scholarly journals SOMATIC EDUCATION AND THE UNDERGRADUATE DANCE STUDENT’S BODY IMAGE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 319
Author(s):  
Rita Rato ◽  
Maria João Alves

Regarding dance practitioners, body image associated with dance movement is a dynamic and complex phenomenon involving internal processes that cause impact on the psychological, emotional and behavioural areas. Balance between internal and external body experience is crucial for the construction of body image, and is associated with the way the student acquires knowledge about his own movement. In many contexts of dance teaching-learning, we found a focus centred almost exclusively on the reproduction of movement from the external visual image, in which body shapes and movement, should match an idealized model. Somatic education, on the other hand, is a disciplinary field that privileges the somatosensory experience of the body as a source of knowledge. Starting out from an experiential approach based on movement perception, we intended to study the body image of the dance student. For this purpose, we developed and applied a Somatic Movement (SM) program to a group of undergraduate dance students. We used a qualitative methodological design with multiple data collection approach methods, which included in-depth semi-structured interviews, explicitation interviews (Vermersch, 2003), participant journals and group discussions. Our primary purpose is not only to present, develop and substantiate the adopted methodological procedures but also to articulate them with the sub-questions of the study, which according to our point of view will contribute to a more categorical knowledge of how to investigate highly subjective concepts such as body experiences.

Body schema refers to the system of sensory-motor functions that enables control of the position of body parts in space, without conscious awareness of those parts. Body image refers to a conscious representation of the way the body appears—a set of conscious perceptions, affective attitudes, and beliefs pertaining to one’s own bodily image. In 2005, Shaun Gallagher published an influential book entitled ‘How the Body Shapes the Mind’. This book not only defined both body schema (BS) and body image (BI), but also explored the complicated relationship between the two. The book also established the idea that there is a double dissociation, whereby body schema and body image refer to two different, but closely related, systems. Given that many kinds of pathological cases can be described in terms of body schema and body image (phantom limbs, asomatognosia, apraxia, schizophrenia, anorexia, depersonalization, and body dysmorphic disorder, among others), we might expect to find a growing consensus about these concepts and the relevant neural activities connected to these systems. Instead, an examination of the scientific literature reveals continued ambiguity and disagreement. This volume brings together leading experts from the fields of philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry in a lively and productive dialogue. It explores fundamental questions about the relationship between body schema and body image, and addresses ongoing debates about the role of the brain and the role of social and cultural factors in our understanding of embodiment.


1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Vamos

Objective: Was to construct a classification system of the body image specifically relevant to patient experience of chronic physical disorder. Method: To review both previous writings on body image and also data on psychosocial factors relevant to a variety of chronic illnesses. From this were derived four component parts of body image: comfort, competence, appearance and predictability. These are discussed in general and disease-specific terms. Results: Using this format, a classification system is offered. This is intended to be simple enough for routine clinical use and yet to offer some insight into body experience. An example is given. Conclusion: Separating out the aspects of body image relevant to physical illness provides a clinically useful classification system. Further work is needed to determine its applicability as a research tool.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 701-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE ◽  
MERIDITH GRIFFIN

ABSTRACTFollowing West and Zimmerman's (1987) theoretical understanding of how gender identities are created and maintained, this paper examines the ways in which older women learned from their mothers how ‘to do gender’ through their bodies and specifically their physical appearances. Extracts from semi-structured interviews with 44 women aged 50 to 70 years have been drawn upon to identify and discuss the ways in which women perceive, manage and present their bodies using socially-constructed ideals of beauty and femininity. More specifically, three ways that women learned ‘to do gender’ are examined: from their mothers' criticisms and compliments about their appearance at different stages of the lifecourse; from their mothers' attitudes towards their own bodies when young and in late adulthood; and from the interviewees' own later-life experiences and choices about ‘beauty work’. Interpretative feminism is employed to analyse how the women exercised agency while constructing body-image meanings in a social context that judges women on their ability to achieve and maintain the prevailing ideal of female beauty. The study extends previous research into the influence of the mother-daughter relationship on young women's body image. The findings suggest that mothers are important influences on their daughters' socialisation into body-image and beauty work, and exert, or are perceived to exert, accountability across the life-course.


2003 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Stephan ◽  
Jean Bilard

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological repercussions of transition out of elite sport from a bodily point of view. We hypothesized that the passage from a bodily over-investment to a more sedentary state would have an effect on body satisfaction. 16 Transitioning Athletes following the Sydney Olympic Games were compared with 16 Active Athletes two times during the transition period using the Body-Image Questionnaire of Bruchon-Schweitzer. Qualitative data in the form of interviews provided a complement to the quantitative data. Analysis yielded no significant differences 1 1/2 mo. after career termination between the two groups but showed a decrease in body satisfaction between 1 1/2 and 5 mo. after career termination for Transitioning Athletes, with a significant between-group difference at 5 mo. The Transitioning Athletes initially reported weight gain and uncertainty about their real physical capacities but also a continued social recognition that maintained body satisfaction. Over time, however, they were increasingly aware of this bodily deterioration, as ongoing exercise served as a reality test. Added to this were perceived decreases in social value as well as disturbing somatic manifestations. The result was a substantial effect on body satisfaction.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S144-S144
Author(s):  
D. Piacentino ◽  
L. Longo ◽  
A. Pavan ◽  
S. Ferracuti ◽  
R. Brugnoli ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe use of Performance and Image-Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs) is on the increase and appears to be associated with several psychopathological disorders, whose prevalence in unclear.Objectives/AimsWe aimed to evaluate the differences–if any–in the prevalence of body image disorders (BIDs) and eating disorders (EDs) in PIEDs users athletes vs. PIEDs nonusers ones.MethodsWe enrolled 84 consecutive professional and amateur athletes (35.8% females; age range = 18–50), training in several sports centers in Italy. They underwent structured interviews (SCID I/SCID II) and completed the Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI) and the Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food Eating Disorder Screening Test (SCOFF). Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test were used for comparisons.ResultsOf the 84 athletes, 18 (21.4%) used PIEDs. The most common PIEDs were anabolic androgenic steroids, amphetamine-like substances, cathinones, ephedrine, and caffeine derivatives (e.g. guarana). The two groups did not differ in socio-demographic characteristics, but differed in anamnestic and psychopathological ones, with PIEDs users athletes being characterized by significantly (P-values < 0.05) higher physical activity levels, consuming more coffee, cigarettes, and psychotropic medications (e.g. benzodiazepines) per day, presenting more SCID diagnoses of psychiatric disorders, especially Substance Use Disorders, Eating Disorders, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and General Anxiety Disorders, showing higher BICI scores, which indicate a higher risk of BDD, and higher SCOFF scores, which suggest a higher risk of BIDs and EDs.ConclusionsIn PIEDs users athletes body image and eating disorders, and more in general psychopathological disorders, are more common than in PIEDs nonusers athletes.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


1974 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franklin C. Shontz

The body image is not a body organ, a psychological picture, or a little-person-in-the-head. It is best described in terms of the functions it serves and the levels at which it is experienced. The body functions as a sensory register, an instrument for action, a source of drives, a stimulus to the self and others, a private world, and an expressive instrument. The four levels of body experience are schemata, self, fantasy, and concept. A complete description of a body image disorder identifies the source of the disorder and its effects on the functions and levels of experience. Behavioral treatment for body image disorder may develop basic sensory-motor capacities, teach specific skills, promote interpersonal relations with others having similar problems, or use traditional psychotherapeutic techniques, depending upon the needs of the individual patient.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Sündermann ◽  
Karin Rydberg ◽  
Ludwig Linder ◽  
Steven James Linton

Abstract Background and aims Persistent pain is a pervasive condition that is often associated with a distorted body image. Most research into pain and body image investigated neural or physiological correlates (e.g. phantom limb pain), and much less is known about the psychological experience of body image changes in response to pain such as appearance concerns. The aim was to examine body image concerns in people with persistent pain, in particular appearance concerns and related coping behaviours and appearance-related emotions such as anger and shame. Methods Design was cross-sectional and data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with people suffering from persistent musculoskeletal pain (n=7; six females; age=19–56), and analysed with inductive thematic analysis (TA). Results Two main themes were identified: “Relationship to the painful body” and “Dissatisfaction with the body”, each containing three subthemes, along with the side-theme “Appearance concerns affected by pain and mood”. All participants reported appearance concerns, predominantly about their weight and related coping behaviours such as avoidance of mirrors, exercising or dieting and pain-induced mood changes that were associated with a negative body image. Conclusions People with persistent pain report appearance concerns, often related to pain-induced negative mood changes, and reduced functioning. It remains unclear to what extent attitudes towards the body change over time in accordance with pain. A wider concept of body image is required, including the perception of reduced functioning, related appraisals (e.g. “I look weak and old”) and appearance investment.


Author(s):  
Thomas Fuchs

AbstractAnorexia nervosa is often regarded primarily as a disorder of the body image, with affected individuals submitting themselves to the dictate of a predominant model of slenderness. However, even though this frequently functions as a gateway to the disorder, the paper intends to show that the actual conflict in anorexia consists in a fundamental alienation of the self from the body. In order to analyze this alienation from a phenomenological point of view, the paper introduces the polarity of lived body (body-as-subject) and physical body (body-as-object). It then explores the phenomenology of anorexia, drawing on characteristic self-reports as well as on the phenomenological, psychoanalytic and cultural science literature. The anorexic conflict of embodiment arises in adolescence, where the body becomes an object of the other’s gaze in a special way. Starting with an attempt to comply with the ideal body image, the anorexic patient increasingly fights against her dependency on her body and its uncontrollable nature, above all its hunger and femininity. To be in total control of her body and to gain independence from it, becomes the source of a narcissistic triumph. Thus, in striving for autonomy and perfection, the anorexic patient alienates herself from her embodiment. This results in a radical dualism of ‘mind’ and ‘body’: pursuing the ideal of an asexual, angelic, even disappearing body. Anorexia is thus conceived as a fundamental conflict of embodiment.


sjesr ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-231
Author(s):  
Mahmood Ahmed Dool ◽  
Dr. Shahid Hussain Mughal ◽  
Amjad Ali Rind

The purpose of the current study was to explore the usage of effective questioning during lecture-based teaching in the higher secondary chemistry classroom to enhance students’ active participation. The qualitative paradigm was used in the study within its action research was conducted. The data was collected through multiple sources such as interviews, observations, document analysis, and reflective Journals. The multiple tools helped in the process of triangulating the data. The researcher has used semi-structured interviews, participant observations, field dairies, and reflective journals to gather in-depth, rich, and relevant data. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the use of effective questioning serves as a powerful tool for enhancing students’ level of participation in chemistry teaching. Therefore, the use of effective questioning must be at the heart of lecture-based teaching-learning processes. In the study, students revealed that they had developed enough confidence which in the future will help them to take part in classroom activities. Moreover, it has also been found that the classroom discussion encouraged students to express their thinking in a fearless environment. It has been revealed that use of effective question not only develops students’ participation but also enhance their learning. Furthermore, students’ conceptual understanding was improved using effective questioning by integrating it into the college level chemistry teaching-learning activities. The results of the study have practical implications for teaching and learning in the chemistry classroom. Most of the studies around teacher's questioning have been undertaken in Western countries. However, this may be the first study that was conducted in Government Degree College for Boys, in the rural context of Sindh, Pakistan. Moreover, the study can contribute to the body of knowledge already available on classroom questioning and will be helpful for teachers in teaching science generally and chemistry particularly to enhance students' participation. This study recommends that questioning skills should be incorporated systematically into teaching-learning activities and practice to enhance students’ level of participation.


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