Self-esteem and Its Influence in Cases of Dysmorphophobia

Self-esteem is the value we give to who we are, while self-concept refers to how we perceive ourselves.

Both are vital from our earliest childhood, in which what we believe we are to our parents, siblings and first friends is key. The early family environment will be the basis of solid emotional relationships.

Personal image: how is it developed?

After childhood will come adolescence, another critical stage in which personal image begins to be established and developed and romantic relationships appear How these are experienced will influence our way of dealing with couple dynamics and emotions in the future. This is a time of change for people and these relationships are usually experienced with uncertainty, intensity, but also with great disappointments, so it will be necessary to help boys and girls.

Another area in which a lack of self-esteem can play tricks on us is the work environment, more competitive every day and in which we have to feel reinforced to handle ourselves without problems. In our workplace we face a variety of situations every day that test how we value ourselves. Some, almost always the negative ones, are repeated daily, and make us question many things.

To prevent established hierarchical relationships, workplace injustices or bad relationships with colleagues from hurting us, we have to have confidence in ourselves and be able to take criticism.

Self-esteem and personal image

In these times when image has taken on great importance, it is impossible to talk about self-esteem without referring to it; to social networks, chats, selfies and that Instagram in which many lives are exposed, not always real.

Overexposure is causing many self-esteem problems in people who do not feel good about their physique The comparison with other people on online profiles and the social demand to show off a good body has increased their discomfort.

For those who prioritize image over other levels, the impact of not feeling good about their external appearance will be very high in this context.

The problem occurs when this fixation on our physique is excessive, since it can generate stress, anxiety, as well as verbalizations and behaviors that pursue the objective of camouflaging or modifying our physical appearance. In these cases, psychologists speak of dysmorphophobic disorder.

This disorder can be the end point in a path full of insecurities and complexes that crystallize in beliefs of this type.

In this case, the affected person should put themselves in the hands of a professional who, first of all, makes them understand what is causing them so much discomfort. In a second stage, psychologist and client will work on the beliefs that are limiting them.

Is dysmorphophobia treatable?

Of course, there are effective treatments to minimize dysmorphophobia helping the patient to significantly reduce their discomfort and make small physical complexes increasingly more bearable.

Without reaching this extreme, the discomfort manifests itself, for example, in the obsession with shopping and in negative verbalizations in front of the mirror, the classic “I have nothing to wear” in front of a closet full of clothes. Adolescents, especially women, due to the social pressure to which they are subjected, often experience these types of insecurity problems.

We should not, therefore, take as trivial the constant need to buy and wear new clothes, accessories or any other object or accessory that reinforces personal image, if not being able to do so impacts well-being.

It is very important to monitor these behaviors during adolescence, a time in which, as I have previously pointed out, a large part of how we see ourselves is shaped.

Tips to take care of self-esteem

Self-esteem is key throughout our lives and we must always take care of it and cultivate it. It must be pampered and reinforced. For this I leave you these tips.

And of course, If you think you need psychological support, do not hesitate to go to your reference center