Abstract. The author concentrates on the preference of the values of "the cult of the body" increasingly affecting the behaviour of young people and their position in the value system relating to generally recognized values. Too much emphasis on physical beauty and outward appearance significantly determines behaviour and can lead to a reduction in values relating to the body and body shape but also to unhealthy eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa. The focus is on the pathological perception of the body, on how culture and cultural norms affect body dissatisfaction. A research questionnaire on universal values and the cult of the body (2006) was used. The research sample consisted of 508 respondents aged between 18 and 26 (292 women and 216 men).Keywords: cult of the body; body image; ideal of slimness; anorexia; bulimia."Attitudes to the body are not free. The body is exposed to the power of the model or norm… The tyranny of the ideal of the slim body has begun" Gilles Lipovetsky

In the contribution the author defines art therapy as a creative activity, she emphasizes its therapeutic and preventive potential and points out the possibility of influencing adults and elderly people by using art therapy. It would be useful to realize art therapy themes and exercises in social facilities or through the offer of leisure time activities and use their therapeutic and preventive potential. By adapting topics to the needs of chosen age groups of clients they would facilitate solving their current problems (in the family, at work, meaning of life, aging problems etc. Method of realization of art therapy techniques is varied based on the needs of individual clients, depending on whether the activities and themes are aimed at intact clients or at handicapped clients (psychically, physically, socially). Each of these client categories has its specific needs and specific therefore will be also the goals of art therapy. In the contribution therefore specific goals of art therapy with individual types of clients are defined and some suitable themes and techniques of work with adults and elderly people are presented. The author also in the contribution briefly defines Development art therapy programme for adolescents / Personal development, which she realizes at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava with students of 23 to 26 years of age.