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Physical Self
in Psychology
Physical Self refers to the body, this marvelous container and complex, finely tuned, machine with which we interface with our environment and fellow beings.
Definition
William James considered body as the initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance of personality.
Definition according to Psychologists
Sigmund Freud's construction of self and personality makes the physical body the core of human experience. Freud was of the view that the ego is first and foremost a body ego (Freud, 1937).
For Erik Erikson, experience is anchored in the ground-plan of body (Erikson, 1963). According to him the role of bodily organs is especially important in early developmental stages of a persons life.
Carl Gustav Jung argued that physical processes are relevant to us only to the extent they are represented in the psyche. The physical body and the external world can be known only as psychological experiences.
B. F. Skinner was a staunch behaviorist and for him the role of body is of primary importance. For Skinner the terms personality and self are mere explanatory fictions and all there is, is the body.
In the Eastern traditions, especially the Indian, the various aspects of self, including the physical self, has received tremendous attention. One of the most important achievement of Indian tradition have regarded the body in different ways. These attitude range from the outright rejection of the body, because it is seen as the source of desires and attachments, to an appreciation of the body as the main vehicle spiritual growth and self realization.
Definition according to Eastern Tradition
Definition according to Buddhism
In Buddhist tradition, the concept of Middle Path is of central importance in one's attitude towards the body. It involves neither full indulgence of one's all desires nor extreme asceticism or self-mortification.