Prepared by:

MAILLEN GRACE G. QUILALA

Instructor
Physical Self
• It is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the
person that can be directly observed and examined.
• This includes all the physical characteristics that we
have, including the physical development and
attractiveness.
• Physical characteristics include hairstyles, facial features
and body size and shape.
• The physical self is not just what can be seen with the
naked eye; beneath the skin is a dynamic system of
biological and chemical processes that contribute one’s
physical characteristics.
Physical
Development
• This refers to physical and biological
changes that occur in humans
between birth and adolescence.
• Growth – the physical changes of, the
increase in size, height and weight.
• Development – how children gain
control over their physical actions to
do complicated and difficult activities
more skillfully and easily.
• The body performs its functions least well
during infancy and old age.
• Physical efficiency generally peaks in early
adulthood and declines into the middle
age.
• Physical development and growth during
childhood continues at a slow rate
compared with rapid rate of growth in
babyhood.
• One of the most crucial stages of
development is the adolescence stage,
where it begins with the onset of puberty.
• Puberty and adolescence are two terms
interlinked to each other representing
certain changes and period of such
changes.
• Puberty – refers to the physical changes
leading to sexual maturity in a boy or a
girl.
• Adolescence – refers to the transition
period when psychological and social
changes take place in a boy or a girl.
Stages in the Life-span
(Elizabeth B. Hurlock)
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 (2) Factors Affecting
Physical Growth and
Development
1. Heredity – biological process of
transmission of traits from parents
to offspring.
2. Environment – refers to the
factors to which the individual is
exposed after conception to death
which includes learning and
experiences.
1. Heredity
• It is the biological process of transmission
of traits from parents to offspring.
• Genotype – refers to inherited genes
responsible for a particular trait.
• Phenotype – refers to observable or
measurable characteristics.
• The sex and other physical traits are
determined by the combination of
chromosome and genes during fertilization
(union of sperm cell and egg cell).
• Genetic information containing these traits
are stored in the nuclei of cells called genes,
which are found in strands of DNA
referred to as chromosomes.
• 46 of these chromosomes are found in
each human cell.
• 22 pairs (autosomes) of the 23 pairs of
human chromosomes are similar in males
and females.
• The 23rd pair (sex chromosomes)
determines the sex of an individual.
Genes – hereditary blueprints for
development that are transmitted
from generation to generation.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) –
long, double-stranded molecules
that make up chromosomes.
 DOMINANT TRAITS RECESSIVE TRAITS
Dark hair Blond hair
Full head of hair Pattern baldness
Curly hair Straight hair • Dominant gene – relatively
Facial dimples No dimples
powerful gene that is
Farsightedness Normal vision
expressed phenotypically
Normal vision Color blindness*
and masks the effect of a
Extra digits Five digits
less powerful gene.
Pigmented skin Albinism
• Recessive gene – less
Type A blood Type O blood
powerful gene that is not
Type B blood Type O blood
expressed phenotypically
Normal blood clotting Hemophilia*
when paired with a
Huntington’s disease Normal physiology
dominant gene.
Normal blood cells Sickle-cell anemia*
Normal physiology Cystic fibrosis*
Normal physiology Phenylketonuria*
Normal physiology Tay-Sachs disease*
2. Environment
• It refers to the factors to
which the individual is
exposed after conception to
death which includes learning
and experience.
• Factors such as diet, nutrition
and diseases play an important
role in physical development.
• As you grow up, you are exposed to
environmental influences that shape your
physical self, including those from your social
networks, societal expectations, and cultural
practices.
• Family, being your first social group, forms a
crucial foundation of your development,
including that of your physical self.
• As you grow older, you get exposed to a
larger social group with new practices and
standards. As a result, you may begin engaging
in acts that would make you attractive and
acceptable to others.
Physical Attractiveness
• It is the degree to which a person’s physical features are
considered aesthetically pleasing or beautiful.
• Men, on average, tend to be attracted to women who
have a youthful appearance and exhibit features such as a
symmetrical face, full breasts, full lips, and a low waist-hip
ratio.
• Women, on average, tend to be attracted to men who are
taller than they are and who display a high degree of
facial symmetry, masculine facial dimorphism, upper
body strength, broad shoulders, a relatively narrow waist,
and aV-shaped torso.
Body Image
• It refers to how an individuals see their own body and how
attractive they feel themselves to be.
• It can be viewed positively or negatively.
• “Adolescents become preoccupied with their bodies and
develop images of what their bodies are like” (Santrock,
2014).
• According to recent studies:
➢ Adolescents with positive body image are engaged in
healthy-enhancing behavior.
➢ Girls are less happy with their body image than boys
throughout puberty.
➢ Both girls and boys feel positive about their body towards
the end of puberty.
• Adolescents with poor body image have
negative thoughts and feelings about their
appearance which can either be true or not.
• Imaginary audience – an egocentric state
where a young individual imagines and
believes that many people are watching him
or her.
• Spotlight effect – it refers to an individual’s
belief that other people are paying more
attention to the person’s appearance and
behavior than who they really are.
• People, especially adolescents, sometimes
tend to overestimate the extent to which
others notice them or their bodies.
Self-esteem
• It is an overall evaluation that a person has
of himself which can be positive or
negative, high or low.
• The measure of person’s self-worth is
based on some personal and social
standard.
• According to Santrock (2014), the level of
self-esteem fluctuates across the life span
and may not always match with reality.
Effects of Poor Body
Image
1. Body dissatisfaction
2. Depression
3. Low self-esteem
4. Eating Disorders
➢ Anorexia Nervosa
➢ Bulimia Nervosa
5. Forms of body modification
 Anorexia nervosa – an eating disorder
characterized by weight loss;
difficulties maintaining an appropriate
weight, and distorted body image

Bulimia nervosa – an eating disorder

that causes an individual to eat large
amounts of food at one time and then
get rid of it.
How Culture Affects Body Image
and Self-esteem
• Body dissatisfaction or feeling negatively about appearance or abilities is
a common experience across different racial and ethnic groups.
• It is a multi-dimensional construct; however, the tools used to assess
body image in research often focus on body weight or shape.
• This can be limiting when trying to understand body image and
ethnicity, as people from different groups have different body ideals.
• Concerns around body image may not always fall into the categories of
body weight and shape. For instance, some concerns may be around skin
tone, hair texture or size and shape of facial features.
Ethnicity may have less of an influence on
body image than factors like age, gender or
weight.
Research also suggests that body dissatisfaction
is more pronounced in affluent countries
where people lead a lifestyle more
characterized by high levels of individualism
and consumption.
Body image in immigrant communities may
also be influenced by the experience of
adapting to a new culture, which is something
that can be very stressful.
Cultural Conception
of Beauty
• What seems beautiful for you, may not be beautiful
for others. As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of
the beholder.”
• Different cultures define beauty much differently.
• Standards of beauty have changed over time based on
changing cultural values.
• Physical beauty has been regarded as an essential part
of one’s self across all cultures.
• Although defined in a different way, it has become a
primary part of an individual’s physical self.
Standards of Beauty

❖Clean and
unblemished skin
❖Thick shiny hair
❖Well-proportioned
bodies
❖Symmetrical faces
Asia’s Beauty Standards
While the West has made conscious strides in highlighting
the vicious, self-perpetuating cycles that hamper body
image and speak openly about dispelling beauty standards,
Asia is still coming around to acknowledging the need for
body positivity.
For most of Asia, the agency of embracing ourselves is
easier said than done.
Taking a glance at how media, pop culture and social
media touch upon body image and body positivity in
Asian culture, you’ll notice the conversation is quite small.
The Philippines tends to lend a
stronger voice to body positive
advocacy than most of their Asian
counterparts, even though it still
needs more substantial body positive
framework like the rest of this
region.
• A World Health Organization survey
found that nearly 40% of women
polled in nations including China,
Malaysia, the Philippines and South
Korea said they regularly used
whitening products.
➢ The multibillion-dollar skin-
whitening market in China, Malaysia,
the Philippines and South Korea is
rooted in unrealistic beauty ideals.
➢ However, a push to embrace darker
skin and more Asian-seeming features
over Eurocentric beauty standards is
picking up in the region.
• Beauty is considered important
throughout history 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.
Importance of Understanding
and Embracing Diversity
• Diversity is everywhere, but the focus and understanding of what
diversity means varies across countries and regions.
• People need diversity in their communities as it inspires cultural
growth and makes society richer.
• When a community has people of different backgrounds, beliefs, and
skills, each person is able to contribute their unique story and gifts so
as to make a greater whole.
How to Take Good Care of One’s
Physical Self
1. Healthy eating
2. Healthy lifestyle
3. Proper hygiene
4. Avoid stress
5. Spend less time in front
of computers and
gadgets
6. Being confident