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