Athletic-ideal and thin-ideal internalization as prospective predictors of body dissatisfaction, dieting, and compulsive exercise.
Although internalization of the thin ideal has been extensively researched and is now regarded as a risk factor for eating disturbance, endorsement of the firm, athletic body ideal has received only minimal attention. This short-term longitudinal study explored whether internalization of two aspects of the current cultural ideal (thinness and athleticism) prospectively predicted three potentially deleterious outcomes: body dissatisfaction, dieting, and compulsive exercise. Undergraduate women (N=231) completed self-report measures at the beginning of the academic year and again 7 months later (N=156 at Time 2). Athletic-ideal internalization predicted change in compulsive exercise over the 7-month study period but not body dissatisfaction or dieting; thin-ideal internalization predicted change in all three outcomes. When both internalization measures were tested simultaneously, neither contributed unique variance. Results suggest that athletic-ideal internalization is not as detrimental as thin-ideal internalization.
Homan
Kristin
K
Grove City College, Grove City, PA 16127, United States. kjhoman@gcc.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D003469:Culture; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D012649:Self Concept; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult