Body image dissatisfaction as a motivator for healthy lifestyle change: Is some distress beneficial?

Abstract

Body image dissatisfaction is pervasive and steadily increasing (Cash & Henry, 1995), with a majority of people reporting dissatisfaction with weight or body shape. The research literature focuses on not only the "disturbed" aspects of body image (e.g., body image disturbance evidenced by patients with eating disorder or those with body dysmorphic disorder) but also the "normative" aspects of appearance-based body image (e.g., dissatisfaction seen in nonpsychiatric populations; . Clearly delineating where normal concerns with appearance or dissatisfaction approach or reach psychological disturbance is extremely difficult, and much of the literature "muddies" these distinctions. As a result, nonprofessionals may assume that any degree of body image dissatisfaction is injurious . It has been suggested that individuals lie on a continuum of "normative discontent," with the minority of individuals reporting no body image distress while those at the other extreme evidence distress so severe that it is associated with significant impairment in daily functioning (e.g., eating disorders; Rodin, Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1985). We previously conceptualized body image disturbance as a multifaceted construct consisting of subjective dissatisfaction, cognitive characteristics, behavioral components, and, possibly, perceptual aspects (Thompson, Heinberg, Altabe, & Tantleff-Dunn, 1999). In this chapter, we confine our discussion to the subjective component, which we refer to as body image dissatisfaction.We have previously asserted (Heinberg, Haythomthwaite, Rosofsky, McCarron, & Clarke, 2000; and argue in this chapter that some level of body image dissatisfaction may conceivably be 215

Body weight perception is associated with socio-economic status and current body weight in selected urban and rural South Indian school-going children

“…When perceived image differs from the ideal image there can be varied levels of distress. Very low body image distress or concern may evoke either little or no motivation to change body weight, while those with very high body image distress are more likely to use unhealthy weight-correction methods (42,43) . Our data do indicate, however, that boys are less likely to want to be thinner than they currently are.…”

More than looking good: Impact on quality of life moderates the relationship between functional body image and physical activity in men with SCI

“…7 For instance, a metaanalytic review reported that overall greater LTPA participation was associated with a better body image. 8 However, some individual studies have shown that greater LTPA is associated with worse body image because people use physical activity to manage body image dissatisfaction.…”

“…8 However, some individual studies have shown that greater LTPA is associated with worse body image because people use physical activity to manage body image dissatisfaction. 7 These conflicting findings are reflected in Cash's biopsychosocial model of body image, 9 which identifies a relationship between the use of self-regulatory behaviors (for example, LTPA and dieting) and body image, and suggests that the variables can moderate the direction of this relationship. The primary purpose of our study was to examine the relation-ship between LTPA and body image among men with SCI, and whether the perceived impact of body image on QOL moderates this relationship.…”

Body image concerns among children

“…In much of the literature, weight concerns have been discussed as a risk factor for adverse health outcomes, yet recently some investigators have proposed that weight concerns may also motivate healthpromoting behaviors. 13 In the current issue of The Journal, Robinson et al 14 report important new data that speak to these three issues. Specifically, they examined body dissatisfaction and overweight concerns in a large, ethnically diverse, schoolbased sample of third-grade boys and girls.…”

“…In light of the reported adverse effects of body dissatisfaction and dieting in terms of risk for depression and eating disorders, it may be perceived as heretical to ask whether body dissatisfaction may also have a positive side. Heinberg et al 13 have raised the question of whether body dissatisfaction may motivate efforts to practice healthful eating, and a recent study by Neumark-Sztainer et al 22 suggests that not all "dieting" is problematic. Obesity experts and eating disorder experts need to work together to develop recommendations to the public about strategies to reduce obesity, body dissatisfaction, and weight concerns among our youth without contributing further to the very problem those strategies are intended to solve.…”