Body image and self concept in women : toward an empirical identification of the body image construct
Year: 1987
Type: article
Abstract: T w o hundred w o m e n w e r e recruited f r o m a general campus population f o r participation i n the current study.Initial principal c o m p o n e n t s analysis o f subject scores o n 15 b o d y image indices y i e l d e d a f i v e -f a c t o r s o l u t i o n w h i c h accounted f o r 73% o f the t o t a l variance.T w o o f these f a c t o r s (Body size dissatisfaction, Body esteem) r e f l e c t e d interpretable b o d y image dimensions; the other three f a c t o r s w e r e defined b y m e t h o d variables.Subsequently, additional correlational and principal components analyses were e m p l o y e d t o evaluate the pattern o f relationships among b o d y image variables, weight, age, s e l f concept and personality variables.B o d y size d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n w a s s t r o n g l y associated w i t h weight and f o o d attitude variables.Although there w a s s o m e overlap b e t w e e n b o d y esteem and m o r e general s e l f concept variables, current findings suggest that b o d y perceptions, awareness, and attitudes cannot be w h o l l y subsumed under constructs such as s e l f concept o r self esteem.A second f o c u s o f the s t u d y concerned the e f f e c t s o f s e l f vs. other comparisons o n b o d y size satisfaction.Subjects w e r e r a n d o m l y assigned t o one ' o f four experimental conditions.I n Condition 1, subjects v i e w e d a picture o f an attractive f e m a l e model, read a b r i e f biography w h i c h described her as a successful business w o m a n , and made comparative self-ratings o n b o t h physical (i.e., figure, physical condition) and non-physical (i.e., intelligence, competence) characteristics.Subjects i n Condition 2 v i e w e d o n l y the picture and made comparative self-ratings o n physical characteristics only.Condition 3 subjects read the biography and made comparative self-ratings o n non-physical characteristics only.I m m e d i a t e l y b e f o r e and f o l l o w i n g the experimental task, b o d y size s a t i s f a c t i o n w a s assessed using a video camera technique.Subjects i n Condition 3) w e r e s i g n i f i c a n t l y less satisfied w i t h their perceived b o d y size f o l l o w i n g the rating task than w e r e c o n t r o l subjects.Similar trends w e r e observed w i t h respect t o Conditions 1 and 2 but these differences w e r e n o t s t a t i s t i c a l l y significant.The results are discussed in the context o f a "thin i s c o m p e t e n t " social stereotype w h i c h has important consequences f o r b o t h s e l f concept and b o d y image in women.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like t o express m y appreciation t o the members o f m y dissertation committee: t o Richard Freeman, Ph.D., m y Senior Supervisor, for his support and supervision; t o Ray Koopman, Ph.D., for his patient statistical counselling; and t o David Cox, Ph.D.,
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Cheryl D. Thomas
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Simon Fraser University
OpenAlex ID: W141420484