RELATION BETWEEN THE CATEGORIES OF «BODY IMAGE» AND «BODY CONCEPT» IN THE REPORTS OF FOREIGN SCIENTISTS

Abstract. The results of the literature review of foreign concepts dedicatedto ways of categorization subject's body experience are presented in the article. Special attention is paid to the categories of body image and body concept, their specificity, semantic content, and features of practical utilization are shown. The reports of leading specialists in the field of Psychology of Appearance such as P. Schilder, S. Fisher, S. Cleveland, F. Shontz, D.H. Bennett, T.F. Cash, and T. Pruzinskywere analyzed.P. Schilder is the author of the term “body image”, which he understood as a mental representation of various parameters of a body in subject's consciousness. In the S. Fisher and S. Cleveland's theory the accent is made on the psychological nature of the construct “body image”, which is associated with highlighting of one's experience of his or her own body as well as feelings and attitudes towards one's one physical appearance. The category of body image got its final version in the studies by T.F. Cash and T. Pruzinsky, who paid attention to thepresence of perceptual and attitudinal components in the structure of body image. F. Shontz and D.H. Bennett were developing the construct of body concept, actualizing its intellectual nature and highlighting the need of working on the system of signs and symbols for verbalizing body experience. The conclusion regarding conceptual-terminological and phenomenological boundaries of the categories “body image” and “body concept” is made. Ifbody concept provided a subject with the system for describing and explaining of his or her body experience, then body image integrates results of perceiving and assessing one's own body as well as relations and intentions regarding physical appearance. As a perspective, the relation between the categories of “physical / bodily Self”, “attitude towards body”, and “corporeality” could be analyzed in addition. Compilation another review of theoretical studies and empirical discoveries made in domestic psychology is a relevant objective too.