and02471: April 2012 Archives

In five years from now, I will probably remember many general concepts from this Psych 1001 course. The things I will probably remember the best, however, are the things we learned about child psych and their development and behavior. The concept of object permeance will definitely be something I remember, especially as I am a student working toward a nursing degree and could be working with children one day! And if not, it will be a concept I remember when I am raising my own children. It will also be beneficial to remember how children's brains work, and what their perceptions are at certain ages and how they see the world. I now understand why children are often selfish and upset if things do not go their way - they are egocentric! It will also be good to remember how their language skills develop. I'll be interested, one day, to watch my own children slowly learn to speak - first using small repetitive sounds (mama, dada, baba, etc.), to words, to sentences, and eventually to the point where they can hold a short conversation.
Child psychology was probably one of my favorite units because it made so much sense and the concepts are definitely ones that I will remember in the future, whether I'm working with them as part of my career, or identifying these behaviors among my own, future children!

According to this article...

"Beauty: Culture-Specific or Universally Defined?"

in some aspects, NO, but in some aspects, YES.

For example, most Americans would not find large lip plates very attractive, but in Ethiopia, this is a very beautiful look for the Surma and Mursi women.

Another example of atypical beauty the article mentions is neck elongation that the Kareni and Padaung women of Myanmar value.

So across different cultures, some different things are considered beautiful. However, even though some cultures value skinny women and others value larger women, there is still a universal preference toward the 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio. Also, squared jaws for men and high-chek bones for women are universally preferred. Even more examples are provided in the article if you'd like to read for more detail.

So can beauty be universally defined? In all aspects, of course not. But there are some general, natural features that most people could considered more appealing to the eyes. Culture to culture and generation to generation will vary in regard to what is considered the most attractive way for people to dress, wear their hair and makeup, and to adorn themselves with jewelry. However, the natural basic features (such as the ideal waist-to-hip ratio and the symmetry of a face) will probably remain the standard for beautiful women worldwide.