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