CHAPTER II:

UNPACKING
THE SELF
The self is composed of both abstract and
concrete features. It can be described based
on a person’s characteristics, perceptions and
actions. It is not limited to what is visible to
the naked eye. It must be examined from a
person’s behaviors up to his or her desires,
dreams, longings and fantasies. Describing
the self should not be confined to a limited
perspective. There is no single aspect that
makes up a self; thus it cannot be broken down
into a simple form. As a person grows, the
more features are added to the composition of
his or herself.
§ Our face represents most of our
physical self. It provides other
people an initial impression
about who we are and what we
are. Our facial features give
initial clues about our attitudes
and the may cosmetics put onto
our faces may give hints about
our economic status in life. We
give to much attention to our
faces that any other part of our
body from the time we wake up
to the moment before we sleep.
Our face is the primary part of
our body that we protect i n
times of danger. We do not want
any scars inflicted on any part of
our face and admittedly, may of
us are willing to spend money to
make it pleasi ng t o ot her
people.
W e maintain a face value
because we consider our
f ace as our initial asset.
Before other people can
discover our true attitude
and capabilities, they first
re l y o n w h a t t h ey c a n
physically see. The way we
t a ke c a re o f o u r s e l ve s ,
especially our f aces,
re p re s e n t s t h e k i n d o f
personality we have. It is
n o wo n d e r t h a t p e o p l e
spend significant amounts
o f m o n ey j u s t t o m a k e
themselves beautiful.
 LESSON I:
THE PHYSICAL SELF
 Learning Outcomes
Understand the stages of life and explain the physical
changes that occur during each stage.

Identify the contributions of genetic and environmental

factors on physical development of the self.

Describe the factors that affect body image.

Examine the impact of culture on body image and self.

Develop a positive body image.

Table of Contents
Stages of Life Span

Two Factors Affecting Growth and Development

Body Image

Concept of Beauty
Stages of Life Span
PHYSICAL SELF
ü The physical self refers to the body.
The basic parts of the body are the
head, neck, chest, arms, and legs.

ü It is also made up of other organs

such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach,
intestines, bones, and muscles.
ü In general, the body performs its
functions least well during infancy and old
age.

ü Physical efficiency generally peaks in

early adulthood and then slowly declines
into the middle age.
ü Physical development and growth during
childhood continues at a slow rate
compared with rapid rate of growth in
babyhood.
One of the most crucial stage in development
 ADOLESCENCE
ü Begins with the onset of puberty.

ü This stage is characterized by rapid

physical changes that include the
maturation of the reproductive system.
LIFE SPAN
ü Life span is the
development from
conception to death.
ELIZABETH B. HURLOCK
ü Outlined the stages in the Life Span.

ü Divided the Life Span into 10 stages.

STAGES OF LIFE SPAN
Prenatal Fertilization to Birth
Infancy Birth to 2 weeks of Life
Babyhood 2 weeks of Life to 2nd year
Early Childhood 2 to 6 years old
Late Childhood 6 to 10 or 12 years old
STAGES OF LIFE SPAN

Puberty 10 or 12 to 14 years old

Adolescence 14 to 18 years old

Early Adulthood 18 to 40 years old

Middle Adulthood 40 to 60 years old

Late Adulthood 60 years old to death

 Two Factors Affecting The
Physical Growth And Development
ü Physical growth and development
is the product of heredity and
environment
 HEREDITY
ü It is a biological process of transmission
of traits from parents to offspring.

ü The sex and other physical traits are

determined by the combination of (1)
chromosomes and (2) genes during
fertilization (the union of egg cell and sperm
cell).
 CHROMOSOMES
ü Thread like tissues that carries the
genes, and are usually found in pairs.

ü There are 23 pairs of chromosomes

ü Two (2) types of chromosomes:

1. Autosomes or trait chromosomes (22 pairs)
2. Gonosome or sex chromosome
 GENES
ü G e n e s a re t h e b a s i c c a r r i e r o f
hereditary traits.

ü Can be classified into:

• Dominant (strong genes)

• Recessive (weak genes)
 ENVIRONMENT
ü This refers to the factors to which the
individual is exposed after conception to death
which includes learning and experiences.

ü Environmental factors such as diet, nutrition,

and diseases play an important role in physical
development.
Body Image
 BODY IMAGE
ü It refers to how individuals perceive,
think, and feel about their body and
physical appearance.
 APPEARANCE
ü It refers to everything about a person
that others can observe such as height,
weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle.
 SELF-ESTEEM
ü It is a person's overall evaluation of his
or her own worth.
POOR BODY IMAGE
ü Younger women and girls tend
to have poor body image.

ü Body image can affect both

the adolescent’s physical and
psychological well-being
 CAUSES OF POOR
BODY IMAGE
Thin ideal body
Bullying and peer pressure
Media such as television,
advertisements, music, and
movies.

* The result is that it can cause a great deal of money to pay for the physical
attractiveness that women and men want to achieve.*
 EFFECTS OF POOR
BODY IMAGE
ü Girls are likely to experience depression, low
self-esteem, and eating disorders.

ü Eating Disorders:
Ø Anorexia Nervosa (eating disorder in
which the person refuses to eat for fear of
gaining weight)
Ø Bulimia (person induces purging after
binging on large quantities of food.)
 BODY MODIFICATION
ü Some people desperately change their physical
appearance through body modification.

ü Tattooing, permanent makeup, body piercing,

cosmetic surgery are forms of body modification.
Concept of Beauty
CONCEPT OF BEAUTY
Egyptian Art
- Beauty is por trayed in women
with slim, high waist, narrow hips,
and long black hair.

Renaissance Period
- During this period women with full
figure and rounded hips was
considered beautiful.
Medieval Age
- Some tribes (e.g., Africa) during the
medieval age consider chubby, fat, or
plump women beautiful.

Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia

- People in this country considered flat
noses to be the most attractive.
 THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEAUTY
ü Standards of beauty have changed over time
based on changing cultural values.

ü Generally, humans who have clean and

unblemished skin, thick shiny hair, well-
proportioned bodies, and symmetrical faces,
have traditionally been considered the most
beautiful.
ü Beauty is considered important throughout
history. Beauty is important in all societies.

ü Attractive people have a lot of advantages in life.

ü Also, people tend to view attractive people as

good, happier, smarter, and better people.

ü Generally, unattractive people are less liked and

assisted.
 “Above all things physical, it is more
important to be beautiful in the inside.”