Growing up a self: on the relation between body image and the experience of the interoceptive body

2021 ◽  
pp. 210-226
Author(s):  
Rosie Drysdale ◽  
Manos Tsakiris
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Emotional Awareness ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Developmental Studies ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Self Recognition ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Inside Out

Experimental research on self-recognition has largely focused on four different populations: human infants, non-human primates, neurotypical adults, and neuropsychiatric patients. Across these populations, the question has been on the mechanisms that may enable an explicit form of recognizing one’s own image or appearance. At the same time, research in this area has recognized the fact that the other side of the embodiment, not that of the seen body but that of the felt body, has been largely ignored, both in the adult literature and more so in developmental studies. This chapter reviews relevant, but scarce, evidence on the relation between interoceptively and exteroceptively driven body awareness in early life and adulthood and puts forward a framework that articulates how we grow a self from the inside-out, with important implications for our understanding of body image and emotional awareness.

From implicit to explicit body awareness in the first two years of life

2021 ◽  
pp. 181-193
Author(s):  
Philippe Rochat ◽  
Sara Valencia Botto
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Body Schema ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
In Utero ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Social Emotions ◽  
Self Recognition ◽  
Public Body ◽  
Private And Public

What might constitute the awareness of an implicit body schema at the origins of development, and how does it develop to become also the awareness of an explicit body image? Those are the questions driving this chapter. The first part reviews past and more recent empirical research that demonstrates that an implicit body schema is evident from birth and in the first weeks of life. The second part of the chapter goes over a blueprint of cardinal progress in perception and action in relation to both the physical (objects) and social (people) domains. These advancements are presented as the driving force behind the development of a private and public body image emerging from the middle of the second year, as infants begin to manifest self-concept and self-consciousness proper via mirror self-recognition and the use of personal pronouns, as well as social emotions like embarrassment or pride. Lastly, the chapter further elaborates on the emergence of a public body image expressed in the first manifestations of an ‘evaluative audience perception’, or EAP, which was recently documented in 14- to 24-month-old toddlers. This development is construed as indexing the emergence of a public body image, adding to the more primordial and innate body schema that is expressed even in utero. The chapter also speculates that the development of a public body image and associated self-conscious emotions is a major trademark of what it means to be human.

scholarly journals Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix) May Be Aware of Their Own Body Size

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan A. Khvatov ◽  
Anna A. Smirnova ◽  
Maria V. Samuleeva ◽  
Evgeniy V. Ershov ◽  
Svetlana D. Buinitskaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Self Recognition ◽  
Corvus Cornix ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Hooded Crows

Body-awareness is one of the manifestations of self-awareness, expressed in the ability of people and animals to represent their own body physical properties. Relatively little work has been devoted to this phenomenon in comparison with the studies of the ability of self-recognition in the mirror, and most studies have been conducted on mammals and human infants. Crows are known to be “clever” birds, so we investigated whether hooded crows (Corvus cornix) may be aware of their own body size. We set up an experimental design in which the crows had to pass through one of three openings to reach the bait. In the first experiment, we studied whether crows prefer a larger hole if all the three are suitable for passage, and what other predictors influence their choice. In the second experiment, we assessed the ability of the crows to select a single passable hole out of three on the first attempt, even though the area of the former was smaller than that of the other two. The results of the first experiment suggest that when choosing among three passable holes, crows prefer those holes that require less effort from them, e.g., they do not need to crouch or make other additional movements. In the second experiment, three of the five crows reliably more often chose a single passable hole on the first try, despite its smaller size. We believe that these results suggest that hooded crows may be aware of their own body size.

scholarly journals Environmental temperature during early life affects the personality of mosquitofish in adulthood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haifeng Li ◽  
Xinyu ZHang ◽  
Yi Wu ◽  
Feng ZHang ◽  
CHunlin Li
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Environmental Temperature ◽  
Phenotypic Trait ◽  
Behavioral Syndrome ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Female Fish ◽  
Behavioral Traits

Abstract Personality has been observed in a variety of animal taxa with important implications in ecology and evolution. Exploring the influence of environmental temperature during early life on personality could help to understand the ontogeny of this phenotypic trait in animals. In this study, we reared newborn mosquitofish Gambusia affinis at high (30°C) and low (25°C) water temperatures and measured their shyness and exploration upon sexual maturity. We tested the repeatability of each behavioral trait; the correlation between them; and the effects of rearing temperature, sex, and body length on the behaviors. When growing up at low temperatures, female fish exhibited repeatability in shyness and exploration, and males exhibited marginal repeatability in shyness. However, neither of the 2 behaviors were repeatable when the fish were reared at high temperatures. There was a negative correlation between shyness and exploration, indicating that the 2 behaviors comprise a behavioral syndrome in this species. Mosquitofish reared at high temperatures were more explorative than those reared at low temperatures, while there was no difference in shyness between the 2 treatments. Body length and sex had no significant effects on the average values of the 2 behaviors. The results indicate that environmental temperature during early life could shape the personality of mosquitofish and modify the average of the behavioral traits. These findings might provide insights to understand the ontogeny of animal personality and how changes in environmental temperature influence animal dispersal by shaping their personality.

scholarly journals Effects of an 8-Week Yoga-Based Physical Exercise Intervention on Teachers’ Burnout

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2104
Author(s):  
Francesca Latino ◽  
Stefania Cataldi ◽  
Francesco Fischetti
Keyword(s):  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Awareness ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Professional Burnout ◽  
Yoga Practice ◽  
Professional Educators

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the efficacy of an 8-week yoga-based physical exercise program to improve mental and emotional well-being and consequently reduce burnout among teachers. We considered yoga because it is a discipline that enhances body awareness and encourages the contact with nature and the respect for every form of life, with a view to a more sustainable and greener global system. We recruited 40 professional educators (40–47 years), teachers in a public high school who reported perceiving signs of stress and emotional discomfort. We randomly assigned the 40 professional educators to either an experimental yoga practice (~60 min, twice a week) group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20) that received a nonspecific training program (~60 min, twice a week). At baseline and after training we administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory: Educators Survey (MBI-ES) and the State Mindfulness Scale (SMS) to assess teachers’ perceived level of awareness and professional burnout. We found a significant Time × Group interaction for the MBI-ES and SMS, reflecting a meaningful experimental group improvement (p < 0.001). No significant pre–post changes were found in the control group. The results suggest that an 8-week yoga practice could aid teachers to achieve a greater body and emotional awareness and prevent professional burnout.

scholarly journals Psychological concomitants of crossfit training

Kinesiology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferenc Köteles ◽  
Maria Kollsete ◽  
Hannah Kollsete
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Training Time ◽  
Weekly Session ◽  
Crossfit Training ◽  
Body Image Ideals

The research aimed at studying relationships between characteristics of CrossFit training (time elapsed from starting with training, weekly session frequency) and indicators of well-being, self-esteem, body awareness, satisfaction with body image, and perceived body competence. Participants, 186 Norwegian individuals (57.5% female; mean age: 28.9±7.81 years) regularly participating in CrossFit, completed online surveys (WHO-5 Well-being Scale, PANAS, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Body Awareness Questionnaire, Body Image Ideals Questionnaire, Body Competence Scale, motivations for doing CrossFit). Weekly frequency of CrossFit sessions was not connected with positive affect (Kendall tau_b=-.02, p=.766), negative affect (-.01, p=.861), or well-being (.10, p=.068) in the correlation analysis. Similarly, overall CrossFit experience (duration x frequency) was not related to global self-esteem (Kendall tau_b=.01, p=.778), body awareness (-.04, p=.379), body image dissatisfaction (.04, p=.423), and body competence (-.07, p=.184). In the regression analysis, well-being was connected with male gender (β=-.205, p&lt;.01), time elapsed from starting with CrossFit (β=-0.178, p&lt;.05), dissatisfaction with body image (β=-.218, p&lt;.01), and body awareness (β=.149, p&lt;.05). Global self-esteem was related to age (β=.164, p&lt;.05), body competence (β=.152, p&lt;.05), and body image dissatisfaction (β=-.276, p&lt;.001). CrossFit training was not connected with higher levels of psychological functioning (well-being, affect, body awareness, and self-esteem) and satisfaction with body image.

Postnatal inflammation following intrauterine inflammation exacerbates the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE−/− mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (10) ◽  
pp. 1185-1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siroon Bekkering ◽  
Albert P. Limawan ◽  
Maria U. Nguyen ◽  
Lisa K. Widiasmoko ◽  
Hui Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Atherosclerotic Lesion ◽  
Lesion Size ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Mechanistic Studies ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Size Number ◽  
Severe Atherosclerosis ◽  
Apoe Knockout Mice

Abstract Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that has its origins in early life. Postnatal inflammation exacerbates atherosclerosis, but the possible effect of intrauterine inflammation is largely unexplored. Exposure to inflammation in utero is common, especially in infants born preterm, who have increased cardiovascular risk in adulthood. We hypothesised that exposure to inflammation before birth would accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, with the most severe atherosclerosis following exposure to both pre- and postnatal inflammation. Here we studied the effect of prenatal and postnatal inflammation on the development of atherosclerosis by combining established techniques for modelling histological chorioamnionitis and atherosclerosis using apolipoprotein E (ApoE) knockout mice. A single intra-amniotic (IA) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) caused intrauterine inflammation, and increased atherosclerosis at 13 weeks of postnatal age. In mice exposed to postnatal LPS, chorioamnionitis modulated subsequent responses; atherosclerotic lesion size, number and severity were greatest for mice exposed to both intrauterine and postnatal inflammation, with a concomitant decrease in collagen content and increased inflammation of the atherosclerotic plaque. In conclusion, pre- and postnatal inflammation have additive and deleterious effects on the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE knockout mice. The findings are particularly relevant to preterm human infants, whose gestations are frequently complicated by chorioamnionitis and who are particularly susceptible to repeated postnatal infections. Human and mechanistic studies are warranted to guide preventative strategies.

scholarly journals Associations between parental health, early life factors and asthma, rhinitis and eczema among pre-school children in Chongqing, China

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Wang ◽  
Baizhan Li ◽  
Wei Yu ◽  
Han Wang ◽  
Jan Sundell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
White Collar ◽  
Rural Children ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Parental Health ◽  
Skin Symptoms ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Life Factors

Purpose: To study associations between parental health and children’s asthma, rhinitis and eczema.Methods: Parents of 3-6 years old children from randomized kindergartens in Chongqing, China answered a questionnaire on parents’ history of asthma/allergies, current symptoms and children’ doctor-diagnosed asthma and rhinitis, wheeze, cough, rhinitis and eczema. Associations were analyzed by multiple logistic regression.Results: Among 4250 children (response rate: 74.5%), 8.4% had doctor-diagnosed asthma (DD asthma); 6.2% doctor-diagnosed allergic rhinitis (DD rhinitis); 20.4% current wheeze; 19.4% cough; 37.9% rhinitis and 13.6% eczema. Among reporting parents (females 70.4%, males 20.6% ), 16.2% were smokers; 47.4% had any current rhinitis; 54.2% cough; 47.8% skin symptoms; 70.5% fatigue and 48.7% headache.Parental asthma or allergy was associated with children’s DD asthma (OR=3.64) and DD rhinitis (OR=4.23). The associations were stronger for paternal asthma or allergy. Children of mothers who were salespersons during pregnancy had more rhinitis (OR=1.49), and children of white-collar worker mothers had more DD (OR=1.49) and DD rhinitis (OR=1.92). Rural children had less DD rhinitis and current rhinitis. Parental current symptoms were associated with wheeze, cough, rhinitis and eczema among the children with OR ranging from 1.37 to 2.28 (all p<0.001).Conclusions: Parental asthma or allergy can be a risk factor for children’s asthma or allergy, especially paternal asthma or allergy. Growing up in rural areas can be beneficial for rhinitis. Mothers’ occupations during pregnancy may influence asthma and rhinitis in offspring. In studies on children’s asthma or allergies, based on parental reporting, parents’ current symptoms may influence the results.

Socially Constructed Body Image of Female Adolescent Cheerleaders

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sony SooHoo ◽  
Justine J. Reel ◽  
Patricia F. Pearce
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Female Adolescent ◽  
Adolescent Female ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Body Type ◽  
Image Construction ◽  
Body Image Disturbances ◽  
Image Position

Adolescent cheerleaders are seen as American icons, but psychosocial factors can predispose them to body image disturbances and disordered eating. Understanding body image development is critical to promoting healthy body image, as well as preventing disordered eating and its related health risks. The purpose of this study was to explore the development of body image among adolescent female cheerleaders. A grounded theory approach was used to conduct 26 interviews with 14 adolescent female cheerleaders (M = 14.07, SD = 2.40) who cheered at All-star gyms, junior high, or high schools to explore their body image experiences. The categories included body awareness (i.e., physical changes, body comparison), cheerleading environment (i.e., cheerleading image, position body type, uniform), and social factors (i.e., parental influences, comments from others). These categories influenced body image through the central category, developing attitude, demonstrating the complexity of body image construction among adolescent females.

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