The topic regarding the physical self under the course subject UTS

2. TOPIC 1: THE PHYSICAL SELF
• TRY TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN ORDER
FOR YOU TO ANALYZE YOUR PHYSICAL ASPECT:
(1) ARE YOU HEALTHY AND ACTIVE?
(2) ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR BODY? DO YOU LIKE WHAT
YOU SEE?
(3) ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH YOUR SEXUALITY?
(4) ARE YOU COMFORTABLE IN THE MATERIAL WORLD?
(5) ARE YOU PRACTICAL, HUMBLE, FINANCIALLY STABLE, AND FREE?
YOUR ANSWERS TO THE GIVEN QUESTIONS BASICALLY GIVE
YOU YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE BASIC AND DIFFERENT
ASPECTS OF THE SELF NAMELY: (1) PHYSICAL (2) MENTAL (3)
EMOTIONAL AND (4) SPIRITUAL

3. Physical self refers to the body, this
marvelous container and complex,
finely tuned, machine with which
you interface with your environment
and fellow beings. The physical self
is the concrete dimension, the
tangible aspect of the person that
can be directly observed and
examined.

4. Body image is the perception
that a person has of their
physical self and the thoughts
and feelings that result from
that perception. These feelings
can be positive, negative or
both and are influenced by
individual and environmental
factors.

5. PHYSICAL SELF & SELF-ESTEEM
The physical self has a big impact in the development of your self-
esteem.
Self-esteem is an individual’s sense of personal worth and an
acceptance of who one is. It is the value you place on yourselves; how
much you like or dislike who you are.
Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself. People with healthy self-esteem
like themselves and value their achievements. While everyone lacks
confidence occasionally, people with low self-esteem feel unhappy or
unsatisfied with themselves most of the time.
There are four (4) components of self-esteem (Gordon, 2000): (1) A sense
of one’s own identity (2) A sense of belonging (connectedness) (3) A
sense of one’s own uniqueness and (4) A sense of self (power).

6. Your physical attributes and experiences impact the
development of a strong self-concept and a positive
self-esteem.
A positive sense of self is critical for young people.
Research (Marshall, 1989) shows that low self-image
is correlated with poor mental health, poor academic
achievement, and delinquency.
A positive self-image strengthens self-confidence.
Self-image is based on the way society views
individuals. And an essential ingredient of self-image
is the quality of human interactions

7. FACTORS THAT AFFECT BODY
IMAGE AND SELF ESTEEM
Family
Friends
Media
Social
Print
News
Television
Culture

8. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
Ethiopia: Body Scars
While some are concerned with
erasing scars, Ethiopia’s Karo tribe is
creating them. In the tribe’s eyes,
beauty is literally skin deep: the
scars cut onto the stomachs of
women at childhood are seen as
beautiful adornments meant to
attract men who are husband
material.

9. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
Kenya: Long Earlobes and
Shaved Heads
To the Masai tribe of Kenya, long, stretched
earlobes and low-maintenance buzz cuts are
the ideal. Women are known to shave their
heads and use everything from elephant tusks
to twigs to pierce and stretch their lobes to
become more attractive.

10. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
Burma and Thailand: Long Necks
Long, giraffe-like necks are the ultimate sign of
beauty and female elegance to the Kayan tribe. At 5
years old, Kayan women start priming their necks
with heavy brass rings. Each year, more coils are
added, pushing down their shoulders and creating
the effect of a longer neck. Keep in mind that the
rings in this centuries-old ritual can weigh up to 22
pounds (9.98 kg).

11. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
China, Thailand and Japan: Pale
Skin
In various parts of Asia, pale, white skin is revered
as a sign of affluence and attractiveness. In Japan,
women avoid the sun at all costs, while skin-care
products with whitening agents are the norm in
places like China and Thailand. Sometimes, it’s
hard to find products without bleaching properties.

12. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
New Zealand: Face Tattoos
Tattooing is a sacred ritual to the Maori people of
New Zealand, and not something parents warn their
teenagers they’ll one day regret. Traditionally, a
chisel was used to carve grooves into the skin,
creating swirling tattoos called Tamoko. Women
with tattooed lips, chins and full blue lips are the
most beautiful.

13. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
Mauritania: Full Figures
While Americans are perpetually dieting and striving to be
thin, Western African cultures find women who are
overweight to be the most beautiful — the more stretch
marks, the better. In the past, it wasn’t completely unheard
of for families in Mauritania to send their daughters to “fat
farms,” camps that would force-feed girls 16,000 calories
a day to help them reach their ideal weight. Fuller figures
are still the ideal, and fattening camel’s and cow’s milk are
go-tos for plumping up, but thankfully, the government now
frowns upon the unpleasant force feeding.

14. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
Iran: Surgical Bandages
Nose jobs seem like a staple in the image-
conscious U.S., but Iran is actually the rhinoplasty
capital of the world. Both men and women are
proud to show off their procedures — a sign of
their social status and their path on the route to
beauty. So much so that they’ll often wear their
bandages much longer than needed, while others
will purchase surgical tape to wear, even if they
haven’t gone under the knife.

15. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
India: Decorated Skin
Instead of accessorizing with extravagant jewelry,
women in India turn to nose rings, bindis and henna
to make themselves more attractive for festivals
and celebrations, like weddings. Brides in
particular will often wear a dot of red powder on
the face known as a kumkum to look more
beautiful.

16. HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
Japan: Stick Straight Hair
In Japan, stick straight hair is seen as the norm, and
therefore, the most beautiful hair texture. Japanese
women with wavier patterns have become pros at
getting this look, turning to chemicals and flat
irons to keep their hair as sleek as possible. It’s no
surprise that thermal reconditioning — using a
bond-breaking chemical and meticulous flat-
ironing to straighten hair — is referred to as
Japanese hair straightening in the U.S.

17. How about YOU, what
is your concept of
BEAUTY?

18. REFERENCE
CSU UTS MODULE