Pure versus guided mirror exposure to reduce body dissatisfaction: A preliminary study with university women

Abstract

While effectiveness of mirror exposure to reduce body dissatisfaction has been demonstrated, the exposure was almost always combined with other interventions. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a pure mirror exposure intervention compared with a guided mirror exposure (participants are guided to describe their body shape in a non-evaluative manner) and an imagery exposure intervention (participants are guided to describe their body through mental representation). Thirty-one women with high body dissatisfaction received five sessions of treatment under one of the three conditions. All interventions reduced body dissatisfaction, but only the mirror exposures successfully reduced the frequency of negative thoughts and feelings of ugliness. Pure mirror exposure was more effective than guided exposure for reducing body discomfort within and between sessions. Pure mirror exposure, based on the traditional extinction paradigm, led to strong emotional activation followed by a fast decrease in emotional reactivity.

Does the Use of Body Scanners Discriminate Overweight Flight Passengers? The Effect of Body Scanners on Body Image

“…The finding that a body scan negatively influences the implicit body image of overweight participants is not only in line with studies demonstrating that associations measured by the IAT are generally capable of being influenced by situational factors (Gawronski & Conrey, 2004), but also with studies showing that situations enforcing high attention to one's own appearance can have a negative impact on one's self-evaluation (Beach, 1993;Hoffmeister et al, 2010;Moreno-Domínguez et al, 2012;Windheim et al, 2011). It can be assumed that the increased self-focus, which is induced by the scanning procedure, leads to a comparison with implicit standards, which -in case of overweight people -turns out unsatisfactory and thereby has a negative impact on the body image of the user (Carver & Scheier, 1981).…”

“…This procedure was supposed to increase the salience of body shape and weight and led to a decrease of the implicit self-esteem of restrained eaters. In another study the mirror exposure led to a short-term increase in discomfort (Moreno-Domínguez et al, 2012). In addition, it has been shown that focusing on one's own face through mirror-gazing does not only lead to an increased self-focused attention but also to an increased distress in healthy participants (Windheim, et al, 2011).…”

“…The whole procedure is taking place in public with at least one security agent overseeing the body scan and usually quite a number of other passengers waiting in line. Recent studies have shown that situations, which afford high attention to one's own appearance, can have a negative impact on one's self-evaluation (Beach, 1993;Hoffmeister, Teige-Mocigemba, Blechert, Klauer, & Tuschen-Caffier, 2010;Moreno-Domínguez, Rodríguez-Ruiz, Fernández-Santaella, Jansen, & Tuschen-Caffier, 2012;Windheim, Veale, & Anson, 2011). Hoffmeister et al (2010), for example, asked their participants to stand in front of a mirror wearing a tight tank top.…”

The ‘not-so-strange’ body in the mirror: A principal components analysis of direct and mirror self-observation

“…ÔpureÕ mirror exposure without any guidance has been found to improve body satisfaction in a non-clinical, female sample (Moreno-Dom'nguez, Rodr'guez-Ruiz, Fern ‡ndez-Santaella, Jansen, & Tuschen-Caffier, 2012). However, this later study did not examine the effect of such ÔpureÕ exposure in individuals with eating disorders or body image disturbance, and further research is needed to establish more clearly the effect of pure mirror exposure on body satisfaction in individuals with different body image disturbances or eating disorders.…”

Testing the efficacy of pure versus guided mirror exposure in women with bulimia nervosa: A combination of neuroendocrine and psychological indices

“…A different method of mirror exposure for the treatment of body dissatisfaction was recently proposed by Moreno-Domínguez, Rodríguez-Ruiz, Fern andez-Santaella, Jansen, and Tuschen-Caffier (2012). These authors examined, in a group of women with high body dissatisfaction, but without EBDs, whether pure exposure to one's own body would be effective in reducing body dissatisfaction compared with the guided exposure developed by Tuschen-Caffier and Florin (2002).…”