Body image and self-esteem, considered synonymous with self-worth, is a global and relatively stable construct that reflects a person’s evaluation about self-concept, that is, the set of beliefs and cognitions about one’s qualities, character, roles, and attributes. Body image and self-esteem is a complex and multifaceted concept of the self, and arguably one of the most important facets of body image and self-esteem in Westernized countries is a sense of self that is focused on the body or physique. Specifically, body image and self-esteem is a strong predictor of global body image and self-esteem when individuals value how they look and feel physically—meaning how one feels about one’s physique, form, and function is a predominant guide to how one feels about oneself more globally. Body image and self-esteem, also identified as physical self-worth or physical body image and self-esteem, is defined as an evaluation about the appearance and functioning of one’s body. Theorists consider that body image and self-esteem develops as a result of the evaluative perceptions that arise from the different domains, such as perceived sport competence, physical condition, attractiveness, and weight concern. In turn, these arise from the different subdomains. For instance, positive self-evaluations of upper body strength contribute to the corresponding subdomain of physical strength, which in turn would enhance body image and self-esteem. On the other hand, negative evaluations of soccer competence will decrease the related subdomain of sport competence, and then in physical body image and self-esteem. In addition, it has been argued that although body image and self-esteem may be relatively stable over time, specific self-evaluations may fluctuate depending on the situational cues—an individual may feel better about personal physical stamina after completing a 10-mile run or worse if unable to complete this run.
Researchers suggest that it is during adolescence that body image and self-esteem becomes particularly salient as a result of the physical and social changes associated with this developmental stage. Furthermore, researchers have also shown that there are gender differences in body image and self-esteem during this period and across adulthood, whereby men have reported higher levels of body image and self-esteem than women. While there are various potential reasons for this, many researchers have proposed that the greater sociocultural pressures on women to be thin, their inability to attain this standard, and the negative stereotyping of those whose current body is discrepant from the idealized standard, may partly explain this difference. Nonetheless, high body image and self-esteem is desirable in both sexes because it has a powerful influence on men and women’s psychological, physical, and social well-being. Essentially, individuals who have higher levels of body image and self-esteem are more likely to report higher well-being in these domains. As a result, researchers have highlighted the importance of exploring factors that may increase or maintain body image and self-esteem because it has public health importance. One such factor is exercise.
身体形象,自尊与锻炼研究
Given that exercise has been consistently associated with psychological benefits, there has been an enduring interest in establishing the potential benefits of exercise as a strategy for the enhancement of body image and self-esteem, and more specifically body image and self-esteem. With the use of different measures like specific cognitive and affective questions (Body Esteem Scale) and figure ratings (silhouettes that gradually increase in size and shape), researchers have found that exercise and body image and self-esteem are reciprocally related across the lifespan and in many diverse populations. This means that individuals suffering from low body image and self-esteem will be less likely to be physically active, and that individuals being more physically active show higher body image and self-esteem levels.
通常,在重点是身体形象和自尊改善的研究中,评估的锻炼参数明显不同。具体而言,训练课程的持续时间和强度,每周的训练课程数量或训练计划的长度从一项研究到另一项研究不等。运动后发现的身体形象和自尊改善可能仅限于一种特定类型(有氧训练,力量训练)或强度(轻,中等,剧烈)。但是,在这一点上,无法为增强身体形象和自尊所需的特定剂量或运动类型提供指示。因此,这些运动的参数似乎是未来研究的重要考虑因素。
Another important problem is that some researchers are still using measures of global body image and self-esteem such as the Rosenberg Body image and self-esteem Scale. This approach implicitly assumes that the overall concept of body image and self-esteem would be related to exercise, which may not be the case, and lead to the erroneous conclusions that exercise is ineffective in improving body image and self-esteem. Although it is unclear the extent to which the inclusion of global measures in previous studies reduced the associations found between exercise and body image and self-esteem, the current availability of body specific body image and self-esteem measures provides an opportunity to examine the associations between body image and self-esteem and exercise to avoid the risk of making false conclusions regarding the magnitude of the association. Therefore, it is important to move beyond global measures and adopt a more systematic assessment of body image and self-esteem since exercise might have a more meaningful influence on this aspect of body image and self-esteem without affecting others related to global body image and self-esteem.
然而,这项研究一致得出的结论是,在开始锻炼计划之前,人们报告身体形象,自尊心和身体形象较低的人报告身体形象和自尊心的最大改善。这可能是因为比初始水平较低的人体形象和自尊的初始形象和自尊心更高的人所获得的收益要少。此外,尽管整个生命周期的男性和女性都报告了运动后身体形象和自尊的增加,但有证据表明,青年和中年成年人受益最大。最后,对于被认为超重或肥胖的人(体重指数≥25.0千克/米平方)而言,运动对身体形象和自尊产生的效果的幅度已被证明更大;患有疾病或疾病;或自信不足,身体形象差或自我概念较低。因此,当将运动用作增强身体形象和自尊的策略时,应考虑这些个人特征以及其他潜在效果修饰符。
锻炼对身体形象和自尊的益处的可能原因
迄今为止,很少有努力了解运动如何增加或保持身体形象和自尊心。描述途径,也称为中介变量,通过这些变量,运动可能对身体形象和自尊的影响具有开发干预措施的潜力,尤其是因为许多研究人员认为运动不会直接增加身体形象和自尊心。例如,如果将身体健康的改善确定为受运动影响的因素,进而增加身体形象和自尊,那么针对增加身体健康的运动干预措施可能会增加增强身体形象和自尊心的可能性。结果,一些研究人员特别强调阐明心理生理途径,通过这些途径,运动可能会导致身体形象和自尊心增强。
文献中提供的一些解释是关于运动如何增强身体自尊的具有认知或心理基础的,例如运动,身体形象和自尊模型(EXSEM)中提出的基础。EXSEM是一种层次组织的模型,将运动与身体自我感知以及全球身体形象和自尊心联系起来,它代表了一个实用的框架,它帮助研究人员了解运动如何影响身体形象和自尊心。Based on the most recent version of the EXSEM, exercise can influence perceptions of self-efficacy (i.e., people’s judgments regarding their ability to become or remain active), which in turn influence physical self-perceptions, such as physical condition, physical competence, body attractiveness, and physical strength. Finally, physical self-perceptions, as well as physical acceptance or the extent to which individuals accept their bodies, are believed to then influence body image and self-esteem, which is related to global body image and self-esteem. Cross-sectional and longitudinal research based on the EXSEM model has shown that global body image and self-esteem can be influenced both directly and indirectly by exercise through its influence on physical competence and acceptance. Moreover, there is also some support that exercise can increase perceptions of personal control (people’s belief regarding the extent to which they are able to control or influence their behaviors and outcomes) and self-schemata (set of beliefs and ideas people hold about themselves), and this may presumably increase body image and self-esteem. For example, as people exercise more often and regularly, they may gain confidence if they are successful at trying new activities or if they master the skills required to perform their exercises. These feelings of physical confidence may increase their body image and self-esteem, resulting in improvements in global body image and self-esteem.
Other explanations put forward in the literature have a physiological foundation. For instance, improvements in physical parameters (e.g., body composition, body weight, shape, fitness) may account for the positive changes in body image and self-esteem resulting from exercise. However, the literature examining these various pathways is scarce, preventing researchers to draw firm conclusions. Thus, insofar as the pathways through which exercise might affect body image and self-esteem are concerned, more studies are needed to identify mediating variables that explain the effect exercise has on body image and self-esteem. Based on current theorizing, it is clear that there are likely multiple mediators that should be considered in seeking to develop interventions with stronger and more sustainable effects on body image and self-esteem. For instance, if self-efficacy and body composition are identified as mediators, it would be logical to develop interventions that target these particular variables.
结论
身体形象和自尊是一种多方面的结构,是人们的自我概念和价值,福祉和发展的核心。研究人员提供了经验证据来支持这样的观念,即运动可以成为增强身体形象和自尊的关键策略,以及全球身体形象和自尊。但是,迄今为止进行的研究强调,这两个变量之间的关系很复杂,需要进一步研究。实际上,目前研究人员面临的两项重要任务是确定哪些运动参数(即类型,剂量)是增强身体形象和自尊心的最佳方法,并确定锻炼对身体对身体形象的影响的心理生理途径和自尊。
参考:
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