Understanding Body Image

What Shapes How You See Yourself

DBTInfo SheetFree ResourceLast reviewed April 2026

What Shapes How You See Yourself

Understanding Body Image

What Shapes How You See Yourself

Body image refers to the mental picture you have of your own body, along with the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs attached to that picture. It exists on a spectrum (Tylka & Wood-Barcalow, 2015), and people of all shapes, sizes, and appearances can hold either a positive or negative body image, often influenced by social media exposure (Fardouly & Vartanian, 2022). Understanding the factors that influence body image is the first step toward developing a healthier relationship with your body.

Positive vs. Negative Body Image

Positive body image: Involves accepting your body as it is, appreciating its capabilities, and basing self-worth on a range of qualities beyond appearance. People with positive body image can acknowledge imperfections without fixating on them.Example: Noticing a scar on your arm and thinking 'That's part of my story' rather than trying to hide it from everyone.

Negative body image: Involves persistent dissatisfaction with appearance, preoccupation with perceived flaws, and frequent comparison to unrealistic standards. Negative body image is associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and disordered eating.Example: Spending twenty minutes trying on outfits before leaving the house and still feeling certain that everyone will judge how you look.

Key Influences on Body Image

Cultural and media messages: Societal beauty standards, reinforced through advertising, social media, and entertainment, create narrow definitions of attractiveness. Digitally altered images are often presented as reality, distorting perceptions of what is normal or achievable.Example: Scrolling through heavily filtered photos on social media and feeling like your own unedited appearance doesn't measure up.

Family and peer environment: Comments from parents, siblings, friends, and romantic partners have a powerful and lasting impact on body image. Both overt criticism and subtle remarks about weight, food, or appearance can shape deeply held beliefs about the body.Example: A parent's offhand comment like 'Are you sure you want seconds?' can shape a child's relationship with food and body for years.

Individual psychological factors: Personality traits such as perfectionism, low self-esteem, and a tendency toward social comparison increase vulnerability to negative body image. Conversely, self-compassion and psychological flexibility are protective factors.Example: Someone with perfectionistic tendencies might fixate on a minor blemish that no one else notices, while a self-compassionate person can acknowledge it and move on.

Common Questions

How can I improve my body image?: Sustainable improvement involves building overall self-esteem, challenging internalized beauty standards, practicing self-compassion, and limiting exposure to content that triggers comparison. Therapy approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy have demonstrated effectiveness.Example: Unfollowing accounts that make you feel inadequate and replacing them with ones that celebrate diverse body types can shift your daily exposure.

Does changing my appearance fix body image concerns?: Not necessarily. Body image is a psychological experience, not a direct reflection of physical reality. People who undergo cosmetic procedures or achieve fitness goals sometimes find that their dissatisfaction simply shifts to a different area. Addressing the underlying beliefs is typically more effective.Example: Someone reaches their goal weight but then becomes preoccupied with a different feature, showing that the dissatisfaction was never really about the number on the scale.

What role does social media play?: Social media exposes users to curated, filtered, and often unrealistic images at a high frequency. Research links heavy social media use with increased body dissatisfaction, particularly when users engage in upward social comparison. Curating your feed and taking intentional breaks can reduce its impact.Example: After a week-long break from image-heavy apps, many people report feeling noticeably less critical of their own appearance.

Related DBT Worksheets

View all DBT→

DBT

Daily Positivity Log

Training your brain to notice and remember the good in each day

DBT

DEAR MAN: Assertive Communication in Action

A Step-by-Step Method for Making Effective Requests

DBT

Distress Tolerance Skills Inventory

Assess Your Use of Evidence-Based Crisis Survival Strategies

Common Questions

What is the Understanding Body Image worksheet?

Body image refers to the mental picture you have of your own body, along with the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs attached to that picture.

How do I use the Understanding Body Image worksheet?

Read through this resource to learn key concepts. Share with your therapist or use as a study reference. You can print this sheet or bookmark it for quick access later.

Is the Understanding Body Image worksheet free?

Yes. Like every worksheet on Therapy Resource, it is free to read, print, and download as a PDF — no account required. A Pro subscription adds online filling with saved progress, practice-branded PDF exports, and secure client sharing.

Who is the Understanding Body Image worksheet for?

It is designed for therapists and counselors doing DBT work with clients, and for individuals using it for self-guided practice. Pro members can share it with clients through a private link — no client account needed.

Use this worksheet professionally

Pro members can fill worksheets online, save progress, customize content, share with clients, and export branded PDFs.

Try Pro free for 7 days →

← Back to all worksheets

Unlock Pro featuresFill online, export PDFs, customize & share with clients

Try Pro