The Muscular ideal: psychological, social, and medical perspectives

Abstract

The Muscular Ideal: Psychological, Social and Medical Perspectives edited by J. Kevin Thompson and G. Cafri. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2007, 265 pp. Thompson and Cafri have put together a collection of 12 monographs written by leading theorists and researchers in the field of body image. This collection is divided into five sections, each with its own focus: cultural, social, and psychological factors; definitions and measurements; medical issues, treatment, and prevention; special top-ics; and a conclusion. While the coverage of topics within the sections is sparse at times, as a whole, the collection is a worthwhile addition to the shelves of body image researchers. As the editors note in their Introduction to the book, the phenomena of the muscular ideal and male body image dissatisfaction are recent. Only in the last 20 years has having a muscular body become extremely important to men, so the history of this shift toward an ideal body image can be fairly accurately described. In addition, the last 20 years have seen the advent of muscle dysmorphia, a psychological disorder involving the desire for a muscular body coupled with a distortion of body image such that people with the disorder believe their bodies appear to them to be smaller than they actually are. The general focus of the book is factors influencing the origin of the muscular male body ideal and issues surrounding muscle dysmorphia. The first section deals with cultural, social, and psychological issues, and does an excellent job of setting the stage. Especially helpful is Chapter Two, by Lynne Luciano, which delineates the changes in ideal body image that have occurred in the United States. Also useful for both clinicians and researchers is Chapter One, by James Gray and Rebecca Ginsberg, which describes some of the factors that have contributed to the endorsement of the muscular ideal body image. These authors spend time discussing the muscular ideal in specific groups within the United States, but also consider cross-cultural findings related to the muscular ideal. The muscular ideal seems to be much more important in Western than in non-Western countries. Chapter Three describes bodybuilder culture, one to which few researchers are allowed access. The second section of the book deals with definitions and body measurements. Chapter Five, which is by the editors, provides a good overview of the measures of the muscular ideal. It is remarkably similar to an article the same authors published in Psychology of Men and Masculinity. Readers who are looking for more information on the topic of measurement will not find it here. In this section, the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) is highlighted. It is described in detail in Chapter Four by its creator, Donald McCreary. This measure is very useful, is psychometrically sound, and has appropriate research supporting its use. However, there are other measures that have been recently created, such as the Male Body Attitudes Scale, that are briefly mentioned but also deserve equal treatment. …