To examine how modern body-technology interfaces influence bodily experience and identify proposed clinical presentations arising from these interactions.
Approach:
Interdisciplinary Review: A comprehensive review integrating phenomenological, neuroscientific, and clinical perspectives was conducted to characterize technology-related embodiment presentations.
Key Findings:
Eight proposed clinical constructs were identified across four domains: body image disorders, embodiment disorders in virtual environments, disorders of technologically mediated proprioception, and behavioral addictions.
The constructs include filter dysmorphia, tracking dysperception, virtual depersonalization disorder, avatar-body identity conflict, proprioceptive lag syndrome, augmented sensorimotor confusion disorder, self-tracking addiction, and virtual embodiment addiction.
Current evidence consists primarily of theoretical elaborations, case reports, and ethnographic observations; epidemiological data remain limited.
The proposed constructs are viewed as technology-amplified variants of established conditions or hypotheses needing empirical investigation.
Interpretation:
Body-technology interfaces generate psychopathological presentations that existing clinical frameworks may not fully capture.
Limitations:
Epidemiological data on the proposed constructs are limited.
Current evidence mainly consists of theoretical and observational studies rather than validated research.
Conclusion:
Future research should focus on empirically validating the proposed constructs, developing standardized assessment instruments, and establishing evidence-based therapeutic protocols.
