Understanding The Self Reviewer PDF

**UNDERSTANDING THE SELF REVIEWER** The Self from Various Perspectives Module 1: Philosophical Perspective "Know thy Self" - ancient greeting of the highly civilized Greeks. Knowing thy self is first an **imperative** and then **requirement.** **Socrates** - "[The unexamined life is not wort...

**UNDERSTANDING THE SELF REVIEWER** The Self from Various Perspectives Module 1: Philosophical Perspective "Know thy Self" - ancient greeting of the highly civilized Greeks. Knowing thy self is first an **imperative** and then **requirement.** **Socrates** - "[The unexamined life is not worth living]" - an examined life is a life that is duty bound to develop self-knowledge and a self-dignified with values and integrity. - "I know what I do not know." **Plato** - He started on the examination of the self as a unique experience. The experience will eventually better understand the core of the self which he called the ***Psyche***. Three Element of Psyche 1. **Appetitive element** of the Psyche include one's desires, pleasures, physical satisfactions, comforts, etc. 2. **Spirited element** is part of the Psyche that is excited when given challenges, or fights back when agitated, or fights for justice when unjust practices are evident. 3. **Mind** is what Plato considers the as the most superior of all the elements. He refers to this element as the ***nous*** which means the conscious awareness of the self. Is the super power that controls the affairs of the self. It decides analyzes, things ahead, proposes what is best, and rationally controls both the appetitive and spirited elements of the psyche. **St. Augustine** - Hailed from Tagaste, Africa in 354 B.C - Later he was elected as bishop of Hippo - died in 430 B.C - self for St. Augustine is achieved through **self-presentation** and **self-realization.** - Thus, his journey toward the understanding of the self was centered on his religious (Christianity) convictions and beliefs. - man's end goal is **happiness** - Only in God can men attain true and eternal happiness **Rene Descartes** - father of modern philosophy - we cannot really rely on our senses because our sense perceptions can often deceive us - Descartes refused to believe in the certainty of his sense perceptions and started to doubt everything - "***Cogito, ergo Sum.**"* translated as **"I think therefore I am"** or **"I doubt therefore I exist."** - **human rationality -** primary condition, therefore of the existence of the self **John Locke** - opposed the idea that only reason is the source of knowledge of the self - proposition is that the **self is comparable to an empty space** where every day experiences contribute to the pile of knowledge that is put forth on that empty space - **Experience**, therefore is an important requirement in order to have sense data which, through the process of reflection and analysis, eventually becomes **sense perception**. - **Perception** (subjective) is changing from one individual to another. - **"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience"** **David Hume** - Scottish philosopher and historian - claimed that there cannot be a persisting idea of the self - agreed that all ideas **are derived from impressions,** problematically, it follows that the idea of the self is also derived from impressions (subjective, therefore cannot be persisting) - all we know about ourselves are just **bundles of temporary impressions.** - harshly claimed that **there is no self.** **Immanuel Kant** - Prussian metaphysicist who synthesized the rationalist view of Descartes and the empiricist views of Locke and Hume - the **self is always transcendental** - he calls his philosophy the **Transcendental Unity of Apperception -** being the self is not in the body, it is outside the body and even outside the qualities of the body-meaning transcendent. - ideas are perceived by the self, and they are connecting the self and the world. - that we need not reject our ideas, unlike Hume, no matter how temporary and non-persistent they are because **there is unity in ideas** - there will still be space and time that will remain in us - the thing-in-itself cannot provide the idea but it is only the spatial-temporal faculty of the self that makes the idea sensible - **our rationality unifies and makes sense the perceptions we have in our experiences and make sensible ideas about ourselves and the world** **Sigmund Freud** - insisted on the complexity of the self - regarded the self as the **"I"** that ordinarily constitute **both the mental and physical actions** - sees the **"I"** as a **product of multiple interacting processes, systems and schemes.** 1. **Topographical Model** - individual person may both know and do not know certain things at the same time - **unconscious** keeps what it knows by what Freud calls "*censorship"* 2. Structural Model - represent the self in three different agencies - The **Id** is known as the primitive or instinctive component. - **Ego** is described by Freud as that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world. - **supereg**o synthesizes the morals, values and systems in society in order to function as the control outpost of the instinctive desires of the id **Gilbert Ryle** - British philosopher - proposed that his positive view in his "**Concept of the mind"** - thinking "I" will never be found because it is just "**a ghost in the machine**" - **The mind is never separate from the body** - we will only be able to understand the self-based from the external manifestation-behaviors, expressions, language, desire and the like, **mind** therefore is nothing but a **disposition of the self.** - **"I act therefore I am" or "You are what you do"** **Paul and Patricia Churchland** - promoted the position they called the "**eliminative materialism"** - brings forth neuroscience into the fore of understanding the self - **Eliminative Materialism** sees the failure of folk psychology in explaining basic concepts such as sleep, learning, mental illness and the like. - It is not remotely impossible that folk psychology will be replaced by **neurobiology.** - wanted to ask what is going on with themselves, they might as well go for MRI scan or CT scan to understand the present condition of the brain and how it currently works **Maurice Merleau-Ponty** - French philosopher - **Phenomenology of Perception** draws heavily from the contemporary research **Gestalt Psychology and neurology** 1. empiricist take on perception 2. idealist-intellectual alternative 3. synthesis of both positions. - treating **perception as a causal process -** means that our perceptions are caused by the intricate experiences of the self, and processed intellectually while distinguishing truthful perceptions from illusory Module 2: Sociological self The self is not created in isolation, and people are not born with perception of oneself as good in sports, make-up artistry, dancing or business. **"Social reality"**-to help us determine what to think, feel and do (Hardin & Higgins, 1996). [The Self as Product of Modern Society Among Others] **"Delocalized"** self which is free to seek its own identity; defining religion, theological tradition; free from customary constraints hence, deviating from the traditional way of life. **Clifford Geertz (1973)** - believes that the struggle from one's individuality is only possible in modern society where religio-theological traditions are gradually replaced by rational and scientific calculations 1. The newfound freedom threatens the very authenticity of the self (e.g. love). 2. Alienation (Marx) -- human beings haunted by the very images they have created 3. Objectification of the body (e.g. Medical Practice) 4. Dehumanization of Self [Self as Necessary Fiction] **Nietzsche** - Self is the sum of individual's action, thoughts and feelings - true self is not what unites these experiences , but it is the presumed unity of these experience that give rise to concept of the self. [Post --modern View of the Self] **N. Green** - self is "digitalized" in cyberspace, a virtual version of who we are The following are manifestations: 1. Information technology dislocates the self, thus, self is "digitalized" in cyberspace. 2. Global migration produces multicultural identities. 3. Post-modern selves are "pluralized" selves. [Social Construction of the Self] - Self is not discovered; it is made through the socialization process. - The individual is an active, strategizing agent that negotiates for the definition of himself ( "ikaw ang gumagawa ng kung ano ka"). [Rewriting the Self as an Artistic Creation] **Nietzsche** - unity of the self is not pre-given but accomplished through conscious effort-transform self through beautiful work of art. - We can recreate ourselves to get hold of the present, forgive the past and plan the future. **Rorty** - Contingencies of selfhood- conceal the "ugly" by reinterpreting the overall aesthetic contours of the self. [Self - Creation and Collective Identity] - **Self-creation** is necessarily grounded on collective solidarities. We create ourselves by struggling with cultural hassles then owning the created self. We hide the ugly part of cultural nature. We learn to adjust. [Beyond the Self Creation] - The quest or search for self-identity is a product of modern society but this is complicated by the socio-cultural sensibilities of postmodernity, new information technology and globalization, reconfiguring ourselves as to gender, sex, ethnicity, and creating one's own style, signature. - The self constantly lives in this paradox: to pursue self creation within pre-given, not willfully chosen social circumstances Module 2.1: Mead and the Social Self: Mead's Theory of Self **George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)** - American sociologist best known as a founder of American pragmatism - one of the founders of social psychology - The self, according to Mead, is made of two components: the **"I"** and the **"me"** - **"me"** [(object)] represents the expectations and attitudes of others (the "generalized others") organized in to a social self. Accumulated understanding of the "generalized other,". [(Known)] - **"I"** [(subject)] is the response to the "me," or the person's individuality. Response of an individual to the attitudes of others. [(Knower)] - **Mind** or stream of thought, is the self-reflective movements of the interaction between the "I" and the "me." - **thinking process** is the internalized dialogue between the "I" and the "me." [Mead's Three Stages of Development of Self] **Stage 1: The Preparatory Stage** - The first stage - The preparatory stage starts from the time we are born until we are about age two. - children **mimic** those around them - doesn't understand the meaning behind his/her words, actions or tone of voice **Stage 2: The Play Stage** - age two to six - children play pretend and **do not adhere to the rules** in organized games like patintero or basketball - a game with children of this age is far easier to just go with any "rules" they come up with during the course of the game than trying to enforce any "rules" upon them - children **play 'pretend'** as the significant other. This means that they play "bahay-bahayan", they are literally pretending to be the "nanay or the "tatay" that they know. **Stage 3: The Game Stage** - age seven onwards - begin to understand and adhere to the rules of the games - they begin to understand other people's perspective-or the perspective of the generalized others - The child begins taking this perspective into account during this stage [The Looking- Glass Self: Our Sense of Self is Influenced by Others' Views of Us] - The concept of the looking-glass self states that part of how we see ourselves comes from our perception of how others see us (Cooley, 1902) **Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929)** - American sociologist - the degree of personal insecurity you display in social situations is determined by what you believe other people think of you - how we see ourselves does not come from who we really are, but rather from how we believe others sees us (Isaksen, 2013) **Labelling** **bias -** occurs when we are labeled, and others' views and expectations of us are affected by that labelling (Fox & Stinnett, 1996). **Self-labeling** - when we adopt others' labels explicitly into our self-concept **Internalized prejudice** - which occurs when individuals turn prejudice directed toward them by others onto themselves [Social Comparison Theory: Our Sense of Self Is Influenced by Comparison with Others] [Self-concept] and [self-esteem] are also heavily influenced by the process of **social comparison** (Buunk & Gibbons), 2007; Van Lange, 2008). **Social comparison** occurs when we learn our abilities and skills about the appropriateness and validity of our opinions, and about our relative social status by comparing our own attitudes, beliefs and behaviors with those of others. Module 3: Anthropological Perspective **Anthropology** - is generally defined as the study of human kind in all times and places. - There are many branches of anthropology: this includes archaeology, primatology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology and many other applied anthropologies. - study of all aspects of human condition - also examines the biology, interactions in the society, language and especially culture (Kottak, 2009). - explores the interconnectedness and interdependence of human cultural experiences in all places and ages - **"anthropo"** human **"logos"** study **Self** - self is both a biological and cultural entity - that the self is an animal specie, which underwent the process of biological evolution and has shared characteristics with other living animals, the hominids in particular - evolved from apes some 33 million years ago and in the evolutionary process the self-traced his/her origin from hominid species **'homo sapiens'** The self is a living animal but superior to other animals due to certain factors: a. **Physical Aspects** (self as the only animal with a larger brain capacity making him a rational animal; the only animal that can stand straight allowing him to have better mobility in doing things, etc., b. **Social Aspects** (Self uses language and symbol in dynamic complicated and yet systematic manner allowing him to communicate, and preserve history, knowledge and culture, etc.; can cooperate with others in a systematic manner in larger cooperation; and invents new things for survival) **Culture** - traditionally defined as systems of human behavior and thought - is symbolic - learned and is very much integrated in one's customs and beliefs **Enculturation** - transmission of culture from one generation to the next [The Self and Person in Contemporary Anthropology] **Anthropological self** - considers both the biological and environmental aspects of the person - These rearing practices are the key to the development of the **neuromotor functions** of the child and this **neuromotor circuitry** is fundamental in the formation of self-awareness. **Self- Awareness** - "that which permits one to assume responsibility from one's own conduct, to learn how to react to others, and to assume variety of roles" (Haviland, 2003). - continued process of self-awareness, the child will eventually develop his/her own **identity**. This identity is further intensified by a practice common to all cultures- the naming ritual. - The person's **name** is also a symbol of one's status in the community. [Self and Behavioral Environment] The four environment orientations: a. **Object orientation**- positions the self in relation to the surrounding objects. The self should be able to act responsively to the cultural objects around. b. **Spatial Orientation**- provides the self with personal space in relation to other people or thins. c. **Temporal Orientation**- endows the self with the sense of time. Time is truly relevant to cultural communities. d. **Normative Orientation** - provides the self with the grasp of accepted norms in the community. Being on time is generally accepted norm in communal activities. [The Self Embedded in Culture] **Cultural self** - includes all feelings, thoughts, experiences, biological and psychological constitutions, language and memory **Actual self** - shaped by all these same elements and more **Cultural degradation** or **cultural genocide** - means the loss of a particular culture due to assimilation or loss of interest **Assimilation** - inferior culture meaning the culture possessed by lesser population living within the Ilocano communities *Culture is not a force or a causal agent in the world, but a context in which people live out their lives." (Clifford Geertz, 1973)* Module 4: Psychological Perspective **psychology of the self** - focuses on the representation of an individual based on his/her experiences. **"self"** - is one of the most heavily researched areas in social and personality psychology, where the concepts are introduced that beyond our physical attributes, lies our psychological identity. **Cognitive Construction -** is a cognitive approach that focuses on the mental processes rather than the observable behavior. **Wilhelm Wundt** - father of Scientific Psychology - studies the '**phenomenon of the consciousness'**, which urged interest in further studies of the self and its role in human behavior. **William James** - distinction between the **self as knower** (or pure ego) and the **self-known** ( or the empirical self) - suggested that "the total self of 'Me', being as it were duplex" is composed of partly **object** and partly **subject**." - **"I"** (pure ego, consciousness itself) self as knower, - **"Me"** self as known, components: **Material Self**- consists of things that belong to us or that we belong to. **Social Self**- our social selves are who we are in a given social situation. **Spiritual Self-** is who we are at our core. The spiritual self is more concrete or permanent than the other two selves. [Global versus Differentiated Models] **Global Self-esteem** (a.k.a. Trait self-esteem) - is a personality variable that represents the way people generally feel about themselves. **State Self-esteem** (a.k.a. Feelings of Self-Worth) - refers to the temporary feelings or momentary emotional reactions to positive and negative events where we feel good or bad about ourselves during these situations or experiences. **Domain Specific Self-Esteem** (a.k.a. Self-Evaluations) - is focused on how people evaluate their various abilities and attributes. This is making distinctions or differentiation on how good or bad people are in specific physical attributes, abilities and personal characteristics. [Real and Ideal Self Concepts ] The **self** as the regulating center of an individual's personality and self-processes under the guise of id, ego and superego functioning (Pajares & Schunck, 2002) **Karen Horney** - Feminine Psychology - everyone experiences basic anxiety through which we experience conflict and strive to cope and employ tension reduction approaches - **idealized self-image-** an imaginary picture of the self as the processor of unlimited powers and superlative qualities, is developed. - **actual-self** - the person one is in everyday life, is often despised because it fails to fulfill the requirement of the idealized image. - **real-self** - which is revealed only as a person begins to shed the various techniques developed to deal with the basic anxiety and to find ways resolving conflicts. **Carl Rogers** - **Person-Centered Theory** - **Real Self** includes all those aspects of one's being and one's experiences that are perceived in awareness( though not always accurately) by the individual - **Ideal Self** - revolves around goals and ambitions in life, is dynamic, the idealized image that we have developed over time [Multiple versus Unified Selves] **Kenneth Gergen** - having a flexible sense of self in different context is more socially adaptable than force oneself to stick to one self-concept - **Multiple Selves -** capacities we carry within us from multiple relationships. These are not 'discovered' but 'created' in our relationships with other people. - **Unified Selves**, as strongly pointed out in Traditional Psychology emphasizes that well-being comes when our personality dynamics are congruent, cohesive and consistent. It is understood that a person is essentially connected with selfhood and identity. [True versus False Selves] **Donald W. Winnicott** - **true self** as based on a sense of being in the experiencing body and the - **false self** as a necessary defensive organization, a survival kit, a caretaker self, the means by which threatened person has managed to survive - **True Self** has a sense of integrity, of connected wholeness that harks to the early stage - **False Self** is used when the person has to comply with external rules, such as being polite or otherwise following social codes - **Healthy False Self** is functional, and can be compliant but without the feeling that it has betrayed its true self - **Unhealthy False Self** fits in but through a feeling of forced compliance rather than loving adaptation **Heinz Kohut** - **False Selves -** can lead towards narcissistic personality, which identifies with external factors at the cost of one's own autonomous creativity. [Self as Proactive and Agentic] **Social Cognitive Theory** takes an agentic view of personality, meaning that humans have the capacity to exercise control over their own lives. People are **self-regulating, proactive , self-reflective, and self-organizing** and that they have the power to influence their own actions to produce desired consequences. **G. Alport** - **Agent Self-** The agent self is known as the executive function that allows for action. - **Human agency** is not a thing but an active process of exploring, manipulating and influencing the environment in order to attain desired outcomes. - **self-efficacy** - the belief that they are capable of performing actions that will produce a desired effect. lies in the center of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. Module 5: The Self in Western and Oriental Thought [Individualistic versus Collective Self] **Western traditions** - duality of the body and soul **Plato** - started with the idea that the **soul** inhabited the world of ideas, while the **body** descended to the world of the sensible. **Aristotle** - **Hylomorphic Theory** - human person is composed of **matter or the body** (changeable) and **form or the soul** (remains). Body is equally important as the soul, because the former will give the latter the knowledge it ought to have through sense. **Descartes** - duality and soul - body is the only gathering information through the senses, although he never always trusted the information coming from the senses - body and the soul fused in one very important part of the brain- the **pineal gland** The lone purpose of the self is therefore is to **live according to the ideals of the soul**. The Greeks call this **arête** *-* the ultimate goodness, perfection, excellence **Easterners** - do not have the notion of the separation of the body and soul. It is always **one self** **Atman** - Indian philosophy is considered to be the seat of consciousness - different levels of consciousness but there is always one self **Confucian philosophy** - from China - One interpretation says that the ideal --thus moral- self is always able to forego individual interest in view of prioritizing the social interest. - The second interpretation of Confucian thought asserts that the individual self and the social self are not mutually exclusive but are metaphysically and profoundly related. - **self** is constructively connected with the pursuit of the **social self** **Middle Eastern Traditions** - associated with communal self **Judeo-Christian philosophies** - put emphasis on the unity of a nation- the chosen people of God **Mohammad of Islamic traditions** - oneness of Allah and the inclusivity of Islam as a religion **Islamic ethics** - in the words of Mohammad asserts that "my community will never agree to an error" +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Features of Collectivism** | **Features of Individualism** | +===================================+===================================+ | -Each person is encouraged to be | -"I" identity | | an active player in society, to | | | do what is best for society as a | \- Promotes individual goals, | | whole rather than themselves. | initiative and achievement. | | | | | \- The rights of families, | -Individual rights are seen as | | communities and the collective | being the most important. Rules | | supersede those of the | attempt to ensure self-importance | | individual. | and individualism | | | | | \- Rules promote unity, | \- Independence is valued; there | | brotherhood, and selflessness | is much less of a drive to help | | | other citizens or communities | | -Working with others and | than in collectivism | | cooperating is the norm; everyone | | | supports each other. | \- Relying or being dependent on | | | others is frequently seen as | | \- as a community, family or | shameful. | | nation more than as individual. | | | | \- People are encouraged to do | | | things on their own; to rely on | | | themselves | | | | | | -people strive for their own | | | successes. | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ [The Social Construction of the Self in Western Thought] **Western social construct of the self** - **Individualistic Self -** At a very young age, the child is already taught to pursue what is best for self - **Self-sufficiency -** successful self must be able to supply one's needs about external assistance - **Self being rational -** there is not time for the self to be weak and emotional. Everything must be explained by logic and reason. **Safety** is derived from the mastery of the phenomena concerning the self. This brings about the ideals of **self-efficacy** in which **everything can be explained by science** and everything can be provided for by science. [The Self as Embedded in Relationships and Through Spiritual Development in Confucian Thought-Eastern Construct] **Eastern** social infrastructures are mostly seen as contrary to the western individualistic construct. The Eastern Social Construct is primarily viewed as collectivistic and is always grounded on nature **Confucius or *Kung Fu Zi*** - ascertained the ancient Chinese civilization by establishing social order - threat to social order is only caused by the **unchecked selfish desires** of individuals - **Confucian system** is a person within the society who exhibits refinement and compassion - The refined and compassionate person was what the Confucius envisioned as **junzi** - **self** is therefore is the transmitter of the ancient virtues to the new world. - **li** originally means sacrifice, refined manner of spiritual rituals ad sacrifices, and protocols in honoring the ancestors, both the restraining and refinement of the self. - **Ren** is the character of the self that sincerely shows compassion for others. The self must embody human-heartedness by prioritizing the self-interest of others. - The sage king-**jenzi***-* is characterized by his practice of *ren* in putting others first before the self. Module 6: Physical Self **Physical appearance** is among major concerns of people today, in our world today, which is heavily influenced by media. **William James** - **self** is the sum of all that man can call his, which includes his body, family and reputation, also his clothes and his house - renowned psychologist and a pioneer in American sociology. - **body** is the initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance of personality The concrete or tangible aspect or dimension of the person that is primarily observed and examined through the body is known as the **physical self***.* **Erik Erikson** also claim that the experience is anchored in the ground-plan of the body. This is supported by **Sigmund Freud** who states that the physical body is the core of human experience. Furthermore, **Maurice Merleau-Ponty** (1945) placed the body at the center of human existence, as a way of experiencing the world. **Body** is the sight for the articulation of all our identifications of gender, class, sexuality, race, ethnicity and religion. Sociologists, historians, philosophers and anthropologists, including scholars from sport studies and medical studies spoke about this interest on the body which was then called the **"*body culture"*** **Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens**, agree in saying that the body is the only fix-point of **"*self-identity"****.* [The impact of culture on Body Image and Self-esteem: The Importance of Beauty] **Kenny and Nicolas** - describe, they are the determining factors shaping beauty. "Attractive children, and adults are treated favorably by others in the society." - Is beauty bound up with a dynamic, cultural aesthetic honed in the ways that members of the group/community/society are "nurtured" to perceive attractiveness from childhood?" **Sukhanova and Thomashoff** - "Body Image and Identity in Contemporary Societies"' **Body Image** - It refers to the person's perception of the level of attractiveness of his/her body or it can be somebody's own impression of how his/her body looks. It may also be our sense of how other people view our bodies. - internal (personal) and external (social) - **inner beauty**, which refers to the inner qualities of the person - **external beauty**, which refers to the physical characteristics of the person **Samantha Lovascio** - visually appealing traits greatly impact our lives, in matters of modest importance (friend selection) to great importance [The Role of Culture in our Understanding of "Body Image" and "Self-esteem"] **Culture** is commonly defined as shared patterns of thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and habots in both material and symbolic realms. **Margo de Mello** - **Body adornment** refers to the practice of physically enhancing they body by styling and decorating the hair, painting and embellishing the fingernails, wearing make-up, painting the bod, wearing jewelry, and the use of clothing. - **Body modification** on the other hand, refers to the physical alteration of the body through the use of surgery, tattooing, piercing, scarification, branding, genital mutilation, implants and other practices. - culture of physical improvement trains us not only to believe that all bodily processes are under our control, but to feel ashamed about those parts of our flesh that refuse to comply with the cultural ideal **Lelwica** - shames is not a natural response to being fat, physically impaired, chronically sick, or old. Rather, **body shame** is a culturally conditioned reaction to a commercially-fabricated fantasy of physical perfection. **Audrey Tramel** - mentions that the predominance of "**pop culture"** in today's society definitely has some effects such as the way teenagers think of themselves, how they associate with others, and how they express characteristics of their maturation - **Pop Culture** or popular culture from a common understanding is a culture widely accepted and patronized by the public as in pop music which is very appealing to the youth **Annie Lennox** - most women are dissatisfied with their appearance, "stuff that fuels the fashion and beauty industries". This results in women feeling insecure about their appearance and then conforming to the media's perception of beauty by buying beauty products such as make-up, creams, and hair dyes **Self-definition** - refers to the way a person sees himself - can be intrinsically tied into **self-esteem** and **confidence,** two critical components of a healthy disposition throughout maturation and into adulthood. **Hyper-mediated society** - we are constantly beset with media images, especially advertisements, representing appropriate bodies or skin, so that we internalize these ideals and either attempt to conform to them or resist them **Media** - creates ideals in the form of celebrities and models, for men and women to admire. These gives us pressure to conform to expectations [The Influence of Media on the Adolescent's Understanding of Beauty ] **Genesis M. Javellana** - the media plays a large role in teenagers which view themselves by shaping images of what teenagers are supposed to be or do Research findings revealed that the internet is the most frequently used media with the respondents using it often - Magazines have the strongest negative relationship with the weight of the respondents [Impact of Media on the Self-esteem of the Adolescent ] **Simmons and Blyth's** - **"Cultural Ideal Hypothesis"** indicate that puberty brings boys closer to their ideal body while girls shift further from theirs. - The Cultural Ideal Hypothesis predicts that, since the cultural ideal for the female body is being slim, adolescent girls should more likely to express body dissatisfaction and resort to dieting. **Caufman and Steinberg** - girls in western cultures are more concerned about appearance and express more worry and concern about how other people respond to them than in other cultures **Fredrickson and Roberts** - western girls socialize to constantly think of whether their bodies and physical appearance are pleasing to others or not **Stice and Withenton** - further claim that body image dissatisfaction is a strong predictor of depression in the US. **Croll** - body image is the dynamic perception of one's body --how it looks, feels and moves. Her study reveals that 88% of adolescent girls feel negatively about their body shape or size, 49% of teenage girls say they know someone with an eating disorder - further explains that puberty for boys brings characteristics typically admired by society --height speed, broadness, and strength. On the other hand puberty for girls brings characteristics often perceived as less desirable; girls generally get rounder and have increased body fat. **Miller** - speaks of the disturbing problem of very young girls dieting and having negative thoughts about their body. [Self-Esteem and Its Significance] **Self-esteem** - sometimes referred to as **self-worth** or **self-respect**, is an important part of success. [The Concept of Self-Esteem] **Self-esteem** - is used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal value - involve a variety of beliefs about yourself, such as the appraisal of your own appearance, beliefs, emotions and behaviors **Dr. Ben Carson** - world renowned neurosurgeon and Republican Presidential aspirant - If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages. But for those who live simply, walk humbly and love genuinely, all good will come back to you! That's life. Enjoy yours