Synthesis Essay on Body Image

Body image consciousness is proven to be an important element in every individual’s perception of himself or herself. With this, body image is said to affect every aspect of an individual’s life such as their mental health, physical health, interaction with other people, and the care the individual has towards himself or herself. With this, the researcher aimed to determine the connection between body image consciousness and the health of an individual by finding the various effects body image consciousness may bring to the psychological health of an individual. To accomplish this, first, the researcher determined the differences between the two types of body image such as the positive and negative body image. Second, the researcher enumerated the various effects these two types of body image may have on an individual’s health. Lastly, the researcher gave her insights into the gathered results. In conclusion, the researcher discovered that there are both positive and negative effects of body image consciousness, however, this will always be dependent on what type of body image an individual perceives of himself or herself.

Introduction:

Have you ever experienced a time where you felt “unbeautiful” at the worst of times? Have you ever wanted to try or even tried changing something about your appearance because you felt like you didn’t fit in? or just ugly at all? Well if you did, let me be the first to tell you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

According to the organization Good Therapy (2019), the term body image pertains to the mixture of a person’s mental picture of his or her outer looks which contains their size, figure, and looks, and a person’s behavior towards their outer looks which contains their thinking, sentiments and views towards their body.

However, a person’s body image may be influenced by several elements, such as family settings, abilities, disabilities, the behavior of friends, social media, cultural background, comparisons, and many more. (raisingchildren.net, 2019)

Through this, body image was further divided into the positive and the negative.

Positive body image pertains to the clear, precise, and authentic impression of a person on his or her shape and by seeing these external features for what they are. With a positive body image, a person may attain a sense of body satisfaction, which may make an individual more comfortable, confident, and accepting of one’s physical features.

In contrast, negative body image pertains to the distorted impression or discontentment of a person towards his or her body. With negative body image, a person may attain a sense of body dissatisfaction, which may make a person gain a feeling of shame, anxiety, self-consciousness, and many serious related illnesses. (National Eating Disorders Association, 2018)

In a survey conducted last March 2011, in a population of 300 women, it was discovered that over 97% of the population endures at least one negative body image consciousness every day.

Therefore, the continuously arousing number of individuals who go through body image consciousness through negative body image has led the researcher to formulate this paper which aims to identify the effects of body image consciousness on the psychological health of an individual.

Statement of the problem:

What are the effects of body image consciousness on the psychological health of an individual?

Review of related literature:

Health has been one of the most significant aspects of a living creature. It has made its marks in terms of importance through various facilities, organizations, and insurance that have been dedicated to health alone. In the Philippines, WHO is one of the most commonly known organizations dedicated to health.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is not limited to the absence of diseases or infirmities, rather, health is the complete utterance of physical, mental, and social well-being. With this, WHO has indicated that health has no limitations. It is indeed everything. In 2009, Health was further defined as the susceptibility to adjust to new threats and infirmities received by a person’s body (Medical News Today, 2009).

According to toppr.com, Health is influenced by three components, First, the environment. Cleanliness is a significant element of an individual’s health therefore, we must guarantee the proper collection and disposal of trash that could help eradicate health problems. Second, proper food intake. An individual must always be aware of the different components and nutritional benefits he or she is taking up on a day-to-day basis. Last, good economic conditions. One cannot possess a good lifestyle if he or she doesn’t have the means to buy and nurture care through different facilities, therefore, economic value is indeed a must for a healthy lifestyle.

According to the Grand Rapids Community College, there are seven dimensions of health:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Social
• Spiritual
• Environmental
• Occupational

Health conscious is a term describing the attitude of an individual who has a strong awareness of the healthiness of his or her diet and lifestyle. (wordnik)

According to pdhpe (2015), mental health pertains to the cognitive aspects of an individual’s health, it is where an individual uses his or her brain capacity and thinks, it also helps an individual solve challenges and remember data.

According to WHO (2019), mental health is not bounded by the lack of cognitive problems alone, rather, it is the state of wellness wherein each person finds his or her strength and capabilities that can help him or her manage the average daily stresses and be abundant and efficient to the society.

With this, an increase in mental health can contribute to other dimensions of well-being as well. One, it can lead to a rapid increase in self-esteem wherein one’s mental performance may be enhanced. Second, it could also lead to greater confidence wherein one’s social health may also enhance. Last, it may lead to the questioning of existence wherein spiritual health may improve. (pdhpe, 2015) Mental health may also affect a person’s welfare, life, and connections. (Medical News Today, 2015)

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According to pdhpe (2015), Emotional health refers to the ability of an individual to discover and express his or her feelings sufficiently and the capacity to uphold a realistic perspective on various situations one may encounter. It may also pertain to an individual’s mood, feelings, and overall emotional state as well.

Emotional health is an important aspect of overall wellness as well, it is said that a person can be considered an emotionally stable individual if he or she can acknowledge his or her emotions if they would be able to control their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors if they would be able to cope up with different challenges and bounce back from different life’s struggles. (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2017)

Being emotionally stable, an individual would be able to have the power to express his or her feelings without any constraints. Therefore, emotional stability will allow an individual to accept his or her feelings, understand himself or herself as well, and know the suitable response to those feelings and emotions. (The Regents of the University of California, 2019)

According to WHO (1999), A healthy lifestyle refers to a person’s lifestyle that reduces the chances of gaining diseases or dying at an early age. It also stresses the idea that not every disease or illness is preventable however, individuals may avoid this by having a healthier way of living which can also have an impact on the perspectives of other people as well.

A healthy lifestyle makes a person fit, energetic, and at a low risk of vulnerability to diseases. Foundations for a good health condition may include healthy nutrition, daily physical activities, enough sleep, and management of stress. (Clarke, 2019)

Therefore, a healthy lifestyle is an essential asset for lowering the prevalence and risk of health issues, for managing life’s irritants, and for the improvement of the welfare of an individual. Also, it is proven that the health of a person is strongly based on one’s daily habits. (Lewis, 2010)

A healthy lifestyle has an integral effect on a person. Therefore, the person must give importance to his or her measurement of mass, blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol since these are proven to be indicators for one’s definition of healthy. (Wikipedia, 2019)

Body image is defined to be the perceived look an individual has about their body. It consists of the ideal look the individual has in mind, it could either match a person’s current looks or not. (raisingchildren.net.au, 2019)

This also pertains to the mixture of a person’s mental picture of his or her outer looks which contains their size, figure, and looks, and a person’s behavior towards his or her outer looks which contains their thinking, sentiments, and views towards their body. (Good Therapy Organization, 2019)

Therefore, this is related to the perceived exterior features and sentiments a person has towards their exterior image. This is usually identified by four elements. First, by how a person views their figure, which may either be an accurate or inaccurate representation of one’s image. Second, by how a person feels about their figure, which usually contains the average contentment or discontentment the individual feels about his or her figure, mass, and body parts. Third, how a person thinks about their body figure as their cognitive figure, usually leads to one’s obsession with his or her total mass and figure. Fourth, a person’s behavior in which they choose to engage with their outer looks, may lead to a favorable or unfavorable result that may either result in isolation or contentment of an individual. (McShirley, 2015)

Positive body image pertains to the clear, accurate, and authentic perception of a person’s figure or the individual’s way of seeing various parts of his or her body as they are. Further, this involves the feeling of confidence and comfortableness in one’s appearance, acceptance of one’s authentic body shape and size, and the recognition that one’s character and values are more important than his or her exterior features. (National Eating Disorders Association, 2018)

Creating a positive body image requires the ability to integrate one’s emotions about his or herself with the words and messages that he or she gets from other people’s mouths.

In applying a positive body image reflection, an individual needs three various factors such as a positive attitude, which may come from an individual’s self-acceptance of his or her different strengths and limitations. A high self-esteem may come from how an individual treasures the appreciation and entertainment of other people towards his or her personality, company, and contributions. Last, emotional stability, comes from the ability to maintain a connection with one’s emotions, opinions, and desires while engaging with other people. (Halsted, 2016)

Negative body image refers to the distorted impression or discontentment of an individual towards his or her body. Further, this involves feelings of shame, anxiety, and self-consciousness. Usually, the people who typically experience a high level of body discontentment feel their bodies are very imperfect when compared to other people’s bodies. Also, these individuals are more likely to experience feelings of isolation, depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. (National Eating Disorders Association, 2018)

A negative body image can occur when a person feels that his or her looks do not pass the standards of what society, media, family, and friends envision.

Individuals who usually experience this perceive impractical perceptions of themselves. Actual mass typically doesn’t correlate with negative body image since individuals who have an average body mass index or BMI may see himself or herself as fat or thick.

Some individuals even establish a body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), this illness makes an individual perceive his or her body or a part of their body as disfigured or flawed that needs a “body correction” through various surgeries. (Eating Disorder Hope, 2019)

According to the website Perspectives of Troy (2019), negative body image may lead to negative effects such as emotional distress, low self-esteem, unhealthy diet habits, anxiety, depression, various eating disorders, drug usage, social withdrawal, or isolation, an increase in the risks of sexual health, self-harming behaviors and the withdrawal from behaviors and activities that may require the exposure of one’s body.