Body Image and Motivation in the Practice of Physical Exercise in Fitness Centers

Abstract

Body image and motivation are constructs often associated in the practice of physical exercise, considering a significant number of people that seek gyms to shape the body image desired by themselves and by others. This study aimed to evaluate the association of body image and motivation to practice physical exercise in gyms, in behavioral responses of practitioners. The participants were 301 people (156 women and 145 men) who practice physical exercises in gyms in Porto Velho-RO, aged between 18 and 71 years. For data collection, the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS) was adopted. The foundation was based on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to validate the items. The results showed 8 items of the assumed scale related to body image, although item 21, "Because people tell me I need it", was not confirmed, showing significant differences in relation to the initial proposal of the theory, suggesting the need to study motivation and body image as different factors. It is concluded that body image is a behavioral construct predominantly linked to extrinsic motivation, although both are internally influenced, which variables must be analyzed both as symmetrical and mutual. It is required the appropriation of Psychology foundations by professionals in the field of Physical Education for the expansion of interventions that lead physical exercise practitioners to the internalization of self-determined behaviors in ways to positively influence their perception of their own body image.