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Stereotyping and overweight
Importance of self-concept and self-esteem
Society's focus on body image
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Self-esteem is an essential part of human beings and an important benchmark of psychological well-being (Clay, Vignoles, & Dittmar, 2005; Tirlea, Truby, & Haines, 2013). A complex combination of factors influence self-esteem (defined as an individual’s overall positive or negative feelings of worth) including self-evaluation based on success, appearance, intelligence, and relationships, as well as perceived evaluation by others, which can have powerful effects on various life outcomes (e.g. academic and work achievement, self-confidence, and hazardous behavior; Hsiang-Ru, Chang-Ming, Jiunn-Chern, Pi-Hsia, Wei-Lun, & Wan-Yu, 2009; Myers & Twenge, 2013; Neff & Vonk, 2009; Orth, Robins, & Widaman, 2012). There are a number of different factors that threaten self-esteem including social comparison, abuse, anxiety, self-criticism and perfectionism. One of the most prominent components is the media’s presentation of ultra-thin body ideals (Dittmar, 2009; Neff & Vonk, 2009). During the last decade, the media and advertisers have sharply shifted their focus from men to women (Cuneo, 1997; Vagnoni, 2005). Along with doing so, they created unrealistic measures of beauty and emphasized self-worth based on unattainable body standards that can be highly detrimental to self-esteem (Clay et al., 2005; Von Bergen & Soper, 1996). Studies suggest that women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than men, which makes them particularly vulnerable to the pronounced ideals (Mellor, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, McCabe, & Ricciardelli, 2010). Low self-esteem is an ongoing issue that can be debilitating and lead to maladaptive coping strategies, self-harm, and disordered eating (Huebscher, 2010; Tirlea, Truby, & Haines, 2013). Given the significance of self-est... ... middle of paper ... ...axton, S. J. (2010). An evaluation of a body image intervention based on risk factors for body dissatisfaction: A controlled study with adolescent girls. International Journal Of Eating Disorders, 43, 112-122. doi:10.1002/eat. Ryden, M. B. 1978. An adult version of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory: Test-retest reliability and social desirability. Psychological Reports 43:1189–1190 Tirlea, L., Truby, H., & Haines, T. P. (2013). Investigation of the effectiveness of the “Girls on the Go!” program for building self-esteem in young women: Trial protocol. SpringerPlus Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, 2, 1-11. doi: doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-683. Vagnoni, A. (2005). Ads are from mars, women are from venus. Print, 59(2), 52-55. Von Bergen, C. W., & Soper, B. (1996). Self-esteem and self-concept confusion in males and females. College Student Journal, 30, 418.
Self-esteem is confidence in one’s own worth or abilities or self-respect. Janie from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston and Jefferson from A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines both struggle with establishing a positive self-esteem or a sense of self-worth. Both characters get so overwhelmed by the supremacy of someone or something around them that they doubt their own power, thus, creating a feeling of doubt for themselves and the voice that they have. In order to gain a sense of high self-esteem, a person must endure points of self-doubt.
O’Dea, Jennifer A. "Evidence for a Self-Esteem Approach in the Prevention of Body Image and Eating Problems among Children and Adolescents." Eating Disorders 12.3 (2004): 225-39. Web. Apr. 2014.
Various concepts of the self are present in many social psychological topics. Research studies related to self-identity, self-concept, self-esteem and other core social constructs regarding self are abundant, and there is plenty of evidence suggesting the self can be described and compared to a plethora of social motives that are researched and reviewed throughout social psychology. However, for counseling psychologists, how do we make sense and make use of the phenomena learned through social psychological research to help our work in the practice of counseling? It is important to take what the field of psychology has learned from science and apply it to psychological practice in order to make full use of the quality of information that has been gathered over the years. The following is a discussion of the self in social psychology, and the implications of this core psychological construct on the practice of counseling.
Wilcox, K & Laird, J.D. (2000). The impact of mass media images of super-slender women on women’s self-esteem. Journal of Research in Personality, 34(2), 278-286.
Grigsby, Channing. “A Course in Self-Esteem: 5. Sources of Low Self-Esteem.” Online Posting. 17 July 2001 <http://www.getnewvisions.com/se/05crse_sources.html>.
Body dissatisfaction is so common among women that it is considered a normative female experience (Knobloch-Westerwick & Crane, 2012). Nearly half of American women experience poor body image (Peterson, Tantleff-Dunn, & Bedwell, 2006). Not only does body dissatisfaction prompt women to attempt to control their weight and shape through dieting (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002), but it is strongly correlated with eating disorder symptoms (Peterson et al., 2006). Furthermore, body dissatisfaction has been associated with psychological issues such as depression, sexual dysfunction, social anxiety and suicidal behavior (Myers, Ridolfi, Crowther, & Ciesla, 2012). With so many women affected by body dissatisfaction and the associated risks being so severe, it is important to discuss and examine possible interventional methods.
Women are bombarded by images of a thin-ideal body form that is extremely hard, if not impossible, to emulate. Comparing themselves to these women can lead to feelings of inadequacy, depression, and an overall low self-esteem. (Expand on, need a good opening paragraph to grab the reader’s attention)
Nio, T. (2003). Cultivation and social comparison of the thin-ideal syndrome: The effects of media exposure on body image disturbance and the state self-esteem of college women. School of Journalism in the Graduate Scho, 105-113.
After reviewing both studies it can be concluded that an individual’s self-esteem changes based on their relationship status, ethnicity, personality characteristics and a possible effect on gender. Individuals that have high self-esteem are usually individuals that are outgoing, energetic and easy going. Those individuals have a lot of friends and are sociable. Adolescence self –esteem can be based on how popular they are in school those adolescences that are popular will have a higher self-esteem opposed to the adolescence that are more reserved, and that do not have many friends. Individual’s self- esteem can change during their twenties and sometimes into their thirties and beyond.
Paxton, S. (2002). An overview of body image dissatisfaction prevention interventions. Body Image and Health Inc and Psychology Department, 1-45.
Heatherton, T. F., & Polivy, J. (1991). Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 895. DOI 10.1037/0025-3514.60.6.895
The overwhelming idea of thinness is probably the most predominant and pressuring standard. Tiggeman, Marika writes, “This is not surprising when current societal standards for beauty inordinately emphasize the desirability of thinness, an ideal accepted by most women but impossible for many to achieve.” (1) In another study it is noted that unhealthy attitudes are the norm in term of female body image, “Widespread body dissatisfaction among women and girls, particularly with body shape and weight has been well documented in many studies, so much so that weight has been aptly described as ‘a normative discontent’”. (79) Particularly in adolescent and prepubescent girls are the effects of poor self-image jarring, as the increased level of dis...
will act to maintain his or her self-image regardless of whether it is high or low.” (Greene & Frandsen, 1979, p. 124) Self-esteem is important in social situations; it can help a person have
The mass media plays a large role in shaping a teenage and adolescent girl’s body image. By pushing an ideal body type that is uncommon and untrue to life, girls strive, and struggle to obtain this image. When the mass media only shows one type of body as desirable, they are alienating every girl who does not fit into that category. Pushing these ideal bodies onto teenage girls at an important developmental time in their lives can be detrimental to their bodies and their self worth. By showing what a girl should look like, the mass media is damaging the body images of young girls, and unless awareness is raised, could become more and more adverse on young women today and tomorrow.
However, it is evident that the media usually presents and sexualizes women who are “young, fit and beautiful” hence probably creating self esteem issues more than confidence especially in younger women who are religious towards the media’s expectations. This stereotype of being a desired body shape only forces women to meet unattainable perfect physical standards (Gill 2015). The media bombards the youth with gender representations and the types of bodies that are deemed to be attractive. Many teenagers all around the world are desperate to lose weight to be “beautiful”.