Body Image

Body image is a psychological construct that focuses on how an individual subjectively views some aspect of his or her appearance, in contrast to how another person might objectively view that individual. Disturbances in body image have been linked to a variety of psychological processes and disorders, in particular low self-esteem and disordered eating (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa). Over the past 20 years, there has been a great deal of new work in cross-cultural estimates of disturbance, theoretical perspectives on body image development, development of measurement strategies, and production of prevention and treatment options. This article reviews these developments