A 16-year-old adolescent on the wrestling team experiences weight fluctuations before matches and talks about trophies and a wrestling scholarship, while his father says his grades will never be good enough. This pattern most likely reflects a problem with ______.

A 16-year-old adolescent on the wrestling team experiences weight fluctuations before matches and talks about trophies and a wrestling scholarship, while his father says his grades will never be good enough. This pattern most likely reflects a problem with ______.

• A. Role performance
• B. Self-esteem
• C. Personal identity
• D. Body image

Answer: (D)

Body image concerns in adolescents, especially athletes in sports with weight classes, often show up as preoccupation with body size and appearance and as behaviors aimed at altering weight. The adolescent’s weight fluctuations before matches signal an effort to control his body size to fit an ideal associated with wrestling success. That drive is reinforced by focusing on trophies and a scholarship—external rewards tied to athletic performance and the body. In short, how he perceives and aims to shape his body is driving his behavior and goals, which points to body image as the underlying issue. The other ideas don’t fit as neatly: role performance would center on fulfilling a social role rather than how the body looks or feels; self-esteem is about overall self-worth and wouldn’t specifically explain weight-cutting behaviors; personal identity involves a broader sense of self beyond appearance or athletic success.

Body image concerns in adolescents, especially athletes in sports with weight classes, often show up as preoccupation with body size and appearance and as behaviors aimed at altering weight. The adolescent’s weight fluctuations before matches signal an effort to control his body size to fit an ideal associated with wrestling success. That drive is reinforced by focusing on trophies and a scholarship—external rewards tied to athletic performance and the body. In short, how he perceives and aims to shape his body is driving his behavior and goals, which points to body image as the underlying issue.

The other ideas don’t fit as neatly: role performance would center on fulfilling a social role rather than how the body looks or feels; self-esteem is about overall self-worth and wouldn’t specifically explain weight-cutting behaviors; personal identity involves a broader sense of self beyond appearance or athletic success.