Body Investment Scale (BIS)

Abstract

The Body Investment Scale (BIS) is a comprehensive self-report instrument developed to measure the extent to which an individual invests in their own body, both psychologically and physically. Unlike measures focused purely on body image dissatisfaction, the BIS captures a broader construct encompassing attitudes, feelings, and behaviors related to the body, including care, protection, and comfort with physical contact. It is designed to provide a nuanced understanding of an individual’s relationship with their body, which is crucial in various areas of psychological assessment and research, particularly in clinical psychology and health psychology settings.

Keywords

Body Investment Scale, BIS, body image, psychological scales, self-concept, body care, body protection, physical health, body experience, clinical assessment.

Authors

Orbach, I., Mikulincer, M.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Body Investment Scale (BIS) is to operationalize and quantify the complex psychological construct of body investment. This scale moves beyond simple measures of appearance satisfaction to assess an individual’s active engagement with their body as an object of care, protection, and comfort. It aims to differentiate between individuals who actively value and nurture their physical self and those who display neglect, avoidance, or hostility toward their body.

The scale is used in research to explore the relationships between body investment and various psychological phenomena, including self-esteem, attachment styles, emotional regulation, and vulnerability to psychopathology such as eating disorders and self-injurious behavior. Clinically, it serves as a tool for identifying specific areas of dysfunctional body experience that may require therapeutic intervention.

Construct

The Body Investment Scale measures the psychological construct of Body Investment, defined as the overall quality of an individual’s relationship with their physical self. This construct is multidimensional, reflecting not just cognitive appraisals (like satisfaction) but also emotional responses (like comfort or anger) and behavioral tendencies (like care and protection).

Specifically, the BIS is structured around four distinct, yet interrelated, dimensions of body experience: Body Image Feelings and Attitudes, Comfort in Touch, Body Care, and Body Protection. High scores on the BIS indicate a positive, engaged, and protective relationship with the body, while low scores suggest detachment, discomfort, or negative attitudes.

Validity

The original validation study established strong evidence for the construct validity of the BIS. The scale demonstrated expected correlations with measures of related constructs, supporting its theoretical underpinnings. For instance, higher scores on the BIS typically correlate positively with measures of self-esteem and general well-being, and negatively with measures of anxiety, depression, and body dissatisfaction.

Discriminant validity was established by showing that the BIS measures a unique aspect of body experience distinct from, though related to, general personality traits. The four-factor structure, confirmed through factor analysis, provided robust evidence for the scale’s internal structure, confirming that the subscales capture different facets of body investment as intended by the authors.

Reliability

The Body Investment Scale has demonstrated high levels of reliability in its initial and subsequent validation studies. The primary measure of reliability reported is internal consistency, typically assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients. The overall scale generally yields very high alpha values, indicating excellent coherence among the 24 items.

Furthermore, the four subscales also exhibit adequate to high internal consistency, suggesting that the items within each factor reliably measure their respective dimension (Body Image, Comfort in Touch, Body Care, and Body Protection). Test-retest reliability, which assesses stability over time, has also been reported as satisfactory, confirming that the scale provides consistent scores when administered repeatedly to the same individuals over short intervals.

Factor Analysis

The development of the BIS involved exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, which established a clear and replicable four-factor structure. This structure confirms that body investment is not a monolithic construct but is composed of distinct yet correlated dimensions of body experience. The four factors identified are:

• Body Image Feelings and Attitudes: This factor (Items 5, 10, 13, 16, 17, and 21) reflects the degree of satisfaction, comfort, and emotional acceptance or rejection an individual feels toward their physical appearance and body structure.
• Comfort in Touch: This factor (Items 2, 6, 9, 11, 20, and 23) measures the individual’s comfort level regarding physical contact, both self-initiated and received from others.
• Body Care: This factor (Items 1, 4, 8, 12, 14, and 19) assesses the proactive behaviors and attitudes related to maintaining and improving the body, such as grooming, hygiene, and prioritizing physical well-being.
• Body Protection: This factor (Items 3, 7, 15, 18, 22, and 24) measures the extent to which an individual engages in behaviors aimed at protecting the body from illness or injury, including risk avoidance and prompt attention to wounds or illness symptoms.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire

Format: 24 items rated on a 5-point Likert Scale.

Language Available: English (Original), Hebrew (Original), translations likely available in other languages based on subsequent research.

Population Group: Adults and adolescents.

Age Group: Typically utilized with individuals aged 16 and older.

Population Details: Developed initially using samples of university students and general adult populations.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate each item based on their level of agreement using a scale where 1 = don’t agree at all, 2 = don’t agree, 3 = undecided, 4 = agree, and 5 = Strongly agree. Several items are reverse-scored (R) to mitigate response bias. The total score is calculated by summing the scores of all 24 items, with higher total scores indicating greater body investment.

Keywords

Psychometrics, self-injurious behavior, eating disorders, self-esteem, physical contact, body attitude, psychological measure, Likert scale, internal consistency.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source materials.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source materials.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source materials.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Body Investment Scale (BIS) was constructed and validated in 1998. The scale is generally available for use in academic research, provided appropriate citation of the original authors and publication is maintained. Researchers should consult the primary publication for specific usage permissions. The instrument is published in standard psychological resources, confirming its accessibility for clinical practice and research.

The instrument is cited in: Fischer, Joel, & Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and Research: A Sourcebook (4th ed.). NY: Oxford University Press. Vol. 1, Page(s): 440-442. The original PDF of the scale, or related information, can be found at this ResearchGate link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232513339.

Reference’s

• Orbach, I., & Mikulincer, M. (1998). The Body Investment Scale: Construction and validation of a body experience scale. Psychological Assessment, 10(4), 415-425.
• Orbach, I., Mikulincer, M. (1998). Body Investment Scale (BIS). In Fischer, Joel, & Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and Research: A Sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY: Oxford University Press. Vol. 1, Page(s): 440-442.

Items of the Body Investment Scale (BIS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I believe that caring for my body will improve my well-being
2. I don’t like it when people touch me. (R)
3. It makes me feel good to do something dangerous. (R)
4. I pay attention to my appearance.
5. I am frustrated with my physical appearance. (R)
6. I enjoy physical contact with other people.
7. I am not afraid to engage in dangerous activities. (R)
8. I like to pamper my body.
9. I tend to keep a distance from the person with whom I am talking. (R)
10. I am satisfied with my appearance.
11. I feel uncomfortable when people get too close to me physically. (R)
12. I enjoy taking a bath.
13. I hate my body. (R)
14. In my opinion it is very important to take care of the body.
15. When I am injured, I immediately take care of the wound.
16. I feel comfortable with my body.
17. I feel anger toward my body. (R)
18. I look in both directions before crossing the street.
19. I use body care products regularly.
20. I like to touch people who are close to me.
21. I like my appearance in spite of its imperfections.
22. Sometimes I purposely injure myself. (R)
23. Being hugged by a person close to me can comfort me.
24. I take care of myself whenever I feel a sign of illness.

Note. R = scored in the reverse direction.