1

Objectives

•Explore the different aspects of self and identity

•Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in integrating the

Various aspects of self and identity.

•Identity the different forces and institutions that impact the

Development of various aspects of self and identity.

•Examine one’s self against the different aspects of self

Discussed in class.

What is physical self in understanding the self?

Physical self-concept is the individual's perception of

themselves in areas of physical ability and appearance.
Physical ability includes concepts such as physical strength
and endurance, while appearance refers to attractiveness and
body image.
THE BIOLOGICAL BLUEPRINT

A crucial aspect of the self is one’s physical features

including the face, bodily structure, height and weight.
However, people should also consider their physical
competencies, valuation of physical worth, and perception
of beauty.

AM I BEAUTIFUL?
DO PEOPLE FIND ME ATTRACTIVE?
WHAT CAN I DO TO ENHANCE MY FEATURES?

However, the physical self is not only limited to what can

be seen by the naked eye; underneath the skin is a
dynamic system of biological and chemical processes
that contribute to one’s physical features. Body
structure, weight, height, skin color, hair color, and other
physical characteristics do not just develop at random.
These are triggered by genetic transformations and
biological development through heredity.
HEREDITY – is defined as the transmission of traits from
parents to offspring. The traits are made up of specific
information embedded within one’s gene, the basic unit of
heredity. •

GENOTYPE – refers to specific information embedded

within one’s genes; not all genotypes translate to an
observed physical characteristic. It can be determined by
blood testing.

PHENOTYPE – is the physical expression of a particular

trait. It can be directly observed. • Each individual carries
23 pairs of chromosomes. The 23rd pair is the sex
chromosomes, determines the sex of an individual. •

MATURATION is known as the completion of growth of a

genetic character within an organism. It enables man to
walk, run and talk which are evident in the adolescent
stage.
 Catriona Gray

Pietro Boselli
Jare Ijalana Nigerian tot dubbed ‘most beautiful girl in the
world’
Beauty by numbers

•Our attraction to another person’s body increases if that

body is symmetrical and in proportion

•If a face is in proportion, we are more likely to notice it

and find it beautiful.

•We perceive proportional bodies to be more healthy

Key points

• The self as impacted by the body

• The impact of culture on body image and self esteem
• The importance of beauty

• A self image problem happens when your looks doesn't

match your beauty standards. For example if you believed
that attractive people are slim ones and if you were not
slim (but not obese) then you might believe that you are
unattractive even though others might believe that you are
attractive.

• The problem here is with your own beauty standards and

not with your looks. In order to like your looks in such a
case you must fix your false beliefs about physical
attractiveness.
Body image, self-esteem and the influence of society

• Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than we

realize – from our interactions, to our personal
development through to others’ perception of our bodies
as a reflection of self worth.

• We are social beings. Genetically, we rely on one

another for the survival of humanity. That primal
connection makes our interactions physiologically and
psychologically important. So it’s not surprising that how
society perceives us affect us on many levels.

• And it’s partly how society perceives our bodies that is

of concern; we’re talking body image. So what does that
involve?
Body image is both internal (personal) and external
(society) This includes:

• How we perceive our bodies visually

• How we feel about our physical appearance
• How we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies
• Our sense of how other people view our bodies How we
look has possibly never held as much societal importance
or reflected so significantly on our perceived self worth.
Stretching for health

The media in particular, has increasingly become a platform

that reinforces cultural beliefs and projects strong views on
how we should look, that we as individuals often
unknowingly or knowingly validate and perpetuate. The
more we look at perfect images of others and then look to
find those same idealized characteristics in ourselves and
don’t find them, the worse we feel about ourselves. It’s a
cycle that breeds discontent. With such strong societal
scrutiny it’s easy to see how the focus on how we look can
slide into the dark side – negative body image.

Woman with food choices

The greater our discontent with how we measure up when
compared to the societal or media supported norms, the
more negative our body image, and the greater the risk for
extreme weight or body control behaviors occurs. We’re
talking… • Extreme dieting • Extreme exercise compulsion
• Eating disorders • Extreme or unnecessary plastic surgery
• Using steroids for muscle building

Who’s to blame for our body perceptions, be it good or

bad?
• Society gives us a number of reference points that shape
our perceptions whether positive or negative. When it
comes to our bodies there are a number of sources that
affect us more than others.
TODAY’S EMBEDDED IDEALS –
THE PHYSICAL

• Life today sees image upon image of fashionably clad

women, perfect skin, tiny waists, ample breasts, fashionably
protruding behinds (of Kardashian and Beyonce fame) all
with a weight of no greater than 59kg.
• They are unrealistic images of beauty, genetically
impossible for many of us to emulate. The same thing
applies to the 6- pack or ripped abs shoved in the face of
men via famous sportsmen and male fitness models, which
for many is impossible to achieve without illegal steroids.
• Yet we are told that these unattainable bodies are normal,
desirable, and achievable. When we don’t measure up we
develop a strong sense of dissatisfaction and the way that
manifests can be ugly.
PREJUDICE –
SIZE
• Intolerance of body diversity has a lot to do with
prejudice of size and shape in our culture. Being thin,
toned and muscular has become associated with the hard-
working, successful, popular, beautiful, strong, and the
disciplined.
• Being fat is associated with the lazy, ugly, weak, and
lacking in will-power.
• With this prejudice, fat isn’t a description like tall or
redhead – it’s an indication of moral character and we are
conditioned to think that fat is bad.

THE MEDIA

• The images of perfection we see in print, film and

television project an unrealistic version of reality that we
are continually told is attainable – if we work out, eat less
and lather our bodies in transformative, firming and
tightening creams.

• The media is a powerful tool that reinforces cultural

beliefs and values, and while it may not be fully responsible
for determining the standards for physical attractiveness, it
makes escaping the barrage of images and attitudes almost
impossible.
Those closest to us – family and friends

• We learn from other people, particularly those closest to

us about the things that are considered important.

• Friendships are particularly important in body image

development because we place high value on them, spend
lots of time with our friends and develop shared
experiences, values and beliefs.

Close friends

• Classrooms, University dorms and common rooms are

often filled with negative body talk: “I wish I had her
stomach” “I hate my thighs” “I feel fat.” Listening to this
tends to reinforce the need to focus on appearance and
make comparisons between us and other people’s bodies.

So how can we build a strong and positive body image?

• Positive body image involves understanding that healthy

attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes, and that
physical appearance says very little about our character or
value as a person.
Women of different size

How we get to this point of acceptance often depends on

our individual development and self acceptance. To get to
that all important point of balance there are a few steps
we can take:
• Talk back to the media. All media and messages are
developed or constructed and are not reflections of
reality. So shout back. Speak our dissatisfaction with the
focus on appearance and lack of size acceptance
• De-emphasize numbers. Kilograms on a scale don’t tell
us anything meaningful about the body as a whole or our
health. Eating habits and activity patterns are much more
important
• Realize that we cannot change our body type: thin,
large, short or tall, we need to appreciate the uniqueness
of what we have – and work with it
• Stop comparing ourselves to others. We are unique and
we can’t get a sense of our own body’s needs and abilities
by comparing it to someone else
• We need to move and enjoy our bodies not because we
have to, but because it makes us feel good. Walking,
swimming, biking, dancing – there is something for
everyone • Spend time with people who have a healthy
relationship with food, activity, and their bodies •
Question the degree to which self-esteem depends on our
appearance. If we base our happiness on how we look it is
likely to lead to failure and frustration, and may prevent us
from finding true happiness
• Broaden our perspective about health and beauty by
reading about body image, cultural variances, or media
influence. Check out a local art gallery paying particular
attention to fine art collections that show a variety of body
types throughout the ages and in different cultures •
Recognize that size prejudice is a form of discrimination
similar to other forms of discrimination. Shape and size are
not indicators of character, morality, intelligence, or success

• Each of us will have a positive body image when we have a

realistic perception of our bodies, when we enjoy, accept
and celebrate how we are and let go of negative societal or
media perpetuated conditioning. But the media and society
in general, are not all bad. As with most things, with the bad
comes the potential for good and increasingly, people the
world over are waking up to the negativity and conditioning
that we are bombarded with daily.
“If you project a positive self- image, people will be more
likely to see you as a positive, capable person.”

Defining Beauty Complete the sentences below.

1.For me, beauty means______________.

2.A beautiful person is ________________.

3.I am beautiful because _______________.

4.Mention names of people you know who are beautiful.

Answer the following questions.

1.Define your self-image. What’s your internal voice

saying?

2.Considering how you look now, is there anything you

wish to change? Why or why not?
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965)
Instructions: Below is a list of statements dealing with your general feelings about yourself. If you
strongly agree, tick in that column. If you agree with the statement, tick in the agree column. If you
disagree, tick disagree. If you strongly disagree, tick strongly disagree.

Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
1. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.

2.* At times, I think I am no good at all.

3. I feel that I have a number of good qualities.

4. I am able to do things as well as most other

people.

5.* I feel I do not have much to be proud of.

6.* I certainly feel useless at times.

7. I feel that I’m a person of worth, at least on an
equal plane with others.

8.* I wish I could have more respect for myself.

9.* All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure.

10. I take a positive attitude toward myself.

Scoring: SA=3, A=2, D=1, SD=0. Items with an asterisk are reverse scored, that is, SA=0, A=1, D=2, SD=3.
Sum the scores for the 10 items. The higher the score, the higher the self esteem.
The Body Esteem Scale-Revised (Frost, Franzoi, Oswald, & Shields,
2017)

Note: The BES-R is a revision of the original Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi &
Shields, 1984)

Instructions: Below are listed a number of body parts and functions. Please read each
item and indicate how you feel about this part or function of your own body, using the
following scale:
1 = Have strong negative feelings
2 = Have moderate negative feelings
3 = Have no feeling one way or the other 4 = Have moderate positive feelings
5 = Have strong positive feelings

1. body scent 11. skin condition 21. appearance of eyes

2. head hair 12. biceps 22. face

3. hips 13. weight 23. physical condition

4. physical stamina 14. body build 24. legs

5. reflexes 15. figure/physique 25. Attraction to same sex

6. arms 16. buttocks 26. appearance of stomach

7. muscular strength 17. agility 27. sex organs

8. waist 18. health 28. physical coordination

9. energy level 19. Attraction to opposite sex

10. thighs 20. chest or breasts

Note. As with the original Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, 1987), the most recent
series of factor analyses indicates that body esteem is still best understood as
multidimensional and gender specific, with three different factors emerging for women
and men. What this means is that (1) women’s and men’s body esteem cannot be
compared because the construct itself has a different meaning for them, and (2) the way
that both women and men evaluate their bodies is not “as a whole” but in terms of three
distinct, though interrelated dimensions. As with the original BES, each of the dimensions
for women and men on the BES-R is represented by subscale scores that are calculated
by summing responses for the items corresponding to each subscale, as described
below.
Women
Sexual attractiveness: body scent, buttocks, chest or
breasts, appearance of eyes, sex drive, sex activities,
face, head hair, skin condition (Mean = 32.7, SD = 5.2)
Weight concern: waist, thighs, body build, hips, legs,
figure or physique, appearance of stomach, weight
(Mean = 23.3, SD = 7.0)
Physical condition: physical stamina, muscular
strength, energy level, physical coordination, health,
physical condition (Mean = 20.6, SD = 4.7)

Men
Sexual attractiveness: body scent, appearance of
eyes, sex drive, sex organs, sex activities, face, head
hair, skin condition (Mean = 28.8, SD = 5.0)
Upper body strength: muscular strength, biceps, body
build, arms, chest or breasts (Mean = 16.6, SD = 4.5)
Physical condition: physical stamina, reflexes, energy
level, physical coordination, agility, figure or physique,
appearance of stomach, health, physical condition,
weight (Mean = 35.5, SD
= 7.8)

References
Frost, K. A., Franzoi, S. L., Oswald, D. L., & Shields, S.
A. (2017). Revising the Body Esteem Scale with a U.S.
college student sample: Evaluation, validation, and uses
for the BES-R. Sex Roles.