Fostering a Positive Body Image

Growing Happy, Healthy Young Minds

Edited by Dr Ramesh Manocha & Gyongyi Horvath
To read the full chapter go to Volume 1, chapter 17, pp. 265-278.

Authors

Professor Susan Paxton

Professor in the School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University

Professor Susan Paxton is a Professor in the School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University. She is a Director of The Butterfly Foundation and past President of the Academy for Eating Disorders. In recognition of her research, she was awarded the 2013 Academy for Eating Disorders Leadership in Research Award.

Dr Siân McLean

Lecturer in Psychology in the College of Health and Biomedicine at Victoria University

Dr Siân McLean is Lecturer in Psychology in the College of Health and Biomedicine at Victoria University and an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University. She is highly experienced in school-based prevention and research investigating the role of media literacy as a protective factor in the development of body dissatisfaction.

This chapter will provide an overview of important influences on body image in adolescence. Readers will gain an understanding of the role of peers and media, and approaches to prevent these influences from having a negative effect on body image.