Can a Negative Body Image Be Overcome?
During the past 20 years, I’ve devoted much of my professional career to a better understanding of the psychology of physical appearance, particularly body image. One of my main goals has been to develop effective ways to help people overcome a negative body image. The result, based on substantial research, is a program for body-image improvement, which I published as The Body Image Workbook in 1997 (New Harbinger Publications). This eight-step program uses a cognitive-behavioral approach to promote positive changes in how you think, feel, and behave in relation to your body. The program teaches you how to change. Scientific studies have verified that persons who carry out the program’s steps indeed develop a more accepting and satisfying relationship with their body. They become more contented with their looks, are less self-critical of their body, experience fewer upsetting body-image emotions in everyday situations, are less preoccupied with their weight, and are less psychologicall
