Authors: Jansen, Anita¹; Smeets, Tom¹; Martijn, Carolien¹; Nederkoorn, Chantal¹

Source: British Journal of Clinical Psychology, Volume 45, Number 1, March 2006 , pp. 123-135(13)

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• In this Subject: Psychology
• By this author: Jansen, Anita ;  Smeets, Tom ;  Martijn, Carolien ;  Nederkoorn, Chantal

Abstract:

Objectives. Eating-disordered subjects feel unattractive, and the current idea is that this feeling reflects a distorted body image. A distorted body image requires a mismatch between the negative self-judgments and more objective judgments of the body.

Design and methods. To examine whether eating-disordered subjects have valid reasons for their feelings of unattractiveness, the body images of eating-symptomatic subjects and control models were compared with inter-subjective evaluations of these bodies given by two community samples (panels; N=72, N=88).

Results. Although the objective body sizes of the eating-symptomatic subjects were in the normal range and not different from control bodies, the first panel rated the (headless) bodies of the eating-symptomatic subjects as less attractive. This finding was replicated with the second panel. There was also large agreement between the eating-symptomatic subjects and the second panel on the specific body parts that were indicated as unattractive. Contrary to the eating-symptomatic subjects, the control models showed a strong positively biased perception of their own attractiveness: they rated their own bodies more positively than others rated them.

Conclusion. Consensual validation of the harsh body appraisals of eating-symptomatic subjects was found. Interestingly, the normal controls were the ones that showed a biased body image; they rated themselves far more attractive than other people rated them. These data suggest that the real problem in eating disorders is not a distorted body image but a lack of a distorted body image, that is, the lack of a self-serving body-image bias.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1348/014466505X50167

Affiliations: 1: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands

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