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Body image as a function of social comparison, self-schema, and self-discrepancy

Jung, Jaehee

Abstract Details

1999, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Textiles and Clothing.

Women who place cognitive importance on appearance are expected to have self-schemas in the domain of appearance. This study measured the extent to which women's appearance schemas affect females' mood distress, self-esteem, and self-evaluation of appearance after their exposure to attractive images of others. The impact of social comparison was expected to differ according to whether comparison targets were in-group members (similar others) or out-group members (dissimilar others).This study also measured women's level of mood distress after their exposure to attractive.

A total of one hundred twenty-five female college students at The Ohio State University participated in this study. Each subject was asked to participate in the study, which consisted of two experimental sessions during a two-week interval. The initial session was designed to identify subjects' appearance schematicity and actual-ideal self-discrepancies on appearance. The follow-up session was designed to measure subjects' responses regarding their mood, self-esteem, and self- evaluation of appearance after being exposed to stimulus photos taken from fashion magazines. Results of a multivariate analyses of variance revealed that women with high appearance schematicity exhibited more distressed mood than those with low appearance schematicity; however, the level of mood distress did not differ according to whether they were exposed to similar or dissimilar others. Compared to women with low appearance schematicity, women with high appearance schematicity scored lower in self-esteem, evaluated themselves lower in attractiveness, and placed greater importance on their own appearances. Women with high actual-ideal self-discrepancies on appearance evaluated their own appearances lower and placed greater importance on their own appearances than those with low actual-ideal self-discrepancies.

This study revealed that the impact of social comparisons with attractive others can be biased by the extent of cognitive importance placed on the dimension of appearance. The results imply that young women placing more cognitive importance on appearance are more vulnerable to negative self-evaluation of their appearances and self in general.

Sharron Lennon (Advisor)
201 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Jung, J. (1999). Body image as a function of social comparison, self-schema, and self-discrepancy [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1112639819

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jung, Jaehee. Body image as a function of social comparison, self-schema, and self-discrepancy. 1999. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1112639819.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jung, Jaehee. "Body image as a function of social comparison, self-schema, and self-discrepancy." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 1999. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1112639819

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)