UNIT 2: UNPACKING THE SELF

Lesson 1: The Physical Self

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:
1. Explore the physical development of self.
2. Identify the different factors that impact the development of self.

The Physical Self

• Is the tangible aspect of the person which can be directly observed and examined
(Singh, 2009)
• Physical development on the other hand refers to the quantitative biological changes
that underlie psychological development as well. Quantitative development
encompasses
• Refers to the – the physical structure and material substances of the human being
• Physical development rapidly happens when fertilization has occurred. Prenatal
development is divided into three stages: germinal stage, embryonic stage, and the
fetal stage

Prenatal Stages
1. Germinal Stage
• begins when the ovum is penetrated by a sperm in the fallopian tube and begins its
journey, as a zygote (the single-celled organism formed from the union of the egg and
sperm)
• the zygote travels down to the uterus where it gets implanted, happens during the 1st
two weeks together with the formation of the placenta (the sac which envelopes the
developing baby allows nutrients, oxygen, and waste materials to pass from the mother
to baby via the umbilical cord)

2. Embryonic Stage
• occurs during the 2nd-8th week of pregnancy and the developing cell is now called and
embryo
• major organs and body systems begin to develop: respiratory, digestive, and nervous
system
• this is a critical stage in prenatal development because teratogens can harm the
developing embryo
• teratogens are external agents such as radiation and drugs which can harm the embryo

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List of Major Known Teratogens

source: www.
columbia.edu

3. Fetal Stage
• covers the 9th week to the 38th week of pregnancy
• end of 12th week all the are already formed and in proportion to the fetus, though some
organ systems are still not fully functional
• 12th week: increased activity in the womb such a slight kicking and fluttering of the
infant known as quickening

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 • Vision is the last to develop during this stage. On the average, babies acquire full sense
of sight around six months after birth

source: Moore& Persaud, 1998

Risk Factors During Pregnancy

a. Mother’s Age
• More than enough studies have revealed that the age of a mother impacts on an
infant’s well-being during pregnancy
• Too young and the mother is most likely to have a difficult birth because the bodies of
teenagers are still not mature enough to nurture an infant.
• Too old and the mother is most likely to suffer from prenatal complications such
gestational diabetes and pregnancy induced hypertension
• Pregnancy during adolescence and after 35 increases significantly the risk of atypical
prenatal development, and both younger and older women are more likely to give birth
prematurely.
• The risk of having a child with Down’s Syndrome increases with maternal age

b. Fetal Malnutrition
• a diet of 2,700 to 3,000 calories a day that contains adequate amounts of vitamins and
minerals to ensure the development of a healthy child (Fifer, 2005)
• fetal malnourishment produces infants who are often lethargic, have aversive cries, and
are slow to develop

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c. Maternal stress
• Stress decreases nutrients and oxygen going to the placenta and results in premature
birth and low birth-weight
• Maternal stress prevents nutrients to pass from the baby to the mother. The mother’s
weakened immune system and hormonal fluctuations makes the fetus vulnerable as
well.

d. Environmental Risk Factors

• Birth defects occur in 3% to 5% of all newborns, and about 10% of those are caused by
teratogens (Fifer, 2005), substances that come into contact with the fetus through the
mother that interfere with typical development
• Potential results of exposure to teratogens: Miscarriage, Low infant birth weight,
Premature birth, Physical malformations (internal: for example, brain; and external, for
example, limbs) Damage to visual and/or audition systems, Delay or damage of
physical development (for example, slow growth), Delay or damage of cognitive
development (for example, mental retardation) Higher vulnerability of regulatory
systems (for example, attention, arousal level, mood)

Genes
• the basic biochemical units of heredity. Genes are reproduced and passed along from
parents to their children.

Chromosomes
• are threadlike structures found in every cell of your body, except in red blood cells.
• All chromosomes contain strands of the molecule deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA.

Changes Occurring During Physical Development

a. Changes in the Brain and Body Size
• not all parts of the body grow at the same rate
• Height: sharp increase during infancy and adolescence
• Brain and Head: rapid growth during the prenatal period until the preschool years
• Reproductive organs: no change during childhood, but rapid changes happened
again during puberty

b. Skeletal and Dental Changes

• the skeleton starts out as soft cartilage which eventually undergoes ossification (bone
tissue formation)
• skeletal development reaches a maximum usually in late adolescence or early
adulthood
• Gaps between bones get smaller as children age. The disappearance of growth plates
signals the end of skeletal development

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 • another reliable measure of physical age: from 7 months onwards, primary teeth
appear; 6th year: secondary teeth appear, complete loss of primary teeth happens until
the 12th year

c. Changes in Proportion
• Cephalocaudal development begins during the prenatal stage, in humans, large brains
relative to body size must continually develop to promote survival
• Proximodistal development is focused toward the center of the body (from the chest to
arms and legs)

source: Bjorklund & Blasi, 2012

Psychological Consequences of Physical Growth During Adolescence

a. Changes in Body Image
• Definition: it refers to one’s mental picture of one’s physical body as well as one’s
attitude towards the physical body
• Body image is influenced by culture, media, and interactions with family members
• Each culture develops social ideals or standards in relation to body image and these
often have a profound impact on an adolescent
• Looking good and being beautiful is simply not limited by physical looks but also inherent
personal characteristics
• Some cultural standards of beauty:
Ex. USA – emphasizes thinness as the idea body image for women
French – take pride in their fashion style of having well-made, well-
tailored attire
Japan – being told that one has a small face (kogo) is considered as
high praise among women
England – (during the Renaissance), women believed in having large
pupils, thus they squeezed Belladonna extract into their eyes
to increase pupil dilation
Africa – women are forcibly fed so that they gain weight, the bigger
the body, the more beautiful the Woman
Modelling industry – “size 0” among models was initially the most ideal

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 body image

b. Some findings
• Body image dissatisfaction is correlated with eating disorders (Furnham, Badmin @
Sneade, 2002 as cited by Pestano & Wong, 2018) such Anorexia (characterized by self-
induced weight loss) and Bulimia (eating excessively and then forcing oneself to vomit)
• Filipino youth have a healthy body image (YAFS, 2014)
• If you are female, babies will gaze longer (Slater et al., 1998)
• Smell is an important part of the attraction to certain women. (Karremans, 2010 a cited
by Bergner, 2010). In a similar research by National Geographic, women were asked to
smell the sweaty shirt of males and were asked to indicate which scent they were most
attracted to.

c. A healthy body image starts with

• an awareness about the good things about one’s body
• acceptance that bodies come in different shapes and sizes
• feeling good about the body by engaging in a healthy lifestyle: exercise, balanced
diet, enough sleep, and maintaining a positive attitude towards the body

Sources:
Alata, E.J.P., Caslib, B.N.Jr.; Serafica, J.P.J. & Pawilen, R.A. (2018) Understanding the self. (1st ed.). Manila: Rex
Publishing Company.
Bjorklund & Blasi, (2012). Child and adolescent development: An integrated approach. USA: Cengage
Wadworth Learning.
Hegelson, V.S. (2012). The psychology of gender. (4th ed.). USA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Hogg, M.A & Vaughan, G.M. (2010). Essentials of social psychology. England: Pearson Education Limited
Medical News Today. (2019). Sexually transmitted diseases. Retrieved October 2, 2018 from
www.medicalnewstoday.com.
Quinatocan-Pestaňo, A.E. & Almerez-Wong, M. (2018). Understanding the self. Cebu: University of San Jose
Recoletos.
Singh, S. (2008). The concept of physical self in psychology. Retrieved September 19, 2018 from
https://www.all-about-psychology.com/
Sternberg, R. Duplex theory of love: Triangular theory of love and theory of love as a story. Retrieved September
24, 2018 from http://www.robertjsternberg.com/love/
UB Psychology Department. General psychology manual. (2014 ed). Baguio City: University of Baguio.

Villafuerte, S.L., Quillope, A.F., Tunac, R.C., & Borja, E.I. (2018) Understanding the self. Quezon City: NIEME
Publishing House, Co. LTD.
Vinluan, M. (2012). Adolescent and youth health program. Retrieved October 1, 2018 from www.ncpdc.gov.ph.

WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GENETIC DISORDERS!

GENETICS: https://youtu.be/tnqO-mqfg8w
CHROMOSOMAL DISORDERS: https://youtu.be/V49g3Vj9RS8

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