Chapter 14 Flashcards
normative discontent
-almost everyone in western cultures reports dissatisfaction with their bodies, leading to the term normative discontent
body image: 4 dimensional construct
- perceptual component- i see myself as being short
- cognitive component- i’m pretty good at doing chinups
- affective component- i am ashamed when i think about my biceps
- behavioral component- i wear tank tops because i’m proud of my arms
perceptual
- the picture of our own body we form in our mind
- disorted mirror, open door, computer images
cognitive
- how we think about or evaluate our body in terms of appearance and function
- asks about satisfaction with body part or function
affective
- the emotions/feelings we have about our appearance and function
- shame, guilt, pride, embarrassment, envy
behavioral
- things we do that reflect our perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about our body
- whether or not you go to the beach or wear a tight shirt
is body image always bad
- no, it can be both
- you may feel good about how you look and what your body can do
body image investment
- an individuals certain beliefs or assumptions about the importance, meaning and influence or appearance in his/her life
- how invested in one’s body image is affects how one’s body image affects them
body image in men/women
- research suggests that women experience more neg body image than men
- findings may be misleading: scales often do not reflect aspects of body image that are important to men
- many men want to be bigger (muscle) cognitive component
body image pathologies
- body image dissatisfaction is quite normal and usually not problematic
- in some cases body image can cause clinical levels of distress
- often relates to facial features, veins, hair, breat size, genitals, muscle size
- flaw to others is either minor or unobservable
- causes severe distress or impaired functioning
1. body dysmorphic disorder
2. muscle dymorphia
3. eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia, binge-eating)
body dysmorphic disorder
a clinical (recognized) disorder reflecting a preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance
muscle dysmorphia
- a specified condition within body dysmorphic disorder represented by a chronic pre-occupation with insufficient muscularity and inadequate mass
- experience themselves as much smaller/thinner than they are
- associated with much distress over presenting the body to others
- extreme weight training and focus on diet
- impaired daily functioning
- high risk of abusing physique-enhancing drugs
- more common among men than women
eating disorders
- bulimia: mental disorder involving recurrent binge eating and purging( an involve excessive exercise)
- anorexia nervosa: mental disorder involving extreme food restriction and refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, fear of gaining weight, and unrealistic perceptions of current body weight
- binge-eating disorder: compulsive and excessive over-eating and purging
theories linking body image and physical activity
- sociocultural factors
- self-presentation
- social comparison theory
sociocultural theories
-social agents convey social ideals, norms, and standards
-media, parents, peers: triarite influence model
media: repeated exposure to ideal body images can promote self-criticism, women how view images that focus on appearance feel worse about their bodies than women who view neutral images
facebook: current self-presentation
-frequent selfie posting is associated with poor body image
family and peer influence; setting appearance norms
-modelling behavior
-encouraging weight control
-giving approval/disapproval
