Physical Self

According to Erving Goffman (1971), “people are concerned with the way
others perceive them and such concern serves as a motivation to manage their
behavior in order to present favorable and appropriate images to others. Such
self-presentation includes not only the individual’s social behaviors but also
his/her physical body”.

1. The Self as Impacted by the Body

The physical self is an important component in the study of the person’s self
and identity.

Physical Self

- The concrete or tangible aspect or dimension of the person which is primarily

observed and examined through the body.

Various views and definitions about the body.

William James

- Renowned psychologist and a pioneer of American Sociology.

- The body is the initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin and
maintenance of personality.

- “The self is the sum total of all that man can call his, which includes his body,
family and reputation, also his clothes and his house…”

Russell W. Belk
- “Such body, family and the like, is part of our extended self.”

Erik Erickson

- Experience is anchored in the ground-plan of the body.

Sigmund Freud

- The physical body is the core of human experience.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1945)

- Placed the body at the center of the human existence, as a way of experiencing
the world.

-
 Body

- The way which we make sense of the world and our environment.

- The body is the vehicle for our expression in the world.

- The sight for the articulation of all our identifications of gender, class, sexuality,
race, ethnicity and religion.

- The human body is endowed with varied forms of social significance which
Sociology has addressed by asking questions like:

- To what ways do individuals have control over their own bodies?

- How significant is the body to the development and performance of the self in
everyday life?

- What images of the body influence people’s expectations of themselves and

others?

- From the late 1970s to 1980s, Humanities and Sociology developed a new and
broader interest in the body. Sociologists, historians, philosophers, and
anthropologists, including scholars from sport studies and medical studies
spoke about this interest on the bodywhich was then called “body culture”.

Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens

- The body is the only fix-point of “self-identity.”

- They are sociologists.

Studies also show that one of the visible and deeper changes in relation to
the modern body concerns the dress reform and the appearance of the naked
body. The change from noble pale skin to suntanned skin as a sportive distinction
was not only linked to sport, but had a strong impact on society as a whole. The
change of appreciated body color reversed the social-bodily distinctions between
people and classes, and nudism became a radical expression of this body-cultural
change.

A constrasting model within modern body culture is delivered by mass

sports. In gymnastics and fitness training, the body is disciplined by subjecting
to certain rules of “scientific”, social geometrical or aethestic order (Roubal, 2007).

According to Margo De Mello (2014), “body studies” has expanded rapidly,

becoming an increasingly popular field of study within Anthropology, Sociology,
and cultural studies.
2. The Impact of Culture on Body Image and Self-esteem

Kenny and Nichols

-'attractive children, and adults are treated more favorably by others in the
society"

• Standards of beauty and appearance are the product of a diverse mix of

cultural and historical influences. Norms of beauty and appearance and
hardwork.

•Physical appearance is dealt with great importance as in the case presented

- Male ideal remains "muscular wash-board abs, powerful legs, chiseled

features”

- Females in particular receive a massive amount of societal pressure to

conform to conventional standards

Sukhanova and Thomashoff ( Body Image and Identity in Contemporary

Societies )

- bring together contributions from psychoanalysts, psychotherapists,

psychiatrists and scholars in the field of social sciences and humanities to
explore representation of the body in literature and the arts across different
times and cultures

Body Image

- refers to the persons perception of the level of attractiveness of his/her

body or it can be somebody's own impression of now his or her body looks

• internal ( personal )

• external ( social )

- lies at the heart of adolescence and it is the mental representation of

one's own body, which is a very important aspect of identy

• Beauty has two types

• inner beauty - refers to the inner qualities of the person

• external beauty - refers to the physical characteristics of the person

 2.1 The Role of Culture in our Understanding of "Body Image" and "Self-
esteem"

Culture - as the shared patterns of thoughts, beliefs, behaviors and habits in

both material and symbolic

- includes language, technology, economic, political and educational

systems, religion and aesthetic patterns and social structures

- Through culture, society shapes us in many way. Body image is

both material (personal) and external ( society)

De Mello ( Shameful Bodies: Religion and the Culture of Physical Improvements

)

- how traditional religious narrative and modern philosophical

assumptions come together in the construction and pursuit of a letter body in
contemporary western society

Audrey Tramel (2013)

- "pop culture"

POP CULTURE - a culture widely accepted and patronized by the public as in pop
music which is very appealing to the youth

Self-definition - the way person see himself

• Hyper-mediated society, we are constantly beset with media images, especially

advertisements representing appropriate bodies or skin, so that we internalize
these ideals and other attempt to conform - to - them or resist them

• Media creates ideals in the form of celebrities and models, for men and women
to admire

BODY IMAGE
- Body image is the perception that a person has of their physical self and the
thoughts and feelings that result from that perception.” (National Eating
Disorders Collaboration)

FOUR (4) ASPECTS OF BODY IMAGE

1. Perceptual body image: how you see your body
2. Affective body image: how you feel about your body
3. Cognitive body image: how you think about your body
4. Behavioral body image: the way you behave as a result of your perceptual,
affective, and cognitive body image (NEDC, 2017)
 Simmons and Blyth's CULTURAL IDEAL HYPOTHESIS

- Puberty brings boys closer to theie ideal body while girls shift further from
theirs.

- Acultural ideal is that male bodies be big and strong while ideal female bodies
in Western ( and Asian) culture be slim.

- According to Croll. Body image is the dynamic perceptions of one‘s body- how
it looks, feels, or 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 eating disorder
 33% of the girls say that they are the right weight for their body
 58% want to lose weight
 9% want to gain weight. Moreover;
 66% females think that their current size is too large; 21% of males feels thus way
 Over 33% males think that their current size is too small; 10% of women feel this
way
 Finally, 85% of young women worry a lot about how they look

What is Body Dissatisfaction?

-Refers to negative subjective evaluation of the one’s own body image.
MEDIA- one of the most external contributors to body dissatisfaction.
- Research have found body imagedissatisfaction to be strong predictor of
depression, exercise dependence, eating disorder and used of steroid among
young people in the US (Stice and Withenton, 2002).

EATING DISORDERS
1. Anorexia Nervosa- have an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Limit the quantity
of food the consume and view themselves as overweight
2. Bulimia Nervosa- repeated binge eating followed by behaviors that
compensatefor overeating such as forced vomiting.
3. Binge Eating Disorder- frequently lose control over his/her eating but not
followed by compensatory behaviors.

2.2.a The Concept of Self-esteem

What is self-esteem?

- In Psychology, self-esteem is used to describe a person’s overall sense of

self-worth or personal value. In other words, it is how much you appreciate
and like yourself.

- It is often seen as a personality trait which tends to be stable and enduring.

 - Can involve a variety of beliefs about yourself, such as the appraisal of
your own appearance, beliefs, emotions and behaviors.

Why is Self-esteem important?

- Self-esteem can play a significant role in one’s motivation and success

throughout life. Low self-esteem may hold you back from succeeding at
school or work because you don’t believe yourself to be capable of success.

- By contrast, having a healthy self-esteem can help you achieve because you
navigate life with positive, assertive attitude and believe you can
accomplish your goals.

- Maslow suggested that people need both esteem from other people as well
as inner self-respect. Both of these needs must be fulfilled in order for an
individual to grow as a person and achieve self-actualization. Self-esteem
is one of the basic human motivations.

2.2.b Developing Self-esteem

Insights on how to strike a balance between accurate self-knowledge and

respect for who you are. You need to develop a positive body image which
involves:

a. understanding that healthy, attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes;

b. physical appearance says very little about our character or value as a person;

c. how we get to this point of acceptance often depends on our individual

development and self-acceptance.

To get to that all important point of balance, there are a few steps we can take:

a) Talk back to the media and speak our dissatisfaction with the focus on
appearance;

b) De-emphasize numbers as pounds, kilograms, or inches, feet and meters

on the scale; they don’t tell us anything meaningful about the body as a
whole or our health;

c) Stop comparing ourselves with others and remember that each one is
unique;
 d) We need to appreciate and enjoy our bodies in the uniqueness of what we
have;

e) Spend time with people who have a healthy relationship with food, activity,
and their bodies;

f) Question the degree to which self-esteem depends on our appearance

because basing our happiness on how we look is likely to lead us to failure
and frustation, and may therefore prevent us from finding true happiness;

g) Broaden our perpective about health and beauty by reading about body
image cultural variances, or media influence and check out a local art
gallery paying particular attention to fine art collections that show a variety
of body types throughout the ages and in different cultures;

h) Recognize that size prejudice is a form of discrimination, as shape and

size are not indicators of character, mortality, intelligence, or success;

i) Approach health and well-being from a firm and socially engaging

perspective and put importance on a healthy lifestyle and;

j) Keep in mind that the body, in whatever shape or size, is good and sacred,
having been created in the image and likeness of god. Such body deserves
love and respect.

We will have a positive body image when we have a realistic perception of

our bodies, and let go of negative societal or media perpetuated conditioning.

Dr. Ben Carson, a retired world renouned neurosurgeon, and Republican

Presidential aspirant, once wrote: “If beauty and fame bring ideal relationship,
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!”