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