UNIT II UNPACKING SELF

MODULE 6 THE PHYSICAL SELF

 Physical Self

Physical self refers to the concrete dimensions of the

body. It is the tangible aspects of the person which can be
directly observed and examined. Physical traits are the
defining features of the person’s body which include the
color of the skin, the height, figure, facial features,
hairstyle, clothing, our visual poise, posture and the like.
These physical characteristics can easily be
disguised with the naked eye. It can give a
better advantage in the job if learned how to
project and present our physical selves
properly in public. It will give us a better
edge!
Erik Erickson 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 the life complexities. William James,
on the other hand, considered the body as the
initial source of sensation and necessary for the
origin and maintenance of personality.
It shows unique aspect of stages from:
• Childhood- 8 months old and 8 years old are
considered as children
- Have different motors abilities, social relationships,
and cognitive skills.
- Different nutritional needs
- Distinctive primary psychological concerns.
• Adulthood - 18-80 years old considered as adult.
 Brief overview of stages
Prenatal period
- Conception occurs and development begins.
- Forming major structures if the body
- Mother's health is primary concern: nutrition,
teratogens( factors lead to birth defect) and labor
and delivery are primary concern.
Infancy and Toddler
- First year and a half to two years of life
- Dramatic growth and change
- Newborn with keen sense of hearing and blurred vision
became a toddler that can walk and talk within a short
period of time
- Parents as a care giver manage time for feeding and
sleeping schedules and safety inspector of mobile and
energetic child.
Early childhood period
- Preschool years (3-5 years old)
- Learning language
- Gaining sense of self and greater independence and
begin to learn the workings of physical world
- Toddler get more physically exploratory to
determine the world.
Middle childhood
- Age of 6 to 11
- Experiences are connected to their involvement in early grades of
school.
- Exploring using physical being or testing everything on his own.
- Schools compare student though
- Team sports, test scores and recognition
- Growth rate slow down and able to refine motor skills
- Learn social relationship with friends and fellow students.
Adolescence
- Period of dramatic physical change or puberty: physical
growth spurt and Sexual maturation
- Begins to think new possibilities consider abstract
concepts; Love, fear, and freedom.
- Have sense of invincibility which can lead at risk such
as dying from accidents or Contaminate STI.
Three periods of adolescence according to
healthy children.org

• Early adolescence (11-14 years old)

• Middle adolescence (15-17 years old)
• Late adolescence (18-21 years old)
In the Philippines, the Youth in Nation-Building Act
(1994) defined youth according to ages which cover
between 15 – 30 years. This range was created by the
National Youth Commission. Though there exists a
difference in the age range for what in the Philippine
society may be considered as young, the physical
changes that these youth undergo in the period of
adolescence are virtually the same as other
adolescents anywhere in the world.
 Factors that Affect Perception of the Physical Self
There are four areas of development physical, intellectual,
emotional and social. These areas of development will
overlap with each other. The fastest period of growth and
development is during the infancy and early childhood life
stages. There are recognized expected patterns of physical
growth and change, as well as intellectual, emotional and
social developments, ‘norm’ of development. Each child is
an individual and will develop at their own pace as unique
as the other.
Looking into the concept of growth and
development, we may probably realize why
we are all different. The first answer would be
genetics or the hereditary endowment. Those
are the characteristics we acquired from our
both parents.
The second is what manifest from how we are
brought up by them or the environmental or
the social influences we have or experienced
inside and outside the mother’s womb.
As individuals go through life, their health and
well-being is affected by a number of different
factors that will affect an individual’s growth
and development either positively and
negatively. These include physical, emotional,
social, economic and environmental factors.
1. Personal Factors

The Personal Factors are the individual factors to

the consumers that strongly influences their buying
behaviors. These factors vary from person to
person that results in a different set of perceptions,
attitudes and behavior towards certain goods and
services.
a. Introspection and Self – Reflection
it is the process of making self- examination after
behaving in a certain way. Looking inward is the
simplest way to achieve self-knowledge though
some people have a low self-insight on aspects about
the self where they wish were not true and many
people tend to overestimate their positive aspects.
b. Self - Perception Theory (SPT)

is an account of attitude formation developed by

psychologist Daryl Bem. It asserts that people
develop their attitudes by observing their own
behavior and concluding what attitudes must have
caused it. The theory is counterintuitive in nature,
as the conventional wisdom is that attitudes
determine behaviors.
c. Self – concept
is a general term used to refer to how someone
thinks about, evaluates or perceives themselves. To
be aware of oneself is to have a concept to oneself.
Self-Concept is about how we see ourselves and
how others see us.
d. Personal identity

is the concept you develop about yourself that

evolves over the course of your life.
2. Social Factors

represent another important set of influences on

consumer behavior. Specifically, these are the
effects of people and groups influencing one
another through culture and subculture, social
class, reference groups, and family.
a. Attachment Process and Social Appraisal

It is generally thought that attachment style entails

fundamental individual biases that can influence
how people perceive and respond to social
information in a wide range of relationship
contexts.
b. Maintaining, Regulating and Expanding the
Self in Interpersonal
Relationships. Aside from the attachment
developed when individual are still young, the
sense of self is continuously shaped through
ongoing interaction with others or with significant
relationship partners who act as private audiences
with whom people carry an internal dialogue.
c. The Looking – glass Self Theory

describes the process wherein individuals base

their sense of self on how they believe others view
them.
d. Social Comparison Theory
state that individuals determine their own social and
personal worth based on how they stack up against
others. Below is the schematic presentation of the theory:
e. Collective Identity Theory

encompasses both an individuals' self-

definition and affiliation with specific groups
or roles.
The Impact of Culture on Body Image and Self-
Esteem

Beauty is the ascription of a property or

characteristic to a person that provides a perceptual
experience of pleasure or satisfaction. Beauty is
studied as part of aesthetics, culture, social
psychology and sociology.
Eurocentrism is defined as a tendency to interpret
the world in terms of European or Anglo-American
values and experiences. Filipinos with euro centric
features are seen everywhere in media. With their
fair skin and tall noses, they grace the spotlight and
sweep Filipinos with flat nose and dark
complexions under the rug.
The social media is usually perpetuating the idea
that the European standard of beauty is the only
thing that can be deemed as beautiful. The Filipino
culture has been influenced a lot as their heritage
and identities do not matter at all in the global
schema. An aspect of Eurocentrism called colorism
is defined as the prejudicial or preferential
treatment of same-race people based solely on the
color of their skin.
Although associated with cleanliness, being
fair skinned gives the impression of beauty,
health and wealth. Skin color, not the
combination of individual’s feature, presently
determines one’s level of attractiveness.
 Reframing the way we view, think and talk
about our physical selves
Many people have an obsession to have a beautiful
face and body. This is so because the body heavily
influences our self – identity. For many, as their body
changes, so does their image of themselves. It is very
important to reframe the way we view, think and talk
about our physical selves. Here are some tips.
1. Recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape or size
it comes in.
2. Identify which aspects of your appearance you can realistically
change and which you cannot.
3. If there are things about yourself that you want to change and can, do
this by making goals for yourself.
4. When you hear negative comments coming from within, tell yourself
to stop.
5. Try building your self-esteem by giving yourself at least three
compliments every day.
Embrace Yourself, Love who you are!
Thank You!!