Body Image and The Future Time Perspective of Russian Adolescents

Adolescence is characterized by fundamental changes in the sphere of self-awareness. An important component of the self-awareness of a person is a notion of their own body, the image of physical Self. This article examines the role of body image in the planning of a personal future. The study involved 218 Russian 14-18-year old boys and girls;their essential body image characteristics and their influence on the length and content of the future time perspective were revealed and described,and gender differences were shown. For measuring variables in this study, the motivational induction method of J. Nuttin was used. Results showed that a body image mechanism's influence on the future time perspective indicators is different for adolescent girls and boys. The body image of adolescent girls is mainly connected with the intention of havinga beautiful appearance and provides a coherent, long-term perspective. As a rule, the body image of adolescent boys is connected with the problem of death anxiety and an unwillingness to die, and this affects the parameters of the future time perspective negatively.