Abstract
There are several studies focused on the analysis of body image in patients with eating disorder, however the role of the satisfaction with the body itself in non- clinical samples has been little studied. Objective: Describe the perception of body image in adolescents and young people between fifteen and twenty years old, without latent psychiatric diagnosis. Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach based on the Grounded Theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to seventeen women. Results: The results are grouped into four descriptive categories: (1) Printing and meanings associated with body image; (2) Body image attitudes; (3) Body image preoccupation; (4) Body perception and demand for change. From all these, data analysis suggests an explanatory model for body dissatisfaction. Conclusions: We conclude that dissatisfaction is a common aspect between the two age groups. Nevertheless, the adolescent group evidenced a greater dissatisfaction, because their speeches indicate that general body dissatisfaction is a normalized aspect among people of their same age range. These conclusions could lead to the development of disease preventive guidelines in normal population.