Oxford Handbook of the Psychology of Appearance

Dr Harcourt was appointed Reader in Health Psychology at UWE in 2006, and is Co-Director of the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR). Her interest in the psychological consequences of changes to appearance led her to conduct her PhD research into women's experiences of mastectomy and breast reconstruction after a diagnosis of cancer. Her PhD was supervised by Professor Nichola Rumsey, with whom she has worked closely since the inception of the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) in 1998. She was Chair of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology from 2009-10.

Introduction ; SETTING THE SCENE ; 1. Overview ; 2. Appearance and Society ; 3. Embodiment and Appearance ; 4. Cross-cultural Differences ; 5. Challenges in Health Care Provision in the UK ; 6. Challenges in Health Care Provision in the USA ; 7. Challenges in Health Care Provision in Resource-Poor Countries ; 8. A Sociological Perspective in Biomedical Technologies and Appearance ; 9. Researching Appearance: Models, Theories, and Frameworks ; WHO IS AFFECTED BY APPEARANCE CONCERNS, IN WHAT WAY, AND WHY? ; 11. Overview ; ACROSS THE LIFESPAN ; 12. Appearance in Childhood and Adolescence ; 13. Appearance in Adulthood ; 14. Appearance in Later Life ; INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN ADJUSTMENT AND DISTRESS ; 15. Gender ; 16. Lesbian, Gay and Bisexualities, Appearance and Body Image ; 17. Culture and Ethnicity ; 18. Influence of the Media ; 20. Influence of Peers ; 21. Adult Psychosocial Adjustment to Visible Differences: Physical and Psychological Predictors of Variation ; CONSEQUENCES OF APPEARANCE CONCERNS ; 23. Understanding the Too Fat Body and the Too Thin Body: A Critical Psychological Perspective ; 24. Appearance Concerns, Dietary Restriction and Disordered Eating ; 25. Cosmetic Procedures ; EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE A VISIBLE DIFFERENCE ; 26. Congenital Conditions ; 27. Trauma - with special reference to burn injury ; 28. Visible Difference Associated with Disease: Skin conditions ; 29. When Treatment Affects Appearance ; 30. Summary and Synthesis ; WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE AND HOW CAN CHANGE BE ACHIEVED ; 31. Section Overview ; SOCIETAL INTERVENTIONS ; 32. Role of the Media ; 33. Persuading the Public: New face values for the 21st Century ; 34. Changing Provision of Healthcare Settings in the United Kingdom ; 35. Interventions for Families and Healthcare Professionals ; 36. Regulation of Cosmetic Surgery ; INTERVENTIONS AT AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP LEVEL ; 37. School Based Interventions to Promote Positive Body Image and the Acceptance of Diversity in Appearance ; 38. Therapeutic Interventions: Evidence of effectiveness ; 39. Computer Based Psychosocial Interventions ; 40. Using Appearance Concerns to Promote Health ; 41. Summary and Synthesis ; RESEARCH ISSUES ; 42. Overview ; 43. Methodological Issues in the Study of Body Image and Appearance ; 44. Using Retrospective Approaches in the Study of Disfigurement ; 45. Mixed Methods: The best of both worlds? ; 46. Methodological Choices (Online research) ; 47. Using Novel Methods in Appearance Research ; 48. Promoting Participant Voices in Research ; 49. Summary and Synthesis ; THE PSYCHOLOGY OF APPEARANCE ; 50. The Future ; INDEX