A developmental study of body recognition in adolescent girls

One hundred and fifty-seven pre-menarcheal, menarcheal and post-menarcheal girls were photographed in three orientations: front, side and rear. They were somatotyped and asked to identify themselves from an array of five photographs grouped according to height and linearity. A developmental sequence in accuracy of identification was found for frontal orientations. Accuracy for premenarcheal girls was 59%, for menarcheal girls 66% and for postmenarcheal 84%. Different patterns were found for other orientations. The results are discussed in terms of change in body image, narcissism and preoccupation with the physical self during adolescence.