The literature examining body image disturbance and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is fraught with competing theoretical constructions of the etiology and nosology of these problems. Recent studies on various forms of psychopathology suggest that intrapersonal processes, including experiential avoidance, and interpersonal processes such as difficulties identifying and expressing emotions with others, correlate with higher levels of psychopathology. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of body image disturbance and diagnosable BDD to the contemporary behavioral variables of experiential avoidance and interpersonal expression of affect. A large sample of participants including those who are diagnosable with BDD were examined. Results indicate that both intrapersonal and interpersonal variables are significant predictors of both body image disturbance in a large population and of BDD as a subsample and that these variables may be important targets for treatment. This principle-based conceptualization has parsimony and potential utility for clinical interventions of these problems. Implications are discussed for the use of contemporary behavioral treatments such as Functional Analytic Psychotherapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to address both body image disturbance and BDD. KeywordsBody image disturbance; body dysmorphic disorder; Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP); Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); assessmentThe concept of body image disturbance encompasses a variety of psychological factors including general body dissatisfaction, distressing emotions over one's body image, overinvestment in one's appearance, and poorer quality of life (Cash & Grasso, 2005;Cash, Phillips, Santos, & Hrabosky, 2004). Cash and colleagues (2004) propose that body image disturbance lies on a continuum where less severe negative body image can be considered body image dissatisfaction, while the extreme end of the continuum contains greater distress consistent with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD is characterized by an excessive (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000), BDD is present if these criteria are met and cannot be attributed to an eating or other psychological disorder. Aside from preoccupation and impairment in functioning, typical characteristics demonstrated by individuals suffering from BDD include concern about several body parts, high frequency of suicidal thoughts and attempts, and comorbidity with other disorders (Phillips, Menard, Fay, & Weisberg, 2005).Prevalence rates for BDD have been examined for different populations and range from 0.7 to 1.1% in community samples (Faravelli et al., 1997;Otto, Wilhelm, Cohen, & Harlow, 2001;Phillips et al., 2005). College student samples have slightly higher rates (ranging from 4.8 -13%; Biby, 1998;Bohne et al., 2002;Cansever, Uzun, Donmez, &Ozsahin, 2003), andPhillips et al. (2005) found similarly elevated rates (13%) among psychiatric inpatients. The prevalence of BDD is likely higher but may be underreported for a variety of reasons including ...

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