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In a series I'm quite fond of, a character makes the assertion that a disfiguring incident will change the individual's personality. This got me thinking as to what extent our physical appearance dictates our own personality. People behave differently according to their clothing and physical appearance. Kids that pride themselves for being "anti-establishment" will carry on polite conversations with their teachers while at the prom. Other examples would be the girls who smile and behave differently because of a new outfit or change in clothing/make-up.

So, what I wish to debate is to what extent our personalities are shaped based on how we look and how we perceive ourselves, and would a disfiguring accident change one's personality. Let's assume that in the accident, no brain damage was received so we cannot assert the change in personality to brain damage.

Apperance definatley affects personality. If your wearing somthing you know you look good in, your probably going to be a more outgoing and positive person while wearing it. Or even if your wearing somthing you know looks ridiculous, like somthing your mother made you wear, you'd most likely be a little more shy than usual, less willing to do things.

I would have to say yes. Look at a highschool, it's a perfect example. People who have smiilar personalities form social groups, where we get our emo, jock, nerd, rebel, etc stereotype names form. Look at the way they dress or act, emo's you can tell with the large baggy black cloths with chains an red highlights. Now look at her friends. Do they dress similar? More than likely yes. Now think about what they discuss an how their attitude is. Then compare that to how jocks act, and what they would talk about.

You see the dress way of jocks an emo's greatly differs. But what about the body. More than likely, jocks who do a sport are in shape, well i'm not saying everyone in black is emo or weak, it would be a big difference in muscle mass if you compare the track team an them, or nerds, or other people. To certian social groups, physical strength, well often desired, is not a top priority among others. To me everyone has a distinct personality, but over the years it is influenced by those we hang out with. Well not everyone is a stereotype pattern, I find that you can find some similar mannerisms or ideas that the person believes that one of their friends also believes in.

Appearance can affect personality. This is one example: I had a pretty close group of friends I had made when I was in middle school and then things changed when we got to high school. A friend of mine developed faster and had much more up top than most of my friends. She used to be a tomboy and wear riding clothes and be disgusted by boys. Suddenly in high school, her long blonde haired and large breasts got her noticed by a lot of boys. Out of the blue she stopped wearing a bra and would flirt with everyone, even friends' boyfriends. She looked older than other kids her age and because she was "hot" she became a different person. This does not apply to everyone though. I myself am "well endowed" because it runs in my family, but I don't flirt with everything that walks. I am just saying that looks can change personality. It is possible.

Course. If a very attractive person is treated better than everyone else they become arrogant and so on and so on.