Thesis (M.A.)--University of British Columbia, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-141). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Given the centrality of body dissatisfaction in the manifestation of health risk behaviors (e.g., eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia) and psychological distress in men, the ability to measure it accurately is essential. Across two studies, the psychometric properties and factor structure of a new measure of male body satisfaction were established. The Body Parts Satisfaction Scale for Men (BPSS-M) was found to have three scores: full body muscularity and leanness (18 items), upper body (12 items), and legs (4 items). All three scores were internally and temporally reliable, and support was found for the convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity of the scores. The BPSS-M represents an advance in the measurement of male body image, providing researchers and clinicians with a versatile and valid way to assess this important construct.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The physical changes that a woman undergoes during pregnancy may affect her body image and consequently, her emotional and psychological well-being. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the lived experiences of pregnant women and the effect of pregnancy on their self-image and subsequent emotional and psychological experiences. Eight women who had previously given birth or were pregnant were recruited as participants by employing snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the majority of the participants generally experienced overall body satisfaction. However, their experience was largely influenced by the phase of pregnancy and relevant physical changes associated with the particular phase. Furthermore, the social comments they received had an influence on their experiences. The findings were also related to the social comparisons in which the participants tended to engage. Finally, it is recommended that future research be conducted on the experience of body image of pregnant women within the context of their culture, ethnicity and unique demographics given that culture influences ideas about ideal body shape and size. Future studies should include a more diverse sample. Keywords: Body image, objectification, self-objectification, social comparison

Body image refers to how individuals experience and perceive their bodies and can be affected by many factors, including peers and family members. Adolescence is a time when body image concerns are emphasized due to the bodily changes of puberty as well as increased internalization of cultural ideals and pressure to adhere to those ideals. Appearance-related teasing is one particular sociocultural factor that is gaining attention in the research field due to the emphasis placed on appearance during adolescence. The current study examined how appearance-related teasing by peers, parents, and siblings affected young adolescents' body image both directly and indirectly via social comparison. Further, because body image is a multidimensional construct and can include body dissatisfaction and drive for muscularity, the present study examined both of these constructs separately. I collected self-report questionnaires from 73 adolescent girls and 67 boys in middle school. I used Pearson correlations, linear regression, and mediation analyses to examine these hypotheses. First, I hypothesized that adolescents who were teased about their appearance by at least one of their parents would also have siblings who teased them. I found significant correlations between both fathers' and mothers' teasing and siblings' teasing, suggesting that parents are modeling teasing behaviors to their children. Second, I hypothesized that appearance-related teasing by fathers, mothers, peers, and siblings would each be associated with body dissatisfaction for girls and drive for muscularity for boys. My findings indicated that mothers', fathers', peers', and siblings' teasing predicted girls' body dissatisfaction and that mothers' and fathers' teasing predicted boys' drive for muscularity. Therefore, appearance-related teasing appears to be detrimental behavior that negatively influences adolescents' body image. Third, I hypothesized that appearance-related social comparison would mediate the relationship between appearance-related teasing from all sources and body dissatisfaction among girls and drive for muscularity among boys. Appearance-related social comparison fully mediated the relationship between fathers' teasing and girls' body dissatisfaction and the relationship between mothers' teasing and boys drive for muscularity. My findings suggest that boys and girls who were teased about their appearance were more likely to engage in social comparison, which negatively impacted their body image. Therapists need to be aware of the role family members' and peers' appearance-related teasing play in the development of adolescents' body image in order to address the occurrence and negative effects of teasing. In addition, researchers will need to conduct future studies further investigating appearance-related teasing by family members and peers and design intervention and prevention programs to address teasing and social comparison among the family and peer contexts.

Over the last few decades, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased dramatically, with increased interest in the issue of stigmatization of overweight and obese people. The theoretical part of this thesis summarizes the existing knowledge in this area and describes the form of weight stigma in various areas of life - in the work area, in medical care and in the media. Foreign studies claim that weight stigma is not only present in these and other areas of life, but that it has various negative effects on the psyche and health of a stigmatized individual. Although research in this area is at an early stage, there is already evidence of a relationship of weight stigma and pathological eating behavior, affective disorders or negative body image. However, psychological intervention and therapy offer satisfactory tools to work with the stigmatization theme. The weight stigma is not a topic in the Czech Republic, despite its expanding abroad. The research carried out within the empirical part of the thesis is an initial attempt to map out the phenomenon of stigmatization of overweight and obese people in the Czech environment. For the purpose of the thesis, a questionnaire was drawn up and subsequently used in experimental design. The questionnaire investigated whether the assessment of...

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a severe and complex psychiatric disorder characterized by significantly low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Despite otherwise successful treatments, body image distortions are often persistent and are considered a critical factor in the persistence, development, and relapse of AN. The present review outlines the current literature on tactile distance processing in AN to investigate and discuss its proposed role in the persistence and development of a distorted body image. The discussion of literature further discusses its implications for cognitive neuroscience since AN patients display similar symptoms as patients diagnosed with body image-related neuropsychiatric disorders with damage to the parietal lobe. The evidence suggests that individuals with AN have poorer tactile distance estimation than controls but do not differ regarding tactile detection. This review outlines the current literature, identifies gaps within the methodology, and proposes novel directions for future research.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to women’s healthy aging across the adult lifespan by empirically examining potential protective factors (e.g., empowerment and feminist attitudes) in maintaining positive body image, healthy eating behavior, and aging satisfaction. Objectification Theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) provided a theoretical framework for understanding the connections between sexual-objectification experiences, media influences, and self-objectification, and the resulting negative psychological consequences for women in Western society. This study was the first to examine empowerment in relation to Objectification Theory. Additionally, a developmental perspective was gained by using a diverse sample of young, middle-aged, and older women in the investigation of the impact of self-objectification on aging satisfaction. Results indicated that women of all ages were just as likely to report either body image satisfaction or body image dissatisfaction after accounting for BMI. However, younger women were more likely than older women to view their bodies as objects. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed utilizing Objectification Theory as a framework for predicting body image, eating behaviors, and aging satisfaction. Empowerment and feminist attitudes were not protective factors in promoting healthy eating behavior and positive thoughts related to body image and aging. The final structural model did, however, provide support for Objectification Theory and its proposed relationships between sexual-objectification experiences and the development of self-objectification and the negative consequences of self-objectification on a variety of health-related constructs. Long-term implications include incorporating this knowledge into empirically supported prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing body image and eating disturbance and promoting healthy aging across the adult lifespan.

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University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Communication