Physical Self and Life Span Stages

What is the Physical Self?

• The body's physical extremities and internal organs working together.
• This includes breathing, walking, eating, and sleeping.
• These functions gradually change throughout an individual's lifetime.

Stages of Life Span

• Prenatal: Fertilization to birth
• Infancy: Birth to 2 weeks of life
• Babyhood: 2 weeks of life to 2nd year
• Early Childhood: 2 to 6 years old
• Late Childhood: 6 to 10 or 12 years old
• Puberty: 10 or 12 to 14 years old
• Adolescence: 14 to 18 years old
• Early Adulthood: 18 to 40 years old
• Middle Adulthood: 40 to 60 years old
• Late Adulthood/Senescence: 60 years old to death

Factors Affecting Physical Growth

• Heredity: Biological inheritance of traits.
• Environment: Factors an individual is exposed to throughout life, including learning and experiences.
• Environmental factors, such as diet, nutrition, and diseases, play a critical role in an individual’s physical development.

Theories of Physical Self

• Physiognomy: Suggests that a person's physical characteristics (facial features, expressions, body structures) can be related to character or personality.
• Five Element Theory: Uses water, wood, fire, earth, metal as archetypes for understanding the natural world.
• Hippocrates' Humoral Theory:
  • Sanguine: Prominent red bile, associated with impulsiveness, cheerfulness, happiness, and optimism.
  • Melancholic: Prominent black bile, associated with depression and pessimism.
  • Choleric: Prominent yellow bile, associated with anger, jumpiness, and temperamentality.
  • Phlegmatic: Excess phlegm, associated with sluggishness, dullness, and slowness.
• Body-Type Theory (William Sheldon):
  • Endomorphic: Soft and plump, perceived as easy-going and sociable.
  • Mesomorphic: Strong muscular body, perceived as energetic, courageous, adventurous, and assertive.
  • Ectomorphic: Tall and thin, perceived as restrained, quiet, and introverted.

The Wisdom of Your Face (Jean Haner)

• Oval: Hospitable and tactful
• Round: Kindhearted, friendly, and selfless
• Square: Witty, analytical, and great leaders
• Heart: Patient and intuitive
• Long: Perfectionists, aggressive
• Triangle: Creative, artistic, sensitive, and determined
• Diamond: Very detail-oriented and likes to be in control
• Full and thick eyebrows: Confident, assertive, and goal-oriented
• Large or defined jaws: Strong values and firm beliefs.
• Long and angular-shaped faces: More responsive, assertive, and genuine (Squier and Mew, 1981).
• Short and square-shaped faces: More restrained, conforming, and shrewd (Squier and Mew, 1981).

Body Image

• Perception, thoughts, and feelings about one's body and physical appearance.
• Related to self-esteem, which is a person's overall evaluation of their own worth.
• Affects both adolescent physical and psychological well-being.

Appearance

• Refers to all observable aspects of a person, including height, weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle.
• Body appearance can be used to express one's personality.

Sociocultural Factors Affecting Appearance and Body Image

• Ideal Body Types: Societal emphasis on slimness as the ideal body type.
• Media Representation: Television, advertising, music, and movies often showcase thin women, shaping beauty perceptions.
• Peer Influence: Bullying and peer pressure contribute to body dissatisfaction, increasing insecurities.
• Social Comparison: Comparison to models and celebrities, often leading to negative self-assessment.
• Desire for Change: Influence by standards, adolescents may seek to change their appearance through dieting, excessive exercise, or cosmetic surgery.
• Mental Health Impact: Higher body dissatisfaction leads to increased rates of depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety.
• Eating Disorders: Anorexia (food restriction) and bulimia (overeating followed by purging) can result from extreme body dissatisfaction.
  • Pose health risks, including malnutrition, organ damage, and in severe cases, death.

The Importance of Beauty

• Beauty perception evolves across cultures and historical periods.
  • Egyptian ideal: Slim, high waist, narrow hips, and long black hair.
  • Renaissance: Full figure and rounded hips.
  • Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines: Flat nose considered attractive.
• Beauty standards are influenced by media and fashion industry.
• Physical appearance modifications include tattooing, body piercing, and cosmetic surgery.