Understanding the Role of Cognition and Media in Body Image Disturbance and Weight Bias in Children, Adolescents, and Adults

Abstract

This chapter explores the role of cognition and media as it relates to body image disturbances and weight bias in children, adolescents, and adults. Specifically, this chapter examines the multidimensional factors related to an individual's body image and further examines how these variables relate to prejudice or anti‐fat bias against others. Exposure to thin‐ideal media and related effects on an individual's self‐perception are examined in the areas of self‐discrepancy, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and body self‐esteem. This chapter further examines the relationship between media and obesity with a look at the role media potentially play in the development of overweight or obesity in children. Lastly, this chapter will synthesize work in the area of media, cognition, and body image from a theoretical perspective and offer suggestions for the direction of future research.