The characteristic of corporeal is called corporeality.
The characteristic of corporeal is called corporeality : that which has a body or consistency. The idea of body, for its part, can refer to the set of organs and systems that make up a living being or to that which has a limited extension and is perceived through the senses.
The concept of corporeality is usually used in the field of physical education in reference to the perception of the body and the movements that a person can make to give it expression. According to the old school, these properties distinguish the human being from the rest of the species; However, the research work of some current specialists believes that there is no such difference between us and other animals.
The perception of the body
We could say that our existence is corporal, since we perceive the world around us through our body. But this is more complex than a mere check of our environment, since it begins with the perception of one's own body, and this is the point at which some scientists believe that we differ from other species . Could a wolf go through its entire life without feeling like an individual, without understanding what it is , that it exists in a defined and unique way? Believing this would not only demonstrate great arrogance on our part, but borders on absurdity.
An individual, through his or her perception of the body and motor skills, accesses information , feels and attributes meaning to the external world. Corporeality is constructed at a social level, at a psychological level and at a biological level: the subject projects himself outside from his own body.
All of this allows us to move through reality complying with a series of rules that arise from coexistence with our peers, and from coexistence with the rest of the individuals that we perceive around us. We understand that we exist, and then that others exist.
From his perception of corporeality, the individual becomes aware of his individual existence.
Corporeality and the link with the outside
It is believed that our relationship with the outside world begins in the womb, through the interaction our mother has with society . This stage is defining for our future, especially when it is accompanied by great complications, such as situations of poverty or violence.
From the day we are born we begin to take ownership of our environment, to try to understand why we are here, who we are, what we can do with the resources that surround us. It is an apparent game, although it hides an absolutely necessary search for identity , which is manifested through laughter, crying, violent movements of the limbs, the demand for food and the exchange of affection.
It can be said that corporeality is responsible for the representation of an individual's way of being . Physical education aims to model the body according to that corporeality, whose ideals change with time and place.
awareness
It should be noted that corporeality, according to these analyses, enables the living being to become aware of itself . The relationship that a person establishes with their body, with the bodies of others and with the environment forms their identity, what differentiates them. That is why physical education also has to allow the experimentation of corporeality in all its dimensions, promoting the free expression of the subject.
What good is self-awareness, corporeality, for us? Well, it is the starting point of an autonomous life, of constant decision-making that we understand as passing through the world, to recognize and try to satisfy our needs , to defend ourselves from threats and, ultimately, to survive and achieve plenitude. , both physically and emotionally.