Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective

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Body image attitudes

Central organizing constructs

• Evaluation: Positive-to-negative appraisals of appearance

• Investment: Cognitive-behavioral importance placed in our appearance

Body image schemas

Assumptions or beliefs regarding significance of appearance

• Place more importance on, pay more attention to, and process appearance-related information

Cultural socialization

• cultural messages of standards of attractiveness and their meaning

• cultural messages to meet standards

Interpersonal experiences

• how person is treated by family, peers, or strangers in culture

Personality attributes

Swami et al. (2013)

SWIMING ABB?

• “Big Five” dimensions: Openness to experience, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism

• 950 adult women in London were assessed regarding:

1. Actual-ideal weight discrepancy

2. Body appreciation

3. Big Five dimensions

Personality Attributes

Swami et al. 2013 cont.

• Results showed

  • Actual-ideal weight discrepancy: Neuroticism (+ Correlation), Extraversion (- Correlation)

  • Body Appreciation: Neuroticism (- Correlation), Extraversion (+), Agreeableness (+), Conscientiousness (+)

  • Those who are prone to negative emotions tend to experience body dissatisfaction

  • Those who are sociable, friendly, outgoing, and well-organized tend to experience body satisfaction/appreciation

• However, study is cross-sectional/correlational, we cannot draw causal relationships among variables

Proximal Factors

• Current ongoing events'

• specific situations lead to schema-driven information processing and self-evaluation, which in tun result in affect-laden internal dialogue and self-regulatory processes;

  • Avoidance

    • Avoiding threatening/triggering events or situations

  • Appearance Fixing

    • Changing appearance or body parts

  • Rational Positive Acceptance

    • Positive self-care, rational self talk, acceptance; like going to the gym for fun rather than going for purely the reason of becoming slim