THE PHYSICAL SELF

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the topic, you are expected to:

1. Understand the stages of life and explain the
physical changes that occur during each
stage.
2. Identify the contributions of genetic and
environmental factors on physical
development of the self.
3. Describe the factors that affect body image.
4. Examine the impact of culture on body image
and self.
5. 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 such as
breathing, walking, and dancing.
 The body' s ability to perform i ts
functions gradually changes through
the years.
 In general, the body performs its
functions least well during infancy and
old age.
 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.
 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 is 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
Two Factors Affecting Physical Growth
and Development
 Physical growth and development is the
product of heredity and environment.
 Heredity is the biological process of
transmission of traits from parents to
offspring.
 Environment refers to the factors to which
the individual is exposed after conception
to death which includes learning and
experiences.
 Environmental factors such as diet,
nutrition, and diseases play an i m p
o r t a n t r o l e i n p h y s i c a l
development.
 The sex and other physical traits are
determined by the combination of
chromosomes and genes during
fertilization.
 Fertilization is the union of egg and
sperm cell.
 Chromosomes are thread like tissues
that carries the genes, and are
usually found in pairs.
 There are 23 pairs of chromosomes.
 Chromosomes are classified as
autosomes or trait chromosomes (22
pairs)andgonosomeorse
x chromosome.
 The sex of the offspring depends on
the pairing of the sex chromosomes
(23rd) from the father and mother.
Genesarethebasiccarrie
r o f hereditary traits.
 Genes are classified as dominant
(strong genes) and recessive (weak
genes).
BODY IMAGE
 Body image refers to how individuals
perceive, think, and feel about their
body and physical appearance.
 Appearance refers to everything about
a person that others can observe such
as height, weight, skin color, clothes,
and hairstyle.
 Through appearances, people show
others the kind of persons they are.
 It appears that body image is related to
self-esteem.
Self-esteemisaperson'sove
r a l l evaluation of his or her own worth.
 Adolescents worry about different parts of
their bodies.
 Younger women and girls tend to have
poor body image.
Bodyimagecanaffectboththe
adolescent’s physical and psychological
well-being.
Causes of Poor Body Image
 Parents emphasis on thin ideal body lead
girls to experience body dissatisfaction
 Bullying and peer pressure have been a
ssociatedwithgreaterbody
dissatisfaction.
 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.
 The disorder mostly afflicts females
between the ages of 12 and 40,
although men may also develop it.
 A related disorder is bulimia in which
the person induces purging after
binging on large quantities of food.
Body Modification
 Some people desperately change
their physical appearance through
body modification.
 Tattooing, permanent makeup, body
piercing, cosmetic surgery are forms
of body modification.
CONCEPT OF BEAUTY
 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.
 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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY
 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.
 Generally, humans who have clean and
unblemished skin, thick shiny hair, well-
proportioned bodies, and symmetrical
faces, have traditionally been considered
the most beautiful.
 B e a u t y i s c o n s i d e r e di m p o r
t a n t throughout history.
 This is because these features indicate
youth, health, good genes, and fertility
 Beauty is important in all societies.
 Attractivepeople have a
l o t of advantages in life.
 For example, men tend to seek attractive
women as mates.
 Studies have shown that men and women
who are physically attractive have more
opportunities such as job, promotion, and
income.
 Also, people tend to view attractive people
as good, happier, smarter, and better
people.
 Generally, unattractive people are less
liked and assisted.
• Above all things physical, it is more
important to be beautiful in the inside.