The Physical Self

• PHYSICAL SELF refers to the body. Both physical extremities and internal organs work together for the body to perform many of its functions, such as breathing, walking, eating, and sleeping, among others.
• Physical efficiency

  Generally peaks in early adulthood, between the ages of 20 and 30, and then slowly declines into middle age
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  Physical development and growth during childhood continue at a slow rate compared to the rapid rate of growth in babyhood

• Stages in the life span

  • Prenatal (fertilization to birth)
  • Infancy (birth to 2 weeks)
  • Babyhood (2 weeks to 2nd year)
  • Early childhood (2 to 6 years)
  • Late childhood (6 to 10 or 12 years)
  • Puberty (10 or 12 to 14 years)
  • Adolescence (14 to 18 years)
  • Early adulthood (18 to 40 years)
  • Middle adulthood (40 to 60 years)
  • Late adulthood or senescence (60 years to death)
• Heredity

  • Biological process of the inheritance of traits from parents to offspring
• Environment

  • Factors an individual is exposed to throughout life, which includes learning and experiences
• Sex and other physical traits are determined by the combination of chromosomes and genes during fertilization when the egg and sperm cells unite
• There are 23 pairs of chromosomes, which are classified as autosomes or trait chromosomes (22 pairs), and gonosomes or sex chromosomes
• Theory of physiognomy

  Suggests that a person's physical characteristics, such as facial features and expressions and body structures, could be related to a person's character or personality
• Face reading

  Ancient Chinese practice that observes how facial features and markings correspond to a person's mental, emotional, and physical makeup

  
• Theory based on prominence of body fluids

  Suggests that an excess of or deficiency in any of the four bodily fluids (or humors) in a person influences his/her personality, temperament, and well-being
• Body types

  • Endomorphic (soft and plump)
  • Mesomorphic (strong and muscular)
  • Ectomorphic (tall and thin)
• Facial shapes


  • Oval
  • Round
  • Square
  • Heart-shaped
  • Long
  • Triangle
  • Diamond
• Body image

  How individuals perceive, think, and feel about their body and physical appearance
• Body image is related to self-esteem, which is a person's overall evaluation of his or her own worth
• Appearance refers to everything about a person that others can observe, such as height, weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle
• Adolescent boys and girls tend to experience a negative self-image because they are in a stage of development that is probably confusing to them
• Girls are more concerned than boys about their physical appearance and overall body image
• Girls who have higher body dissatisfaction are likely to experience depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders
• Anorexia

  Eating disorder in which a person refuses to eat, for fear of gaining weight, which can result in severe starvation and death
• Bulimia nervosa

  Eating disorder in which a person induces purging after binging on large quantities of food
• Beauty has always been considered important throughout history because these features indicate youth, health, good genes, and fertility
• The reality is that the beauty standards set by the media can be unrealistic, that even the most beautiful and handsome supermodels fail to live by it
• Forms of body modification

  • Tattooing
  • Body piercing
  • Cosmetic surgery
• Tattooing, piercing, and cosmetic surgery involve health risks such as infection, allergies, and other complications
• People tend to treat more favorably those who are attractive
• People tend to view attractive people as good, happier, smarter, and better
• Ways to improve body image and inner self

  • Respect individuality
  • Make friends
  • Face your fears
  • Be independent
  • Accept things as they are
  • Ask and listen
  • Think positive thoughts
  • Pray
  • Count your blessings
  • Be thankful
  • Smile a lot
  • Take good care of your health
  • Live a well-balanced life
  • Dress well and be neat
  • Spend some time alone to reflect
  • Be creative and do something new all the time
  • Avoid temptations
• Salma Hayek: '"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the most liberating thing about beauty is that you are the beholders. This should empower us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves."'
• Physical appearance alone is not enough to know a person's true character. It is important to see into a person's inner thoughts and feelings-one's inner self.