ABSTRACT
Body image and the extent of one’s desire to be attractive are intensely subjective and affected by how each of us interprets our worlds. Early body image research attempted to explain “phantom limbs,” sensate extremities still experienced by patients even after amputation. Theoretical body image construction is both “top-down” and “bottom-up”. The extent to which any trauma wound has influenced a patient’s sense of self-worth will add an unconscious element to body awareness and body image and thus affect self-worth, thought processing, and the patient’s desire to care for his or her body. Personality and physical characteristics each influence body image. Body image develops early. Even infants respond to videos of other infants and at age 2 begin to recognize themselves in mirrors and photographs.
