The Physical Self

The Physical Self
Objectives
• Discuss the impact of body on the self
• Discuss the impact of culture on body image & self esteem
• Students will be able to understand the importance of beauty
• Explore the different aspects of self and identity
• Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in integrating the various
aspects of self and identity
• Identify 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
The self as impacted by
the body
• What are your realizations based on the video?
• Do you agree with the line “apparently there are a lot of things that
can be wrong about your body”?
• Should our body be the basis of our self-esteem?
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
The self as impacted by the body
What is body image?
Body image is based on your thoughts and feelings about the way
your body looks.
Sometimes the way you think other people are judging your
appearance can affect your body image.
Poor body image comes from negative thoughts and feelings about
your appearance, and a healthy body image is made up of thoughts
and feelings that are positive.
Body image is a major factor in self-esteem; which is the way you

think and feel about yourself as a person.
Body image is mental and emotional: it’s both the mental picture that
you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you
look in a mirror.
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem relates to how much you like yourself, and how you
recognize or appreciate your individual character, qualities, skills, and
accomplishments.
Like body image, self-esteem can also be based on how you think
other people look at you as a person.
People who have low self-esteem may not always feel confident
about themselves or how they look. It is often hard for them to see
that they are an important and capable person.
People with good self-esteem often have a positive and confident

attitude about their body and mind, and can recognize their strengths
as well as personal value and worth.
Self-esteem is how you value and respect yourself as a person—it is
the opinion that you have of yourself inside and out.
Self-esteem impacts how you take care of yourself, emotionally,

physically, and spiritually. Self-esteem is about your whole self, not
just your body.
When you have good self-esteem, you value yourself, and you know
that you deserve good care and respect—from yourself and from
others.
You can appreciate and celebrate your strengths and your abilities,
and you don’t put yourself down if you make a mistake.
Good self-esteem means that you still feel like you’re good enough
even when you’re dealing with difficult feelings or situations.
Why is good self-esteem important?
Good self-esteem is important for everyone because it helps you
keep a positive outlook on life and makes you feel proud of the
person you are, both inside and out.
Most teens with good self-esteem find life much more enjoyable.
They tend to have better relationships with peers and adults, find it
easier to deal with mistakes or disappointments, and are more likely
to stick with a task until they succeed.
Good self-esteem gives you the:

Courage to try new things
Power to believe in yourself
Confidence to make healthy choices for your mind and
body now and throughout your life
The impact of culture
on body image & self
esteem
• What are your realizations based on the pictures of the celebrities?
• Are these body types considered realistic?
• Who should we blame for setting these unrealistic body types?
The impact of culture on body image & self
esteem
Cultural Traditions Can Help or Hurt
The culture in which we are surrounded by has a significant impact
on how we feel about ourselves and the manner in which we think
about our body. Many cultural traditions also contribute to body
image and can influence either negative or positive body image and
self-esteem.
Depending on the culture and overall emphasis of traditions
involved, a person may find their surroundings either conducive to
or resistant to the building of a healthy body image and self-esteem.
esteem
Culture Is Just One Factor
While culture alone is not responsible for a poor or negative body
image, the influence and potential in which it can impact how a
person feels about themselves and their body is substantial.
Being aware of your surroundings and understanding how culture
and traditions may effect and impact how you think and feel about
your body can be helpful, especially in a conscious effort to build a
positive body image and increase self-esteem.
esteem
Understanding each of the components that
contribute to your body image is an important step
towards making a difference in how you see and feel
about yourself.
esteem
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 affects 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?
esteem
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.
esteem
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.
esteem
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.
esteem
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.
esteem
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.
esteem
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.
esteem
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.
esteem
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.
esteem
So how can we build a strong and

positive body image?
esteem
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.
esteem
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
esteem
De-emphasise 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
esteem
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
esteem
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.
The Importance of
Beauty
The importance of beauty
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a

mirror. ~ Khalil Gibran
What is Beauty?
In order to understand the importance of beauty, we must first
define what beauty is. In short, beauty is the manifestation of love in
form.
the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives

pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or
spirit: loveliness
KNIGHT Dunlap (1875–1949) was an
American psychologist who made
a special study of human beauty. He
wrote, “Whatever its importance for the
individual, beauty is for the race and for
civilization of such profound importance
that no other fundamental
consideration of human welfare and
progress can be divorced from it.”
Why does beauty appear to us? For what reason do we perceive it?
After examination, Dunlap found that
“It is evident now that whether there are other considerations or not,
the most important element in the beauty of any individual is the
evidence of her (or his) fitness for the function of procreating healthy
children of the highest type of efficiency, according to the standards of
the race; and ability to protect these children”
He also said,
“Human beauty is a sign of fitness for parenthood; fitness to propagate
children who shall be, in high degree, able to hold their own in the
mental and physical struggle with nature and with their human
competitors. It is the sign which is intuitively recognized by the race and
upon which the process of sexual selection is based. It is therefore
nothing superficial: it is the external appearance of the germinal
possibility which is the most important of all things for society.”
In other words, beauty is the composite, or a kind of summary, of all
those qualities that experience has taught people, across perhaps
thousands of years, are to be found in the members of their own race
who are best fitted to perpetuate the species through the generation
and protection of children.
Beauty is therefore not merely decorative, but has a primary
importance to survival.
The only way you will experience beauty in life is
by giving it to yourself.
Beauty exists everywhere and when you consciously
connect with it you will feel that there is abundance
coming to you and that YOU can provide it for yourself.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is
important here is that you enjoy things, people
and places that are beautiful to you.
References
• Deborah, K., (2016). The Importance of Beauty. Retrieved from https://www.deborah-kagan.com/the-
importance-of-beauty/
• Ocean, S., (2015). Why is Beauty Important?. Retrieved from https://saratogaocean.com/blog/why-
beauty-is-important/
• Karges, C., (2015). How Cultural Traditions Can Shape Body Image Retrieved from
https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/how-cultural-traditions-can-shape-body-image
• King, A. et al. (2018). Body image, self-esteem and the influence of society.
https://livelifegetactive.com/blog/body-image-self-esteem/
• Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division. (2018). Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Mental Health.
Retrieved from http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/factsheet/body-image-self-esteem-and-mental-health
• The Center for Young Women’s Health. (2016). Self-Esteem and Body Image. Retrieved from
https://youngwomenshealth.org/2012/05/30/self-esteem/
• Sims, D. (2016). The Importance of Beauty. Retrieved from https://nationalvanguard.org/2016/09/the-
importance-of-beauty/

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The Physical Self

Uploaded by

Copyright:

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The Physical Self

Body image is a major factor in self-esteem; which is the way you

People with good self-esteem often have a positive and confident

Self-esteem impacts how you take care of yourself, emotionally,

Good self-esteem gives you the:

Friendships are particularly important in body image development

So how can we build a strong and

Positive body image involves understanding that healthy attractive

Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a

the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives

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