Changing Body Image: From the perspective of a Plastic Surgeon, a Psychiatrist and a Theologian
John K. Graham, MD, Institute
for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center
James W. Lomax, MD, Baylor College of Medicine
Samuel E. Karff, DHL, Congregation Beth Israel
James W. Lomax, MD, Baylor College of Medicine
Samuel E. Karff, DHL, Congregation Beth Israel
Human beings are said to be created in God’s image and each has a mental image of his or her own body. A positive body image is important to one’s mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Yet, we may only become aware of its importance after sustaining trauma or disease that distort that image. This panel will provide an inter-disciplinary discussion by a plastic surgeon, a psychiatrist, and a theologian who will look at body image as a dynamic mental construct, changing with circumstances in life, and evolving over time.
From the perspective of a plastic surgeon: Patients often come to a plastic surgeon when they have an issue with their body image. This may be for cosmetic surgery; i.e., a rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, or facelift. Or, the problem may require extensive reconstructive surgery as with a gunshot injury to the face, the amputation of a limb, or the removal of a body part (following a mastectomy or mandible resection). The speaker will address the impact plastic surgery can have on the patient and the surgeon alike, especially if the procedure fails to satisfy the patient.
From the perspective of a psychiatrist: The speaker will explore the psychodynamics involved in how a person acquires his or her body image which is more than simply a mental picture of one’s body. The mental representation we create of ourselves is influenced by how we perceive that significant other (attachment) figures in our lives view us. That is, body image is subject to distortion from early life experiences and from the attitudes of parents, siblings and peers. Body image also involves our psychological and emotional understanding of the significance of ourselves and of our body parts in relation to others in our social setting. A teenage boy may develop anxiety over having acne; a teenage girl may be distressed over having smaller breasts than her classmates. The speaker will also look at what happens when a person has difficulty adapting to stressful or socially significant life circumstances (from disease, disorder, or aging). He will consider how some circumstances create severely distorted body image issues that can be life threatening, as with anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder.
From the perspective of a theologian: Body image can also be looked at from a theological and spiritual perspective. What does it mean to be created in the image of God? What affect does one’s spiritual and theological understanding have on the way we view ourselves holistically -- body, soul and spirit? What does theology have to say to those who are born with a congenital birth defect such as a cleft lip or palate? Why did God let this happen to my child? Why did I have a stroke and can no longer work to meet the needs of my household? How do men and women cope with tragic events that distort their body image and affect their understanding of God/ultimate reality? How can one’s faith and religious beliefs help or hinder the maintenance of a positive body image throughout life and in the midst of adversity?
From the perspective of a plastic surgeon: Patients often come to a plastic surgeon when they have an issue with their body image. This may be for cosmetic surgery; i.e., a rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, or facelift. Or, the problem may require extensive reconstructive surgery as with a gunshot injury to the face, the amputation of a limb, or the removal of a body part (following a mastectomy or mandible resection). The speaker will address the impact plastic surgery can have on the patient and the surgeon alike, especially if the procedure fails to satisfy the patient.
From the perspective of a psychiatrist: The speaker will explore the psychodynamics involved in how a person acquires his or her body image which is more than simply a mental picture of one’s body. The mental representation we create of ourselves is influenced by how we perceive that significant other (attachment) figures in our lives view us. That is, body image is subject to distortion from early life experiences and from the attitudes of parents, siblings and peers. Body image also involves our psychological and emotional understanding of the significance of ourselves and of our body parts in relation to others in our social setting. A teenage boy may develop anxiety over having acne; a teenage girl may be distressed over having smaller breasts than her classmates. The speaker will also look at what happens when a person has difficulty adapting to stressful or socially significant life circumstances (from disease, disorder, or aging). He will consider how some circumstances create severely distorted body image issues that can be life threatening, as with anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder.
From the perspective of a theologian: Body image can also be looked at from a theological and spiritual perspective. What does it mean to be created in the image of God? What affect does one’s spiritual and theological understanding have on the way we view ourselves holistically -- body, soul and spirit? What does theology have to say to those who are born with a congenital birth defect such as a cleft lip or palate? Why did God let this happen to my child? Why did I have a stroke and can no longer work to meet the needs of my household? How do men and women cope with tragic events that distort their body image and affect their understanding of God/ultimate reality? How can one’s faith and religious beliefs help or hinder the maintenance of a positive body image throughout life and in the midst of adversity?