Date of Award

Fall 1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Thomas F. Cash

Committee Member

Glynn D. Coates

Committee Member

Louis H. Janda

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65 B768

Abstract

The present experiment examined how information about societal appearance discrimination can affect current body image. Sixty-six female college students listened to audiotapes containing information about either appearance discrimination or an unrelated topic, television violence. Afterward, participants completed measures of mood and body-image states. They also completed the Appearance Schemas Inventory (ASI), an assessment of maladaptive investment in appearance (i.e., appearance schematicity). As expected, participants exposed to the appearance information subsequently reported significantly greater body-image dissatisfaction than did those in the Control condition. Conditions did not differentially affect mood state or ASI scores. Participants were divided into upper and lower tertiles on the ASI. High appearance schematics who were given appearance discrimination information scored significantly worse on body-image satisfaction than did low schematics. Also, whereas the two conditions did not differentially affect low schematics' body-image scores, high schematics who received appearance discrimination information reported significantly less body-image satisfaction than those who did not receive that information. Clinical, theoretical, and social implications of these findings are discussed.

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DOI

10.25777/ph2v-qt65

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