body-image distortion

distortion in the subjective image or mental representation of one’s own body appearance, size, or movement. The term is usually applied to overestimation of body size or used to define the perceptual experiences of individuals with psychoses. Also called body-image disturbance. See also anorexia nervosa; body-size overestimation.

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Psychology term of the day

February 17th 2025

sexually dimorphic nucleus

a nucleus of the central nervous system that differs in size between males and females. In humans, for example, a nucleus in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus that synthesizes gonadotropin-releasing hormone tends to be larger and more active in males than in females because gonadotropin release is continuous (it is cyclical in females). In songbirds whose males sing more than females, several brain nuclei associated with both song learning and song production are larger in males than in females.