Psychiatric Aspects of Referral

A handsome appearance is greatly prized in our contemporary society and persistently portrayed by the advertising media as a sure road to happiness and success. Physical attractiveness may indeed often be associated with a sense of confidence and self-esteem, but, as Marilyn Munroe's tragic life and death so clearly illustrate, these personal qualities are not invariable accompaniments of good looks. In the animal world a damaged or deformed member of the species tends to be ostracized or actively persecuted by the rest of the group. Likewise in human society a person whose appearance falls below the contemporary aesthetic standard for the culture runs the risk of being the target for prejudice and discrimination. There are widely held erroneous beliefs, firmly rooted in folk-lore, connecting appearance with personality traits. For instance, it is falsely claimed that a receding chin denotes weakness of character, a squint implies deceitfulness, and misshapen features are linked with criminality. As a result many disfigured individuals feel they are rarely judged by others on their real abilities or personal qualities but are stereotyped unfavourably from the first encounter.