The Importance Of Appearance And Self Perception

Introduction

This literature review will discuss how your appearance and self- perception impact how people respond and treat one another. I chose this topic because it one that is a personal struggle for myself. I often worry more than I should on first impressions and question myself on how my appearance affects it. Upon researching this topic, I focused more on studies that had been done in the past correlating appearance and self-perception.

Do looks really matter? Everyday people are judged on looks alone and it impacts everyday human interactions. A person’s perception of themselves and others does not always paint a clear picture. Appearance is not defined by “beauty” alone, as many qualities make up one’s appearance.

Society has let body image affect them profoundly; to the extent they end up believing the reality portrayed versus the one that actually exists. Self-perception can be a dangerous aspect of ones life. It can lower ones self worth, trust and self-esteem.

At a young age, one starts to develop self-esteem. It is an important part of self-concept that is used in physical, academic and social domains (Baudson, Weber & Freund). The pressure to be perfect seems to be on the rise. Perfect in appearance/physical abilities, education and social relationships with peers, parents and teachers. These things are critical in the development of adolescences. When looking at the media, it is easily defined as being successful, having good looks and popularity. As a whole can be hard to attain all aspects, leading to a feeling of inadequacy (Baudson, Weber & Freund). Ones self esteem can still benefit even if they are not obtaining all three, “one need not be faster than the lion, but only faster than the other person also fleeing from it” is a common joke used (Baudson, Weber & Freund, 2016, p. 7). Gender roles become more prominent in adolescence; as girls tend to be more affected by low appearance and boys ranking higher in self-esteem. Social/emotional development has an increased significance on social abilities. Positive social relationships, for a child are mostly gained from teachers and

Fourth, fifth and six grades are starting to relate their peer evaluations from others from appearance and the importance that carries. There are two types of self-discrepancies: actual appearance in correlation to an ideal appearance (Cobb, Cohen & Houston, 1998). Physical presence is a dominant factor in the social lives of adolescents. From a young age it was discovered that unattractive children are treated and perceived different by their peers, parents and educators. Children who were considered attractive were more liked by their peers and are intellectually and socially competent. A child’s social development was greatly impacted by physical