one’s self against the different aspects of

self Discussed in class.
What is physical self
Physical self-concept is the individual’s
perception of themselves in areas of
physical ability and appearance.
Physical ability includes concepts such
as physical strength and endurance,
while appearance refers to
attractiveness and body image.
THE BIOLOGICAL BLUEPRINT
A crucial aspect of the self is one’s
physical features including the face,
bodily structure, height and weight.
However, people should also consider
their physical competencies, valuation
of physical worth, and perception of
beauty.
AM I BEAUTIFUL?
DO PEOPLE FIND ME ATTRACTIVE?
WHAT CAN I DO TO ENHANCE MY FEATURES
However, the physical self is not only limited to what can be seen by the naked
eye; underneath the skin is a dynamic system of biological and chemical
processes that contribute to one’s physical features. Body structure, weight,
height, skin color, hair color, and other physical characteristics do not just
develop at random. These are triggered by genetic transformations and
biological development through heredity.
HEREDITY – is defined as the transmission of traits from parents to offspring.
The traits are made up of specific information embedded within one’s gene,
the basic unit of heredity.

GENOTYPE – refers to specific information embedded within one’s genes;

not all genotypes translate to an observed physical characteristic. It can be
determined by blood testing.

PHENOTYPE – is the physical expression of a particular trait. It can be

directly observed. Each individual carries 23 pairs of chromosomes.
The 23 pair is the sex chromosomes, determines the sex of an
individual.

MATURATION- is known as the completion of growth of a genetic

character within an organism. It enables man to walk, run and talk
which are evident in the adolescent stage.
Beauty by numbers
•Our attraction to another person’s
body increases if that body is
symmetrical and in proportion
•If a face is in proportion, we are
more likely to notice it. And find it
beautiful.
•We perceive proportional bodies to
be more healthy
 Key points

•The self as impacted by

the body
•The impact of culture
on body image and self
esteem
•The importance of
beauty
• A self image problem happens when
your looks doesn’t match your beauty
standards. For example if you believed
that attractive people are slim ones and
if you were not slim (but not obese) then
you might believe that you are
unattractive even though others might
believe that you are attractive.

• The problem here is with your own

beauty standards and not with your
looks. In order to like your looks in such a
case you must fix your false beliefs
about physical attractiveness.
 Body image, self-esteem and the influence of
society
• Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than
we realize from our interactions, to our personal
development through to others’ 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’s not surprising that how
society perceives us affect us on many levels.
• And it’s partly how society perceives our bodies that is
of concern; we’re talking body image. So what does that
involve?
Body image is both internal (personal) and external
(society) This includes

• How we perceive our bodies visually

• How we feel about our physical
appearance
• How we think and talk to ourselves about
our bodies
• Our sense of how other people view our
bodies How we look has possibly never held
as much societal importance or reflected so
significantly on our perceived self worth.
 Stretching for health
• The media in particular, has increasingly
become platform that reinforces cultural
beliefs and projects strong views on how
we should look, that we as individuals often
unknowingly or knowingly validate and
perpetuate.
• The more we look at perfect images of
others and then look to find those same
idealized characteristics in ourselves. And
don’t find them, the worse we feel about
ourselves.
It’s a cycle that breeds discontent.
• With such strong societal scrutiny it’s easy
to see how the focus on how we look can
slide into the dark side – negative body
image.
 Women with food choices
The greater our discontent with how we
measure up when compared to the
societal or media supported norms, the
more negative our body image, and the
greater the risk for extreme weight or
body control behaviors occurs. We’re
talking…

•Extreme dieting
•Extreme exercise compulsion
•Eating disorders
•Extreme or unnecessary plastic surgery
•Using steroids for muscle building
Who’s to blame for our body perceptions, be it good
or bad?

•Society gives us a number of

reference points that shape our
perceptions whether positive or
negative. When it comes to our
bodies there are a number of
sources that affect us more than
others.
 TODAY’S EMBEDDED IDEALS – THE PHYSICAL

•Life today sees image upon image of fashionably clad

women, perfect skin, tiny waists, ample breasts, fashionably
protruding behinds (of Kardashian and Beyonce fame) all with
a weight of no greater than 59kg.
•They are unrealistic images of beauty, genetically impossible
for many of us to emulate. The same thing applies to the 6-
pack or ripped abs shoved in the face of men via famous
sportsmen and male fitness models, which for many is
impossible to achieve without illegal steroids.
•Yet we are told that these unattainable bodies a are normal
desirable, and achievable. When we don’t measure a develop
a strong sense of dissatisfaction and the way manifests can be
ugly.
PREJUDICE – SIZE
•Intolerance of body diversity has a lot to
do with prejudice of size and shape in
our culture. Being thin, toned and
muscular has become associated with
the hard-working, successful, popular,
beautiful, strong, and the disciplined.
•Being fat is associated with the lazy,
ugly, weak, and lacking in will-power.
•With this prejudice, fat isn’t a
description like tall or redhead – it’s an
indication of moral character and we are
conditioned to think that fat is bad.
THE MEDIA
•The images of perfection we see in print,
film and television project an unrealistic
version of reality that we are continually told
is attainable – if we work out, eat less and
lather our bodies in transformative, firming
and tightening creams.
•The media is a powerful tool that reinforces
cultural beliefs and values, and while it may
not be fully responsible for determining the
standards for physical attractiveness, it
makes escaping the barrage of images and
attitudes almost impossible.
 Those closest to us – family and friends

•We learn from other people, particularly

those closest to us about the things that
are considered important.
•Friendships are particularly important in
body image development because we
place high value on them, spend lots of
time with our friends and develop shared
experiences, values and beliefs.
 Close Friends

•Classrooms, University dorms and

common rooms are often filled with
negative body talk: “I wish I had her
stomach” “I hate my thighs” “I feel fat.”
Listening to this tends to reinforce the
need to focus on appearance and make
comparisons between us and other
people’s bodies.
So how can we build a strong and
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.
 Women of different size
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:
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
De-emphasize numbers. Kilograms on a scale don’t tell us
anything meaningful about the body as a whole or our
health Eating habits and activity patterns are much more
important
Realize that we cannot change our body type: thin, large,
short or tall, we need to appreciate the uniqueness of what
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
We need to move and enjoy our bodies not because
we have to, but because it makes us feel good.
Walking, swimming, biking, dancing-there is
something for everyone
Spend time with people who have a healthy
relationship with food, activity, and their bodies
Question the degree to which self-esteem depends
on our appearance. If we base our happiness on how
we look it is likely to lead to failure and frustration,
and may prevent us from finding true happiness
Broaden our perspective about health and beauty
by reading about body image, cultural variances, or
media influence. Check out a local art gallery
paying particular attention to fine art collections
that show a variety of body types throughout the
ages and in different cultures

Recognize that size prejudice is a form of

discrimination similar to other forms of
discrimination. Shape and size are not indicators of
character, morality, intelligence, or success
Each of us will have a positive body image when we
have a realistic perception of our bodies, when we
enjoy, accept and celebrate how we are and let go
of negative societal or media perpetuated
conditioning.

But the media and society in general, are not all

bad.
As with most things, with the bad comes the
potential for good and increasingly, people
the world over are waking up to the negativity and
conditioning that we are bombarded daily.
Thank
you!
Any
questions?