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Objectives: According to self‐discrepancy theory (SDT), depression, social anxiety, eating disorders and paranoia result from different types of conflicting self‐beliefs. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) consists of a preoccupation with imagined or slight defects in one's appearance, which is often associated with a depressed mood and social anxiety. SDT was therefore applied to BDD patients to further understand their beliefs about their appearance.

Design: Using a comparative group design, BDD patients were compared against a non‐patient control group.

Method: A sample of 149 participants, consisting of three groups ‐ BDD (72), BDD preoccupied with their weight and shape (35), and controls (42) ‐ completed a modified version of the Selves Questionnaire (Higgins, Bond, Klein, & Strauman, 1986) requiring them to list and rate physical characteristics according to the following standpoints: (a) self‐actual; (b …