Developing a Positive Body Image in Young Women by the Means of Training Technologies

Abstract

The paper presents the analysis of the positive body image formation among young women, characterizes determinants of female body image and describes the results of an experimental study. The purpose of the study was to test the possibility of developing a positive body image by the means of psychological training. The study involved women aged 18—20 (N=64). The methods included questionnaires and interviews. The results show that the body image of young women was associated with unrealistic external standards, and there is a certain ambivalence to them. On the one hand, the indicators of the component of the body image which included information and evaluation are quite high in youth, but body dissatisfaction is also high and a significant part of the girls rely on external standards in assessing attractiveness. In the course of the formative experiment, it was found that the development of positive body image is promoted by personal psychological training aimed at reducing weight and body shape concerns, expanding internalized stereotypes about the body and increasing the body’s worthiness (differences in the body image components before and after training are significant at p≤0.05).