 Abstract | The study of the psychological experience of the personal body in the discipline of psychology,
through the concept referred to as the body image, has its roots in neurology and
psychoanalysis. This thesis begins with a review of body image research across three disciplines:
neuroscience, psychoanalysis and psychology. The literature review places the work titled ‘The
image and appearance of the human body’ by neurologist and psychoanalyst Paul Schilder
(1935/1978) at the intersection of these three disciplines. Schilder’s text described the
organization of the body image as a dynamic and tri-dimensional structuralization. Since the midtwentieth
century, psychological research has taken special interest in the body image as a topic
for study. However, the paradigm guiding that research enterprise has transformed the holistic
quality of Schilder’s work, identified its organization as antiquated and often unsuitable for
empirical research. This thesis argues that Schilder’s theory is as relevant today as ever, and that
psychology would benefit greatly from a re-consideration of its relevance to empirical study. To
demonstrate the potential of Schilder’s theory, the present study conducted 15 semi-structured
interviews with women participating in three styles of movement and performance: contemporary
dance, Middle-eastern dance (or belly dance) and aerobics (instructors). The investigation
considered core propositions described by Schilder with respect to the role of movement and the
body image, to explore structuralization from the point of view of procedural movement. The
study sought also to examine the extent to which the findings might serve the development of
theory on the body image. The findings established a priori and a posteriori themes, and these
served to demonstrate how Schilder’s theory provides a sound framework for empirical inquiry in
psychology. The implications of the present study highlight the explanatory power of that theory,
especially the way it illuminates a new perspective from which a fuller understanding of the role of
the body image might be gleaned. Finally, the implications highlight the importance of the actual
presence of the physical body in the construction of the body image, particularly the kinesthetic
perceptual system, and underline the importance of re-visiting Schilder’s theory in order to open
up new opportunities for interdisciplinary research. |
