Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Positive and Negative Body Image in Children

Dr. Beth Grosshans, who worked as a clinical child psychologist in private practice for over two decades, is the author of the book Beyond Time Out: From Chaos to Calm, which concerns ways of dealing with fractious child behavior. Educators, parent groups, and clinicians frequently call upon Dr. Beth Grosshans to consult on matters such as child development and child psychology.

Body image is defined as the way people imagine or see their bodies. A positive body image indicates that a person feels comfortable in his or her body and generally feels good about his or her outward appearance. Negative body image occurs when individuals feel dissatisfied with their bodies, believing that it does not satisfy ideals created by themselves, their family members, friends, or society.

Children who suffer from a negative body image sometimes have a distorted view of how they look, may suffer from social anxiety or self-consciousness, and often feel shame about their bodies. When these thoughts occupy them more often than not, negative body image sometimes develops into a serious problem, such as an eating disorder. Teens with negative body image sometimes restrict their diet or practice binge eating, for example. Parents who are concerned that their children may be suffering from a negative body image may consider seeking professional advice.