A fairy tale about painting a positive self portrait and improving self-esteem and building body image

“Like hamburgers on the grill, teenage girls feel the heat and the pressure to squeeze every last ounce of fat from their bodies. If Claudia Schiffer can look so thin, so must they. If Naomi Campbell can be that slender, they can too. Why not?”
— David Leonhardt on improving self-esteem and building body image, from Climb you Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness

Somewhere in the land of low self-esteem and battered body-images …

After years of terrorizing the countryside, hunting deer, poaching livestock, killing game, Tiger grew long in the tooth. Finally, he knew it was time to retire. So he packed his bag: “Poor self-esteem? Check. Poor body image? Check? Poor self-image? Check. Self-portrait? Uh … oh, well, three out of four ain’t bad.”

Tiger ambled into town and came to stand before the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. He rang the bell, and the first little pig appeared on the landing above. “What do you want?” asked the little pig.

“I come here to retire,” Tiger replied.

“Ooooh. I don’t think so,” the little pig declared. “You’re not like us. You’ve got big teeth. Very dangerous. We can’t let you in.”

Tiger, having poor self-image, went to the dentist to improve these apparent deficiencies, and had his teeth removed. The next day, he returned to the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. “What do you want?” asked the second little pig.

“I have no more teeth. I come here to retire,” Tiger replied once more.

“Ooooh. No, no, no. That just won’t do,” the little pig exclaimed. “You’re different. You have sharp claws. You scare us. We can’t let you in.”

No teeth, no claws, no self-portrait

Tiger took his poor self-esteem and even worse body-image to the manicurist and had his claws removed. The next day, he returned to the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. “What do you want?” demanded the third little pig.

“I have no more claws. I come here to retire,” Tiger repeated.

“Ooooh. Let me see,” the little pig muttered as he disappeared from sight. Tiger heard much whispering and commotion behind the big wooden doors. “Okay, come in,” said the little pig.

Tiger strolled through the doors, and there stood the three little pigs, grinning ear to ear. Suddenly they jumped on Tiger. Squealing with delight, they beat him up and sent him packing. No teeth. No claws. Yippeeee! Finally they got even with Tiger for terrorizing the animals.

Tiger should have known better. He should have accepted who he is and not try to conform to someone else’s image of him. What tiger in his right mind lets a pig paint his portrait? He should have painted a self-portrait instead.

Do you seek to improve your body or your body image? Do you seek to improve your claws or your nails, or do you improve your self-esteem? What do you see when you look in the mirror?

So, who paints your portrait?

Take this self-esteem test!

(Adapted from the motivational self-help book Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. The book includes two chapters dedicated to improving self-esteem and two chapters dedicated to building self-confidence.)

This poetic guest post is from Rodrigo Silva

HumanKind searches for happiness on things they can see and touch
when in fact happiness can´t be seen and is untouchable
and because of that , it can be stable and endless
but instead people have been building up illusions and putting their hopes on things that can end tomorrow .

if there´s one thing I learned , is that life will always find news ways to try to bring us down and make us feel hopeless and without strength
but I also learned that it´s from the most difficult obstacles , the hardest disappointments and the biggest problems that we can get a wide range of knowledge and courage ……
but if they´re not put into action , they become empty and so does hopes
wisdom is way more than only knowing , it´s about acting
strength is way more than having the courage , it´s about battling .

As unbelievable as it may seem to some people
peace can be achieved
but not without battling , running away only makes the emotions that destroy our chances of being happy  grow bigger and stronger while we get weaker , because happiness isn´t about having everything good in life , it´s about turning the bad things that appear on the way into opportunities to get the best we can from them , we should get  our wisdom and strength from them , instead of them feeding on our weakness and lack of faith .

There´s a wonderful world that can be built within
that can´t be destroyed by anything
but it must be built based on the things that really matter
the ones we can´t see or touch
but would get ourselves and our lives from the bottom to the top .

Rodrigo’s biography :

I´m a person who learned from my mistakes ,
built up strength during hard times
and found happiness where once was dark and void
Life was doing everything to make me stay on the darkest bottom
but I rose up and found light .

my blog is called Land of Glory : http://www.journeytoyourendless.blogspot.com

If you’ve read about the top 10 hottest poets of the 19^th century, you may be wondering who the hottest great thinkers in other fields are. Psychologists aren’t necessarily known for their dashing good looks, but there have been a few rather attractive psychologists over the years. Here are ten of the hottest psychologists – male and female – of all time, in case you’re curious:

1. Virginia Johnson

One of the first psychologists to study human sexual response, we can thank Virginia Johnson and her former husband, William Masters, for much of what we know today about the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders. Ms. Johnson’s awe-inspiring beauty and depth of insight into human behavior easily make her one of the hottest psychologists of all time.

2. Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsy is one of the most famous and popular Russian psychologists. The research he did in the early 20^th century in the fields of education and child development is still relevant today, and psychology students still study his theories regarding cultural-historical psychology. Not to mention, Vygotsky’s chiseled face is undeniably easy on the eyes.

3. Mamie Clark

In the 1940s, Mamie Clark and her husband, Kenneth Clark, founded a social service organization for children in Harlem and conducted groundbreaking research about children’s perception of race. Throughout her career, she worked tirelessly to help promote the psychological well-being of children in Harlem. Mrs. Clark’s kind heart and inquisitive mind weren’t the only things that stood out about her. Her stunning appearance was also known to turn more than a few heads.

4. Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis and is well-known for his theories about dreams and the human subconscious. Additionally, Freud’s distinguished appearance, innovative mind, and bravado made him swoon-worthy.

5. Anna Freud

Like her father, Sigmund, Anna Freud was a pioneer in the field of psychoanalysis. Much of her work specifically dealt with child psychology as it relates to psychoanalysis, and she devoted her career to promoting her father’s theories. Anna Freud didn’t just inherit her intellect from her father. She also inherited his good looks.

6. Dimitri Uznadze

Dimitri Uznadze paved the way for other psychologists in the country of Georgia in the early 20^th century. He co-founded the Georgian Academy of Sciences and published several important books regarding psychology, pedagogy, and the nature of human thought. Pictures of Uznadze reveal his strikingly handsome face. It’s not difficult to imagine that Dimitri Uznadze was a lady-killer.

7. Sabina Spielrein

Sabina Spielrein stood out in the early 20^th century as one of the few female psychoanalysts. Her work in the field of psychoanalysis is still discussed today, and she has been featured in a number of documentaries and historical movies about the advent of psychoanalysis. As a young woman, she caught the eye of Carl Jung, and the two psychologists had a torrid love affair. She is remembered for her intelligence and her graceful beauty.

8. Hans Eysenck

Hans Eysenck’s theories about race and intelligence were certainly controversial, but few can deny the influence of his theories in the realm of psychology. During his career throughout the 20^th century, Eysenck published important books and research regarding smoking, intelligence, psychoanalysis, the media, astrology, and much more. In his younger days, Eysenck was quite handsome, with big brown eyes and a charming smile.

9. Margaret Mahler

Margaret Mahler is known for working with troubled children and attempting to heal their emotional afflictions with psychoanalysis. She published an extensive number of works dealing with child psychology and the cognitive development of infants. Mahler also possessed a sophisticated kind of beauty.

10. Philip Zimbardo

One of the few contemporary psychologists to make the list, Philip Zimbardo is tall, dark, and handsome, even at the age of 79. In the 1970s, Zimbardo’s controversial study of prisoners and prison guards illustrated the deleterious effects of prison on the human psyche and is often cited and discussed in academic communities. Philip Zimbardo is currently a professor of social psychology at Palo Alto University, and a post-emeritus professor of psychology at Stanford. We can assume that at least a few undergrads have had crushes on him during his tenure as a professor.

Each of the people on the list above should primarily be remembered for his or her contributions to psychology. However, there’s no harm in daydreaming about any of these psychologists when the mood strikes.

Casey Wheeler is a blogger and freelance writer for psychology news and education sites, including onlinepsychologydegree.net. When she’s not writing and researching psychology, Casey likes to spend time with her twins and go camping. Please leave your comments and questions for Casey below!