Cognitive Behavior Therapy Essay example -- Self Image Weight Papers

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Cognitive Behavior Therapy for body image has been proven an effective way to improve body dissatisfaction. It has been applied to persons with eating disorders, obesity, body dysmorphic disorder, and normal weight, all of whom harbor negative feelings toward their bodies. It is critically important to target body image for specific treatment, as negative feelings about one's body are often a major precipitous to eating disorders. What is body image? Body image can be defined as the picture one has in his mind about the appearance (i.e. size and shape) of his body, and the attitude that he forms toward these characteristics of his body. Thus there are two components of body image: the perceptual part, or how one sees his own body, and the attitudinal part, or how one feels about his perceived bodily appearance (Gardner, 1996). A negative body image can be in the form of mild feelings of unattractiveness to extreme obsession with physical appearance that impairs normal functioning (Rosen, 1995). How do Americans feel about their bodies? The 1997 Psychology Today Body Image Survey revealed that Americans have more discontentment with their bodies than ever before. Fifty-six percent of women surveyed said they are dissatisfied with their appearance in general. The main problem areas about which women complained were their abdomens (71 percent), body weight (66 percent), hips (60 percent) and muscle tone (58 percent). Many men were also dissatisfied with their overall appearance, almost 43 percent. However body dissatisfaction for men and women usually means two different things. More men as opposed to women wanted to gain weight in order to feel satisfied with their bodies (Ga... ...4. Rosen, J.C., (1995). Body Image Assessment and Treatment in Controlled Studies of Eating Disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 20, 331-343. Rosen, J.C., Orosan, P., & Reiter, J., (1995). Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Negative Body Image in Obese Women. Behavior Therapy, 26, 25-42. Rosen, J.C., Reiter, J., & Orosan, P., (1995). Cognitive-Behavioral Body Image Therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 263-269. Rosen, J.C., Saltzberg, E., & Srebnik, D., (1989). Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Negative Body Image. Behavior Therapy, 20, 393-404. Veale, D., Gournay, K., Dryden, W., Boocock, A., Shah, F., Willson, R., & Walburn, J., (1996). Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Cognitive Behavioural Model and Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 717-729.