Body image and domestic violence are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain domestic violence, and domestic violence frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Domestic Violence
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives domestic violence
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary domestic violence trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as domestic violence
How Domestic Violence Affects Body Image
Domestic Violence can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Domestic Violence Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by domestic violence
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and domestic violence