Abstract

This chapter provides a state-of-the-art review of the current knowledge on Body Integrity Dysphoria (BID). The chapter presents three putative approaches for the emergence of dysphoria: a neurological account, a psychological one and a social one. By moving from merely neurological factors towards psychological and sociological ones, the chapter argues for the need to understand BID holistically. Its insurgence might be the result of multifactorial elements that do not fall exclusively within any of these domains. The chapter also introduces the concept of the malleability of long-term bodily representations. By addressing notions such as body image and body schema, the focus is moved towards the idea of how the long-term bodily representations internalised by the individual during life development phases are not fixed but instead malleable and influenced by a variety of factors. Such malleability is accentuated by an image-centric culture typical of Postmodernity, in which the Self becomes an individualised endeavour disconnected from societal standards, leading to an increased state of fluidity and fragmentation.