V-THE PHYSICAL SELF

PREPARED BY: Ms. Liezel P. Moises MA, RPM, RPSY

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS CHAPTER

■ Stages of life and explain the physical

changes that occur during each stage.
■ Genetic and environmental factors on
physical development of the self.
■ Factors that affect body image.
■ Impact of culture on body image and self.
■ Develop a positive body image.
THE PHYSICAL SELF
•The physical self refers to the body.
•The basic parts of the body are the
head, neck, chest, arms, and legs.
•It is also made up of other organs such
as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach,
intestines, bones, and muscles.
•These organs work together to
perform many of its functions.
THE PHYSICAL SELF

• The body' s ability to perform

its functions gradually changes
through the years.
• In general, the body performs
its functions least well during
infancy and old age.
THE PHYSICAL SELF

• Physical efficiency generally peaks in early

adulthood between the ages of twenty and
thirty, and then slowly declines into the
middle age.

• Physical development and growth during

childhood continues at a slow rate compared
with rapid rate of growth in babyhood.
THE PHYSICAL SELF
• Adolescence begins with the onset of
puberty.
• This stage is characterized by rapid physical
changes that includes the maturation of the
reproductive system.
• Each individual goes through a
succession of developmental stages.
• LIFE SPAN refers to the development
from conception to death.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:

1. Prenatal – fertilization to birth

2. Infancy – birth to 2 weeks of life
3. Babyhood – 2 weeks of life to 2nd year
4. Early Childhood – 2 to 6
5. Late Childhood – 6 to 10 or 12
6. Puberty – 10 or 12 to 14
7. Adolescence – 14 to 18
8. Early Adulthood – 18 to 40
9. Middle Adulthood – 40 to 60
10.Late Adulthood or senescence – 60 to death
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:

1. Prenatal – fertilization to birth

• This is the first developmental period in the

life span, though the period is considered
short, it is in many respects one of the most
important periods in human development.

• It begins at conception when the nucleus of

the sperm and egg cell unites to form a
zygote.

• The pregnancy is divided into 3 parts of

development; the germinal, embryonic and
the fetal stage.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:

2. Infancy

• This is from birth to 2 weeks of life. It is a time of rapid

physical, perceptual, cognitive, logical, social, and
emotional growth.

• Human babies are born with good motor coordination and

even the sensory system is already functional.

• They are completely helpless and totally dependent to their

caregiver. Though they are the most helpless and immature
being when they come into this world, their sensory
development is mature and well integrated even before
birth.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:

3. Babyhood – 2 weeks of life to 2nd year

• This stage starts from 2 weeks of life to 2nd year. Babyhood

is the true foundation of development which there is a rapid
growth and change.

• The baby will start to become more independent and will

increase individuality as they start to form social
relationship and the beginning of sex-role typing. It is also
the age in which they will start to develop their creativity.

• They will now start to explore their environment and

become highly energetic particularly during play. One
specific task of this stage is to develop object permanence
in which it is the ability of the baby to perceive things to
continue to exist even though they are not directly sensed.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:

4. Early Childhood – 2 to 6

• Ages 2 through 6 are the early childhood years, or

preschool years. Like infants and toddlers, preschoolers
grow quickly - both physically and cognitively.

• Children begin to lose their baby fat, or chubbiness, around

age 3 since it is the time that they engage in different
physical activities through play.

• Even at this early stage of life, boys tend to have more

muscle mass than girls. The preschoolers’ physical
proportions also continue to change, with their heads still
being disproportionately large, but less so than in
toddlerhood.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:

5. Late Childhood – 7 to 10 or 12
• Up until this point, most children have
been growing at family predictable
rates.

• Now, all bets are off due the often

wild fluctuations in physical
development. There is no single
growth phase that is similar to all.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:
6. Puberty – 10 or 12 to 14

• Biological maturation where a boy or girl become able

to reproduce or this is the age of achieving full sexual
maturity

• Puberty is made up of a clear sequence of stages,

affecting different bodily systems such as skeletal,
muscular and reproductive.

• Most children have a slimmer appearance during

middle childhood than they did during the preschool
years.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:
7. Adolescence – 14 to 18

• During adolescence period, young people go through many

changes as they move into physical maturity. Early
prepubescent changes occur when the secondary sexual
characteristics appear.

• Girls may begin to develop breast buds as early as 8 years

old. It will reach full development between ages 12 to 18.
Pubic hair, arms and legs usually begin to grow around age
9 or 10, and reach adult patterns at about 12 to 14 years.
Menarche or the beginning of menstrual periods typically
occurs about 2 years after early breast and pubic hair
appear. It may occur as early as 9, or as la te as age 16.
They usually reach growth spurt around 11.5 and slows
around age 16.
•
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:
7. Adolescence – 14 to 18

• Boys may begin to notice that their testicles and scrotum

grow as early as age 9. Soon, the penis begins to lengthen.
By age 17 or 18, their genital are usually at their adult size
and shape. Pubic hair growth, as well as armpit, leg, chest,
and facial hair, begins in boys at about age 12, and reaches
adult patterns at about 17 or 18 years.

• Unlike girls who have menstrual period that signifies the

start of puberty, boys will have regular nocturnal emissions
(wet dreams). Wet dreams typically start between ages 13
and 17. The average age is about 14 and a half years. Their
voice will also change at the same time as the penis grows.
Boy’s spurt peaks around age 13 and half and slows
around age 18.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:
8. Early Adulthood – 18 to 40
• By the time we reach early adulthood, our physical
maturations is complete, although our height and weight
may increase slightly. In this period, our physical abilities
are at their peak, including muscle strength, reaction time,
sensory abilities, and cardiac functioning.

• Around the age of 30, many changes begin to manifest in

different parts of the body. For example, the lens of the eye
starts to stiffen and thicken, resulting in changes in vision
that usually affecting the ability to focus on close objects
also known as myopia or nearsightedness. Sensitivity to
sound decreases that typically more prevalent for men as
for women.

• Hair can start to thin and become gray around the age of
35, although this may occur earlier for some individuals.
The skin becomes drier and wrinkles start to appear by the
end of early adulthood.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:
9. Middle Adulthood – 40 to 60

• During the middle adulthood, the raging process becomes

more visible. Around the age of 60, the eyes lose their
ability to adjust to objects at varying distances, known as
presbyopia or farsightedness. Most people between the
ages of 40 and 60 will need some form of corrective
lenses for vision deficits.

• Middle-aged adults are also at higher risk than younger

adults for certain eye problems, such as glaucoma.
Hearing also further declines and skin continues to dry
out and is more prone to more wrinkling, particularly on
the sensitive face like the area around the eyes.
Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span:
10. Late Adulthood or senescence – 60 to death
• Adulthood is the stage of life from the 60s onward; it
constitutes the last stage o f physical change. According to the
latest WHO data published in 2018 life expectancy in the
Philippines is: Male 66.2, female 72.6 and total life expectancy
is 69.3 which gives Philippines a World Life Expectancy ranking
of 123.

• However, this varies greatly based on factors such as

socioeconomic status, region, and access to medical care. In
general, women tend to live longer than men by an average of
five years.

• During late adulthood the skin continues to lose elasticity,

reaction time slows further, and muscle strength diminishes.
Hearing and vision—so sharp in our twenties—decline
significantly; cataracts, or cloudy areas of the eyes that result
in vision loss, are frequent.
Nature and Nurture Interaction

•Nature refers to HEREDITY, the influence of

inherited characteristics on personality, personal
growth, intellectual growth and social
interactions.

•Nurture refers to the influence of the

ENVIRONMENT on all those same things and
includes parenting styles, physical surroundings,
economic factors and anything that can have an
influence on development that does not come
from within the person.
• Environmental factors such as diet,
nutrition, and diseases play an
important role in physical development.
Our Ideal Body
• Body image refers to mental
image we form of our own bodies
that includes how we feel about
our bodies as well as how satisfied
or dissatisfied we are with our
bodies.

• Appearance refers to everything

about a person that others can
observe such as height, weight,
skin color, clothes, and hairstyle.
BODY IMAGE
• It appears that body image is related to
self-esteem.
• Self esteem is the overall evaluation of
his or her own worth.
• Adolescents worry about different parts of
their bodies.
• Body image can affect both the
adolescent’s physical and psychological
well-being.
BODY IMAGE

■ Generally, girls are more dissatisfied

than boys with their physical
appearance and their overall body
image.
■ For girls, self-consciousness and
dissatisfaction with their appearance
reach their peak between the ages 13
and 15.
Causes of Poor Body Image

• Parents emphasis on thin ideal body

lead girls to experience body
dissatisfaction
• Bullying and peer pressure have
been associated with greater body
dissatisfaction.
Causes of Poor Body Image
• Media such as television, advertisements,
music, and movies.
• They are filled with good-looking faces, making women
and men more concerned with physical attractiveness.
• 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.

• The reality, however, is that the

standards of beauty presented in
the media are so unrealistic.
Effects of Poor Body Image
Girls who have higher body dissatisfaction
are likely to experience depression, low
self-esteem, and eating disorders.

•Anorexia nervosa is an eating

disorder in which the person refuses to
eat for fear of gaining weight which
can result in severe starvation and
death.
•A related disorder is bulimia in which the
person induces purging after binging on
large quantities of food.
• The disorder mostly afflicts females between the ages of 12 and 40,
although men may also develop it.
• Muscle dysmorphia the delusional or exaggerated belief is that one's
own body is too small, too skinny, insufficiently muscular, or
insufficiently lean.
 Body Modification
•Some people desperately change their physical appearance through
body modification.
•Tattooing, permanent makeup, body piercing, cosmetic surgery are
forms of body modification.

Body dysmorphic disorder-Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that
are not observable or appear slight to others.
Foot binding in China
 Accessories of Female Masai in Africa

Scarification in Africa
Disc insertion on the lip in Africa
Body modification of Maria Jose Cristema in Guadalajara Mexico
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS

Physical attractiveness is the

perception of the physical traits
of an individual human person
as aesthetically pleasing or
beautiful.
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS
Nowadays, who is
considered beautiful?

• Those who have clean and

unblemished skin?
• Thick shiny hair?
• Well- proportioned
bodies?
• Symmetrical faces?
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS

•In Egyptian art, beauty is portrayed

in women with slim, high waist, narrow
hips, and long black hair.

•Women with full figure and rounded

hips was considered beautiful during
the Renaissance period.
PHYSICAL
ATTRACTIVENESS
• Some tribes (e.g., Africa) during
the medieval age consider chubby,
fat, or plump women beautiful.

• People in Malaysia, Philippines,

and Indonesia considered flat noses
to be the most attractive.
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS

• Standards of beauty
have changed over time
based on changing
cultural values.

• All cultures have, more

or less, the same
concept standards of
beauty have changed
over time based on
changing cultural
values.

Circa 20s Circa 60s Circa 70s Circa 90s Present

PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRACTION

• Research studies prove that the more

attractive a woman is, the more a
man likes her and wants to date her
again.

• The more attractive a man is, the

more a woman likes him and wants
to date him again.

• Likewise, it also prove that

sophisticated and intelligent people
are less concerned with superficial
qualities like good looks.
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRACTION

The following are the theories about the

relationship of physical attractiveness and
romantic relationship:

■ Matching Phenomenon
■ Physical Attractiveness Stereotype
■ Similarity
– Complementarity
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRACTION

■ Matching Phenomenon

– The tendency for men and women to choose

as partners those who are a “good match” in
terms of physical attractiveness, intelligence
and other traits.

– The tendency wherein we usually settle for

someone like ourselves, at least in regard to
physical attractiveness when it comes to
choosing a date or romantic partner.
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRACTION

■ Physical Attractiveness Stereotype

– It refers to the presumption that physically

attractive people possess other socially
desirable traits as well. What is beautiful is
good.

– Attractive people are often more favored and

valued. But attractiveness is NOT the key
ingredient for social skills.

– You should accept yourself, like yourself and

be comfortable with yourself. Remember
attractiveness is whatever the people of any
given time and place find attractive.
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRACTION
■ Similarity

– Attitudes: Do opposite attract, or Do

birds of the same feather flock
together”? Why do great majority of us
have partners from our own
background?

– One reason is that marriages and other

long term relationships are made in the
neighborhood and not in heaven. People
similar in background are more similar
in their attitudes. Likeness begets liking.
PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND ATTRACTION
■ Similarity
– Complementarity is the popularly
supposed tendency, in a relationship
between to people, for each to complete
what is missing in the other.
– People who are complementary (opposite
but compatible) in their needs and traits
are attracted.
– Also, complementarity probably isn’t
important in the early stages of attraction,
though it may become more important in
a long term relationship like marriage.
TIPS ON HOW TO ATTAIN PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

■ What you eat today influences your health tomorrow. Eat

nourishing foods. Stay away from fatty foods. Boil, bake, or
grill – never fry.
■ Do not eat when you are angry. Uncontrolled hostility at meal
times turns food sour and brings ulcers and heart problems.
■ Tension and worry bring emotional and physical illnesses.
■ Do relaxing exercises, take brisk walks. Get your mind off
your work, your problems.
■ Follow the advice of Edmond Samuels; placidity prevents
acidity
TIPS ON HOW TO ATTAIN PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

■ Rest is important but too much rest is harmful. Regulate sleep.

■ Loss of energy is due to boredom and laziness. Take on
challenges, new interests.
■ Find life and live life. Enjoy life.
■ Conserve energy. Give out a little at a time. Apply discipline
and do every job with love and enthusiasm.
■ You can avoid physical illnesses by right thinking, right eating,
and right living.
■ Avoid stress and strain. Think health, not sickness. Take
charge of your mind and your mind will take charge of your
body.
• Above all things physical, it is more
important to be beautiful in the inside.
THE END. THANK YOU