GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION

Throughout time there have been many conceptualizations of beauty. From each different field of study, and from every different culture and perspective, beauty can be given unique descriptions and definitions. Here, psychological and other theories of beauty are reviewed, and the impacts of these culturally held perceptions are identified. Pathological pursuits of beauty and its dire consequences for mental health, including eating disorders, are addressed as well.

Course's articles identify the ways in which perception of beauty has changed over time and note the negative influences that these changes have had for women, describe how perception of one's own beauty impacts how others see us, review psychoanalytic theories of beauty, address the negative impacts of the media on women's self-perceptions, comment on the pathological consequences of the pursuit of beauty, and provide resources and links for further review of the subject.

 
Educational Objectives:

This course will teach psychotherapists to
• Compare theories of beauty

• Identify ways in which perception of beauty is modulated

• Recognize the negative impacts that the pursuit of beauty may have on women

• Assess negative mental health and pathological consequences associated with the pursuit of beauty

Course Syllabus:

• Classic Theories and Definitions of Beauty

  • Beauty vs. Aesthetics

  • Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

• Cultural Construction of Beauty

  • Cross cultural impacts

    • Different cultures perceive beauty differently

  • Gender-driven views of beauty and the female form

  • Views from the Beauty Industry

• Beauty Pathologized

  • Media and Beauty

    • Body Image, Eating Disorders

  • Beauty Pageants

    • Adults

    • Children

  • Mental Illness & Disorders:

    • Body Dysmorphic Disorder

    • Eating disorders

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