11. THE BODY AS A SOCIAL ENTITY Flashcards
1
Q
- What is our body a product of?
A
- social factors
2
Q
- What is our body shown in accordance with?
A
- cultural values
- social roles we perform
3
Q
- What did Giddens explain in 1991?
A
- the period in which we now live:
- is one which has witnessed a decline in certainties
- the social structures and frameworks which have given us a
clear world view have been lost
- this has led to a loss of self identity
4
Q
- What are the social structures and frameworks that we have lost?
A
- community
- religion
- family
5
Q
- What has been a consequence of the loss of social structures and frameworks?
A
- people now look at and within themselves
- they do this to find a source of identity and meaning
- people rely on their bodies to find meaning
6
Q
- What development has allowed us greater possibilities to control and shape our bodies in new ways?
A
- developments in science and technology:
- plastic surgery
- sports science
- fashion industry
7
Q
- Where are cultural values produced and enhanced?
A
- they are produced and enhanced in:
- social institutions
- media
- the press
- family
- education
- sciences
8
Q
- What happens when more and more people adopt specific values?
A
- they become more important
- they start to become more influential
- they are values that become encouraged to adopt
9
Q
- What does Embodiment refer to?
A
- it refers to the process of embodying or internalising cultural values
10
Q
- What happens when individuals embody cultural values?
A
- they consider these cultural values as their own
- these cultural values become a way of thinking
11
Q
- What does the term the “Body Project” refer to?
A
- it refers to the process of turning the cultural values into a body image
- people understand the body as something that is unfinished
- something that has to be worked upon
- (set goals and deadlines to achieve them by)
12
Q
- Why do people re-make their body?
A
- they do this to construct their new selves
- people feel that re-making their body will make them more likely to be socially accepted
13
Q
- What does Contemporary Consumer Culture provide us with?
A
- it provides us with the products needed to achieve this desired state
- this desired state is individualised
- individuals are transformed in accordance to the embodied values
14
Q
- What are four examples of Contemporary Consumer Culture?
A
- diet
- plastic surgery
- sports science
- fashion industry
15
Q
- Provide the labels for number 1-5.
A
- Cultural Values
- Individuals
- Internalised Values
- Body Project
- Transformed Individuals
16
Q
- What cultural values have influenced Andrea’s way thinking?
A
- Andrea lives in a society that highly values the thin female body
- this value is socially considered very important
- people find meaning and feel accepted when they adopt it
- there are various social methods that help people achieve this type of body
- this methods are propagated and encouraged
17
Q
- Has Andrea experienced Embodiment?
In which ways has she experienced this?
A
- Andrea has embodied and internalised these values
- her way of thinking has been shaped in accordance to these values
- she understands these values as her own
- she no longer sees these values as values that are constructed by the society in which she lives
18
Q
- Has Andrea understood her body as a “project”?
In which ways?
A
- she understands her body as a project which is unfinished
- this leads to her setting goals
(EG: to lose 10kg and to look pretty) - she then works strenuously at achieving her goals
- she wishes to complete her body project
- Andrea is an example of a girl who is at risk of developing Anorexia
21
Q
- Read through this summary.
Does everything make sense?
A
- yes
