Body Image And Identity In Contemporary Societies

Popular interest in body image issues has grown dramatically in recent years, due to an emphasis on individual responsibility and self-determination in contemporary society as well as the seemingly limitless capacities of modern medicine; however body image as a separate field of academic inquiry is still relatively young. The contributors of Body Image and Identity in Contemporary Societies explore the complex social, political and aesthetic interconnections between body image and identity. It is an in-depth study that allows for new perspectives in the analysis of contemporary visual art and literature but also reflects on how these social constructs inform clinical treatment. Sukhanova and Thomashoff bring together contributions from psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, psychiatrists and scholars in the fields of the social sciences and the humanities to explore representations of the body in literature and the arts across different times and cultures. The chapters analyse the social construction of the 'ideal' body in terms of beauty, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class and disability, from a broadly psychoanalytic perspective, and traces the mechanisms which define the role of the physical appearance in the formation of identity and the assumption of social roles. Body Image and Identity in Contemporary Societies' unique interdisciplinary outlook aims to bridge the current gap between clinical observations and research in semiotic theory. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, art therapists, art theorists, academics in the humanities and social sciences, and those interested in an interdisciplinary approach to the issues of body image and identity. Ekaterina Sukhanova is University Director of Academic Program Review at the City University of New York USA. She serves as Scientific Secretary of the Section for Art and Psychiatry and the Section of Art and Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association. She is also engaged in interdisciplinary research on cultural constructs of mental health and illness and curates exhibits of art brut as a vehicle for fighting stigma. Hans-Otto Thomashoff was born in Germany and lives in Vienna. He is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, art historian and author of fiction and non-fiction books. He has been curator of several art exhibitions highlighting the connection between the psyche and art as well as president of the section of Art and Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association and advisory committee member of the Sigmund Freud Foundation, Vienna.

Popular interest in body image issues has grown dramatically in recent years, due to an emphasis on individual responsibility and self-determination in contemporary society as well as the seemingly limitless capacities of modern medicine; however body image as a separate field of academic inquiry is still relatively young. The contributors of Body Image and Identity in Contemporary Societies explore the complex social, political and aesthetic interconnections between body image and identity. It is an in-depth study that allows for new perspectives in the analysis of contemporary visual art and literature but also reflects on how these social constructs inform clinical treatment. Sukhanova and Thomashoff bring together contributions from psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, psychiatrists and scholars in the fields of the social sciences and the humanities to explore representations of the body in literature and the arts across different times and cultures. The chapters analyse the social construction of the 'ideal' body in terms of beauty, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class and disability, from a broadly psychoanalytic perspective, and traces the mechanisms which define the role of the physical appearance in the formation of identity and the assumption of social roles. Body Image and Identity in Contemporary Societies' unique interdisciplinary outlook aims to bridge the current gap between clinical observations and research in semiotic theory. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, art therapists, art theorists, academics in the humanities and social sciences, and those interested in an interdisciplinary approach to the issues of body image and identity. Ekaterina Sukhanova is University Director of Academic Program Review at the City University of New York USA. She serves as Scientific Secretary of the Section for Art and Psychiatry and the Section of Art and Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association. She is also engaged in interdisciplinary research on cultural constructs of mental health and illness and curates exhibits of art brut as a vehicle for fighting stigma. Hans-Otto Thomashoff was born in Germany and lives in Vienna. He is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, art historian and author of fiction and non-fiction books. He has been curator of several art exhibitions highlighting the connection between the psyche and art as well as president of the section of Art and Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association and advisory committee member of the Sigmund Freud Foundation, Vienna.

The relationship between self-esteem and body image has been well-established such that low levels of self-esteem have been found to be associated with body image concerns. The authors review previous research on the link between low self-esteem and body image concerns and then discuss more recent research concerning the importance of contingent self-esteem in this connection. The next chapter provides a discussion on the commonness of body dissatisfaction among contemporary Western young women and suggests re-embodiment as a means of transforming this experience. Chapter 3 explores the relationship between appearance satisfaction emotional overeating, experiences of racism and BMI among Black and African American women. Ethnic identity plays an important role in the self-concept related to feelings and attitudes. Chapter 4 explores the ethnic differences in self-esteem and body image among adolescents, as well as the need to address ethnicity in prevention programs. The remaining chapters of the book focus on body image in adolescent pregnancy; magazine image influence, extraversion and body image in college males; sociocultural factors, body image factors and self-esteem on school-age males and females, the perception of self-image in older people and how it changes throughout life; an examination of how the way woman perceive themselves influences the psychosexual impact on quality of life; and finally, how people can improve or develop a healthier investment in appearance.

A cross-disciplinary study of the role of fashion in contemporary society, and its relationship with individual identity and the self.

Educational Administration and Leadership Identity Formation explores approaches and issues that arise in leadership identity formation in a variety of educational contexts. Bringing together a range of national and international contributions, this volume provides a global perspective on this multi-dimensional topic. This book examines the theoretical foundations relevant to identity and identity formation, and their implications for researching and teaching in educational administration and leadership. It includes a range of sociological, psychological, political, cultural, and socio--linguistic approaches to examining leadership identity formation. It also addresses models, practices and experiences that vary according to identity politics, cultural difference, and historical and contemporary privilege in leadership identity formation. Working from theoretical and practice-base perspectives, this book will be of great interest for researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and academics, as well as students in teacher education programs and graduate courses in educational administration and leadership, organisational studies, and educational ethics for broad international use.

"El Mall considers the boom of shopping malls in Latin America to explore how malls and consumption are shaping the conversation about class and social inequality in Latin America"--Provided by publisher.

Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women and Children presents a review of what is presently known and the results of some new research on body image. It compares the effects of gender, sexuality, social class, age and ethnicity on satisfaction with the way we look and suggests how these differences arise. Why, for instance, are heterosexual men much happier with their body images than women or gay men? Sarah Grogan discusses the effect of media presentation of the ideal body and other cultural influences. Surprisingly, despite the almost exclusive media preference for very young female bodies, she finds that older women are not less satisfied with their bodies than younger women. Written for readers from a variety of disciplines, this clear and eclectic book will make the ideal text for students from psychology, sociology, gender and media studies.

How can we talk about evil? How can we make sense of its presence all around us? How can we come to terms with the sad fact that our involvement in doing or enabling evil is an interminable aspect of our lives in the world? This book is an attempt to engage these questions in a new way. Written from within the complicated reality of Israel, the contributors to this book forge a collective effort to think about evil from multiple perspectives. A necessary effort, since psychoanalysis has been slow to account for the existence of evil, while philosophy and the social sciences have tended to neglect its psychological aspects. The essays collected here join to form a wide canvas on which a portrait of evil gradually emerges, from the Bible, through the enlightenment to the Holocaust; from Kant, through Freud, Klein, Bromberg and Stein to Arendt, Agamben and Bauman; using literature, history, cinema, social theory and psychoanalysis. Talking about Evil opens up a much needed space for thinking, in itself an antidote to evil. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and scholars and students of philosophy, social theory and the humanities.