Definition
Body image can be seen as the perceptions and attitudes one holds toward one’s own body, especially, but not exclusively, one’s physical appearance (Cash and Pruzinsky 2004). It is a multidimensional concept and encompasses:
- 1.
Beliefs about appearance, including memories and assumptions
- 2.
Feelings about the body, including its size and shape
- 3.
Perception of the body and the sense of embodiment
Body image is thought to be fluid and dynamic in nature and can be influenced by factors such as interpersonal experience, personality, and social and cultural norms.
Body image disturbance is defined as a “disturbance in the way in which body weight or shape is experienced, with undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation or persistent lack of recognition of the seriousness of current low body weight” (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association 2013) and is a central diagnostic feature of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References and Further Reading
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Bruch, H. (1962). Perceptual and conceptual disturbances in anorexia nervosa. Psychosomatic Medicine, 24, 187–194.
Cash, T. F., & Pruzinsky, T. (2004). Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice. New York: Guilford Press.
Fairburn, C. G. (2008). Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. New York: Guilford Press.
Farrell, C., Shafran, R., & Lee, M. (2006). Empirically evaluated treatments for body image disturbance: A review. European Eating Disorders Review, 14, 289–300.
Martijn, C., Vanderlinden, M., Roefs, A., Huijding, J., & Jansen, A. (2010). Increasing body satisfaction of body concerned women through evaluative conditioning using social stimuli. Health Psychology, 29, 514–520.
Waller, G., Cordery, H., Corstorphine, E., Hinrichsen, H., Lawson, R., Mountford, V., & Russell, K. (2007). Cognitive behavior therapy for eating disorders: A comprehensive treatment guide. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this entry
Cite this entry
Mountford, V.A., Koskina, A. (2015). Body Image. In: Wade, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Feeding and Eating Disorders. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-087-2_74-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-087-2_74-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Online ISBN: 978-981-287-087-2
eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine