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Personal cabinetHow visual art helps shape positive self-perception in women and adolescents
Bibliographic description of the article for the citation:
Dybchenko Inha. How visual art helps shape positive self-perception in women and adolescents//Science online: International Scientific e-zine - 2025. - №11. - https://nauka-online.com/en/publications/art-history/2025/11/03-41/
Annotation: This study investigates how visual art, primarily photography, contributes to constructing positive self-perception in women and adolescents amid escalating pressure from unrealistic appearance standards intensified by digital media and artificial intelligence systems. The relevance is supported by global data documenting declines in mental well-being and self-esteem indicators. The aim of the research is to analyze and theoretically integrate the mechanisms through which photography supports the formation of a positive self-concept, as well as to empirically verify them using a practical case study. The methodological framework includes a systematic review of scholarly literature, a theoretical synthesis of psychological propositions (D. Bem’s self-perception theory) and sociological approaches (P. Bourdieu’s theory of photographic practice), supplemented by a qualitative analysis of a case study of the author’s method of psychological and artistic photography. The results show that photography, when used within a therapeutic logic, initiates cognitive processes of reappraising one’s own actions and performs the sociological function of ritual confirmation of identity. The case study analysis demonstrates high effectiveness of the practical implementation of these principles for strengthening family bonds and self-acceptance (client retention — 70%). The study concludes that visual art serves as an effective tool for supporting positive self-perception, offering a genuine alternative to dominant digital narratives. The findings are addressed to psychologists, art therapists, sociologists, photographers, and social-sector professionals.