The Physical Self PDF

**THE PHYSICAL SELF** See the source image **Photo Credits: http://marell-lawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/mirror-image-rule-pic.jpg\ ** **Learning Outcomes** At the end of the topic, you are expected to: 1. Understand the stages of life and explain the physical changes that occur during...

**THE PHYSICAL SELF** See the source image **Photo Credits: http://marell-lawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/mirror-image-rule-pic.jpg\ ** **Learning Outcomes** At the end of the topic, you are expected to: 1. Understand the stages of life and explain the physical changes that occur during each stage.\ 2. Identify the contributions of genetic and environmental factors on physical development of the self.\ 3. Describe the factors that affect body image.\ 4. Examine the impact of culture on body image and self.\ 5. Develop a positive body image. **THE PHYSICAL SELF** The physical self refers to the body. The basic parts of the bod y are the head, neck, chest, arms, and legs. It is also made up of other organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, bones, and muscles. These organs work together to perform many of its functions such as breathing, walking, and dancing. The body\'s ability to perform its functions gradually changes through the years. In general, the body performs its functions least well during infancy and old age. Physical efficiency generally peaks in early adulthood between the ages of twenty and thirty, and then slowly declines into the middle age. Physical development and growth during childhood continues at a slow rate compared with rapid rate of growth in babyhood. Adolescence begins with the onset of puberty. This stage is characterized by rapid physical changes that includes the maturation of the reproductive system. Each individual goes through a succession of developmental stages. Life span is the development from conception to death. Elizabeth B. Hurlock outlined the stages in the life span: +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | Stage | Age | +===================================+===================================+ | Prenatal | fertilization to birth | | | | | Infancy | birth to 2 weeks of life | | | | | Babyhood | 2 weeks of life to 2nd year | | | | | Early Childhood | 2 to 6 | | | | | Late Childhood | 6 to 10 or 12 | | | | | Puberty | 10 or 12 to 14 | | | | | Adolescence | 14 to 18 | | | | | Early Adulthood | 18 to 40 | | | | | Middle Adulthood | 40 to 60 | | | | | Late Adulthood or senescence | 60 to death | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ *Two Factors Affecting Physical Growth and Development* Physical growth and development is the product of heredity and environment. Heredity is the biological process of transmission of traits from parents to\ offspring. Environment refers to the factors to which the individual is exposed after conception to death which includes learning and experiences. Environmental factors such as diet, nutrition, and diseases play an important role in physical development. The sex and other physical traits are determined by the combination of chromosomes and genes during fertilization. Fertilization is the union of egg and sperm cell. Chromosomes are thread like tissues that carries the genes, and are usually found in pairs. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes. Chromosomes are classified as **autosomes or trait chromosomes** (22\ pairs) and **gonosome or sex chromosome**. The sex of the offspring depends on the pairing of the sex chromosomes (23rd) from the father and mother. Genes are the basic carrier of hereditary traits. Genes are classified as dominant (strong genes) and recessive (weak genes). BODY IMAGE Body image refers to how individuals perceive, think, and feel about their body and physical appearance. Appearance refers to everything about a person that others can observe such as height, weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle. Through appearances, people show others the kind of persons they are. It appears that body image is related to self-esteem. Self- esteem is a person\'s overall evaluation of his or her own worth. Adolescents worry about different parts of their bodies. Younger women and girls tend to have poor body image. Body image can affect both the adolescent's physical and psychological well being. *Causes of Poor Body Image* Parents emphasis on thin ideal body lead girls to experience body dissatisfaction. Bullying and peer pressure have been associated with greater body dissatisfaction. Media such as television, advertisements, music, and movies. They are filled with good-looking faces, making women and men more concerned with physical attractiveness. The result is that it can cause a great deal of money to pay for the physical attractiveness that women and men want to achieve. The reality, however, is that the standards of beauty presented in the media are so unrealistic. *Effects of Poor Body Image* Girls who have higher body dissatisfaction are likely to experience depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. **Anorexia nervosa** is an eating disorder in which the person **refuses to eat** for fear of gaining weight which can result in severe starvation and death. The disorder mostly afflicts females between the ages of 1 2 and 40, although men may also develop it. A related disorder is **bulimia** in which the person induces **purging** after binging on large quantities of food. *Body Modification* Some people desperately change their physical appearance through body modification. Tattooing, permanent makeup, body piercing, cosmetic surgery are forms of body modification. **CONCEPT OF BEAUTY** In Egyptian art, beauty is portrayed in women with slim, high waist, narrow hips, and long black hair. Women with full figure and rounded hips was considered beautiful during the renaissance period. Some tribes (e.g., Africa) during the medieval age consider chubby, fat, or plump women beautiful. People in Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia considered flat noses to be the most attractive. **THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY** Standards of beauty have changed over time based on changing cultural values. All cultures have, more or less, the same concept standards of beauty have changed over time based on changing cultural values. Generally, humans who have clean and unblemished skin, thick shiny hair, well proportioned bodies, and symmetrical faces, have traditionally been considered the most beautiful. Beauty is considered important throughout history. This is because these features indicate youth, health, good genes, and fertility. Beauty is important in all societies. Attractive people have a lot of advantages in life. For example, men tend to seek attractive women as mates. Studies have shown that men and women who are physically attractive have more opportunities such as job, promotion, and income. Also, people tend to view attractive people as good, happier, smarter, and better people. Generally, unattractive people are less liked and assisted. Above all things physical, it is more important to be beautiful in the inside. **ACTIVITY:** Interview 5 persons and have them define what is **physical** beauty.