Oxford Handbook of the Psychology of Appearance

by Rumsey, Nichola; Harcourt, Diana

• ISBN13: 9780198723226
• ISBN10: 0198723229
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-09-03
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

We live in a society in which messages associating physical attractiveness with success and happiness are pervasive. There is an epidemic of appearance concerns amongst teenagers and adults in westernised countries and body image dissatisfaction is now considered normative. Large numbers of people experience negative impacts on wellbeing and, for many adolescents, adults, and even children, appearance concerns are influential in choices about a range of health behaviours. The challenges facing them include difficulties with social encounters and the problem of having to cope with negative self perceptions.

The Oxford Handbook of the Psychology of Appearance is a comprehensive reference text written by experts in the field. It examines how people feel about the way they look, and why it is that some people are happy with their appearance whilst increasing numbers are troubled by the way they look - reporting that these appearance-related concerns affect many aspects of their lives including relationships, health and well-being. It considers the influence of other people and how the media affects thoughts and behaviors related to appearance. It explores the experiences of people living with a disfigurement in a society that seems to be increasingly focussed on appearance and the pursuit of an idealised image of beauty, size and weight.

Exploring a topic that has been often neglected in the psychological literature, this book will be invaluable for health, clinical, and social psychologists, health professionals working with patients with visible differences, and those in the field of public health and education.

Author Biography

Nichola Rumsey, VTCT Professor of Appearance Psychology, Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK,Diana Harcourt, Reader in Health Psychology, Centre for Appearance Research, University West England, Bristol, UK

Table of Contents

Introduction, Nichola Rumsey and Diana Harcourt
Setting the Scene
1. Overview
2. Appearance and Society, Hannah Frith
3. Embodiment and Appearance, Malcolm MacLachlan, Grainne Ni Mhaille, Pamela Gallagher and Deirdre Desmond
4. Cross-cultural Differences, Hannah Falvey
5. Challenges in Health Care Provision in the UK, Esther L.E. Hansen and Peter E.M. Butler
6. Challenges in Health Care Provision in the USA, Valerie Lamaine and Andrea Pusic
7. Challenges in Health Care Provision in Resource-Poor Countries, Tom Potokar and Patricia Price
8. A Sociological Perspective in Biomedical Technologies and Appearance, Julie Kent
9. Researching Appearance: Models, Theories, and Frameworks, Andrew R. Thompson
10 Summary and Synthesis. Nichola Rumsey and Diana Harcourt
Who is affected by appearance concerns, in what way, and why?
11. Overview
Across the lifespan
12. Appearance in Childhood and Adolescence, Linda Smolak
13. Appearance in Adulthood, Marika Tiggemann and Julie Slevec
14. Appearance in Later Life, Lucie Baker and Eyal Gringart
Individual differences in adjustment and distress
15. Gender, Helen Falkner
16. Lesbian, Gay and Bisexualities, Appearance and Body Image, Caroline Huxley and Nikki Hayfield
17. Culture and Ethnicity, Habib Naqvi and Krysia Saul
18. Influence of the Media, Emma Halliwell and Phillippa Diedrichs
19 The Role of the Family. Rebecca Bellew
20. Influence of Peers, Lina Ricciardelli and David Mellor
21. Adult Psychosocial Adjustment to Visible Differences: Physical and Psychological Predictors of Variation, Timothy P. Moss and Ben Rosser
Consequences of Appearance Concerns
22 Appearance and Exercise. James Byron-Daniel
23. Understanding the Too Fat Body and the Too Thin Body: A Critical Psychological Perspective, Irmgard Tischner and Helen Malson
24. Appearance Concerns, Dietary Restriction and Disordered Eating, Victoria Lawson
25. Cosmetic Procedures, Canice E. Crerand, Leanne Magee and David B. Sarwer
Experiences of people who have a visible difference
26. Congenital Conditions, Kristin Billaud-Feragen
27. Trauma - with special reference to burn injury, Julie Wisely and Sarah Gaskell
28. Visible Difference Associated with Disease: Skin conditions, Christine Bundy
29. When Treatment Affects Appearance, Heidi Williamson and Melissa Wallace
30. Summary and Synthesis
What needs to change and how can change be achieved
31. Section Overview
Societal Interventions
32. Role of the Media, Barry Gunter
33. Persuading the Public: New face values for the 21st Century, James Partridge
34. Changing Provision of Healthcare Settings in the United Kingdom, Julia Cadogan
35. Interventions for Families and Healthcare Professionals, Susan Brown
36. Regulation of Cosmetic Surgery, Alexandra Clarke
Interventions at an individual or group level
37. School Based Interventions to Promote Positive Body Image and the Acceptance of Diversity in Appearance, Phillippa Diedrichs and Emma Halliwell
38. Therapeutic Interventions: Evidence of effectiveness, Elizabeth Jenkinson
39. Computer Based Psychosocial Interventions, Alyson Bessell
40. Using Appearance Concerns to Promote Health, Sarah Grogan and Daniel Masterson
41. Summary and Synthesis
Research Issues
42. Overview
43. Methodological Issues in the Study of Body Image and Appearance, Ross Krawczyk, Jessie Menzel and J. Kevin Thompson
44. Using Retrospective Approaches in the Study of Disfigurement, Martin Persson
45. Mixed Methods: The best of both worlds?, Emma Dures
46. Methodological Choices (Online research), Neil S. Coulson
47. Using Novel Methods in Appearance Research, Diana Harcourt
48. Promoting Participant Voices in Research, Amanda Bates
49. Summary and Synthesis
The Psychology of Appearance
50. The Future, Nichola Rumsey and Diana Harcourt
Index