Measuring body image. Preliminary report on a new method.

A new, very simple and inexpensive METHOD FOR MEASUREING BODY IMage is described. A number of female patients with different somatic complaints were investigated. A specific patterning of body image related to the localization of somatic complaints is revealed. Anorexic and obese patients have an overall larger body image while the distortions in other conditions mostly go on the elevation in the vertical axis. Different aspects of this way of measuring body image are discussed, but the difference of the patterning is clear. This is a preliminary report on the new method.