Body image and hexaco are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain hexaco, and hexaco frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives HEXACO
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives hexaco
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary hexaco trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as hexaco
How HEXACO Affects Body Image
HEXACO 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 HEXACO 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 hexaco
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and hexaco