The human body as a personal project: body image dissatisfaction, relational variables, and defense mechanisms in patients undergoing elective cosmetic surgery

To date there is no single model of the psychological characteristics associated with the choice of resorting to elective plastic surgery (Sarwer et al., 1998). The goal of this study is to test the ability of some defence mechanisms and attachment styles to predict body image dissatisfaction and body dysmorphism disorder in a clinical group of patients resorting to elective cosmetic surgery. The research study was conducted in 2014 at the Del Gaudio & Partners clinic of Florence, with a convenience sample including 40 women who choose to undergo elective cosmetic surgery. After obtaining informed consent, we asked to fill in a set of tests: BAT Probst et al., (1997), PTI-ASS Giannini and Gori (2012), BICI Littleton et al., (2005), and REM- 71 Steiner and Silverman (2001). The significance of the predictors examined (PTI-ASS, and REM-71) with the criteria (BAT and related subscales; BICI) was estimated via stepwise linear regression model (SPSS 20.0).The passive aggressive defence mechanism (F (22,17) = 3.015, p <.05) and idealization (F (22,17) = 3.015, p <.01) predict the subscale of attention to the body size (criteria: BAT1, R2 = .80). The passive aggressive defence mechanism (F (23,16) = 5.650, p <.01) and idealization (F (23,16) = 5.650, p <.01), are also the strongest predictors of body dysmorphism disorder (criteria: BICI, R2 = .90). The results confirm the possibility that the body image dissatisfaction can be predicted by a particular defensive structure; the data emerging assume the existence of a common psychological framework in these patients