Through self-objectification, women experience shame, a decrease in self-esteem, and a disconnection from their selves and their bodies. Research results indicate a cyclical nature to the negative consequences of self-objectification: Shame resulting from self-objectification causes a decrease in self-esteem, which causes a disconnection within oneself and from others, which, in turn, causes more shame. Relational-cultural theory (RCT) is based on the premise that through relationships, one can learn to reconnect with his/her authentic self and with others. The physical and mental practice of yoga, including breath work (pranayama), also offers a path to connection. In this article, we discuss the harm resulting from self-objectification and how it specifically relates to women, and we propose a model for mitigating the negative consequences by combining RCT and the physical and mental practice of yoga.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.