7. BODY IMAGE & EXERCISE Flashcards
(39 cards)
Body Image: as it relates to Self-Concept
part of physical domain of self-concept
Body Image: Defined
- how we see, think, and feel about our bodies, and how we act on those perceptions
- internal representations of external appearance - not inherently positive or negative
- we are taught to be critical of how we look (normalized behavior)
- can have positive and negative perceptions at the same time
- often refer to negative body image as ‘body image disturbances’ - multidimensional
- perceptual, cognitive, affective, behavioral
Body Image Dimensions
- Perceptual Dimension
- Cognitive Dimension
- Affective Dimension
- Behavioral Dimension
Body Image:
1. Perceptual Dimension
- How we see our body in our mind
- What we see when we look in a mirror
- isn’t always realistic (body dysmorphia)
- we rarely assess this dimension of body image (cannot assess it with survey measures)
Body Image:
2. Cognitive Dimension
How we think about and evaluate our body
- appearance and function
- beliefs about attractiveness, strength, and fitness
- but NOT the emotions that go along with it
Body Image:
2. Cognitive Dimension; Exercise Pros & Cons
Exercise can help by:
- shifting values from appearance to strength and physical ability
Exercise environments can be harmful:
- judge someone’s fitness and health by their appearance
- reinforcing specific body standards
Cognitive Measures
satisfaction with one’s body
- only has a negative impact if you value having a different body. TIED TO VALUE PERCEPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
Cognitive Measures:
Example Questions
Ask individuals how satisfied they are with:
- body as a whole
- specific parts of the body (some are changeable, some are not)
- overall appearance
- Compare with iterative figure drawings
How we learn about an deal:
- social media
- traditional media
- parents/family comments (begins at young age)
- peers (become more salient throughout older childhood/adolescence)
How we can improve body dissatisfaction:
- exercise can make some changes towards an ideal
- ideal is supposed to be hard to get, and that’s what gives it value
- or we can change the ideal
- or we can learn to accept the difference
Body Image:
3. Affective Dimension
feelings experienced in relation to body’s appearance and function
positive feelings (i.e. comfort, pride)
negative feelings (i.e. shame, anxiety)
Affective Measures
assess feelings
- primarily via questionnaires
social physique anxiety
- feel that others are watching and judging based on appearance
cautious when working with these measure
- assessing negative feelings can sometimes lead individuals to think negatively
Body Image:
4. Behavioral Dimension
“What do i do about it”
What we do based on body image appraisal
- clothes we wear
- activities we engage in
Examples:
- body surveillance
-»_space; checking/scannign the body to make sure everything is as it should be
-»_space; looking in mirrors more often, checking out reflection
- those with social physique anxiety less likely to exercise in gym settings
- negative body image: more likley to wear clothes that cover up body
Behavioral Measures
Format: Observation or self-report questionnaire
Count how often people engage in the following actions:
- prevent others from seeing their bodies (wearing baggy clothes, avoid public situations)
- alter their bodies (plastic surgery, dieting, weight loss drugs)
- monitor or assess body shape/size (weigh or measure themselves)
Body Image & Self-Presentation
Self-Presentation:
- we try to control and monitor how we are perceived and evaluated by others (we want people to view us favorably)
Self-Presentational Anxiety
- excessive worry about how others are perceiving you
Which dimension does each item represent
- perceptual, behavioral, affective, cognitive, combination
Are the items positive, negative, neutral
Body Positivity Movement
- 1990’s
- counterract “heroin chic” as body ideal
- loving your body, creating many diferent beauty standards
- easier to demonstrate body positivity twoards others than ourselves
BUT
- upholds body ideals around whiteness, white feminism
- tries to shift societal issues to individual mindsets
- can’t “body positive” your way through a society that demonizes fatness
Outside of Body Positivity:
Body Neutrality
- also sometimes called body acceptance
- acknowledges that you don’t have to love your body to learn to live with it
- can appreciate what your body does for you (although that can be problematic at times)
Outside of Body Positivity
Body Grief
- allowign space to grieve the body you had or wish you had
- body denial: holding on to “thin” clothes, avoiding photos, etc
- anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance can all be stages of body grief
- process of dealing with the grief can allow individuals to move forward into body neutrality
Outisde of Body Positivity
Body Betrayal
- when your body does not function or appear as you want it to or as you think it should
- feeling betrayed by your body during injury, chronic illness, aging
Weight Bias
- We assign judgments of goodness, morality, laziness/effort, etc with body size, particularly fatness
- Health professionals demonstrate weight bias
(stronger implicit bias among younger ages and women) - problematic when implicit bias affects how people are treated
- obese patients internalize attitudes as well as
- —can cause avoidance of care
- —is linked to binge eating and exercise avoidance
SHAMING PEOPLE INTO WEIGHT LOSS DOES NOT WORK AND IS HARMFUL
Objectification Theory
Role of body image in eating disorder development (among other disorders)
Internalization of observer’s perspective (ex trainers/phys fitness instructors):
- stronger internalization with:
-»_space; mirrors
-»_space; fitness magazines/media consumption
-»_space; social media use
-»_space; required or pressured to wear revealing clothing (or exposure to others, particularly fitness instructors, wearing revealing clothing)
Objectification Theory
objectivation experiences –>
SO manifested as body surveilance –>
body shame, anxiety, reduced flow, lower internal bodily awareness –>
depression, disordered eating, sexual dysfunction
[know model]
SDT & Body Image
- appearance-based motives for exercise are often very extrinsic
-» though, depends on why someone wants to change appearance - receivigng satisfaction from achieivng appearance-based outcomes can be somewhat intrinsic
- SDT is also used as a framework in conjunction with body image studies
SDT & Body Image Articles:
