UNDErstanding the self

Physica
SELF
l by prof marmen,
llb lpt
 Physical
Self
• refers to the body that includes basic parts such as head, neck, arms, and legs
• made up of other organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, and
muscles
• in general, the body performs its functions least well during (1) infancy and (2) old
age.
• physical efficiency generally peaks in early adulthood and declines into the middle
age.
• physical development and growth during childhood continues at a slow rate compared
with rapid rate of growth in babyhood.
• One of the crucial stages of development is the adolescence stage.
• it is a tangible aspect of the person that can be directly observed and examined
 The
PHYSICA
Concept
Willia m J a m e s
of
L SELF
• considered body as initial source of sensation and
necessary for the origin and maintenance of personality.
• it is an element of spiritual hygiene of supreme
significance
Sigmund Fre ud
• in psychoanalytic school, construction of the self and
personality makes the body and the core of human
experience.
Wilhelm Reic h • argued that mind and body are one.
• all psychological processes, he postulated, are a part of
physical processes, and vice versa
 • the role of bodily organs is especially important in early
E r ik E ri k s on developmental stages of a person's life. Later in life, the
development of physical as well as intellectual skills help
determine whether the individual will achieve a sense of
competence and ability to choose demanding roles in a
complex society.

• argued that the physical body and the external world

Ca rl J un g
can be known only as psychological experiences

• says that the role of the body is of primary

B. F. Sk inn er
importance

There is entire discipline devoted to Physical Self "Hath-yoga", or the Yoga of the body.
The Indian tradition views growth and enlightenment as the whole body event, which
is not possible until one has a pure and strong body.
 Factors in the
PHYSICA
Development of the

L SELF
• The development of the individual is caused by two interacting forces: heredity
and environment.

• the transmission of traits or characteristics from parents

H eredit y
to offspring.
(na tu re)

• the sum total of the forces or experiences that a person

Environm ent
( nurture) undergoes from conception to old age.
 The
Beginning
Fert iliza t ion
of Life
• meeting of the egg cell and sperm cell

• fertilized egg cell; contains all the hereditary potentials

Z y got e
from the parents

• true carriers of hereditary characteristics of the parents

G enes
Pre-natal
PERIOD
Conception to birth
Infancy
Birth to end of the second
week.
Babyhood
End of the second week to
end of the second year.
Early
childhood or
PRESCH
OOL AGE
Two to six years.
 Late
childhood
ELEMENTA
or
RY AGE
Six to ten or twelve years.
Puberty or
PREADOLE
SCENCE
Twelve to thirteen or
fourteen years.
Adolesc
ence
Thirteen or fourteen to
eighteen years.
 Early
adulthood
Eighteen to forty years.
 Middle
age
Forty to sixty years
Old age
or
SENESCEN
CE
Sixty years to death.
• As a biological entity, the body has a functional
role, but as a social entity it is the most visible
way of expressing and presenting someone's
identity.
• Research found that a person who is perceived as
attractive makes more money than a person of
below-average looks.
• In politics, voters who are not actively engaged in
social and political issues choose candidates
based on "looks" 90% of the time.
• May be attributed to a cognitive bias called the "halo
effect,"
• A cognitive bias is an error in reasoning, evaluating,
remembering, or any other mental process that is often
a result of holding on to one's preferences and beliefs
regardless of contrary information.
• The "halo effect" refers to the tendency of people to rate
attractive individuals more favorable for their
personality traits or characteristics as compared to
those who are less attractive.
• A significant aspect of culture that strongly influences adolescents who are in a
face-to-face encounter with their physical selves is how their culture conceptualizes
beauty. Young adolescents are forced to adhere to society’s definition of beauty lest
they be labeled ugly.

• This is what is called the social

constructionist approach to understanding
the physical self. This suggests that beauty,
weight, sexuality, or race do not simply
result from the collection of genes one
inherited from one’s parents. Instead, these
bodily features only take on the meaning
that they have. A person may have a certain
set of facial features, or weigh a certain
number of pounds and attractiveness will
come from the time and place in which they
live.
• A woman is what she wears. This statement is from
the work of Janes Gaines on fashion (1990) which
implies that women are often defined completely by
their clothing. In this study, it suggests that people
have body images.
• Body image is the mental representation one creates,
but it may or may not bear close relation to how
others actually see you.
• Having a sense of understanding that healthy
attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes, and
that physical appearance says very little about the
character or value of a person. How to get to this
point depends on the acceptance and esteem that a
person has for himself.
 Standard
s of
BEA
Symmetr
y
• defined
UTY
not with proportions, but rather with
similarity between the left and right sides of
the face.

• Biologists had also hypothesized that we prefer

faces that epitomize the 'manliness' or
'femininity' of their gender.
• It was only in the most urbanized
regions that they found the strong
attraction to more masculine men
and more feminine women; in the
smaller, more remote communities,
many women actually preferred the
more "feminine" looking men.
 Beauty and Self-
ACROSS
expressions
CULTURES
• Since birth, the socialized body is subjected to cultural norms. The attitude
towards the body and the bodily practices reflect the value constellation of each
particular society.
Examples
:
Ka ro t ribes in
Sc a r ifi c a t io n N ec k r ings
Omo Va lley ,
E t hiopia
 Beauty and Self-
ACROSS
expressions
Examples
: CULTURES Body
Foot bi nding in
Ch in a Modifi c a t ion
 Beauty TIME
through
IS PHYSICAL BEAUTY
•
IMPORTANT?
Our body image refers to how you perceive your
physical body, whether you believe you are
attractive, and how you believe others perceive
your appearance. Body image is closely linked
to self-esteem for many people (especially
teenagers).

• For many as their body changes, so does their

image of themselves. So it is very important to
re-frame the way we view, think and talk about
our physical selves.
• Recognize that your body is your
own, no matter what shape or size
it comes in. Try to focus on how
strong and healthy your body is
and the things it can do. Not what's
wrong with it or what you feel you
want to change about it. No one's
business but your own what your
body is like. You have to be happy
with yourself. " YOU ARE
BEAUTIFUL
ENOUGH "
 SELF-
ESTEEM
"We all know that self-esteem comes from
what you think of you,
not what other people think of you"
- Gloria Graynor
 Promoting IMAG
Physical
Personal Hygiene
• Cleaning your body every day.
E
• Behaviors that must be practiced in daily
life.
 Promoting IMAG
Physical
Good grooming
• Face
E
• Skin
• Hair
• Nails
• Feet
• Clothes
• Shoes
 Promoting IMAG
Physical
Social graces
• A skill for dealing with people and society.
E
• Making proper introductions to people
• Listening and not interrupting in conversation
• Using good table manners
• Eye contact
• Body language.
 Promoting IMAG
Physical
Proper bearing and posture
E
• Proper alignment of your body when standing
or sitting.
 Promoting IMAG
Physical
Health
E
• State of complete physical, mental, and social
well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.
 Thanks
listening!
for
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF