Introduction
“We are all aliens to ourselves, and if we have any sense of who we are, it is only because we live inside the eyes of others” – Paul Auster.
It’s true that we often don’t know in the least how we actually look and hence, making us aliens to ourselves. We may have a picture in our head but how true that image is? Our emotions, beliefs, past experiences and self-esteem play an enormous role in framing that image in our minds. These factors have a tendency to make one get stuck with an idea of how their face and body look irrespective of the other being true.
Context
We look within the mirror, take pictures and ask others how we look, in an attempt to understand what we look like. Yet the internal representation we’ve got of ourselves is never really accurate when to put next to how we actually look outside. It is usually said that nobody knows ourselves better than us but when it involves a mental image of our face and body it is possible that others comprehend it better than us. The mental image can be less or more accurate depending on the mental state or self-esteem of a person, though never fully accurate.
Illness and Disorder
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| Source: edexec.co.uk |
Individuals with mental illness, namely body dysmorphic disorder or anorexia nervosa usually has their body image deformed. These individuals fear being overweight and therefore the image they have of themselves is far from how they really look. They see themselves as obese or overweighed while in real life they are dehydrated, underweight and likely to have anxiety.
Reasons
Research has been done on the cause of these body image distortions maybe though it’s not quite clear whether the cause is genetics, personality traits of different individuals, pressure from society, negative experiences of life or other factors. However, it is clear that the image we have of ourselves in our mind should not be taken lightly because a healthy body and a healthy mind don’t function separately. Both are required to be nurtured as they affect one another. In line with studies, 69% of people who are likely to gain weight are those who consider themselves unpopular as compared to those who do not. A positive self-image is promoted by a healthy state of mind.
Some Useful Measures
Knowing what the mental image of an individual’s face/body really looks like is important to help people with conditions like eating disorders. Studies were done on 40 female college students. They were asked to pick out a typical image of a body silhouette of the same gender and age. To measure feelings about physical looks, weight satisfaction and other things, the body self-esteem scale was used. Real body measurements like weight, height and waist width etc. were also taken. Analysis of the info suggested that self-portraits and self-beliefs were correlated. Females, who held visual images of their body as broader while that of their peers as slimmer, were found to be the ones with negative attitudes towards their bodies. Participants with a positive attitude and greater self-confidence showed higher accuracy in the visual representation of their bodies.
People with higher self-confidence or self-esteem would usually engage in close social interactions, through comparisons and feedback more information about physical appearance is provided by those social interactions. Also, people with the exact views of themselves are likely to experience predictable and reciprocal relationships.
It is pretty clear from the study shown above that individuals see themselves in their mindless accurately than they are. The reason why they reach such conclusions about their body is also a matter of concern. What ideal image do we have in our mind when we’re thinking of a perfect face or a body? We compare ourselves to that ideal and when we fail to achieve that appearance we experience body-image distortion.
For Gen Z, body image issues have become more common than it was before. Social media and glamour evidently play a major role in framing an ideal image of “perfection” in the minds of individuals. What is portrayed by the influencers or celebrities on social media platforms is not even near to what their real-life looks like. People fail to look behind the pictures, glamour and lights which results in the perception that their face and body should also look like the picture on their screen. If not, then the individuals consider “something” to be wrong with their bodies and then they face body-image distortion and eventually eating disorders.
Past experiences when paired with the social media influence can have more drastic effects on a person’s perception of their face/body. Sexual abuse, bullying, verbal use or constant criticism of the physical features ingrains it into an individual that their body or face does not look like the way it should. Traumatized people, when they look at the seemingly perfect image on social media and then see how the other person is liked for it may develop a fear of not being liked unless they achieve the ideal.
Conclusions
Now that we’ve seen what the studies have suggested about how we see our face and body in our mind and how important it is to have the right mental image of our body, it is important to take the necessary steps to encourage a more accurate visual representation of our face and body.
Educate the people about the subjectivity of “perfection” and also about behind the scenes social media life. Encourage counselling among those who have had negative past experiences to tackle the issue and not allow the trauma to have a hold on them. Normalize the body-image conversations and make it safe for the individuals to talk about their issues in order to actually overcome them. Stop the glamorization of mental health issues like eating disorders, anxiety, depression etc. and address the matter of concern.
References
ArashEmamzadeh (2022) This is how we see our face and body in our mind. Finding a new Home.www.psychologytoday.com
Paul Auster (2012) Winter Journal. www.goodreads.com
Written by Ms. Diksha Shakya, BSc Applied Psychology, Department of Applied Psychology, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies
