Routledge Adolescence and Body Image: From Development to Preventing Dissatisfaction (Adolescence and Society)

Body image is a significant issue for the majority of adolescents. Anxieties relating to body image can be crippling across both genders, their debilitating effects sometimes leading to mental health problems. This important book is the first of its kind to focus specifically on adolescents, providing a comprehensive overview of the biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors relating to the development of body image. It also provides a detailed review of the measures which can be taken to address body dissatisfaction. Discussing the role of culture, family, peers, schools, sport and media in stimulating a negative body image, the book also examines the different challenges faced by girls and boys as they grow. Eating disorders and body change strategies are also addressed, as well as the challenges faced by youngsters affected by conditions causing visible differences, such as hair loss in cancer patients.The book also presents original research, including the results from a large Australian study of the body image and associated health behaviours of adolescent boys, and the results of a study of current teaching practices relating to body image. Adolescence and Body Image will be ideal reading for students and researchers from a variety of fields, including developmental, health, and social psychology, sociology, and cultural and health studies. Professionals working with young people, whether in education, health promotion or any other allied discipline will also find this book an invaluable resource. Review Adolescence and Body Image... discusses how [adolescents'] body image is impacted and shaped by many various factors, such as peers culture, sports and media. The book draws on research across the globe to discuss how [adolescents tend] to view their bodies, and how their body image is impacted. The book is an interesting read and the authors have been able to summarize data, findings and discussion into easy-to-understand facts, which makes the book ideal for the classroom. - Hennie Weiss, California State University, Metapsychology.net This book does an impressive job of organizing, presenting, and analyzing three complex, multidimensional topics: body image, adolescence and the strengths and limitations of empirical research. It raises many unanswered questions, and skilfully conveys the diversity of topics and issues related to what we know about body image in adolescent females and males. For experts in body image and eating disorders it also presents an authoritative and practical set of answers to the often-heard lament: "How can anyone keep up with all the exciting new research on body image?" - Michael P. Levine, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Kenyon College, USA As part of the Adolescence and Society Series edited by John C. Coleman, this book continues the good work that other volumes in the series have started by bringing to the forefront the important issues that adolescents around the world face on a daily basis. In their book, Ricciardelli and Yager present scholarship on adolescent body image from a range of disciplines and approaches... Each chapter is relatively short and easily digestible, but contains a large amount of information and, almost more importantly, exhaustive reference lists that readers can use to find their way to the primary research. One area in which the authors do a valiant effort to address what is known about body image and point out what is missing is in the realm of cultural influences... It provides so much information and tries to cover so many topics that it creates a book that is a great review of research... Ricciardelli and Yager have produced a book that will serve as a great resource for teachers and researchers. It is easy to read and accessible... [The] book will serve as a great resource for people to keep current... [The] authors do a good job of being objective and giving a clear and thorough overview... [The] writing and or