Chapter 6

PHYSICAL SELF

Ciara Camille Cheng, RPm

Understanding the self in different THE PHYSICAL SELF:
classification of physical aspects is
one way to discover a person’s real
BODY IMAGE AND SELF
self. ESTEEM
The concept of Physical Self
• The understanding of the Physical self is shaped by
biological and environmental factors.
• The Biological blueprint involves :
1. Heredity - the transmission of traits from parents
to offspring.
2. Genotype - the specific information embedded
within one’s genes.
3. Phenotype - the physical expression of a
particular trait.
continuation
• Each individual carries 23 pairs of chromosomes,
which are threadlike bodies in the nucleus of the cell
and the storage unit of genes.
• The 23rd pair, also known as sex chromosomes,
determines the sex of an individual.
• Within each chromosome is the deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA), which is a nucleic acid that contains the
genetic instructions specifying the biological
development of every individual.
continuation
• Maturation is known as the completion of growth of
a genetic character within an organism or the
unfolding of an individual’s inherent traits or
potential.
• As you grow up, you are exposed to environmental
influences that shape your physical self, including
those from your social networks, societal
expectations, and cultural practices that will lead a
person to understand themselves.
The concept of Physical Self
• According to Santrock (2014), self-understanding is
the individual’s cognitive representation of self which
consists of substance and the content of self-
conceptions. It also changes throughout the life span
as the person grows older.
• An obvious change in teenagers are the changes in
Physical Self.
• The Physical Self - refers to the concrete dimensions of
the body, it is the tangible aspect of the person which
can be directly observed and examined.
The concept of Physical Self
• Physical Characteristics - are the defining traits or
features of a person’s body.
• Erik Erikson believed in the importance of the body
from early development because the physical as well
as intellectual skills will somehow serve as a basis to
whether a person has achieved a sense of
competence and be able to manage and face the
demands of life complexities.
• William James considered the body as the initial
source of sensation and necessary for origin and
maintenance of personality.
The concept of Physical Self

• A period of rapid physical changes is in Puberty.

• Puberty is a brain neuroendocrine process
occurring primarily in early adolescence that
triggers the rapid physical changes.
 Perspectives in
Understanding Physical
Self:
 1. Psychodynamic Perspective

• Freud’s theory of the ego was primarily known as

body ego, that solidifies the importance of body in
understanding the self.
• The body and its evolving mental representations
form the basis of a sense of self (Krueger, 2002).
 1. Psychodynamic Perspective
The development of a body self mainly has three
stages:
a) Early psychic experience of the body - sensations
like tactile in infants enable babies to discriminate
bodies from their surroundings, which contribute to
the sense of self.
b) Defining body surface boundaries which is the
stage of being awareness of body image in contrast
to surface boundaries.
c) Distinguishing of the body’s internal states which is
the stage of having cohesion of the body.
 2. Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective
• Focuses on perceptual, cognitive, and affective
aspects which is a multidimensional experience that
can aid a more precise understanding of the body.
• The cognitive behavioral model of body image
recognizes multiple determinants of body image with
a distinction between those determinants that are
historical versus those determinants that are proximal
or concurrent that predispose or influence how
people come to think, feel, and act in relation to their
body.
 3. Feminist Perspective
• Relies on the social construction in which there is a
possibility of individuals to experience their bodies in
distorted ways (especially, women). Women’s
dissatisfaction with their bodies as a systematic social
phenomenon rather than a result of individual
pathology (McKinley, 2002).
• Specifically, the duality established between the mind
and body in Western societies and the pairing of men
with the “mind” and women with the “body”
contribute to women experiencing their bodies
differently than men.
 Factors that affect
Perception of the
Physical Self

1. Personal 2. Social
Factors Factors
 1. Personal Factors
a. Introspection and Self-reflection. Looking inward is one of the simplest
ways to achieve self-knowledge. According to Hewstone, et al., (2015)
Introspection is the process is the process by which one observes and
examines one’s internal state (mental and emotional) after behaving in a
certain way.
b. Self-Perception Theory. As stated by Hewstone and Bem (2015) Self
perception theory explains that since one’s internal state is difficult to
interpret, people can infer their inner states by observing their own behavior
– as if they are an outside observer. Physical perception includes all aspects of
a person’s perception of his physical self.
 1. Personal Factors
c. Self-concept. According to Hewstone, et al., (2015), self-concept is a
cognitive representation of self-knowledge which includes the sum total of all
beliefs that people have about themselves. It is a collection of all individual
experience involving one’s characteristics, social roles, values, goals and fears.
Physical concept is the individual’s perception or description of his physical
self, including his physical appearance.
d. Personal Identity. This is the concept a person has about himself that
develops over the years. This includes aspects of his life that he was born into
like family, nationality, gender, physical traits as well as the choices he makes,
such as what he does for living, who his friends are and what he believes in.
 2. Social Factors

a. Attachment Process and Social Appraisal. According to Bowlby

(1969), people learn about their value and lovability when they
experience how their mothers or caregivers care for them and
respond to their needs.

b. Maintaining, Regulating and expanding the self in interpersonal

relationships.
 2. Social Factors
c. The Looking-glass Self Theory.
• Charles Horton Cooley stated that a person’s self grows out of society’s interpersonal
interactions and the perception of others.
• The view of oneself comes from a compilation of personal qualities and impressions of
how others perceive the individual.
• Therefore, in a looking-glass self, the self-image is shaped and reflected from the social
world.
• Other people’s reactions would serve as a mirror in which people see themselves
particularly the way in which they are perceived and judged by others.
 2. Social Factors
d. Social Comparison. The work of Leon Festinger in 1954 introduced another way
of understanding oneself by comparing one’s traits, abilities, or opinions to that of
others. Social Comparison is a process of comparing oneself with others in order to
evaluate one’s own abilities and opinions.
There are two types of social comparison:
● Upward social comparison happens when an individual compares themselves to
others who are better than them.
● Downward social comparison happens when an individual compares themselves
to someone who is in a worse situation than they are in especially when they are
feeling low.
 2. Social Factors
e. Social Identity Theory (Collective Identity).
• This was formulated by tajfel and Turner 1973 which provides a framework about
how people achieve understanding about themselves by being a member of their
group.
• This idea assumes that as a member of the group they will not be discriminated
against by an out-group.
• It will enhance their self-esteem because they feel secured with the shield of
group membership where they belong.
• Social groups include gender, ethnicity, religion, profession, political membership
and business organizations.
References:
Arcega, A M., Cullar, D. S., Evangelista, L. D. & Falculan, L. M. (2018). Understanding
the Self. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House Inc.
Gazzingan, L. B. et al. (2019). Understanding the Self. Muntinlupa City: Panday-Lahi
Publishing House, Inc.
Hewstone, [Link]. (2015). An Introduction to Social Psychology. UK: British
Psychological Society and John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Krueger, D.W. 2002 Integrating body self and psychological self: Creating a new story
in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Accessed date: July 24, 2020.
[Link]