Chapter 2

Unpacking the Self

“Don’t belittle yourself. Be BIG yourself.”―Corita Kent

―Corita Kent

INTRODUCTION

We are living in a world where the material and immaterial self are both represented.
How is that possible? Thanks to advances in technology, we not only live in a physical
world, we also have virtual reality. How do you view yourself in both worlds?
Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than we realize it. This involves:
• How we perceive 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.
The current embedded idea of what is attractive, beautiful, or handsome is an
unrealistic image, which is genetically impossible for many of us to emulate. This
unrealistic image is continually driven into our minds by the media through ads, movies,
and TV shows. The media is a very powerful tool in reinforcing cultural beliefs and
values. Although it is not fully responsible for determining the standards for physical
attractiveness, it makes escaping the barrage of images and attitudes almost impossible
to escape.
A positive view of “self” involves understanding that healthy, attractive bodies
come in many shapes and sizes, and that physical appearance says very little about our
character or value as a person.
We have to strive to know ourselves beyond our preconceived ideas of who we are.

A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self 57

 Chapter Overview
In this chapter, the student will explore some of the various aspects that
make up the self, such as the biological and material to the spiritual and political,
including the more recent digital self. Moreover, the student will also reflect on a
concrete experience on a holistic point of view.

I. Objective:
At the end of the chapter, the students will be able to unpack the self
in various aspects.

II. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
1. Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of the self
from various disciplinal perspectives;
2. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across
different disciplines and perspectives;
3. Examine the different influences, factors, and forces that shape the
self; and
4. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the
development of one’s self and identity by developing a theory of the
self.

THE PHYSICAL SELF

“Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself, that’s
when you’re most beautiful.”
―Zoe Kravitz

58 A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self

 Diagnostic Exercise
“My Best Presentation of the Physical Self”

Make the best presentation of yourself through a moviemaker/powerpoint

presentation emphasizing what your physical body can do to enhancing and maintaning
your beauty and good health.
What is beauty? How beauty is appreciated varies through time, culture, and the
various perceptions about the world. Beauty is defined in so many ways, but in its
simplest sense, beauty can be described as happiness.
Every person is unique. Our individual experiences and memories tie together to
form our versions of beauty. We have different sizes, shapes, colors, heritage, and roles.
Hence, our body is simply a shell that allows us to radiate our experiences where beauty
gets to shine through. No culture, company, or concept could ever truly define beauty. As
what Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen
or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.”

WHAT PHILOSOPHERS THINK ABOUT BEAUTY

(The Stanford Encyclopedia Philosophy, 2016)
The nature of beauty is one of the most enduring and controversial themes in
western philosophy. Beauty, traditionally, was among the ultimate values along with
goodness, truth, and justice. It was a primary theme among ancient Greek, Hellenistic,
and medieval philosophers; it was central to the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
thought. By the beginning of the twentieth century, beauty was in decline as a subject of
philosophical inquiry. However, there were signs of revived interest by the early 2000s.
The two most-debated views about beauty are:
1. Beauty is objective.
2. Beauty is subjective.
Before the 18th century, most Western philosophical views on beauty treated it as an
objective quality. For example:
• St. Augustine asked whether things were beautiful because it gave delight, or whether
it gave delight because it was beautiful. He believed it to be the latter.
• Plato connected beauty as a response to love and desire. He asserted that beauty
exists in the realm of Forms, and that objects are found beautiful because they are a
reflection of the idea of beauty that already exist in the realm of Forms.
• Aristotle asserted that the chief forms of beauty are order, symmetry, and definiteness
that can be demonstrated by mathematical sciences.

A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self 59

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

TRIVIA
The term for a makeup artist in Egyptian hieroglyphic is derived from the root “sesh,” which
means, “to write, to engrave.”
Makeup application was taken pretty seriously back then: the same accuracy was needed to
paint lips as etching symbols into a rock.

WHAT DID PSYCHOLOGY DISCOVER ABOUT BEAUTY?

(The Psychology of Beauty, WEB)

Research found that a person who is perceived as attractive makes more money than
a person of below-average looks. In politics, voters who are not actively engaged in social
and political issues choose candidates based on “looks” 90% of the time.
These study results can be attributed to a cognitive bias called the “halo effect.” A
cognitive bias is an error in reasoning, evaluating, remembering, or any other mental
process that is often a result of holding on to one’s preferences and beliefs regardless
of contrary information. The 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 individuals more favorably for their personality traits or characteristics
as compared to those who are less attractive.
Meanwhile, evolutionary psychology found that faces hold certain fundamental and
important characteristics that could indicate a person’s quality as a romantic partner
and as a mate. Among the most important and consistent factors in facial attractiveness
are structural qualities of the face. These structural qualities are also sex-typical. For
example, in the eyes of female experimental participants, an attractive man is generally
one with relatively prominent cheekbones and eyebrow ridges and a relatively long lower

60 A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self

face. Meanwhile, male raters generally
found women to be attractive with
prominent cheekbones, large eyes,
small nose, a taller forehead, smooth
skin, and an overall young or even
childlike appearance.
Our hormones sculpt our faces.
These sex-typical facial features of
adult men and women are the result
of the testosterone to estrogen ratio or
estrogen to testosterone, respectively,
acting on the individual during
development. We are programmed to be
drawn to strong indicators of maleness
(for women) and femaleness (for men) partly because they reflect an individual’s health
(Fink & Penton-Voak, 2002).

TRIVIA
A full-lipped, cheek-chiseled man in Ancient Greece knew two things - that his beauty was a
blessing (a gift of the gods no less) and that his perfect exterior hid an inner perfection.
For the Greeks a beautiful body was considered direct evidence of a beautiful mind. They even
had a word for it - kaloskagathos - which meant being gorgeous to look at, and hence being a
good person.

How Cultural Traditions Shape 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).
People see cultural group membership as an integral part of who they are. Hence,
they are more likely to engage in events and behaviors that are related to their culture
– choose friends, media, and even marital partners from their culture (Yam, 2013; Yeh
& Huang, 1996). 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.
For example, ideal standards of body sizes are culturally specific. Since the 1960s,
ideal body sizes for white American women have emphasized thinness (Yam, 2013; Fallon,
1990; Wiseman, Gray, Mosimann, & Ahrens, 1992). The Philippines is undoubtedly
influenced by Western culture, particularly American culture; a culture that generally
tends to hyper-focus on dieting and body appearance. Digitally retouched photos are

A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self 61

the norm (i.e., photoshopped), and this mentality can negatively influence a person’s
body image. A study reported that young Filipino women were dissatisfied with their
bodies that possibly stemmed from unreasonable weight concerns and extreme drive for
thinness (Torres, 2012).

The Relationship Between Body Image and Self-esteem

Do you have high or low self-esteem? If you don’t know, then let’s take the Rosenberg
Self-esteem Scale.

Activity 1
“HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT MYSELF?”

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

Below is a list of statements dealing with your general feelings about yourself.
Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each statement by putting a
check () mark in the column of your choice.
STRONGLY STRONGLY
ITEMS AGREE DISAGREE
AGREE DISAGREE
1. On the whole, I am satisfied with
myself.
2. At times I think I am no good at all.
3. I feel that I have a number of good
qualities.
4. I am able to do things as well as
most other people.
5. I feel I do not have much to be
proud of.
6. I certainly feel useless at times.
7. I feel that I'm a person of worth, at
least on an equal plane with others.
8. I wish I could have more respect for
myself.
9. All in all, I am inclined to feel that I
am a failure.
10. I take a positive attitude toward
myself.

Source: Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

62 A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self

Scoring:
Items 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 are reverse scored. Give “Strongly Disagree” 1 point, “Disagree” 2 points,
“Agree” 3 points, and “Strongly Agree” 4 points. Sum scores for all ten items. Keep scores
on a continuous scale. Higher scores indicate higher self-esteem.

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

The term self-esteem was coined by William James in 1800. James presented
self-esteem as the number of successes a person achieves in the domains of life that
are important to him or her, divided by the number of failures that occurred in those
areas (The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, 2002). In the 1960s,
behavioral scientists defined self-esteem in terms of an attitude concerning one’s worth
as a person (Rosenberg, 1965). Self-esteem is about how you value yourself and how you
feel others value you. Self-esteem is important because it can affect your mental health
as well as how you behave.
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. For many people (especially teenagers)
body image is closely linked to self-esteem.
If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way you
are, even if you do not fit the popular notion of “beautiful” or “handsome.” This healthy
attitude allows you to explore some other aspects of growing up, such as developing good
friendships, becoming more independent from your parents, and challenging yourself
physically and mentally. Developing these parts of yourself can help boost your self-
esteem.

How important is physical beauty?

What came into your mind could be the saying, “Do not judge the book by its cover.”
You may have heard many people say this; you may have said this yourself. However,
though it is a wise thought from the conscious mind, your subconscious mind will
contradict you, and you will still find yourself judging people based on their looks on
your initial encounters.
Physical beauty is extremely important. You must also understand that you
need to know 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.” Take note that the definition did not indicate
“who” determines what type of physical traits is attractive and unattractive. Why?
Because even though physical beauty is extremely important, the good news is that
physical beauty standards differ from one person to another.
A self-image problem happens when your looks do not match your beauty standards.
For example, if you believe that being thin is sexy and attractive, yet you are not thin

A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self 63

(in fact you are on the heavier side) then you might believe you are unattractive (even
though there are others who find you attractive).
The problem here is with your own beauty standards 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.

64 A Holistic Approach In Understanding The Self