Physical Self-Learning Guide PDF

The Physical Self-Concept Page 1 of 7 What is Physical Self Concept? Physical Self-Concept refers to the individual’s perception of themselves in areas of physical ability (speed, endurance, coordination, flexibility, coordination) and a...

The Physical Self-Concept Page 1 of 7 What is Physical Self Concept? Physical Self-Concept refers to the individual’s perception of themselves in areas of physical ability (speed, endurance, coordination, flexibility, coordination) and appearance (physical structure). It is how an individual sees his body and his attitudes (positive or negative) towards it. Physical Self-Concept Physical Appearance Physical Ability Speed Endurance Coordination Flexibility Coordination The influence to have a perfect body is used and exploited by the media and the economy for commercial aims. Hence, most of us are inclined to meet the standards of “physically perfect body”. The body develops across the life span and changes may be a result of gender, age, education, standard values and physical activity. (Filalová, 2001; Filalová, 2004, p. 51). Physical self is a part of Total Self (Rosenberg, 1965; Fox, 1997; Vašina & Vychodilová, 2002; Fialová, 2001, 2007), but it is applied to an individual s physical domain. The Total Self is divided into parts; the academic self and the non-academic self. The academic self-concept refers to the way an individual regards their own academic achievement. Things such as their success, grade averages, motivation, creativity, or how they navigated difficult subject areas. The non-academic self-concept is subdivided into: social self, emotional self and physical. March (1998) provided the example that physical self-concept may be influenced by an experimental intervention involving sport, exercise, or a weight loss program, but physical self-concept may also function as a behavioral mediator of the influence of an intervention (e.g. subsequent exercise adherence). The Physical Self-Concept Page 2 of 7 Body is the main device of self-realization and interaction with world, and the key is to perceive the total self, because emotions and health despite our ability to think and talk are also expressed through our body (Stackeová, 2007). Fox (1997) and Maïano et al. (2004), stressed out that Physical Self occupies a unique position in the self-system because the body provides substantive interface between the individual and the world. Body can be perceived as distinctive social, related entity. Fox (1997) draw the attention physical self s influence on behaviour of individual and on a sense of well-being. The way a person conceives his/her body and what kind of relation to his/her body a person has, figures out his/her physical identity (physical self) and his/her relation with physical activities, sport, his/her body mass, presentation his/her personality to the objective world (Fox, 1997; Vašina &Vychodilová, 2002). The Physical Self-Concept Page 3 of 7 Pubertal Changes and its Impact on Physical Self During puberty, adolescents are very conscious of the changes in their body. These body changes include weight, height, body shape, pimples, etc. Because of these changes, adolescents do various things to improve their appearance like wear make-up and exercising in the hope that it will get them more attractive. These adolescents usually have an “ideal” of what is considered to be attractive for a male and a female and they strive towards that ideal. This ideal is influenced by the society that we live in which varies from one society/culture to another. For example, dark- skinned individuals are considered to be more attractive than light-skinned individuals in certain cultures. With this, adolescents try to live up to the society’s expectations or ideals of what is and what isn’t attractive. Since early childhood, boys express a preference for the mesomorphic type of male figure. The mesomorph body type tend to have a medium frame. They may also gain muscles and far more easily. In addition, they are typically strong and their bodies are described as rectangular in shape with an upright posture. When they reach adolescence, they aspire toward it and judge themselves negatively if their physical appearance falls short of this ideal. At the onset of puberty, boys gain muscle definition and their shoulder width increases, which moves the majority of boys closer to society's ideal body shape for a man (McCabe & Ricciadelli, 2004). However, it is different with girls since some physical changes move girls further away from society's ideal body shape for a woman. As a result, after the onset of puberty, many girls report higher levels of body dissatisfaction and a poorer self- esteem. The problems with one’s own body in puberty can be expressed by the following aspects: - Body change. Those changes adolescent perceives very sensitive (first gender signs, oily skin, acne, and etc); - Females in general are more often dissatisfied with their bodies in puberty than males. One of the reasons could be emphasized sociocultural beauty ideals; - Body dissatisfaction can lead to the eating disorders (mental anorexia, bulimia) (Špatenková et al., 2004). Adaptation to the bodily changes of puberty exerts a strong influence on adolescents' social adjustment, psychological well-being, and health behaviour. Many studies of body image in adolescence have analyzed the extent to which boys and girls The Physical Self-Concept Page 4 of 7 manage to adjust to the bodily transformations of puberty, and to overcome the personal and relational difficulties which may ensue from these changes (Ferron, 1997). According to Kartal (1994, cited by Clay et al. 2005) satisfaction with one’s own body may have an effect on self-acceptance and positive evaluation. It has been reported that individuals who do not conform to the ideal standards of society are not satisfied with their body image and dissatisfaction with body image affects self-esteem negatively. Thus, self-esteem differs with respect to the positive perception of body image, particularly among female adolescents. Two periods seem crucially significant in the development of the Physical Self: Early childhood, Adolescence (Heuves, 1990; Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence, 1998). As puberty nears, children become increasingly focused on the appearance of their bodies. These changes in our physical body are influenced by heredity and environment that we live in. Thus, we inherit different traits and grow up in different situations. Because of this, people may not be able to meet the ideal self that was set by society. An adolescent may mature too quickly, too slowly, in a way that is unattractive, or in a way that makes the adolescent stand out in the crowd (Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence, 1998). The length and pace of puberty exert a significant influence on the experience of the evolution of body image. A delay in the starting up of this maturing process does not seem to cause serious psychological and relational difficulties, except when the principal symptom of this delay is considerable retardation of height growth. On the other hand, early onset of the physiological changes may be linked, among boys, to involvement in delinquent behaviours, and among girls, to the emergence of important adjustment problems (Ferron, 1997; Ferron et al., 1999). Ferron (1997) continues, that the fact that boys globally express more satisfaction and pride in their changing body than do girls is closely related to another basic difference in the way the genders experience puberty. In order to have a positive adjustment to the morphological changes they undergo, boys evaluate themselves on such factors as body efficiency and physical ability. Girls assess the changes in their body based on whether they are becoming more or less physically attractive. McCabe & Ricciardelli (2004) admit that the timing of puberty in relation to adolescent boys' and girls' peers appears to have important implications for body image and popularity. Early maturing boys are generally at a developmental advantage, both in terms of their body build conforming to the sociocultural ideal and in terms of their athletic ability, compared to late maturing boys. Late maturing boys would appear to be at greater risk of both developing higher levels of body dissatisfaction and engaging in detrimental eating and exercise behaviours to bring their bodies into line with the The Physical Self-Concept Page 5 of 7 sociocultural ideal. Empirical studies have demonstrated that early maturing boys are viewed by others as more attractive and self-confident, are more popular with their peers, have a more positive body image, and tend to be more successful athletes than late maturing boys. In contrast, early maturing girls tend to be less popular with their peers, show a consistently more negative body image, and are more likely to be depressed than late maturing girls (McCabe & Ricciardelli, 2004; Rosenblum & Lewis, 1999). In conclusion, the greater our discontent with how we measure up when compared to the societal or media supported norms/ideals, the more negative our body image, and the greater risk for extreme weight or body control behaviours occurs. 1. Extreme dieting 2. Extreme exercise compulsion 3. Eating disorders 4. Extreme or unnecessary plastic surgery 5. Using steroids for muscle building Body Image and Self-esteem in Adolescence Self-Esteem Physical Self-Worth Physical Appearance Sport Physical Physical Attractive Competence Strength Condition Body Physical Self-Efficacy As we previously mentioned, the Physical Self is the central element of the whole self. Thus, our physical self-efficacy (sport competence, physical strength, physical condition, and attractive body) is very important which contributes to our physical self-worth. Furthermore, this physical self-worth and our physical appearance will influence the development of our self-esteem (our sense of value/worth as a person). Acceptance of ourselves will usually result to a high self- The Physical Self-Concept Page 6 of 7 esteem. Non-acceptance of our physical self will result to a low self-esteem. The development of self-esteem is very important especially in the adolescent stage. Emphasizing the high self-esteem became a part of human and life-style image of the end of the twentieth century (Krch, 2006). It is expected that a woman needs to be slim and well-proportioned, a man to be slim and muscular. Body image lies at the heart of adolescence (Ferron, 1997) and it is defined as mental representation of your own body, which means image or concept about the size, the body and its parts dimensions, and attitude to your body (Stackeová, 2007). Body image is involved in all developmental processes, and it is a very important aspect of Identity and serves as a sort of organized for a thorough reorganization of the personality (Heuves, 1990). Stressed in the following quotation from Plato (In Cash, 2004, p. 1): we are bound to our bodies like an oyster is to its shell”, the body constitutes an indisputable, and inevitable, source of all human emotions, feelings and states from fear, anxiety, shame and guilt to pride, esteem and harmony. Body image today plays an important role in the development and maintenance of the self (Davis, 1997, In Lindwal, 2004. p. 27). Stereotypes about the male and female body images which are the most aesthetically appreciated in Western societies seem to be interpreted and integrated in a very strict way by most adolescents (McCabe & Ricciadelli, 2004). Humans have the unique ability to form abstract conceptions about themselves and to gaze at themselves as both the seer and the object being seen. This can cause conflict when the seer places unrealistic demands on him - or herself, especially on his or her own body. As the advertising and film industries bombard the industrialized world with images of idealized beauty, more and more adolescents are forming negative body images and engaging in self-destructive behaviors to fit an unrealistic ideal (Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood & Adolescence, 1998). Self-esteem is understood as a result of social relation (Blatný, 2001), self- evaluation is attributed through your own social position (Hartl and Hartlova, 2000). Hence, a person is persuaded by other people as to his/her needs (Blatný, 2001). Self- esteem, the evaluation one makes of him/herself, is shaped by how others perceive him/her (Harter and Monsour,1992;cited by Wilbum, 2005). Therefore, the quality of feedback received from the environment significantly affects one’s functioning. As such, negative feedback about the self is detrimental to the self-esteem. Thus, it would be logical to assume that self- esteem is a powerful resource for combating the effects of stress and even suicidal ideation. Changes in self-esteem level are often accompanied by strong emotional responses as emphasized by Baumeister (1990). Research findings have indicated an inverse correlation between life stressors and self-esteem. Specifically a negative self-esteem predisposes adolescents to depression and other psychiatric difficulty. Therefore, it is conceivable that positive self-esteem enhances one's ability to cope effectively with stress because individuals with poor coping The Physical Self-Concept Page 7 of 7 mechanisms are more vulnerable to environmental stressors (Wilburn, 2005). High self-esteem is also related to active engagement in daily activities, more optimistic attitude and better psychological health. Positive self-esteem and a stable sense of self are both important protective factors against psychopathology, including eating disorders and other body image-related problems (Bowker et al., 2003). Global self-esteem, an indicator of emotional side and adaption to the life difficulties, has a relation to the subjective well-being and happiness, is connected to positive independence, leadership, adaptability, stress resistance, moreover is linked to involvement with health care activities. A low level of global self-esteem is connected to mental disorders as depression, anxiety and phobia (Fox, 2000). In general, global self-esteem is stable during adolescence and increases slightly over the period (Harter & Monsour, 1992). Early adolescents report more daily fluctuations in self-esteem than younger or older individuals, but self-esteem becomes stable with age (Alasker & Olweus, 1992; Alasker, 1992). Some researchers also indicate that some adolescents show high levels of stability in self-esteem, whereas others do not (e.g. Deihl et al., 1997), and that self-esteem varies according to gender. The Physical Self: Achieving Physical Well-Being How do we take care of ourselves and our body? Here are some tips: Healthy Eating – We need to have the right combination of food to ensure our health and sustenance. Having the right diet will result in healthy skin, ideal weight and better stamina. Embracing a Healthy Lifestyle – Not drinking, smoking and other unhealthy habits would reduce the risk of illness and diseases and make your immune system stronger. Physical activities such as walking, running, going to the gym and sports would also contribute to a healthier body. – Quality Sleep/Rest – Exercise – Regular Check Ups to the Doctor Having the Right Hygiene – Taking care of our body by maintaining a hygiene regimen can also help in making us feel good about ourselves. – Take a bath every day, use deodorants, brush your teeth, wear perfume or make-up to look presentable. “Confidence in ourselves is our best make-up” – Being secured in ourselves, embracing a positive outlook towards various situations and problems and loving and accepting who we are will surely result in an optimal physical well-being and/or high self-esteem.