It was developed by Secord and Jourard in 1953 to determine the level of body image satisfaction in patients. The scale was adapted into Turkish by Hovardaoğlu in 1989.
Body perception is an abstraction that is difficult to explain and there is no widely accepted definition (Varlık, 2006). Body image can be defined as one's thoughts about how the body looks to others or one's feelings and attitudes towards one's own body (Grogan, 2005). Body image is a concept consisting of multidimensional components. Examples of these are the individual's perceptions, emotions, behaviors, attitudes about one's own body and physical appearance, and the effects of these attitudes on one's social and psychological functioning (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002). Body image refers to the individual's perception of himself/herself as well as his/her body appearance. Therefore, it is subjective rather than objective. In the 16th century, surgeon Ambroise Pare proposed the concept of "body image disorder" based on his observations of patients with phantom organ pain. However, after this period, there was a period of stagnation and only in the first half of the 20th century, studies explaining and analyzing body image were conducted (Erkal & Pek, 1993)
Body image consists of three main dimensions. These are evaluation, affect and investment. Appraisal describes one's satisfaction with all of one's physical attributes. Affect describes the emotional experiences and feelings in evaluating oneself. Investment, on the other hand, emphasizes the cognitive-behavioral importance of appearance and its prominent features in self-perception (Sandoval, 2008). It is seen that body image is too complex to be explained under a single heading. Apart from the physical characteristics of the person, cultural, familial influences, interpersonal relationships and experiences are also important in the formation of body image.