2.2 The development of the self-concept Flashcards
2.2.1 Clothing and the boundaries of the self
The first role that clothing plays is to form a boundary between ourselves and the outside world. Clothing can be seen as an extension of the self. It acts as a second skin and establishes a physical boundary of the self. This also is connected closely to the function of clothing as an extension of the self. Find your own examples of how clothing can help you extend your self-feeling beyond your own body.
2.2.2 Gender and identification
A person assumes a series of social roles, and learns the behaviour patterns that are expected from these roles by interacting with other people. This helps to develop the self-concept. Clothing is important in this development of expected role behaviour as it establishes the identity of the individual not only to others, but also to him-or herself.
2.2.3 Individual and group identification
An individual identifies with another person or group – often a parent in the case of a child, or a friends or even a film star in the case of an adolescent. The individual then adopts the behaviour and, more often than not, the clothing style of the other person. This facilitates the learning of new social roles and is an important process in forming the concept of the self.
2.2.4 Clothing and body image
People’s body image is the picture they have in their minds of how other people see them. This picture may or may not be accurate. Your body image forms part of your self-concept. Horn and Gurel (1981:141) explain that your culture determines what you will consider to be the ideal body shape. Some cultures will prefer women to be nicely rounded, while in others only the very thin is considered beautiful. We only have to look at all the advertisements for losing weight, changing our hair colour, adding make-up, and even surgically changing our appearance with face-lifts or lipo- suction to realise how important it is for many people to look like their cultural ideal of beauty.
A person’s body cathexis is the degree to which the person is satisfied with his or her own body. Your body cathexis is closely related to your self-esteem.
Clothing can be used to bring perceived and ideal body images closer together. A woman will wear a padded bra if she thinks her bosom is too small, or a tight girdle if her behind is too large. (When asked to give an example of how body image is defined culturally, your answer must relate to body image, and not just clothing in general!)
