Body Image

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http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art25859.asp

Body Image

By Carolyn Chambers , RN, EdD

What is body image?

The mental picture you develop of your physical self is called, body

image. Body image involves perception, imagination, emotions, and

physical sensations of and about our bodies. Its ever changing;

sensitive to changes in mood, environment, and physical experience.

It is not based on fact. It is psychological in nature, and much

more influenced by self-esteem than by actual physical

attractiveness as judged by others. It is not inborn, but learned.

How does body image develop?

Body image learning occurs in the family and among peers, but these

only reinforce what is learned and expected culturally.

Infants get a sense of what belongs to them by moving body parts,

looking at them, smelling them, tasting them, listening to body

sounds, touching their body and observing what happens when the body

comes into contact with other objects.

Parental anxiety about body exploration may be interpreted by the

child as " my body is bad, " or " I am bad. " If severe anxiety or panic

is aroused, the child may repress or dissociate a part of the body

and it may not be included in the body image.

Infants need to be held and their bodies accepted as valuable, and

to be allowed to move and explore themselves and their environment

to develop a positive body image.

Young children who are not allowed to explore their environment

cannot learn definite body boundaries or a stable, consistent body

image. A child whose body does not conform to the body build or

behavior that is thought to be appropriate for his or her gender may

have some body image confusion.

Adolescents have to face peer pressure to conform to body size and

shape and this can lead to a distorted body image in those who

cannot conform.

A significant task of adulthood is intimacy. When sexual union is

not fused with psychological union, problems of body image and self-

concept can develop. During pregnancy, women must cope with

continual changes in their bodies while the expectant father has to

deal with changes in his partner's body, and less personal attention

as the mother-to-be (and later, mother) spends more time with her

infant or taking care of her body for delivery.

In middle age, women struggle with body changes due to menopause

while men and women may feel inadequate in comparison to the young

adult. Attempts to stay young often crop up.

Older adults may fear death, the decline of physical powers,

wrinkles, loss of hair or teeth.

Events such as accident, trauma, implants, artificial appliances,

surgery, chronic illness, hospitalization, and more can affect body

image.

Throughout life, clothes, jewelry, and body adornments become part

of body image. Glasses, a cane, a wheelchair or prosthesis can be

incorporated into the body image.

In this culture, women starve themselves, their children and loved

ones, gorge themselves and their children and loved ones, alternate

between starving and gorging, purging, obsessing, and all the while

hating, pounding and wanting to remove that which makes us female:

our bodies, our curves, our pear-shaped selves.

The growth of cosmetic surgery is an indicant that many people,

primarily women are not satisfied with their bodies. The work of

feminist object relations theorists such as Susie Orbach (author of

Fat is a Feminist Issue, and Hunger Strike: Anorexia as a Metaphor

for Our Age) and those at The Women's Therapy Centre Institute

(authors of Eating Problems: a Feminist Psychoanalytic Treatment

Model) has demonstrated a relationship between the development of

personal boundaries and body image. Personal boundaries are the

physical and emotional borders around us. A concrete example of a

physical boundary is our skin. It distinguishes between that which

is inside you and that which is outside you. On a psychological

level, a person with strong boundaries might be able to help out

well in disasters- feeling concerned for others, but able to keep a

clear sense of who they are. Someone with weak boundaries might have

sex with inappropriate people, forgetting where they end and where

others

begin. Such a person way not feel " whole " when alone.

Our psychological boundaries develop early in life, based on how we

are held and touched (or not held and touched). A person who is

deprived of touch as an infant or young child, for example, may not

have the sensory information needed to distinguish between what is

inside self and what is outside. As a result, boundaries may be

unclear or unformed. This could cause the person to have difficulty

getting an accurate sense of body shape and size. This person might

also have difficulty eating, because they might have trouble sensing

the physical boundaries of hunger and fullness or satiation. On the

other extreme, a child who is sexually or physically abused may feel

terrible pain and shame or loathing associated with the body. Such a

person might use food or starvation to continue the physical

punishments they grew familiar with in childhood.

How to develop a healthy body image

* Draw a picture of yourself. What does your picture tell you about

your body image?

* Make a list of any losses or changes you've endured. Take the time

to grieve for them. This will help you develop a more healthy body

image.

* Listen to your body. Eat only when you are hungry, not when you

are anxious, angry, or guilty.

* Be realistic about the size you are likely to be based on your

genetic and environmental history.

*Exercise regularly in an enjoyable way, regardless of your size. It

will make you feel better about yourself and enhance your health.

*Expect normal weekly and monthly changes in weight and shape. Use

how your clothes fit, not how many pounds you weigh as your gauge

for your body.

*Work towards self acceptance and self forgiveness. Be gentle with

yourself. You are who you are.

*Ask for support and encouragement from friends and family when life

is stressful.

*Decide how you wish to spend your energy -- pursuing the " perfect

body image " or enjoying family, friends, school and, most

importantly, life