Chapter 2: “Unpacking The Self”

Physical

1
6 2
Digital Sexual

Self
5 3
Political Material/Economical
4

Spiritual
The society shapes us in many ways -
socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and
physically. This involves:

● How we see our bodies visually;

● How we feel about our physical
appearance;
● How we think and talk to ourselves
about our bodies; and
● Our sense of how the other people view
our bodies.
 Understanding the Physical aspect of the self and
the label it closely associated with –“beauty” or
“handsome” – will help us learn how to build our
personal self-image effectively base on the
influencing factors coming from the perspective of
philosophy, psychology, sociology, and culture.
These factors can either build a positive or negative
self-image which affects the way we see ourselves.
The goal of a healthy individual is to have a
positive view of “self” that involves understanding
that healthy, attractive bodies, come in many
shapes, features, and sizes, and that physical
We
Whyneed to learn
do we need to learn this
this appearance says very little about our character or
to Understand ourselves
because?
better?
value as a person, but how we see ourselves
physically can also enhance our self-esteem.
 The Physical Self topics
What Philosophers Think about Beauty

What did Psychology discover about Beauty

How cultural traditions shaped Body Image

Does your body image have an impact on your self-esteem?

How important is physical beauty?

Do you aspire to look like them?
What Philosophers Think about Beauty

● The nature of beauty is one of the most enduring and controversial themes in western
philosophy. Traditionally it was among the ultimate values along with goodness, truth,
and justice.
● The most debated views about beauty are: 1. Beauty is objective, and 2. Beauty is
subjective.
● Most western philosophical views on beauty treated it as an objective quality - like St.
Augustine, Plato, and Aristotle. Objective means the definition of beauty is not
influenned by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.
● By the 18th century, beauty was already associated with pleasure as a personal
preference as per the following philosophers - Hume, Kant, and Hutcheson. Hence, the
idea of beauty from 18th century onward was subjective already. Subjective means the
concept of beauty is based on or influenced by personal feelings and opinions.
 What Philosophers Think about Beauty

St. Augustine Plato Aristotle

When asked whether things were He connected beauty as a response to He asserted that the chief forms of
beautiful because it gave delight, or love and desire. He asserted that beauty beauty are order, symmetry, and
whether it gave delight because it exists in the realm of Forms, and that definiteness that can be demonstrated
was beautiful, he believed it to be objects are found beautiful because by mathematical sciences.
the latter. they are a reflection of the idea of
beauty that already exists in the realm
of Forms.
 What Philosophers Think about Beauty

David Hume “Beauty is no quality in things Immanuel Kant “The judgement of taste Francis Hutcheson “The perception of
themselves: It exists merely in the mind beauty does depend on the external
is therefore not a judgment of cognition,
which contemplates them; and each mind sense of sight; however, the internal
and is consequently not logical but
perceives a different beauty. One person sense of beauty operates as an internal
may even perceive deformity, where another aesthetical, by which we understand
that whose determining ground can be or reflex sense. The same is the case
is sensible of beauty; and every individual
with hearing: hearing music does not
ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment, no other than subjective” (Kant 1790,
necessarily give the perception of
without pretending to regulate those of section 1)
harmony as it is distinct from the
others” (Hume 1757, 136)
hearing.” (Inquiry I.I. X)
What did Psychology discover about Beauty

Have you noticed that a person who is more

attractive makes more money than a person of
below-average looks? Or that in politics, voters
who are not actively engaged in social or political
issues choose candidates based on “looks” or how
well they are groomed, 90% of the time?

This phenomenon is called “halo effect”.

 What did Psychology discover about Beauty

Halo effect , also known as the physical attractiveness stereotype and the “what is beautiful is good” principle, refers to the tendency of people to rate
attractive or beautiful or handsome individuals more favorably for their personality traits or characteristics as compared to those who are less attractive.
This is a cognitive bias and halo effect can bring about negative consequences if we are not mindful.
What did Psychology discover about Beauty

Evolutionary psychology found that faces hold certain fundamental and important characteristics that could indicate a person’s
quality as romantic partner and as a mate. Among the most important and consistent factors in facial attractiveness are a
structural qualities of the face. Women in general like men who have relatively cheekbones and eyebrow ridges and relatively long
lower face. Meanwhile, men generally like women to be attractive with prominent cheekbones, large eyes, small nose, a taller
forehead, smooth skin, and an overall young or even childlike appearance. How we look physically is mainly because of our genes
and hormones. We are programmed to be drawn to these strong physical features because they reflect an individual’s health (Fink
& Penton Voak, 2002). In a nutshell, our subconscious tells us that one is beautiful and handsome if we consider their physical
features as attractive and this reflects how they take care of themselves.
What did Psychology discover about Beauty

Watch to learn : https://youtu.be/2h6HeqO-U9c

How cultural traditions shaped Body Image

● Culture has a significant impact on how a person feels about himself or

herself, as well as his or her body image.
● Cultural traditions can either be a positive or a negative influence on body
image and on self-esteem. Body image is generally defined as how one
thinks and feels toward one’s body (Yam, 2013; Cash & Smolak, 2011)
● From the previous chapter, we learned that society or culture really affects
how we build our identity, hence, we are more likely to engage in events and
behaviors that are related to our culture so we are more likely to be
accepted and be a member of our cultural society.
How cultural traditions shaped Body Image

How we present and groom our physical self is being influenced by our culture whether we are
aware of it or not.
How cultural traditions shaped Body Image

In Mauritania, young girls force-fed a diet of up to 16,000 calories a day—more than four times
Tribes in Africa and Asia practice Neck Elongation
that of a male bodybuilder—to prepare them for marriage.
How cultural traditions shaped Body Image

People see cultural group membership as an integral part of who they are. When “culture”
is experienced as a personally meaningful activity it is difficult for a person to resist the
conscious and unconscious ways that culture influences a person’s life. Watch this video
to learn more: https://youtu.be/JnshlMG6eBI
How cultural traditions shaped Body Image

● Ideal standards of body sizes are culturally specific. Some cultures prefer women
who are fat (like in some tribes in Africa), but in western culture, which
influences the Philippines, they highlight dieting and even thin body appearances
that connotes the definition of “beauty and sexy”.
● Because of how we are influenced by the western culture, our society normalizes
digitally retouched photos (i.e photoshopped) and this mentality can negatively
influence a person’s body image.
Does your body image have an impact on your self-esteem?

● Self-Esteem was coined by William

James in 1800. It is defined by
behavioral scientists as one’s
attitude concerning one’s worth as
a person. It is about how you value
yourself and how you feel others
value you. Managing one’s
Self-Esteem is important because
it affects one’s overall capabilities
in doing certain tasks and also
one’s mental health.
Does your body image have an impact on your self-esteem?

● Nowadays, for many people especially teenagers, their self-esteem is linked

to body image.
● Body image is how you view your physical body, whether you feel you are
attractive, and how you feel some other people like your looks.
Does your body image have an impact on your self-esteem?

If we synthesize the photo,

we can say that indeed,
Body image (how we see
and feel about our physical
body) has an impact on
one’s self-esteem (how one
sees and feels his/her
value as a person). One’s
self-esteem also affects
one’s mental health in the
way he or she thinks about
his/her capabilities and
how he/she handles
situations and challenges
that comes his/her way.
How important is physical beauty?

● Physical beauty is extremely important BUT you need to

understand first the correct definition of physical beauty so
that your self-esteem will not suffer.

● The dictionary’s definition of beauty is “the degree to which a

person’s physical traits are considered pleasing or beautiful.”
From that definition, we can conclude that there is NO
Standard qualification of beauty but rather the standard of
what is pleasing and beautiful differs from each individual.
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

● A self-image problem happens when YOUR looks do not match

YOUR beauty standards. So for example, if you believe that being
thin is sexy and attractive or beautiful, but you are not thin, then
you might believe that you are not sexy or attractive or beautiful.
Thus, how you define beauty is your source of self-image concept.
● A self-image problem is another result of cognitive bias. The
problem here is your own beauty standards, which you allow
yourself to think and believe, and not with your looks. To have a
positive self-image and a higher self-esteem, you must fix your
false beliefs about physical attractiveness first.
Wrap-Up: It can be Objective and
What Philosophers Think about Beauty Subjective

Halo Effect
What did Psychology discover about Beauty Hormones in our Body

How cultural traditions shaped Body Image It is a big factor!

Does your body image have an impact on your self-esteem?

YES! Absolutely!

How important is physical beauty? It is important but not

as important as how
you perceive it. :)
Engagement Activity:

Listen to the following songs and comment in our FB Group 3 lyric verses from the
songs that struck you on how to overcome a negative self-esteem belief about how
you see yourself:

● “I am Beautiful” – Christina Aguilera

● “Who You Are” – Jessie J
● “Born This Way” – Lady Gaga

Happy listening and reflecting, class!