Features of the image of the body "I" in boys and girls primary school age
The article discusses the sexual characteristics of the image of the bodily "I" in children at the beginning and end of primary school age. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that primary school age precedes adolescence, which is characterized by the manifestation of gender characteristics and the development of gender identity, which explains the increased importance of bodily features in the processes of self-perception and self-attitude. In psychology, there is a lack of research on the processes of self-awareness, including sexual characteristics of the image of the bodily "I" in younger schoolchildren, as well as their development during the age period preceding adolescence. The problem is that there are differences between the images of the bodily "I" in girls and boys at different stages of primary school age. The purpose of the study is to identify the sexual characteristics of the image of the bodily "I" of primary school children with different body variants and body features. The following methods were used: the projective method "The Color-a-Person Test" (CAPT) (non - verbal method of "Color-indicating dissatisfaction with one's own body"), developed by O. Wooley and S. Roll, a modified method for studying self-esteem by T. Dembo - S. Ya. Rubinstein, as well as the projective modified method "Unfinished sentences", aimed at identifying children's ideas about their body image. The results of the study reflect the dynamics of gender differences in the features of the bodily "I" image during primary school age, as well as differences in the cognitive, emotional and behavioral components of the bodily "I" image in boys and girls with different body variants. Conclusions: differences in the image of the bodily "I" in boys and girls are at the level of the trend, since in primary school age, age-related differences in the image of the bodily "I" are more prevalent. In the first place in importance for girls - external attractiveness and the desire to change parts of the body that do not meet the standards of beauty, and boys - personal qualities and skills, the latter have a more neutral attitude to their own appearance. The results obtained can contribute to such branches of psychology as developmental psychology and personality psychology; they can also be applied in the work of practical psychologists working with younger students with different body options, as well as with their parents.