Self ImageBy: Brooke Toelsin, Alyssa Hessler,

and Kelsey Travers

What you think you look like How you see your personality What kind of person you think you are What you believe others think of you How much you like yourself of think others

like you The status you feel you have

What is self image?

Having a positive self image can help boost your self esteem and make you feel good about yourself

A positive self image has been linked to confidence and success

How you feel and see yourself as a person determines your happiness

What is the importance of self image?

Out of 100 people 93 said they believe in themselves

7 said they don’t

Do you believe in yourself?

Do you hesitate to do things because of what others might think?

I would like to change things about my body 70% of people

said they would

30% of people said they wouldn’t

Do peers influence each others self image?

I feel that I contribute to other people’s self image

47% said yes

53% said no

I feel that other people contribute to my self image

49% true

51% false

You can contribute to others self image in a positive or negative way; the choice is yours.

Do you have a desire to be accepted by your peers?

61% said yes39% said no

We found these results surprising because we would assume that everyone would want to be accepted by their friends; even Tyler, from Twisted had a strong desire to be accepted.

Influence from the media

We asked if the media influences teenager’s perspective on self

image 88% said yes, 12% said no

In a recent survey by Teen People magazine, 27% of the girls felt

that the media pressures them to have a perfect body.

Out of 100 people…•86% are satisfied with who they are•14% aren’t

•93% believe they can achieve their goals•7% believe they can’t

•93% said they have positive relationships with their friends and family•7% said they do not

•13% of people said other people’s opinions count more than theirs•87% percent said other people’s opinions aren’t more important

•25% of people said people seem better off than themselves•75% of people don’t believe this

It is important to me to succeed with whatever I take on

True

False

I worry about what other people think or feel about me

yes95%

no5%

Sales

Question True False

If I don’t do as well as others I am an inferior person

19 81

I always speak up for myself and put my views across

88 12

When I need comfort I am able to turn to my friends an family

89 11

I compare myself to others

63 37

I think I have a good self image

79 21

Surprising self image statistics• Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of

nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents• The average U.S. woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds

whereas the average U.S. model is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds

• By age 15, clinically depressed girls outnumber boys with depression 2 to 1

• Children with very low self-esteem, or what the researchers called self-derogation, were 1.6 times more likely to meet the criteria for drug dependence nine years later than other children

It seems that society has placed such high values on the way you look and how you act that it’s nearly unattainable. When adolescents don’t meet these standards they become depressed and turn to things like drugs for relief of the pressures they feel.

Do these problems exist at our school?• When asked would you like to change things about your body, 70% said yes• And 88% of people said the media influences peoples self image• However 80% of people said they’re satisfied with who they are• 79% of people believe they have a positive self image

These results seem contradictory from the research we found. It is said that the media negatively affects people’s self image and 88% of people agreed that the media does influence people. However the media is said to negatively impact people’s self image, yet 79% believe they have a positive self image. 70% of people said they’d like to change things about their body however 80% of people still say they’re satisfied with who they are. It seems as though the statistics are wrong, the media influences people but a large percent of people are happy with themselves. Is it that the statistics are wrong, or are people unaware of having a negative self image? One article said many people practice self denial not actually admitting to their negative self image, possibly because some are embarrassed. If this is true, it may be possible that some people didn’t answer accurately on our survey. Some people may have been embarrassed or people may just honestly have a high self image, even if they do think negatively about certain aspects of themselves. The statistics say negative self image is a problem in the United States but according to the survey we conducted, many people seem to think about themselves in a positive manner.

Compared to Twisted

Your self image can affect your life in many ways. Tyler was willing

to change himself to be accepted by Bethany.

He had a poor self image and because of that he contemplated suicide. Luckily in the end Tyler realized he

had value and it saved him.

How to improve your self image

•List your things you like about yourself-include appearance, personality and skills•Change negative thoughts to positive thoughts•Question whether your view of yourself is accurate and why you see yourself like you do•Get exercise•counseling

Baish, Vanessa. "Self-Image." Teen Health and Wellness. Rosen, 2010. Web. 19 Dec. 2010. <http://www.teenhealthandwellness.com/article/293/self-image>.

“Media Influence on Youth”. Crisis Connection. PSC. Web. 19 Dec. 2010. <http://www.crisisconnectioninc.org/teens/media_influence_on_youth.htm>.

Google Image. Web. 19 Dec.2010. <http://www.google.com/images>.

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