The Body in Question: Exploring instruments for assessing body self-perception

Abstract

Body self-perception is an essential component in the construction of identity and psychological well-being. The main objective of this study is to identify and analyze instruments used to assess body self-perception. Through database searches, those with psychometric validity are selected. A descriptive-comparative analysis is performed, identifying the strengths and limitations of each questionnaire, as well as the dimensions of body self-perception most commonly assessed. The results are particularly focused on eating disorders and reveal a tendency to focus on aspects such as excessive concern about body weight; however, they do not sufficiently address social and cultural influences, nor the breadth and diversity of expressive and relational experience; this is perhaps the reason for the discrepancies observed. In this sense, there is a need to measure body self-perception by more meaningful means, something that has already been proposed by art therapy, offering a more complete view of the relationship that the individual has with their body. The development of new, different instruments and their use is a challenge and an opportunity for professional work in various fields and future research.