PHYSICA

L SELF
BODY IMAGE AND SELF ESTEEM
 Objectives

1. Describe the
concept of 2. Explain how
Physical Self the self is
impacted by the
body

3. Assess how
culture affects
their own body
image and self-
esteem
THE CONCEPT OF THE
PHYSICAL SELF

The
understanding of
the Physical self
is shaped by
biological and
environmental
factors.
• The Biological blueprint involves Heredity and
its important factors.
• 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.
• Genotype refers to the specific information
embedded within one’s genes; not all genotypes
translate to an observed physical characteristic.
• Phenotype is the physical expression of a
particular trait.
• Each individual carries 23 pairs of chromosomes,
which are threadlike bodies in the nucleus of the
cell and the storage unit of genes. The 23rd pair,
also known as sex chromosomes, determines
the sex of an individual.
Maturation is known as the completion of growth of a
genetic character within an organism or the unfolding of an
individual’s inherent traits or potential.

According to Santrock (2014), self-understanding is the

individual’s cognitive representation of self which consists of
substance and the content of self-conceptions.

• Self-understanding can be described as simple to perplex and

involve a number of aspects of the self.

• It also changes throughout the life span as the person grows older.
Physical Self refers
to the concrete
dimensions of the
body, it is the
tangible aspect of
the person which
can be directly
observed and
examined.

Physical Characteristics are the defining traits or features

of a person’s body.
• This is also the first thing people see when they look at another person
that could include facial features, hairstyle, clothes, or figure.
• They encompass everything that one can describe about a person or
group of people, by just looking.
 • Erik Erikson believed in the importance of the body
from early development because the physical as
well as intellectual skills will somehow serve
as a basis to whether a person has achieved
a sense of competence and be able to
manage and face the demands of life
complexities.

• William James, on the other hand, considered the

body as the initial source of sensation and
necessary for origin and maintenance of
personality.
• According to Santrock (2016), puberty is not the
same as adolescence because puberty ends prior
to the end of the adolescent period.

• Puberty is a brain neuroendocrine process

occurring primarily in early adolescence that
triggers the rapid physical changes. The
Pituitary gland is the master endocrine gland
that controls growth and regulates functions of all
the other endocrine glands including gonads.

• This promotes physical changes such as height,

widening of the hips and increase in fatty tissues
in the breast of girls and responsible for boy’s
growth of facial and body hair, muscles, and
changes in voice.
Perspectives in Understanding Physical Self

1. Psychodynamic Perspective
Freud’s theory of the ego was primarily known as body ego, that solidifies
the importance of body in understanding the self.

The development of a body self mainly has three stages:

1. Early psychic experience of the body in which sensations like tactile

like in infants enable babies to discriminate bodies from their
surroundings, which contribute to the sense of self.

2. Next is defining body surface boundaries which is the stage of being

awareness of body image in contrast to surface boundaries.

3. Last stage is the distinguishing of the body’s internal states

which is the stage of having cohesion of the body. In these images and
experiences of the body and the body, surfaces can be organized into
holistic understanding of the body.
Perspectives in Understanding Physical Self

2. Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective
Focuses on perceptual, cognitive, and affective aspects which is a
multidimensional experience that can aid a more precise understanding of
the body .
• The cognitive-behavioral perspective makes multiple distinctions to
facilitate precise conceptual and operational definitions of body-image
related variables.

3. Feminist Perspective
Relies on the social construction in which there is a possibility of
individuals to experience their bodies in distorted ways (especially,
women). Women’s dissatisfaction with their bodies as a systematic social
phenomenon rather than a result of individual pathology (McKinley, 2002).
Factors that affect perception of the Physical Self

1. Personal Factors
a. Introspection and Self-reflection. Looking inward is one of the
simplest ways to achieve self-knowledge.
• According to Hewstone, et al., (2015) Introspection is the process is
the process by which one observes and examines one’s internal
state (mental and emotional) after behaving in a certain way.

b. Self-Perception Theory.
As stated by Hewstone and Bem (2015), self-perception theory
explains that since one’s internal state is difficult to interpret, people
can infer their inner states by observing their own behavior – as if they
are an outside observer. Physical perception includes all aspects of a
person’s perception of his physical self.
Factors that affect perception of the Physical Self

c. Self-concept.
• According to Hewstone, et al., (2015), self-concept is a cognitive
representation of self-knowledge which includes the sum total of all
beliefs that people have about themselves.
• It is a collection of all individual experience involving one’s
characteristics, social roles, values, goals and fears. Physical concept is
the individual’s perception or description of his physical self, including
his physical appearance.

d. Personal Identity.
• This is the concept a person has about himself that develops over the
years.
• This includes aspects of his life that he was born into like family,
nationality, gender, physical traits as well as the choices he makes,
such as what he does for living, who his friends are and what he
believes in.
Factors that affect perception of the Physical Self

2. Social Factors

a. Attachment Process and Social Appraisal. According to Bowlby (1969), people

learn about their value and lovability when they experience how their mothers or
caregivers care for them and respond to their needs.

b. Maintaining, Regulating and

expanding the self in interpersonal
relationships.

c. The Looking-glass Self Theory.

Charles Horton Cooley stated that a
person’s self grows out of society’s
interpersonal interactions and the
perception of others. The view of oneself
comes from a compilation of personal
qualities and impressions of how others
perceive the individual.
Factors that affect perception of the Physical Self

d. Social Comparison is a process of comparing oneself with others in order

to evaluate one’s own abilities and opinions.

There are two types of social comparison:

• Upward social comparison happens when an individual compares
themselves to others who are better than them.
• Downward social comparison happens when an individual
compares themselves to someone who is in a worse situation than
they are in especially when they are feeling low.

e. Social Identity Theory (Collective Identity).

• This idea assumes that as a member of the group they will not be
discriminated against by an out-group. It will enhance their self-esteem
because they feel secured with the shield of group membership where
they belong.
• Social groups include gender, ethnicity, religion, profession, political
membership and business organizations.
PHYSICAL SELF
Part B: The Impact of
Culture on Body Image and
Self-Esteem: The
Importance of Beauty
• 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 makeup of a body is a collection of cells, combined into

organs, which themselves operate in systems.

• In humans, that body typically takes on a form with two arms, two
legs, a torso, and a head. Bodies are shaped in countless ways by
culture, by society, and by the experiences that are shared with a
social and cultural context

• Social Constructionist Approach suggests that beauty,

weight, sexuality, or race do not simply result from the collection
of genes one inherited from one’s parents.

• Essentialism means that bodies are defined entirely by their

biological make-up – bones, muscles, hormones, and the like.
• Body image can be described as a representation of how
individuals think and feel about their own physical attributes.
Body image is both internal (personal) and external (society).

• Body image includes:

(1) how a person perceives his body;
(2) how a person feels about their physical appearance;
(3) how a person thinks and talks to themselves about their
bodies; &
(4) a sense of how other people view their bodies.

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, a
person can have a positive body image.
• Self-esteem is the overall evaluation that a person has of
himself which can be positive or negative, high or low.

• Self esteem is a measure of the person’s self-worth based

on some personal or social standard. It is a global
evaluative dimension of the self.

• Self-esteem is how valuable to himself and others he

person perceives himself to be. Needless to say, people
with positive or high self-esteem are happier, have a sense
of accomplishment and purpose and relate well with
others.

The impact of culture on body image and self-esteem has

been very crucial for sometimes people depend on this as
when they define beautiful.
• Samuels and Ewy showed that both 3-month-old and 6-month-
old infants looked longer at male and female faces previously
rated as attractive by adults, suggesting that infants have the
cognitive ability to discriminate attractiveness.

o These findings have been further supported, and it has

even been shown that young infants show preferences
for attractive faces, measured by looking time, that
transcends gender, race, and age.
o Problems and other issues will arise when a person’s
definition of body image is different from the
understanding of beauty.
Young people put so much pressure on themselves to
attain unrealistic ideals to the point of risking mental
and physical health is unacceptable.

The following are some aspects in culture that may

have led to some misconceptions:
1. Society’s ideal for the perfect physical
form for men and women.

2. Images of perfection brought by all types of

media i.e. print, television, film, and internet.

3. Since a standard has been set by society and

reinforced by the media, any characteristic that
does not conform to the standard is labelled as
ugly. Body diversity in size and structure due to
genetic heritability is not tolerated.
• These misconceptions strongly affect how the
young form their body image and its influence on
their self-esteem.

• Knowing that adolescence is the period where

self-identity is formed, it is important for adults
in the environment to listen to these young people
and provide proper guidance and support.

• Yes, beauty is important.

But being beautiful still depends how a person
defines beauty and the standards he sets to meet
this definition.

• It is a big mistake to base beauty on some else’s

standard. People are different and each one is
uniquely beautiful.