does women's greater preocupation with self image result in a more entrenched psychological self image.....

Question

which will mean that they are less likely to break apart the fabricated self that we all construct, and out of whose eyes we think we are looking out of at the world..... and so are less likely to produce spiritual philosophers of the highest calibre....or does being more emotional make the self image less concrete to start with?

Answer 1

Good question. I agree with the premise but not necessarily on what it will mean..
I think the premise is based on the genetic need to attract a mate and procreate. However, in that contet men also have a great preoccupation with self image especially 'alpha males'.
But in the main yes I think women have a grt preoc with self image at least initially but after childbearing?/
There's more than genetics going on these days.
I also think that women have a tendency to have a much more entrenched psychological self image because of history......

Answer 2

Well, women actually seem to have more identity issues, because they generally define themselves by their relationships and often are not quite sure where they end and others begin.

(This problem is common for mothers especially, because the child begins as part of them and then must separate.)

Men, on the other hand, come at things with more delineation between themselves and others and have to strive to forge connections and commit/merge.

And while women might be more focused on their "desirability" to others, including physical preening, males can be just as vain in terms of how strong they appear to others. Both are preoccupied with image, to some degree... and I would say the male has a more entrenched self-image partly because of presumption and partially because he usually compartmentalizes and keeps himself from "merging" with others.

I disagree with your assessment of males become higher-calibre spiritual philosophers. That seems a little presumptuous to me. I think men approach things more detached than women, much of the time, and so become "philosophical" (i.e., just deal with the abstract impersonal concepts) rather than relational and personal in the ways that women naturally do.

But I would not say one is better or higher than the others. Especially in the spiritual realm, connection, and growth, women are extremely wise, and definitely across the board provide better spiritual nurturing. (Often, male philosophers become stuffy and lose practical value, because of their natural detachment.)

So the people who write philosophy books that stick around for a century or two tend to be male; and the people who actually interact with others and hands-on help them grow tend to be female. Both are important.

Answer 3

Another common problem is that marriage alters one's self-image...which is why so many women these days (with the low opinion of self-image in our current society) have a difficult time submitting to their husbands. She is worried about "losing herself"...which results in many a failed marriage. So I'd say the former assumption of yours is the most correct.

Answer 4

Who says women are more preoccupied with it than men? I think both sexes have a problem. But there are people who don't, and I try to surround myself with them.