DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE, INC.

Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City

Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

Week 5

Unit 2: Unpacking the Self

Topic: The Physical Self

Learning Outcomes:
1. Examine one’s self against the different aspects of physical
self.
2. Appreciate one’s physical beauty by making a presentation
of the self through collage.

Concept Digest
Introduction

When you look at the mirror… who do you see? Do you see a
beautiful human being looking back at you, someone who is
contributing to life, who is accepting and loving… who is
connected to a bigger picture that fills you with joy, or do you
see someone who doesn’t fit the “image” of who you think you are
“supposed” to be.

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.
 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE, INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

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.

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 healthier

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.
 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE, INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

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.

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.
 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.
 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE, INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

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.
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
 DAVAO CENTRAL COLLEGE, INC.
Juan dela Cruz Street, Toril, Davao City
Landline No. (082) 291 1882
Accredited by ACSCU-ACI

 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.