UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND EDUCATION

GRADUATE PROGRAM

DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

TITLE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ALEXITHYMIA,

PERFECTIONISM, SELF-ESTEEM, ETHNICITY AND BODY
IMAGE DISTURBANCE

PRESENTED BY WHITNEY ALEXIS KANTACK

ACCEPTED BY Steven Abell, Ph.D. 2-24-14

Major Professor Date

Barry Dauphin, Ph.D. 2-24-14

Program Director Date

Lynn McLean 2-24-14

College of Liberal Arts and Education Date
THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ALEXITHYMIA, PERFECTIONISM, SELF-
ESTEEM, ETHNICITY AND BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE

by

WHITNEY ALEXIS KANTACK

DISSERTATION

Submitted to the Graduate School

of the University of Detroit Mercy,

Detroit, Michigan

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

2014

PROGRAM: PSYCHOLOGY (CLINICAL)

Approved by:
Steven Abell, Ph.D.__ 2-24-14_
Advisor Date

Elizabeth Hill, Ph.D.________

Libby Blume, Ph.D._________

David Schwartz, Ph.D._______

 @ COPYRIGHT BY

WHITNEY ALEXIS KANTACK

2014

All Rights Reserved

 Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my husband, Geoffrey, for his continual support and my parents

for their encouragement and generosity. I would also like to thank my dissertation

chairperson, Dr. Steven Abell, for his guidance and my committee members, Drs. Elizabeth

Hill, Libby Blume, and David Schwartz, for their helpful suggestions. Lastly, I would like to

express my gratitude to Dr. Marvin Margolis for his insight.

ii
 Table of Contents

Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………...…1

Body Image……………………………………………………………………………1

Theoretical Perspectives on Development of Body Dissatisfaction…………………..1

Body Dissatisfaction and Body Distortion……………………………………………3

Measurement of Body Distortion……………………………………………...5

Internalization of the Thin Ideal………………………………………………6

Gender and Body Image………………………………………………………8

Alexithymia and Body Dissatisfaction………………………………………………10

Perfectionism and Body Dissatisfaction……………………………………………..12

Multidimensional Models of Perfectionism………………………………….14

Multidimensional Perfectionism Model……………….…………….15

Frost’s Multidimensional Perfectionism Model……………………..16

Other Perspectives on Perfectionism………………………………………...18

Perfectionism, Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating………………...21

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation……………………………………………………..22

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation and Body Dissatisfaction………………………….25

Social Physique Anxiety……………………………………………………..26

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation, Alexithymia and Body Dissatisfaction…...27

Self-Esteem and Body Dissatisfaction……………………………………………….28

Body Esteem…………………………………………………………………31

Effects of Enhancing Self-Esteem on Body Dissatisfaction…………………33

Self-Esteem, Body Image and Eating Concerns……………………………..36

Self-Esteem and Body Image during Adolescence…………………………..37

iii
 Self-Esteem and Body Distortion……………………………………………39

Ethnicity and Body Dissatisfaction…………………………………………………..40

African American Considerations……………………………………………41

Body Image in Non-Western Cultures……………………………………….42

Body Dissatisfaction in Caucasians………………………………………….44

Evolutionary Perspectives on Body Dissatisfaction…………………………44

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in African Americans and Caucasians……46

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Asians and Caucasians………………...51

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Hispanics and Caucasians……………..55

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Europeans and Americans……………..57

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Middle Easterners and Caucasians…….58

International Studies of Body Dissatisfaction………………………………..59

Ethnicity, Self-Esteem and Body Image……………………………………..60

Cultural Considerations for Perfectionism…………………………………...61

Ethnicity and Perfectionistic Self-Presentation……………………………...65

Ethnic Identity and Body Dissatisfaction……………………………………………65

Ethnic Identity among African Americans…………………………………..65

Multiethnic Comparisons of Body Dissatisfaction…………………………..67

Introduction to Present Study………………………………………………………………...69

Hypotheses…………………………………………………………………………...74

Method……………………………………………………………………………………….76

Participants…………………………………………………………………………...76

Measures……………………………………………………………………………..77

Alexithymia…………………………………………………………………..77

iv
 Perfectionism………………………………………………………………...77

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation……………………………………………..79

Self-Esteem…………………………………………………………………..79

Ethnic Identity………………………………………………………………..80

Body Dissatisfaction…………………………………………………………81

Body Distortion………………………………………………………………82

Eating Disorders Screening…………………………………………………..84

Procedures……………………………………………………………………………84

Statistical Analysis…………………………………………………………………...85

Additional Analyses………………………………………………………….88

Data cleaning………………………………………………………………...89

Results………………………………………………………………………………………..90

Descriptive statistics…………………………………………………………………90

Preliminary Analyses………………………………………………………………...92

Tests of Hypotheses………………………………………………………………….96

Regression Analyses………………………………………………………..101

Test of Mediation…………………………………………………………...107

Additional Analyses………………………………………………………………...108

ANOVA Exploratory Analyses…………………………………………….111

Independent Samples t-Tests Exploratory Analyses………………………..112

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………..115

Overview……………………………………………………………………………115

Alexithymia and Perfectionism……………………………………………………..115

v
 Alexithymia and Self-Esteem………………………………………………………116
Self-Esteem and Perfectionism……………………………………………………..116
Alexithymia and Body Satisfaction………………………………………………...117
Perfectionism and Body Satisfaction……………………………………………….118
PSP and Body Satisfaction…………………………………………………………119
Ethnicity and Body Image………………………………………………………….120
Body Image Models………………………………………………………………...121
Appearance Evaluation……………………………………………………..121
Body Areas Satisfaction…………………………………………………….122
The Role of Body Distortion………………………………………………………..122

Exploratory Findings……………………………………………………………….123

Age and Body Image……………………………………………………….123

SES and Body Image……………………………………………………….124

Ethnicity…………………………………………………………………….126
Religion. ……………………………………………………………………126
Clinical Implications………………………………………………………………..127
Psychodynamic Perspective………………………………………………...127
Sociocultural Perspective…………………………………………………...128
Suggested Changes to Model……………………………………………………….130
Limitations………………………………………………………………………….131

Recommendations for Future Research…………………………………………….134

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….136

References…………………………………………………………………………………..138

Abstract………………………………………………………………………….………….184

Autobiographical Statement………………………………………………………………...186

vi
 List of Tables

Table 1: Demographic Characteristics of Participants……………………………………...92

Table 2: SES Characteristics of Participants………………………………………………..93

Table 3: Participant Characteristics………………………………………………………...94

Table 4: Intercorrelations among Independent Variables…………………………………...95

Table 5: Intercorrelations among Body Image Variables…………………………………...95

Table 6: Correlations of Independent Variables with Measures of Body Image……………99

Disturbance

Table 7: Group Differences for White Participants and Non-White Participants………….100

Table 8: Regression Analysis Summary for Variables Predicting Appearance……………105

Evaluation

Table 9: Regression Analysis Summary for Variables Predicting Body Areas…………….105

Satisfaction

Table 10: Regression Analysis Summary for Variables Predicting Body…………………..106

Dissatisfaction

Table 11: Regression Analysis Summary for Mediational Effect of Body………………….109

Satisfaction Measures between MEIM and Body Distortion

Table 12: Correlations of Exploratory Variables with Measures of Body Image………….109

Disturbance

Table 13: Correlations of Independent Variables with Participant Characteristics………110

Table 14: Group Differences for Roman Catholic Participants and Participants…………114
of Other Christian Denominations

vii
 1

The Relationships between Alexithymia, Perfectionism, Self-Esteem, Ethnicity and

Body Image Disturbance

Literature Review

Body Image

Body image, as described by Birthchnell, Lacey, and Harte, involves physiological,

conceptual, and emotional components (1985). The cognitive ability to recognize size and

weight (physiological), capacity to hold a mental image of one’s body in her mind

(conceptual), and the attitudes towards the form and weight of one’s body (emotional)

contribute to the development of body image (Birthchnell et al., 1985). In modern culture, the

primary foci pertaining to body image appear to be on one’s weight and shape of the body

(Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001). Recent data suggests that 80 percent of women in the United

States are dissatisfied with their appearance (Ross, 2013). This negative attitude towards the

body extends to young American girls. For instance, it is documented that 50-70 percent of

normal weight girls believe they are overweight, with 81 percent of ten year old girls

reportedly feeling afraid of becoming overweight. Additionally, 35 percent of 6-12 year old

girls have a desire to diet and 42 percent of first through third grade girls have a desire to lose

weight (Ross, 2013).

Theoretical Perspectives on Development of Body Dissatisfaction

Psychoanalytic theory paints negative views of one’s physical appearance as a

reflection of a harsh, critical superego that attacks the self for thoughts and feelings that are

perceived to be unacceptable (Freud, 1936). Anna Freud described a defense mechanism

employed by the ego known as “turning against the self” which refers to the redirection of

these unacceptable, negative emotions towards a person (i.e., anger or criticism) against the

self. Holding one’s feelings inside can often feel safer than expressing those emotions. Freud
 2

posited that individuals often fear that others cannot tolerate their feelings of anger or

criticism towards them and, therefore, they turn those feelings against themselves instead,

making them unaware of the emotions they are really experiencing towards their

environment. Therefore, one could begin to believe that their body is “disgusting” as they

are, in reality, disgusted by the treatment they have received from others. Further, this anger

towards others turned into hatred towards the body can result in self-harm behaviors such as

cutting, which have been described as indicative of the person’s unconscious need to punish

themselves for the negative thoughts and feelings they have towards others (Freud, 1936).

Body dissatisfaction has been connected to specific negative experiences in childhood

such as sexual and physical abuse (Turner & Paivio, 2002), parental neglect or criticism

(Burns, 1980), and familial instability (Krystal, 1978). It has been suggested that turning

one’s emotions against one’s self develops out of an individual’s need to feel in control after

these types of traumas (Zlotnick, Mattia, & Zimmerman, 2001). By blaming the self for these

situations rather than the unreliable or abusive caregivers, the person can believe that, if she

were only “good enough,” then these negative events and the poor treatment she received

could have been prevented. This irrational belief of needing to be “good enough” or “perfect”

in order to change an overly critical or neglectful environment can extend to the belief that

the perfection of one’s body can lead to control over one’s environment. Further, Sorotzkin

explained that the need for perfection in one’s self, which would include physical

appearance, and the desire to scrutinize any physical imperfection is representative of a harsh

superego that has internalized parental criticism (1998). Horney also previously theorized

that the need to appear perfect stemmed from being deprived of affection and approval in

childhood (1950). This deficit leads to continual seeking of approval, admiration, and
 3

recognition from others in later life to fill this relational need. Consequently, any perceived

errors (which one could argue includes physical flaws) are considered intolerable and must

be avoided as they fear these imperfections will lead to loss of love and acceptance yet again

(Horney, 1950).

Body Dissatisfaction and Body Distortion

Researchers have distinguished between body dissatisfaction and body distortion

(Freeman, Beach, Davis, & Solyom, 1985; Perez-Lopez & Petretic, 2004). While body

dissatisfaction relates to a negative emotional view of the body, body distortion describes a

conceptual inaccuracy in the view of one’s body (Freeman et al., 1985). Perez-Lopez and

Petretic (2004) described body distortion as existing on three levels: perceptual, subjective,

and socio-cultural. Disturbance in the perceptual realm involves an inaccuracy in assessing

the size of one’s body (similar to the physiological component of body image described by

Birthchnell et al., 1985). A study by Cash and Deagle (1997) showed a trend in patients with

bulimia and anorexia to overestimate their body size. This was supported in later studies by

Farrell, Lee, and Shafran (2005) and Skrzypek, Wehmeier, and Remschmidt (2001). Other

research has indicated that, in non-eating disordered samples, the mental representation of

one’s body size tends to be underestimated (Vocks et al., 2007). It has been suggested that

body distortion does not reflect faulty sensory processing but rather inaccurate information

processing (Ahrberg, 2011). For instance, Jansen, Nederkoorn, and Mulkens (2005)

described that individuals with distorted body images attend more to areas of their body that

they perceive to be unattractive, which increases overall body dissatisfaction. Subjective

body distortion relates to the influences of bullying based on one’s body size and negative

ideas about one’s body based on premature body development. The socio-cultural

explanation of body distortion states that disturbance in the view of one’s body is due to the
 4

pressure that society places on individuals to attain an ideal physical shape that is not realistic

(Perez-Lopez & Petretic, 2004). Specifically, the societal pressure to be beautiful, physically

fit, and able to manage one’s weight has been shown to be positively related to poor body

satisfaction (Keeton, Cash, & Brown, 1990; Loosemoore & Moriarty, 1990; Strauman &

Glenberg, 1994).

The research literature has consistently supported a positive relationship between

body distortion and body image dissatisfaction (Etu & Gray, 2010; Ferguson, Munoz,

Contreras, & Velasquez, 2011; Gardner & Tockerman, 1993; Kasper, 2001). Williamson,

Gleaves, Watkins, and Schlundt (1993) described that, as fear of fatness and body

dissatisfaction increased, body distortion also increased. This also was observed in a later

study by Gleaves (1995) in a sample which included individuals with and without disordered

eating behaviors. The positive correlation between body distortion and body dissatisfaction

was also observed with obese individuals in a study by Drewnowski and Yee (1987). A study

by Sarwer, Wadden, and Foster (1998), which found no relationship between body image

dissatisfaction and BMI among obese women, also indicated that the predictors of body

dissatisfaction are more complex than weight alone and that one’s perceptions about her

body can more significantly affect body image satisfaction than her objective weight.

A study by Saules, Collings, Wiedemann, and Fowler (2009) attempted to show a

relationship between susceptibility to changes in body image based on situational stressors

and problematic eating behaviors (i.e., binge eating disorder and obesity). While this

hypothesis was not supported, the study did show positive relationships between body

dissatisfaction and BMI, binge eating, and depression. A limitation of this study was that 75

percent of the sample consisted of Caucasian females and individuals of other ethnicities
 5

were underrepresented. The positive correlation between body dissatisfaction and BMI was

also supported in a study by Dalley, Buunk, and Umit (2009) where neuroticism was a

moderating variable. The correlation between body dissatisfaction and body distortion was

also found in an earlier study that examined the effect of one’s view of menstruation on these

variables (Sosnowski, 2001). In this sample of European-American women, those who

anticipated menses and viewed the onset of menstruation in a negative light had greater body

distortion (Sosnowski, 2001).

Measurement of Body Distortion

Numerous techniques have been developed to examine accuracy in one’s perception

of her body size. The photo distortion technique involves participants altering a manipulated

picture of themselves until it resembles what they believe to be their body size (Alleback,

Hallberg, & Epsmark, 1976; Probst, Vandereycken, van Coppenolle, & Pieters, 1998; Vocks

et al., 2007). A related body distortion measure is the whole-image technique which involves

participants adjusting a real image of another person to match their own body size (Gardner,

1996). This technique also has been performed using mirrors which adjust to different sizes

(Traub & Orbach, 1964). Another technique to measure the perceptual component of body

image is the body site technique in which participants are asked to create a distance between

two points that matches the width of their body parts (Gardner, 1996). The chest, hips, waist,

stomach, and thighs are commonly measured areas in these studies (Gardner, 1996).

Thompson and Spana (1988) used a similar technique with a light beam apparatus where they

asked participants to adjust the length of a light beam to match the width of their body. One

of the most common types of body distortion measurement is the silhouette technique

(Holmqvist, 2010; Thompson & Gray, 1995). This involves presenting participants with
 6

silhouettes of females with varying weight types ranging from underweight to obese

(Thompson & Gray, 1995). Individuals are instructed to select the silhouette which they

believe represents their body size and this is compared to the silhouette which most

accurately reflects their body size (determined by matching silhouettes with corresponding

BMIs). The discrepancy between the participants’ perceived body size and actual body size

indicates the degree to which their perceptions of their body size are distorted (Thompson &

Gray, 1995).

While various methods have been used to measure degree of body distortion, the most

common procedure is to divide the estimated size by the actual size and multiply by 100

which provides the body distortion index (BDI) (Thompson, 1987). The BDI produces a

percentage of over or underestimation in body size or body mass index (BMI). BMI ((weight

in pounds x 703)/(height in inches2)) is a helpful measurement in classifying weight class.

The range for normal BMI is 20–25 (Garrow & Webster, 1985).

Internalization of the Thin Ideal

It has been recognized that Western society has supported an ideal body type that is

thin and getting thinner (Singh, 1993). A study by Guaraldi, Orlandi, Boselli, and O'Donnell

(1999) found that having an ideal body image that differed from that of the mainstream

sociocultural standard was protective against body dissatisfaction. They discovered that

88.46 percent of women in their study endorsed an ideal body image that was in accordance

with that of the mainstream culture. This supported work done by Silberstein, Striegel-

Moore, Timko, and Rodin (1988) who found that 75.3 percent of their sample internalized an

ideal body image that was very tall and thin. As stated by Anschutz (2009), internalization of

the thin ideal occurs when the individual has adopted the cultural ideal for body type
 7

(thinness) as her own standard of attractiveness and participates in behaviors to attain this

ideal (i.e., disordered eating behaviors, dieting, or ruminating about the size and shape of her

body). Individuals who participate in these behaviors to achieve the ideal level of beauty also

believe this beauty will bring them overall success and satisfaction in life (Levine & Murnen,

2009).

Guaraldi et al.’s (1999) study showed that women who put the greatest level of

importance on having a tall and thin body type showed the most body dissatisfaction.

Consistent with results of a study by Palta, Prineas, Berman, and Hannan (1982), body

dissatisfaction was more likely to be present for women who believed they had a body type

closer to the ideal body image than was the reality (body distortion). Women with figures

that varied from the ideal body type (e.g., shorter and larger) had less body dissatisfaction.

The authors concluded from these findings that there was a positive correlation between

internalization of a mainstream sociocultural ideal body image and both body distortion and

body dissatisfaction (Guaraldi et al., 1999). Previous research by Striegel-Moore, Mcavay,

and Rodin (1986) also showed the connection between one’s perceived body size (regardless

of actual weight) and acceptance of the societal view of a thin body as the ideal. However,

the findings from a 1989 study by Wardle and Foley suggested that those with a thin ideal

body image would be likely to overestimate their body size. In a similar study by Williamson

(1990), body distortion (defined in this study as the difference between actual body size and

the ideal body size decided on by a peer group) led to body dissatisfaction.

The results of the studies above suggest that women who internalize a thin body ideal

will also be dissatisfied with their bodies, regardless of being thin, and will continue to strive

to attain an ideal lower weight which continues to be just out of their reach, which leads to
 8

more body dissatisfaction. This vicious cycle was shown in a sample where the majority of

participants were Hispanic teenage girls and women (Ferguson et al., 2011). In this study,

underweight participants had greater body dissatisfaction than participants whose BMI was

in the normal range. Further, those with a BMI in the thin category (based on the World

Health Organization’s (2010) classification criteria) were almost as dissatisfied with their

bodies as those in the obese category. Participants’ body satisfaction was not shown to be

influenced by media exposure to thin-figured women which was contrary to findings by

Saules et al. (2009) and Dalley et al. (2009) that showed viewing thin media images led to

higher levels of body dissatisfaction. While results of this study are helpful in illuminating

the relationship between BMI and body dissatisfaction, the results are limited to the Hispanic

population and it would be beneficial to examine these variables in other ethnic groups.

Gender and Body Image

Females have been shown to be more susceptible to body distortion and body

dissatisfaction in comparison to males (Arkoff & Weaver, 1966; Thompson & Thompson,

1986). One study found that females of Japanese-American descent exhibited much higher

levels of body dissatisfaction than both Japanese-American males and Caucasian-American

women (Arkoff & Weaver, 1966). In another study by Thompson & Thompson (1986) that

examined a non-eating disordered sample, females were found to rate their bodies as 25%

larger than their actual size compared to males who overestimated their body size by 13%.

Body dissatisfaction can pertain to negative feelings about one’s whole body shape or to

particular body parts (Slade, 1994).

Males who do show dissatisfaction with their bodies typically are preoccupied with

different areas of the body than are women (Moreno & Thelen, 1993; Nagel & Jones, 1992).
 9

The thighs, legs, buttocks, hips, and abdominal region (areas with high fat deposits in

females) are common areas of dissatisfaction for women (Furnham & Greaves, 1994; Nagel

& Jones, 1992). Additionally, women often are concerned with the attractiveness of their face

(Furnham & Greaves, 1994). While women often are concerned with their bodies being too

large (Moreno & Thelen, 1993), men tend to be preoccupied either with not being muscular

enough or with having too much body fat (Peters & Phelps, 2001). However, one study with

female bodybuilders revealed that this population also had a bidirectional body

dissatisfaction where some participants were seeking a more muscular frame while others

wished to have a thinner body type (Peters & Phelps, 2001). Different from women, men

tend to be preoccupied with areas of the body related to upper body strength such as biceps,

chest and shoulders (Furnham & Greaves, 1994). Also, men often desire to weigh more while

women desire to be lighter. Specifically, a study by Furnham & Greaves (1994) found that

males wished to be three pounds heavier while women reported a desire to be seven pounds

lighter, on average.

Alexithymia and Body Dissatisfaction

Sifneos first created the term “alexithymia” which stands for “no words for mood”

(1973). Four categories have been identified to describe alexithymia: difficulty identifying

and expressing feelings, difficulty differentiating emotions from physical sensations, limited

capacity for fantasy, and concrete thinking with little capacity for self-awareness or

introspection (Taylor, Bagby, & Parker, 1991). Alexithymia has been described to have its

origins in a chaotic familial upbringing (Krystal, 1978). Further, alexithymia has been traced

to childhood sexual and/or physical abuse (Turner & Paivio, 2002). It has been suggested that

the characteristics of alexithymia (i.e., controlling emotional reactions) develop out of an

 10

individual’s need to feel in control after these types of traumas (Zlotnick, Mattia, &

Zimmerman, 2001).

This is consistent with Anna Freud’s description of the defense mechanism “turning

against the self” which refers to the redirection of negative emotions towards a person (i.e.,

anger or criticism) against the self (1936). This method of coping serves two main functions:

First, it allows the person to feel more in control of difficult situations where her well-being

is reliant upon undependable or abusive caregivers. By blaming the self for these situations

rather than the caregivers, the person can believe that, if she were only “good enough,” then

these negative events and the poor treatment she received could have been prevented.

Second, holding one’s feelings inside can often feel safer than expressing those emotions.

People often fear that others cannot tolerate their feelings of anger or criticism towards them

and, therefore, they turn those feelings against themselves instead, making them unaware of

the emotions they are really experiencing towards their environment (Freud, 1936).

Most of the clinical research on alexithymia has been conducted with eating disorders

populations (e.g., Bydlowski et al., 2005; Carano et al., 2006; De Barardis et al., 2007;

Heatherton & Baumeister, 1991). Hilde Bruch (1962) described difficulty in differentiating

and expressing emotions as a core issue with eating disorder patients. Similar to Zlotnick et

al. (2001) and Freud (1936), Bruch described alexithymia in eating disorder symptomatology

as reflective of feeling out of control and ineffective in creating change in one’s life (1962).

It has been posited that patients with eating disorders experience a deep sense of vulnerability

and that alexithymia serves as a way to fight against overwhelming emotions (Corcos &

Speranza, 2003). Binge eating disorder has also been described to result from inability to

successfully regulate emotions (Wheeler, Greiner, & Boulton, 2005). Similarly, Heatherton
 11

and Baumeister (1991) developed the escape theory of binge eating disorder which holds that

participating in binging protects against negative feelings by distracting the person from what

they are feeling and keeping these feeling out of conscious awareness.

Indeed, alexithymic patients have been shown to have much higher levels of

emotional distress than non-alexithymics (de Groot, Rodin, & Olmstead, 1995; Taylor,

Parker, Bagby, & Bourke, 1996) and alexithymia is directed related to severity of eating

disorder symptoms (e.g., Bydlowski et al., 2005; Carano et al., 2006; Cochrane, Brewerton,

Wilson, & Hodges, 1993; De Barardis et al., 2007; Schmidt, Jiwany, & Treasure, 1993). In a

study by Delaney (2002), binge eaters were more likely to have difficulty identifying their

emotions and less able to understand physical sensations than healthy controls. Additionally,

Wheeler et al. (2005) found a positive association between alexithymia and binge eating.

This study further found a mediating effect of alexithymia between death of a parent and

childhood abuse with eating disorders (Wheeler et al., 2005). In related studies, childhood

emotional abuse and disordered eating was mediated by alexithymia (Hund & Espelage,

2006; Mazzeo & Espelage, 2002).

Fewer studies have examined the relationship between alexithymia and body

dissatisfaction (Newman, 2004). Carano et al. (2006) found alexithymia to be directly related

to body dissatisfaction. This relationship was supported in a later study which found those

high in body dissatisfaction to have difficulty recognizing when they were feeling angry

(Ridout et al., 2010). In an interesting study by De Barardis et al. (2005) of women with

premenstrual dysphoric disorder, women high in alexithymia evaluated their bodies more

negatively than women low in alexithymia. Newman (2004) examined differences in body

dissatisfaction and alexithymia in Caucasian and African American college students and
 12

found that, while African Americans experienced less body dissatisfaction and pressure to be

thin, they were just as likely as Caucasians to have difficulty identifying and expressing their

feelings and distinguishing emotion from somatic symptoms. Furthermore, Franzoni et al.’s

(2013) findings suggested that alexithymia resulted from unprocessed trauma and associated

feelings of shame and that this shame was related to body dissatisfaction. Given the proposed

relationship between alexithymia and body dissatisfaction (Carano et al., 2011), it is possible

that the tendency to criticize one’s body could reflect Anna Freud’s theory of an individual’s

defensive style of turning criticism and anger against herself.

Perfectionism and Body Dissatisfaction

Studies have showed perfectionism to be strongly related to body dissatisfaction (e.g.,

Brannan & Petrie, 2008; Casale, Biondi, & Pacini, 2011; Chan & Owens, 2006).

Perfectionism has been defined as “a personality characteristic involving a tendency to place

excessive emphasis on precision and organization, the setting of and striving for unrealistic

personal standards, critical self-evaluation if these standards are not reached, excessive

concern over mistakes, and doubts about the quality of personal achievements” (Castro-

Fornieles et al., 2007, p. 562). To first discuss overall theoretical models of perfectionism, it

has been described by Burns (1980) as the expectance of achieving excellence and then

criticizing one’s self for not reaching this goal. Hamachek (1978) described that some

perfectionism can be adaptive while other perfectionism can enter the neurotic, maladaptive

realm. He stated that normal perfectionism is present for individuals who possess a strong

need for achievement and set practical goals for themselves, which leads to increases in self-

esteem and overall life satisfaction. However, neurotic perfectionism he described as being

motivated by a fear of failing, yet these individuals create unreasonable criteria to meet so as

to not become a failure (Hamachek, 1978). This neurotic type of perfectionism is associated
 13

with various forms of psychological disturbance (Blatt, 1995; Flett, Hewitt, Blankstein, &

Mosher, 1995).

Similar to the perfectionism model by Hamachek (1978), Slade and Owens (1998)

developed the dual process model of perfectionism which is based on behavioral theories of

reinforcement. It posits that there are negative and positive forms of perfectionism, with

negative perfectionism being motivated by negative reinforcement or the fear of failing

(called the avoidance orientation) and positive reinforcement which is characterized by the

motivation to achieve (referred to as the approach orientation). The negative form of

perfectionism is such named because the perfectionist is constantly dissatisfied by continuing

to attempt to reach unreasonable standards and failing, while the positive perfectionist

experiences more life satisfaction because she can adjust her expectations based on results

and constructive criticism from others. To put it another way, positive perfectionists strive to

become their ideal self while negative perfectionists struggle to avoid becoming their feared

self (i.e., a failure) (Slade & Owens, 1998).

Pathological and non-pathological categories of perfectionism have also been

identified by Anthony and Swinson (1998). Pathological perfectionism involves setting

inflexible standards for the self even when these standards prove to be impossible to attain.

For non-pathological perfectionism, while it also involves high achievement standards, the

goals are not as rigid as these perfectionists are able to keep in their sights which behaviors

are helpful to their success and which behaviors are not (i.e., continuing to pursue a goal

which will not come to fruition) (Anthony & Swinson, 1998). According to Rosen (1992),

due to perfectionists’ need to be perfect when it comes to appearance as well, they often

engage in compulsive body-checking and mirror-checking behaviors as well as avoid

 14

situations where they could feel anxiety due to issues related to body dissatisfaction.

Multidimensional Models of Perfectionism

It has been suggested that a multidimensional view of perfectionism, or identifying

multiple reasons why the individual strives to achieve at such a high level, could be most

helpful in understanding the role that this variable plays in the development and maintenance

of body dissatisfaction (Franco-Paredes, Mancilla-Díaz, Vázquez-Arévalo, López-Aguilar, &

Álvarez-Rayón, 2005; Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990a; Hewitt, Flett, & Ediger,

1995). Studies by Dunkley, Blankstein, Halsall, Williams, and Winkworth (2000) and Frost,

Heimberg, Holt, Mattia, and Neubauer (1993) supported two dimensions of perfectionism

(personal standards and evaluative concerns). Personal standards (PS) perfectionism consists

of creating unrealistically high standards, while evaluative concerns (EC) is characterized by

excessive concern over mistakes and self-doubt and criticism about performance (Frost et al.,

1993). In addition to self-criticism, EC perfectionism is also defined by the belief that others

will be just as critical of them for not being perfect (Hewitt & Flett, 1991).

A study by Boone (2011) examined PS and EC in relation to body dissatisfaction and

thin ideal internalization, which they believed to be one example of a perfectionist’s tendency

to strive for excellence. This study built upon past research which examined the meditational

effect of thin ideal internalization on the positive correlation between perfectionism and body

dissatisfaction (Tissot & Crowther, 2008). Boone (2011) argued that, because individuals

high in EC perfectionism can harbor feelings of failure and insecurity, these individuals may

gain confidence and a sense of control by striving for a thin physique. Results showed that

EC perfectionism was associated with both body dissatisfaction and perceived pressure to be

thin (Boone, 2011), supporting Hewitt and Flett’s (1991) proposition that EC perfectionists
 15

are self-critical and believe others to be critical of them as well. This study also supported

Thompson et al.’s (1999) findings that women who strive for perfection believe that a perfect

body will bring them social success and positive self-worth. A possible limitation to Boone’s

(2011) study is the homogenous Caucasian sample. Also, the sample included individuals

with bulimic symptomatology and the results may not generalize to a non-clinical population.

Multidimensional Perfectionism Model. Another multidimensional model of

perfectionism, developed by Hewitt and Flett (1991), identified three spheres of

perfectionism: self-oriented perfectionism (SOP), socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP),

and other-oriented perfectionism (OOP). Regarding SOP, this is an intrapersonal

perfectionism dimension, involving stringently criticizing one’s performance and creating

unrealistically high self-standards. Brannan and Petrie (2008) found a relationship between

body dissatisfaction and SOP and concluded that women who strive to be perfect extend this

standard to their physical appearance, and feel they are failures for not having bodies they are

proud of. A limitation of Brannan and Petrie’s study is that it only included Caucasian

women. SOP has also been linked with depression (Hewitt & Flett, 1993a; Hewitt, Flett, &

Ediger, 1996), neuroticism, poor self-esteem and a need for approval (Hewitt & Flett, 1991).

Although, SOP can be beneficial at non-clinical levels as it is associated with high levels of

achievement and self-actualization (Hewitt, 1995).

SPP is an interpersonal construct referring to the belief that others stress perfection in

the person and so the person must, therefore, work to achieve extremely high standards to

avoid failure and criticism from others (Hewitt & Flett, 1991). Studies by Chang (1998) and

Hewitt, Norton, Flett, Callander, and Cowan (1998) revealed that SPP increases one’s risk

for suicide attempts. Additionally, Tissot and Crowther (2008) showed that SOP had a
 16

meditational effect on the relationship of SPP with thin ideal internalization and body

dissatisfaction.

The third interpersonal perfectionism category is OOP which refers to the belief that

other people should achieve perfection which leads to harsh criticism of others’ actions

(Hewitt & Flett, 1991). Since individuals high in OOP are often disappointed by others when

they, inevitably, fail to achieve their unrealistic expectations for them, this often results in

marriage and relationship problems in areas such as difficulty trusting others and harboring

feelings of hostility and blame towards others (Habke, Hewitt, & Flett, 1999; Hewitt, Flett, &

Mikail, 1995). OOP also has been associated with body image avoidance (i.e., avoidance of

wearing form-fitting clothing, physical intimacy, and socializing), suggesting that

individuals’ criticism of others’ failures in such areas as beauty can be reflective of the

perfectionists’ own feelings of self-criticism. However, lesser degrees of OOP can lead to

positive qualities such as good motivational and leadership abilities (Hewitt & Flett, 1991).

All three perfectionistic spheres in this model have been observed to be positively corrected

with body dissatisfaction as well as poor self-esteem, disordered eating behaviors,

depression, anxiety, and procrastination (Hewitt, Flett, & Turnbull, 1992). However, the

perfectionistic striving subscale of self-orientated perfectionism has been found to be

negatively related to depression and positively related to self-esteem (Campbell and Di

Paula, 2002).

Frost’s Multidimensional Perfectionism Model. Frost’s perfectionism model is

another widely accepted description of perfectionism from a multidimensional standpoint

(Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Robenblate, 1990b). Frost described perfectionism as being

composed of 6 components: setting very high personal standards, being highly concerned
 17

over making mistakes, doubting one’s actions, perceiving parents to have high achievement

expectations for the person, believing parents to be critical of one’s behaviors, and focusing

on organization (Frost et al., 1990b). While the combination of setting high personal

standards with low concerns over mistakes and doubt about actions has been shown to be

directly related to self-esteem and overall life satisfaction (Flett, Hewitt, Blankstein, &

O’Brien, 1991; Flett & Hewitt, 2002; Rice & Mirzadeh, 2000), high personal standards

combined with high concerns over mistakes, doubting actions, and parental

criticism/expectations has been associated with anxiety (Frost & Henderson, 1991),

procrastination (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984), low self-confidence (Hall, Kerr, & Matthews,

1998), self-sabotaging behaviors (Hobden & Pliner, 1995), and body dissatisfaction (Frost et

al., 1990a). In addition, Striegel-Moore et al. (1986) found body dissatisfaction to increase

(as evidenced by reports of feeling fatter) when women were experiencing a high level of

concern over mistakes and perceived failures. This model of perfectionism has been

considered to be more comprehensive than other multidimensional perfectionism models as it

includes not only values (i.e., organization and high personal standards) and thoughts (i.e.,

concern over mistakes) characteristic of perfectionists but also takes into account

perfectionistic behaviors (i.e., doubting actions) and even considers antecedents to

perfectionism (i.e., parenting experiences) (Stallman, 2011).

Consistent with Frost’s model of perfectionism, parental criticism has been discussed

as being especially important in the development of perfectionism and body dissatisfaction

(e.g., Burns, 1980; Blatt, 1995; Hollender, 1965; Parker, 1997). Parker’s work with school

children revealed that children who experienced high levels of criticism and expectations

from parents had negative perfectionistic traits, which included concern over making
 18

mistakes, doubt about their actions, and unrealistic goals for their achievements (1997).

Children who experienced lower levels of parental criticism and parental expectations had

more realistic standards, less self-doubt, and less anxiety regarding perceived mistakes

(Parker, 1997). Guilt, shame, and basing self-worth on what one achieves are also

characteristics of individuals who grew up perceiving that their parents expected perfection

from them (Hollender, 1965). These feelings can lead the perfectionist to make attempts to

win their parents’ affection through exemplary performance and to attempt to avoid failing

out of concern that this would result in criticism and loss of parental love (Burns, 1980).

Furthermore, Blatt (1995) stated that self-worth attached to achievement resulted in poor

body esteem, unstable self-esteem, and low overall self- esteem. The experiencing of extreme

forms of criticism and punishment (i.e., neglect or emotional, physical and sexual abuse) in

childhood also has been associated with perfectionistic traits and body dissatisfaction through

internalizing critical views of the self (Blatt, 1995; Dunkley, 2010; Glassman, Weierich,

Hooley, Deliberto, & Nock, 2007). In other words, children from harsh, punitive parental

environments often grow into adults with maladaptive perfectionism and they repeat the

patterns they grew up with by continuing to punish themselves through self-blame and

criticism (Blatt, 1995; Slaney, Rice, & Ashby, 2002).

Other Perspectives on Perfectionism

Another theory that has been employed to highlight the importance of the relationship

between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction is sociocultural theory which stresses the

influence of internalization of the thin ideal on these two variables (Boone, 2011; Tissot &

Crowther, 2008; van den Berg et al., 2002). According to this theory, women are more likely

to develop body dissatisfaction when they experience pressure from others (especially from
 19

parents, friends, romantic partners, and the media) to lose weight (similar to socially-

prescribed perfectionism) (Cafri et al., 2005; McKee, 2006). However, it has been shown that

the individual must internalize the message that only thinness is acceptable (similar to self-

oriented perfectionism) for the greatest levels of body dissatisfaction to occur (Tissot &

Crowther, 2008). This is supported by developmental theories of perfectionism where

children who are exposed to pressures to be perfect while growing up are seen to internalize

these perfectionistic standards and live by them later in life (Flett, Hewitt, Oliver, &

Macdonald, 2002).

The relationship between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction has also been

examined using self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). This theory holds that individuals

have various ideal selves, such as the ideal self they create for themselves as well as the ideal

self they believe other people have for them. When there is a discrepancy between a person’s

actual physical appearance and their own ideal self, they can experience what Higgins (1987)

labeled as “dejection-related emotions” (p. 322) such as body dissatisfaction. In the event

that there is an incongruity between individuals’ perception of others’ ideal self for them and

their actual body size, feelings such as embarrassment and shame about the body can follow

(Higgins, 1987). This has found to be particularly true for individuals with perfectionistic

tendencies and low self-esteem (Forbes et al., 2001; Tantleff-Dunn & Lindner, 2011).

A few studies have examined perfectionism in relation to both self-esteem and body

dissatisfaction (Shaw, Stice, & Springer, 2004; Stice, 2001; Vohs, Voelz, Pettit, Bardone,

Katz, Abramson, & Joiner, 2001). In a study by Shaw et al. (2004), individuals high in all

three areas of body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and self-esteem were shown to have

healthy eating behaviors. Although, individuals high in body dissatisfaction and

 20

perfectionism, but low in self-esteem, showed more binge eating behaviors. Shaw et al.

(2004) attributed this pattern to the ability for individuals’ with adequate self-esteem to

consider being overweight as an impermanent state that they are able to change (in spite of

high perfectionism), while individuals lacking in self-esteem do not believe they can control

their weight loss, resulting in problems related to emotional and food regulation.

Casale (2011) found a significant interaction effect between perfectionism and body

dissatisfaction. One study found that negative (neurotic) perfectionism is related to specific

eating disorder symptoms, including drive for thinness, bulimia, and body dissatisfaction

(Chan & Owens, 2006). Neurotic perfectionism was also found to be related to attractiveness

and weight preoccupation in a study by Davis, Claridge, and Fox (2000). The authors

concluded from these results that more physically beautiful women can become

hyperfocused on and attempt to perfect their body weight because, due to receiving a great

deal of praise for their attractiveness during their youth, they can begin to base their sense of

self-worth on their ability to maintain their perfect appearance (Davis et al., 2000). This

coincides with results by Pokrajac-Bulian (2005) which suggested that young females can

become overly involved with developing a perfect body as a method of filling the existential

needs for life meaning and emotional satisfaction. In an interesting study by McKee (2006)

on perfectionism and body dissatisfaction, it was found that perfectionism (related to needing

to appear physically perfect in public) was associated with body dissatisfaction (i.e., feeling

negative about the body and larger discrepancies between actual and ideal body size).

Ruggiero (2003) examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction and perfectionism in

both stressful (e.g., when participants were taking a test or being graded on a task) and non-

stressful settings and found the two variables to be strongly related in both conditions.
 21

However, one study of adolescent girls did not find a relationship between body

dissatisfaction and perfectionism (Wojtowicz & von Ranson, 2012).

Perfectionism, Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating

Cafri, Yamamiya, Brannick, and Thompson (2005) also examined perfectionism and

body dissatisfaction in a sample of women suffering from bulimia. They observed that body

dissatisfaction as well as thin ideal internalization moderated the relationship between Frost’s

high personal standards perfectionism and binge eating. In both this study and Boone’s

(2011) study, perfectionism was considered to precede thin ideal internalization and

perceived pressure to be thin and it was failing to meet these unreasonably high standards for

the body that led to body dissatisfaction and, subsequently, to eating disordered behaviors.

Glassman et al. (2007) further observed that self-criticism mediated the relationship between

perfectionistic traits and body dissatisfaction in a sample of patients with binge eating

disorder. Bardone-Cone, Abramson, Vohs, Heatherton, and Joiner (2006) also described the

relationship between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction in relation to the development of

binge eating behaviors. Specifically, they found that individuals high in perfectionism and

low in self-efficacy were the most likely to feel hopeless about losing weight and develop

binge eating as a method to reduce weight loss-related anxiety. This formula has been coined

the vulnerability-stress model with perfectionism and poor agency being the vulnerability

factors and stress referring to anxiety surrounding body dissatisfaction (Bardone-Cone et al.,

2006). These findings supported an earlier study by Heatherton and Baumeister (1991) where

the greatest incidences of binge eating behaviors in a non-clinical sample were observed in

perfectionistic participants with low self-efficacy. It has been suggested that women who

present with perfectionism but higher self-efficacy related to weight loss can avoid eating
 22

disordered behaviors and, instead, will utilize healthier weight loss strategies (i.e., dieting or

exercise) to combat body dissatisfaction (Heatherton & Baumeister, 1991).

Much less research has been conducted comparing perfectionism and body distortion

relative to the work done on perfectionism and body dissatisfaction (Bardone, Vohs,

Abramson, Heatherton, & Joiner, 2000; Vohs et al., 2001; Welch, Miller, Ghaderi, &

Vaillancourt, 2009). It has been suggested that individuals with body distortion

underestimate their attractiveness or overestimate their body size due to a need to be perfect

(Buhlmann, Etcoff, & Wilhelm, 2008; Veale & Lambrou, 2002). This was supported in

studies where perfectionistic self-criticism was seen to be directly related to concerns about

body size and overestimating one’s weight and body size (body distortion) (Fairburn,

Cooper, & Shafran, 2003; Hrabosky, Masheb, White, & Grilo, 2007). According to

researchers such as Veale, Kinderman, Riley, and Lambrou (2003), additional studies need to

be conducted on perfectionism and body distortion to better understand if body distortion is

affected by perfectionism through an unrealistic body-ideal, disturbed perception of the

actual body, or a combination of the two.

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation

Perfectionistic self-presentation (PSP), a construct related to perfectionism, is defined

as taking great strides to appear perfect to others by not showing defects or weaknesses in

relation to performance, competence, or physical appearance (Hewitt & Flett, 1991). It

differs from perfectionism in that this variable refers to one’s personal drive for perfection

while PSP is concerned with a desire to present one’s self to others as perfect (Hewitt &

Flett, 1991). It has also been described as the effort to showcase one’s perfectionism to others

through three avenues: self-promotion (or engaging in behaviors to prove one’s perfectionist
 23

nature), non-disclosure of imperfection (evading the communication of one’s imperfections),

and non-display of imperfection (which is trying to hide imperfect qualities about the self in

the presence of others) (Hewitt et al., 2003). To put it differently, perfectionistic self-

presenters attempt to appear perfect in public by stressing their achievements (self-

promotion) or by concealing their faults (non-display and non-disclosure of imperfection)

(Hewitt et al., 2003). PSP has been shown to be more closely related to self-oriented and

socially-prescribed perfectionism than other-oriented perfectionism given the perfectionistic

self-presenter’s focus on appearing perfect but not requiring actual perfection from

themselves or others (Hewitt & Flett, 1991). Drawing from Sullivan’s interpersonal theory of

personality development (1938/2000), PSP points to the importance of how the interpersonal

interactions are affected in individuals suffering from perfectionism (Hewitt et al., 2003).

Hewitt and his colleagues view PSP as an important aspect of personality and a global and

stable form of interpersonal interaction (2003). Buss and Finn (1987) also have described

PSP as an interpersonal style and a behavioral trait of perfectionism.

Bem (1972) previously commented on a maladaptive form of self-presentation that

was representative of a neurotic personality style. However, Schlenker and Weigold (1992)

argued that there exist both positive and negative aspects of self-presentation. Still, Hewitt et

al. (2003) believe that PSP leads to distress for the self and others, regardless of some

adaptive or useful outcomes that may also result from this personality style. Sorotzkin

examined perfectionistic self-presentation as it related to feelings of shame in narcissistic

perfectionism and to feelings of guilt in neurotic perfectionism (1985; 1998). He expanded

upon Rothstein’s (1991) work who theorized a child’s deep sense of inferiority from an

overcritical and/or neglectful environment as leading to the development of the belief that
 24

only by being perfect (or grandiose) can he/she lessen feelings of inferiority. Sortozkin

(1998) stated that perfectionism in narcissistic patients serves as a way to avoid shame for

not fulfilling their grandiose fantasies of themselves. Therefore, narcissistic injuries and a

sense of shame develop when the perfectionistic self-presenter views others as seeing them

as less than perfect, which leads to further feelings of inferiority. Perfectionistic self-

presentation from a neurotic standpoint, however, serves as a way to avoid guilt feelings that

accompany a harsh superego that has internalized parental criticism (1998). In other words,

the narcissistic perfectionist, with their feelings of superiority, attempts to depict him/herself

as perfect to others (i.e., the self-promotion subtype of PSP) while the neurotic perfectionist

strives to earn acceptance by hiding imperfections from others (i.e., the non-disclosure and

non-display of imperfection PSP subtypes) (Sorotzkin, 1998). Earlier work by Sorotzkin also

described self-presentational propensities as reflecting the perfectionist’s desire to be

included and admired by others where the guise of perfection protects them against rejection

(1985). Hobden and Pliner (1995) described that PSP can also lead these individuals to avoid

opportunities for growth if they believe there is a possibility that they will not perform

perfectly and others will think them a failure.

Frost et al. (1995) also commented on this idea by stating that individuals high in the

avoidance PSP subtypes (i.e., non-display and non-disclosure of imperfection) will avoid

situations where they could be potentially ridiculed or asked to reveal a form of imperfection.

This is consistent with Karen Horney’s (1950) view of the perfectionist’s need to avoid

criticism by concealing his/her flaws before others can take notice of them. Horney described

that, when children are deprived of affection and approval, it can lead to neurotic needs in

relationships later in life. For instance, they may constantly seek the approval, admiration,
 25

and recognition from people that they were denied in their youth by striving to appear

perfect. Therefore, any perceived errors are considered intolerable and must be avoided as

they fear mistakes will lead to loss of love and acceptance again (Horney, 1950).

These avoidance PSP subtypes have been shown to increase anxiety in social

situations (Flett, Hewitt, Endler, & Tassone, 1994; McGee, Hewitt, Sherry, Parkin, & Flett,

2005) and to limit the level of intimacy in interpersonal relationships for these individuals

(Alden, Bieling, & Wallace, 1994; Derlega, Metts, Petronio, & Margulis, 1993; Hewitt et al.,

2003; Meleshko & Alden, 1993; Weisinger & Lobenz, 1981). A study examining PSP in

married couples found husbands’ non-display of imperfection to be positively related to

wives’ sexual dissatisfaction and wives’ PSP to be related to less personal sexual satisfaction

(Habke, Hewitt, & Flett, 1999). The fear of displaying and/or disclosing imperfection to

others has also been observed to be related with lower levels of verbal expression in social

situations (Flett, Hewitt, & DeRosa, 1996).

Perfectionistic Self-presentation and Body Dissatisfaction

While self-presentation is a newer concept and has not been researched in great depth

as of this time, recent studies have indicated there is a significant, positive relationship

between perfectionistic self-presentation and body dissatisfaction (Penkal & Kurdek, 2007;

Rudiger, Cash, Roehrig, & Thompson, 2007; Sherry, Vriend, Hewitt, Flett, & Wardrop,

2009). Sherry et al. (2009) posited that, due to the fear of displaying faults that accompanies

perfectionistic self-presentation, perfectionistic individuals tend to hyperfocus on flaws

pertaining to their bodies as well, leading to negative feelings about their bodies and efforts

to cover up what they believe to be physical defects. Further, Hewitt et al. (2003) stated that

PSP is heightened in those who negatively evaluate their bodies and that a characteristic of
 26

PSP includes fixating on how ones’ body appears in public. Flett and Hewitt (2005)

described that body dissatisfaction will be especially heightened in individuals with PSP who

have poor confidence in their ability to solve problems and who utilize emotion-focused

coping (i.e., blaming the self for mistakes). Therefore, it can be suggested that individuals

with PSP who blame themselves for being overweight and feel they will be ineffective in

modifying their weight will experience an elevation in body dissatisfaction. Additionally,

one’s ability to have a positive self-presentation of the body has been shown to be affected by

the cultural view of the ideal body shape (Leary, 1992) and the thin body ideal in Western

society has been linked with insecurity among females regarding their bodies being perceived

positively in public (Krane, Stiles-Shipley, Waldron, & Michalenok, 2001).

Social Physique Anxiety

Hart, Leary, and Rejeski (1989) introduced social physique anxiety (SPA), an element

of PSP which is the emotional reaction to individuals’ worry about others criticizing their

bodies (Leary, 1992). SPA has been linked to body dissatisfaction such as discrepancies

between one’s actual and ideal body types (Hart et al., 1989). Additionally, a relationship

between SPA and eating disturbance (typically associated with body dissatisfaction) has been

shown to be moderated by BMI (Haase & Prapavessis, 1998). Corning, Krumm, and

Smitham (2006) also stated that, when perfectionistic individuals believe others are

negatively evaluating their bodies, this results in negative body image and the belief that they

are incapable of attaining the thinner body shape of their peers. An earlier study by Oates-

Johnson (2004) similarly found that preoccupation with how others perceive one’s body,

need for others to approve of one’s body, and avoidance subtypes of PSP were present for

women dissatisfied with their weight. Further, Oates-Johnson suggested that weight
 27

preoccupied women feared to fail in weight-loss attempts as they likely believed this would

lead to social rejection based upon peers’ criticism of their weight (2004). A related study by

Baratelli (2009) with young adult females from Venezuela found that fear of others’

criticizing their physical appearance was the most significant predictor of body

dissatisfaction. Kehoe’s (2003) findings similarly showed that the fear of negative body

evaluation common in PSP moderated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and thin

ideal internalization.

PSP has been observed to be strongly, negatively associated with self-esteem as well, a

variable consistently related to body dissatisfaction. Hewitt and Flett (1993b) found PSP to

be the best predictor of self-esteem, even beyond the variance accounted for by the non-self

presentational perfectionism domains. The authors concluded that perfectionistic self-

presenters attempt to portray a perfect physical physique to others to counterbalance feelings

of low self-worth (Hewitt & Flett, 1993b). Baumeister, Tice, and Hutton’s (1989) findings

also pointed to how the concealment PSP subtypes can reflect individuals with low self-

esteem’s reluctance to reveal any flaws to others which would further damage their views of

themselves.

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation, Alexithymia and Body Dissatisfaction

Hayaki, Friedman, and Brownell (2002) indicated that, among perfectionistic self-

presenters, the tendency to conceal imperfect aspects of the self can lead to difficulties with

overall emotional expression. The ability to talk about one’s feelings is thought to be

negatively associated with body dissatisfaction (Hayaki et al., 2002). Similarly, De Berardis

et al. (2009) suggested that individuals high in PSP would prohibit themselves from having

and revealing emotions that may be perceived by others as negative (such as anger and
 28

sadness). Results of this study found alexithymia (defined in this study as difficulty in

expressing and identifying one’s emotions) to be positively associated with body

dissatisfaction (De Barardis et al., 2009). This was supported in a subsequent study which

found alexithymia to predispose individuals to develop perfectionism and body image

disturbance (Ruggiero, Scarone, Marcero, Bertelli, & Sassaroli, 2011). A study by Quinton

and Wagner (2005) did not find a relationship between alexithymia and body dissatisfaction;

however, difficulty with emotional expression was found to predict perfectionism (Quinton

and Wagner, 2005).

Self-esteem and Body Dissatisfaction

A strong, negative association has been shown to exist between self-esteem and body

dissatisfaction (Button, Loan, Davies, & Sonuga-Barke, 1997; Brytek, 2010; Johnson &

Wardle, 2005; Tiggemann, 2005). It has been suggested by Allgood-Merten, Lewinsohn, and

Hops (1990) that body image is one crucial aspect of self-esteem and that body satisfaction is

important for self-esteem preservation. Various definitions of and perspectives on self-

esteem have been offered. Rosenberg (1979) defined self-esteem as a one-dimensional and

comprehensive construct referring to a person’s assessment of his/her sense of worth.

Alternatively, Tafardoi and Swan (1995) argued that self-esteem was bidimensional in

nature, with an affective (self-liking) and cognitive (self-competence) component. Self-liking

is defined as one’s opinion of one’s self based on feedback and acceptance from others, while

self-competence refers to one’s belief that he/she is a capable individual (Tafarodi & Swan,

1995). In two studies by Franzoi and Shields (1984) and Rosen and Alan (1986), self-esteem

was examined as a global construct and lower self-esteem was related to lower body

satisfaction. In a later study by Brytek (2010), self-esteem was examined as a global

construct as well as specifically in social, familial, and professional settings. This study of
 29

female participants who were suffering with obesity showed a correlation between body

dissatisfaction and all of the four above-mentioned aspects of self-esteem (Brytek, 2010).

Tiggemann’s (2005) and Conneely’s (2004) findings also supported a relationship

between body dissatisfaction and poor self-esteem. A positive correlation between self-

esteem and body satisfaction and negative correlation between self-esteem and body

dissatisfaction was observed in a study by Heaton with a sample of postpartum women

(2011). Studies by Bas, Asci, Karabudak, and Kiziltan (2004), Green and Pritchard (2003),

and Koff, Rierdan, and Stubbs (1990) also added to the research supporting a positive

correlation between body satisfaction and self-esteem in both males and females.

Thompson and Altabe (1991) found the relationship between body satisfaction and

self-esteem to be significant as well, especially among female participants. This stronger

correlation between self-esteem and body dissatisfaction for females versus males was also

seen in a study by Levine and Smolak (2002). This was further supported in study by

Furnham, Badmin, and Sneade (2002) which showed that body dissatisfaction was related

with low self-esteem to a higher degree in girls in comparison to boys. Given the

correlational nature of the study, it could not be determined whether low self-esteem led to

body dissatisfaction in this sample or if being dissatisfied with their bodies contributed to

poor self-esteem (Furnham et al., 2002).

Body dissatisfaction was also found to predict an increase in low self-esteem in a

study by Johnson & Wardle (2005), and a study by Abell and Richards (1996) found

decreases in self-esteem to be related to greater body dissatisfaction. It has also been shown

that women with higher acceptable weights for themselves have higher self-esteem than

women who believe they should be at a lower weight (Beamer, 1999). These results were
 30

echoed in a later study by Laliberte, Newton, McCabe, and Mills (2007) who found that

stronger views on weight control were associated with lower self-esteem and body

dissatisfaction. Additionally, this study revealed that participants who stressed the

importance of weight control were more likely to strive to lose weight, attempt to have a thin

body, and restrict their eating. Further, individuals who felt they should be able to control

their weight and were solely responsible for their weight had more body dissatisfaction and

poorer self-esteem, which the authors attributed to feelings of failure that these participants

would have when they did not achieve the unrealistic and unattainable thin ideal (Laliberte et

al., 2007). It also has been suggested that, when women feel that, no matter how hard they

try, they cannot lose enough weight or change their bodies enough to reach the thin ideal

(external-fate beliefs), this can lead to the development of poor self-esteem and symptoms of

depression (i.e., helplessness and hopelessness) (Furnham & Greaves, 1994).

A related study by Tiggemann and Rüütel (2001) found that women who focused on

being thin and spent many hours watching television (where the media portrays a very thin

body as the ideal body type) had low self-esteem. Body dissatisfaction and self-esteem were

also shown here to be related. Further, emphasizing a slim body continued to predict poor

self-esteem even when body dissatisfaction was controlled for (Tiggemann & Rüütel, 2001).

The negative correlation between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem was observed in a

study by Joiner, Schmidt, and Wonderlich (1997) with a sample of individuals with bulimia

and unipolar depression, which indicated that self-esteem and body dissatisfaction were

important factors in the development and maintenance of both of these disorders. The

relationship of body dissatisfaction with negative affect, restrictive dieting, and poor self-

esteem was also illustrated by Stice (1994). However, one study of adolescents did not find
 31

low self-esteem to be related to depression and anxiety in overweight and underweight

individuals (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998). Although, a significant relationship was found

between body mass index and body dissatisfaction (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998).

Additionally, a study by Kasper (2001) found that poorer self-esteem was associated with

greater body dissatisfaction (defined in this study as negative feelings and thoughts towards

their bodies and a discrepancy between participants’ ideal body size and their perceptions of

their actual body size), regardless of their mood. Allgood et al.’s (1990) study similarly

showed that the correlation between body dissatisfaction and depression was insignificant

after controlling for self-esteem.

Body Esteem

Studies have also demonstrated the degree to which low self-esteem can create

difficulties in other areas of a person’s life beyond body dissatisfaction (Henry, Anshel &

Michael, 2006; Striegel-Moore, 1990). One study found self-esteem to be associated with

social physique anxiety (or consistent worrisome thoughts related to others’ opinion of one’s

physical appearance) and body dissatisfaction in groups of both athletic and non-athletic

adolescents (Henry et al., 2006). The authors discussed that, in this study, body size and

weight were important predictors of self-esteem and that physical appearance was believed

by adolescents to be predictive of success in interpersonal relationships with peers (Henry et

al., 2006). The results of a more recent study by Koyuncu, Tok, Canpolat, and Catikkas

(2010) replicated those of Henry et al. (2006) in finding that greater self-esteem was related

to less social physique anxiety and greater body satisfaction in both female athlete and non-

athlete groups. Additionally, research by Martin, Engels, Wirth, and Smith (1997) found that

global self-esteem was significantly related to social physique anxiety in elite college female
 32

athletes.

A study by Striegel-Moore (1990) showed that poor self-esteem was related to greater

feelings of ineffectiveness, interpersonal distrust, and difficulties with identifying emotions.

Self-esteem was shown to be lower among lesbian students than heterosexual students in this

sample. Further, overall self-esteem was related to esteem related specifically to one’s body

and this body esteem had a stronger relationship with self-esteem among lesbians than

heterosexuals (Striegel-Moore, 1990). Another study of body esteem and overall self-esteem

also found a strong positive relationship between body cathexis (ratings of body parts) and

self-cathexis (ratings of self-worth) (Secord & Jourard, 1953). In a third study on body

esteem, Roberts and Good (2010) examined the big five personality traits (e.g., openness,

conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) as they related to changes in

body esteem in women after viewing media images portraying women with the “thin ideal”

body type. Results of the study showed that only the neuroticism trait was related with

negative changes in body esteem after exposure to these images, with women higher in

neuroticism experiencing more body dissatisfaction after viewing the thin images. Women

who scored highly on the neuroticism trait also experienced a greater decrease in body

dissatisfaction than less neurotic women after watching images of larger women. The other

four, more positive, personality traits were related to healthier self-appraisals after viewing

the idealized images, which indicated that the thin ideal media images may only impact the

body satisfaction of women who also experience neuroticism (Roberts & Good, 2010). It is

plausible that women with higher levels of neuroticism are also more prone to internalizing

the thin ideal, where the thin media image is accepted as the ideal body type and then serves

as the comparison model for the individual’s own body (Stice, Mazotti, Weibel, & Agras,
 33

2000).

As described by Stice and Shaw (2002), when the internalized thin ideal is not

reached, body dissatisfaction is a result. Given that the more neurotic women in Roberts and

Good’s (2010) study also experienced greater shifts towards body satisfaction after viewing

images of heavier women, this malleable body image also provides evidence for the

argument that these women base their self-esteem on messages from external factors (such as

the media) regarding what is an acceptable body rather than their own beliefs of what a

healthy weight is. Johnson (2006) examined the detrimental effect of a thin ideal

internalization and found that this variable, along with negative attitudes about physical

appearance and poor self-esteem, was predictive of body dissatisfaction. In a 25 study meta-

analysis on this topic, greater body dissatisfaction was present in women after they viewed

thin images in comparison to images of average-weight models, overweight models, or

inanimate objects (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002). Cepeda (2005) added to this line of

research in finding that internalization of the thin ideal was associated with poorer self-

esteem and greater body dissatisfaction.

Effects of Enhancing Self-Esteem on Body Dissatisfaction

Self-affirmation, or increasing one’s self-image (Steele, 1988), has been suggested to

be protective against body dissatisfaction by reducing the amount of importance placed on

body shape and weight for self-esteem maintenance. Steele (1988) proposed that, even if one

is preoccupied by body image concerns, self-affirming in other areas (such as being a kind

person) can enhance one’s overall self-image. A study by Armitage (2012) attempted to

assess if self-affirmation could impact body dissatisfaction and to observe if self-esteem

mediated the relationship between these two variables. Self-affirmation was shown to affect
 34

body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls but not boys, where encouraging the importance of

kindness moved girls’ sense of self-importance away from their physical appearance (e.g.,

facial beauty, body size, and weight). The author suggested that the boys’ self-esteem was

not as affected by the self-affirmation technique as were girls’ because the boys did not place

as much value on physical attractiveness as girls from the onset of the study (Armitage,

2012). This is consistent with work by Furnham and Greaves (1994) which showed that,

given the emphasis that society puts on female physicality, body satisfaction was more

important for self-esteem and overall well-being in females than males due to the fact that

males typically have other self-worth contingencies (i.e., high earning career).

The study by Armitage (2012) illustrates the concept that individuals are driven to

have a solid sense of self-worth (Steele, 1988) and that altering the spheres from which

individuals develop their self-esteem (i.e., from being outwardly attractive to a good person)

can positively impact body dissatisfaction and overall self-satisfaction (Armitage, 2012).

This appears to provide support for therapeutic techniques which do not necessarily directly

challenge thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to body image but rather help the

patients become more confident in, and kinder to, themselves which, in turn, leads to a

reduction in self-defeating ruminative thoughts about one’s appearance. Possible limitations

to this study include the study’s participants being mostly Caucasian as well as nearly half of

the girls in the experimental group having more positive body satisfaction scores before the

intervention (scores greater than the mean plus one standard deviation above those in the

control group).

To elaborate on how ruminating on negative thoughts about one’s appearance can

negatively impact body image, a study by Etu and Gray (2010) examined the relationship
 35

between cognitive rumination and body image distress by asking participants to read a body

image-related vignette intended to elicit negative feelings about one’s body. Participants

were then placed in either a rumination group (where participants were instructed to think

more about the negative body image vignette) or a distraction group (where participants’

attention was drawn away from the distressing vignette). Results revealed that individuals in

the rumination group had significantly more body dissatisfaction and anxiety than those in

the distraction group (Etu & Gray, 2010).

Verplanken, Friborg, Wang, Trafimow, and Woolf (2007) found that it was not

ruminating on negative thoughts about one’s body alone that led to poor self-esteem but

rather the degree to which individuals’ negative self-beliefs were a habitual practice for them.

Verplanken et al. (2007) further observed that habitual negative self-thinking continued to

predict eating disturbance and self-esteem when body dissatisfaction was controlled for. The

relationships between self-esteem, eating disordered behaviors, and body dissatisfaction were

found previously in studies by Stice, Presnell, and Spangler (2002) and Thompson, Heinberg,

Altabe, and Tantleff-Dunn (1999).

Thompson et al. (1999) created the Tripartite Influence Model to illustrate the various

factors associated with body dissatisfaction. This model describes sociocultural factors (e.g.,

pressure from peers, family, and media to develop a thin body; comparing one’s appearance

to others; internalizing the thin ideal) as precursors to body dissatisfaction (van den Berg,

Thompson, Brandon, & Coovert, 2002). The Tripartite Influence Model also suggests that

body dissatisfaction leads directly to problems with eating regulation and that eating

disturbance mediates the connection of body dissatisfaction to both self-esteem and

depression (Thompson et al., 1999).

 36

Self-Esteem, Body Image and Eating Concerns

In general, much of the literature in the realm of body dissatisfaction is focused on

eating disorder populations (e.g., Grilo & Macheb, 2005; Makri-Botsari, 2009; Matz, Foster,

Faith, & Wadden, 2002; Shin & Shin, 2008). One study of adolescent students revealed that

adolescents with higher levels of body dissatisfaction (related to weight and overall physical

appearance) also endorsed more eating disorder pathology, lower self-esteem, and poorer

self-perception than the students who displayed less body dissatisfaction (Makri-Botsari,

2009). Grilo and Macheb (2005) investigated the relationship between self-esteem and body

dissatisfaction in a binge-eating disorder sample. They found a negative correlation between

self-esteem and body dissatisfaction (Grilo & Macheb, 2005). Comparable findings on the

relationship between these two variables was observed in a study which included women

who struggled with morbid obesity (Grilo, Macheb, Brody, Burke-Martindale, & Rothschild,

2005).

Self-esteem also was related to body dissatisfaction in a study of 79 obese and non-

obese women (Sarwer, Wadden, & Foster, 1998). Results additionally showed that 72

percent of obese women versus 49 percent of non-obese women in this sample reported

moderate to severe body dissatisfaction with specific body parts. Forty-seven percent of the

obese women and 42 percent of non-obese women described feeling the most dissatisfaction

with their abdominal area or waist size. Surprisingly, only eight obese women stated that they

were more dissatisfied with their body as a whole than any specific body part. Taken as a

whole, Sarwer et al.’s (1998) results indicate that obese women can also have more specific,

rather than global, body image distress and that body dissatisfaction for these women likely

involves factors other than simply being obese (such as poor self-esteem). In another study
 37

with obese women without binge eating habits who were interested in beginning a weight

loss program, self-esteem, teasing in adulthood, and internalization of the thin ideal were

predictors of body dissatisfaction (Matz et al., 2002). Conversely, the experience of being

teased in childhood was not predictive of self-esteem or body dissatisfaction (Matz et al.,

2002).

Self-Esteem and Body Image during Adolescence

Jones and Newman (2009) examined the relevance of body dissatisfaction and self-

esteem issues in adolescents in their study on appearance teasing. They concluded that

appearance teasing partly mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and self-

esteem and that early adolescents’ body image and self-esteem can be greatly harmed by

critical and harsh comments by peers (Jones & Newman, 2009). Numerous other studies

have considered the effect of adolescents’ body dissatisfaction on their self-esteem, mood,

and overall level of emotional distress (Cash, 2002; Keery, van den Berg, & Thompson,

2004; van den Berg et al., 2010; Wertheim, Koerner, & Paxton, 2001; Wichstrom, 1999). A

five year longitudinal study by Paxton (2006) found body dissatisfaction to be a risk factor

for both depression and low self-esteem in adolescent boys and girls over the five year

period. Paxton (2006) concluded that a vicious cycle exists among adolescents prone to body

dissatisfaction in that it leads to mood disturbance and poor self-esteem, creating more body

dissatisfaction, then worse feelings about the self, etc. As described by Shroff and Thompson

(2006), adolescence is a critical time for self-image development as weight gain occurs

during puberty. This is a difficult time to shift away from the thin ideal body type during a

period of development where adolescents long for acceptance and inclusion by peers (Berndt

& Hestenes, 1996) in addition to the pressures of increasing academic challenges and new
 38

romantic relationship demands (Shroff & Thompson, 2006). Suppressing emotions,

internalizing the thin ideal, and comparing physical appearance also have been positively

related to body dissatisfaction, eating disturbance, and poor self-esteem among adolescents

(Shroff & Thompson, 2006).

There appear to be differences in the relationship between self-esteem and body

dissatisfaction for adolescent boys and girls (Furnham et al., 2002; Pokrajac-Bulian, 2005).

According to a study by Pokrajac-Bulian (2005), body dissatisfaction is more closely related

to self-esteem in girls than in boys. In an earlier study, body dissatisfaction was shown not to

affect self-esteem in boys, while it did affect self-esteem development in girls (Furnham et

al., 2002). However, a study by Silberstein et al. (1988) revealed that self-esteem was

affected by body dissatisfaction in boys regardless of if they desired to weigh more or less.

Although, within the same study, a relationship between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem

among girls was not supported as adolescent females scored similarly on self-esteem

measures irrespective of being satisfied with their body or desiring a thinner body

(Silberstein et al., 1988).

The positive relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem has been

acknowledged in children as well (Taylor, Wilson, Slater, & Mohr, 2012). A study by Shin

and Shin (2008) with Korean children indicated that obese children had greater levels of

body dissatisfaction and poorer self-esteem than the overweight and normal weight

participants, although higher rates of depression were not observed in the obese group. Body

dissatisfaction was shown to mediate the relationships between obesity with self-esteem and

depression. Significantly lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of depression were

observed in obese children with body dissatisfaction, but both obese children and normal
 39

weight children had lower levels of depression and higher self-esteem when body

dissatisfaction was not present (Shin & Shin, 2008).

The relationships between body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem have also

been observed in various studies with non-clinical samples (e.g., Fabian & Thompson, 1989;

Mable, Balance, & Galgan, 1986; McCauley, Mintz, & Glenn, 1988). In a study by Noles,

Cash, and Winstead (1985), depressed individuals had greater body dissatisfaction, poorer

self-image, and viewed themselves as less attractive in comparison to non-depressed

individuals. Interestingly, while the depressed participants negatively distorted their physical

attractiveness (believing it was less attractive than was the objective reality), the non-

depressed participants overestimated their physical attractiveness (positive distortion) (Noles,

Cash, & Winstead, 1985). A later study by Baker, Williamson, and Sylve (1995) also showed

that negative mood resulted in overestimation of body size and greater body dissatisfaction.

These studies’ findings support Beck’s cognitive hypothesis which holds that people who are

depressed will be dissatisfied with their body and will negatively distort their body image

(1976).

Self-Esteem and Body Distortion

While little research has been done on self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and body

distortion in one study (Buhlmann et al., 2008; Thompson & Thompson, 1986), it is an

interesting relationship to examine more fully. In 1960, Weinberg found that body distortion

was related to lower self-esteem in females. A study by Garner and Garfinkel (1982) also

found a negative correlation between self-esteem and body size overestimation in a sample of

anorexic patients. Furthermore, in a unique study by Tiggemann (1996), when actual weight

was controlled for, self-esteem, depression, and restrictive dieting were associated with
 40

feeling “fat.” This indicates that individuals can perceive themselves to be overweight, even

without actually being overweight, if they do not hold themselves in high esteem. Yet, work

by Fabian and Thompson (1989) did not find a relationship between self-esteem with body

esteem, body distortion, or eating problems.

Females have been shown to have higher levels of body distortion and lower self-

esteem in comparison to males (Thompson & Thompson, 1986). In addition to the significant

negative correlation between overall body distortion and self-esteem in females, Thompson

and Thompson found a negative relationship between self-esteem and females’ distortion of

their thighs as well as a positive correlation for self-esteem and males’ distortion of their

waist size (1986). The males’ desire to see their waist size as larger coincides with other

research on the bidirectional nature of male body dissatisfaction, with men desiring either a

larger (more muscular) build or thinner frame (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998; Nagel & Jones,

1992).

Ethnicity and Body Dissatisfaction

The relationship between ethnicity and body dissatisfaction has been documented in

various studies (e.g., Barry & Grilo, 2002; Halpern, Udry, Campbell, & Suchindran, 1999;

Wassenaar et al., 2000). An important ethnic consideration in the development of body

dissatisfaction appears to be that a culture’s ideal body size and shape can impact one’s

feasibility to reach an accepted weight and, thus, be satisfied with one’s appearance (Striegel-

Moore, Schreiber, Pike, Wilfley, & Rodin, 1995). Usmiani and Daniluk (1997) stated that the

degree of discrepancy between one’s actual body size and what is considered to be the ideal

body shape is culturally defined and one must meet the cultural standards for beauty to feel

confident and desirable.

 41

African American Considerations

The ideal body size among African American women is larger and more shapely

(and, therefore, more realistically attainable) compared to the body type favored among

Caucasian women and in other American ethnic minority groups (Halpern et al., 1999;

Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2002). According to Roberts, Cunningham, and Dreher (2012),

African American women’s beliefs about an attractive body shape are consistent with the

larger body size preferred by African American men. However, Caucasian women accept the

thin ideal promoted in Western society and even overestimate Caucasian male’s preference

for a thin body (Roberts et al., 2012). Studies suggest that the ability for African American

women to correctly identify the body shape desired by African American men (being larger

than that for Caucasian women) leads to greater body satisfaction for these women

(Greenberg & LaPorte, 1996; Patel & Gray, 2001; Powell & Kahn, 1995). A study by

Roberts et al. (2012) found Caucasian males to favor thinner females, to put more pressure of

their partners to lose weight, and to be more resentful of their partners being overweight than

African American males. Additionally, this study discovered that African American women

are more likely to experience body dissatisfaction, have thinner body ideals,

and weigh less when they date Caucasian versus African American men (Roberts et al.,

2012).

African American are believed to receive less social pressure to be thin (Striegel-

Moore et al., 1995) than Caucasian women which Allan et al. (1993) suggested to reflect

African Americans’ resistance to conform to the beauty standards of the privileged, White

culture. In addition, African Americans are thought to place more importance on internal

beauty factors (i.e., creativity, unique personality, clothing style, and self-confidence), while
 42

Caucasian women can focus on a rigid set of physical attributes (i.e., thinness, height, blonde

hair, blue eyes, small nose, etc.) (Collins, 1990; Parker, Nichter, Vuckovic, Sims, &

Ritenbaugh, 1995). This can provide more opportunities for African American than

Caucasian females to find aspects of the self about which to feel positive and for less

criticalness for not being thin (Grabe, 2008). Engle (2010) found higher rates of body

satisfaction and less attempts to hide physical features among African Americans than

Caucasians, even though African American women spent more time improving their

appearance through grooming and selecting clothing.

Various studies also suggest that African Americans are less likely to be critical of

themselves for overeating (Casper & Offer, 1990) and are less likely to feel a need to lose

weight or diet due to their most realistic cultural weight standard (Akan & Grilo, 1995;

Allan, Mayo, & Michel, 1993; Casper & Offer, 1990). Singh and Young (1995) also

discussed the importance of waist-hip ratio in female attractiveness. They argued that,

because larger African American women can maintain a similar waist-hip ratio (curvaceous

shape in spite of having both larger hips/buttocks and waists) to Caucasian women (with

smaller hips and waists), African American men may continue to find African American

women desirable mates even when these women are overweight (Singh & Young, 1995).

Body Image in Non-Western Cultures

Ethnographic studies have also indicated a historical preference for a larger female

body size in many non-Western societies (Brown & Konner, 1987; Ford & Beach, 1951).

Frisch and her colleagues suggested that favoring a larger body type could reflect the

evolutionary significance for female bodies needing enough body fat to menstruate and

conceive (Frisch, 1990; Frisch & McArthur, 1974). Further, it has been theorized that body
 43

size has become associated more with social class than level of physical beauty in non-

Western, undeveloped countries, where larger bodies are connected with wealth (Singh &

Luis, 1995). Conversely, thinness may be representative of poverty in these countries (Singh

& Luis, 1995). Brink’s (1989) work also illustrated this when it was found that Nigerian girls

were sent to rooms to eat large amounts of food (known as fattening rooms) to become larger

as a sign of affluence. Additionally, in Brazil, the Tupinamba people have a term for being

too thin but not for being too heavy, indicating that being overweight may possibly be both

more accepted (due its association with social status) and more rare (Brown & Konner,

1987). However, it appears that acceptance of more plumpness may be limited to specific

body parts as Brown and Konner (1987) showed 90 percent of the undeveloped countries in

their study to favor higher fat deposits only on the hip and leg regions.

In the more socioeconomically depressed regions of the South Pacific, they also

idealize larger body shapes as a symbol of power, wealth (Brewis & McGarvey, 2000), and

abundance in resources such as food (Swami and Toveé, 2005; 2006; Swami, Knight, Toveé,

Davies, & Furnham, 2007). Yet, research by Brewer and others suggested that body

dissatisfaction may be increasing among Pacific females as the thin ideal becomes

increasingly more accepted (Brewis & McGarvey, 2000; Brewis, McGarvey, Jones, &

Swinburn, 1998). The idealization of the thin ideal also appears to be reaching Maori women

in New Zealand (Metcalf, Scragg, Willoughby, Finau, & Tipene-Leach, 2000). Even though

these women are significantly more overweight and obese than European women, the Maori

have described thinness as important for self-confidence, peer approval, and overall

happiness (Burns, 2012).

 44

Body Dissatisfaction in Caucasians

The research has suggested many possibilities for why thinner bodies are more

preferred among European and Caucasian Americans. Haarbo, Marslew, Goltfredsen, and

Christiansen (1991) observed that post-menopausal women experience an increase in waist

size which may lead to the association between larger body size and unsuitability for child-

bearing (Singh, 1994). The belief among European women that small waist sizes are

positively associated with physical attractiveness has also been believed to motivate rib-

removal surgeries (Morris, 1985) and fashions such as corsets and thick belts to shrink waist

size (Posnick, 1991). Furthermore, in Western countries, thinness has also become associated

with a healthy body free from heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses (Thornhill, 1993).

Buss and Schmitt (1993) further examined the connection between thinness and female

reproductive health and found that Caucasian males sought thin partners for long-term

relationships (with the potential for child-bearing) but not necessarily for short-term

relationships.

Evolutionary Perspective on Body Dissatisfaction

To describe the relationship between ethnicity and body dissatisfaction from an

evolutionary perspective in more detail, Wade (2000) stated that, for Caucasian females, the

thin body is thought to make one more competitive in mate selection. Consequently, body

dissatisfaction is thought to result when individuals perceive their bodies to differ from the

ideal and to be less physically attractive, making them less sexually competitive (Buss,

1989). Additionally, this perspective holds that, as competition for mates increases, body

dissatisfaction will also increase (Wade, 2000). According to Anderson, Crawford, Nadeau,

and Lindberg (1992), affluent countries which favor the thin ideal also support monogamy, a
 45

woman’s choice to choose a mate, legal divorce, and later marital age for females. Anderson

and colleagues (1992) argued that these factors lead to a larger number of available males

compared to females, resulting in greater female competition for mates (Geary, 2010), and

lower body satisfaction (Anderson et al., 1992). This relationship between competition for

mates and body dissatisfaction was supported in studies by Munoz (2012) and Ferguson et al.

(2011). Munoz found that peer competition accounted for significantly more variance in

predicting body dissatisfaction than any effects of media on promoting the thin ideal (2012).

Ferguson et al. (2011) additionally found that body dissatisfaction increased in females when

an attractive male was present. This was especially true for young adult women of child-

bearing age who were contending for sexual partners (Ferguson et al., 2011). It has also been

shown that Caucasian girls’ views towards their bodies were more connected to their

friendships with males than with females, indicating that these females place a great deal of

importance on the role of their beauty in succeeding in opposite-sex relationships (Striegel-

Moore et al., 1986). However, a sense of belonging and intimacy in female friendships with

same-sex peers was related to body dissatisfaction (i.e., a desire to be thinner) in a study by

Gerner and Wilson (2005), suggesting that females may view physical attractiveness as

important for relationships with both sexes. This potentially creates a problematic situation

for females from majority cultures (with a focus on attaining the thin ideal) if they feel they

have to be beautiful to maintain friendships with same-sex peers but this physical

attractiveness also makes them more appealing to males, as this may create jealousy in other

females and disrupt those relationships.

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in African Americans and Caucasians

Some studies suggest there are no differences in body dissatisfaction between African
 46

American and Caucasian women (Caldwell, Brownell, & Wilfley, 1997; Cachelin, Rebeck,

Chung, & Pelayo, 2002; Cash, Melynk, & Hrabosky, 2004; James, 2001; Shaw, Ramirez,

Trost, Randall, & Stice, 2004). A university-based study by Watsky (2012) also found no

moderating effect of ethnicity on the relationship between attachment style and body

dissatisfaction. A meta-analysis conducted by Roberts (1993) indicated that the ethnic

differences for body dissatisfaction for these two groups are shrinking possibly due to

minorities’ exposure to the thin ideal in media and worsening of body image among African

Americans or even improvement in Caucasians’ body esteem due to more accessibility to

minorities in media. Cash, Morrow, Hrabosky, and Perry (2004) examined reports on body

satisfaction for African American and Caucasian women between 1983 and 2001. They

found that, while Caucasians experienced decreases in body satisfaction in the early 1990s,

body satisfaction improved by 1995 for both ethnic groups and the groups had very similar

levels of body satisfaction between 1995 and 2001 (Cash et al., 2004). Other studies have

also commented on the improvement in body satisfaction among Caucasian females in the

1990s (Cash & Henry, 1995; Heatherton, Mahamedi, Striepe, Field, & Keel, 1997).

Still, most studies continue to indicate there are differences in body dissatisfaction

between African American and Caucasian American women (e.g., Abood & Chandler, 1997;

Casper & Offer, 1990; Chandler, Abood, Dae, & Cleveland, 1994; Douglas, 1992; Mobley,

Slaney, & Rice, 2005; Perez & Joiner, 2003). A majority of the findings suggest that African

American women have greater body satisfaction than Caucasian women (Ackard, Croll, &

Kearney-Cook, 2002; Duncan, Anton, Newton, & Perri, 2003; Rucker & Cash, 1992; Story,

French, & Resnick, 1995; Williamson, Kahn, & Byers, 1991) and this finding has been

reliable across all ages of females, including children (Adams et al., 2000), undergraduate
 47

students (Bissell, 2004; O’Neill, 2003), and older adults (Duncan et al., 2003; Shulman &

Home, 2003). Also, in a longitudinal study of adolescents which spanned five years, both

African American boys and girls consistently reported better body satisfaction than

Caucasian boys and girls (Paxton, Eisenberg, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2006). O’Neill (2003)

and Wildes, Emery, and Simons (2001) found the body dissatisfaction discrepancy for these

two ethnicities to be most prominent among undergraduate women than any other age group,

while Roberts (2006) found the largest differences at age 25 with this difference vanishing by

age 40.

In a study by Wassenaar et al. (2000), Caucasian women had significantly higher

levels of body dissatisfaction compared to African American women. However, African

American women scored higher on measures of drive for thinness (Wassenaar et al., 2000).

Casper & Offer (1990) also found greater body dissatisfaction among Caucasian women,

where Caucasians reported feeling overweight while African American women were more

concerned with being underweight. Perez & Joiner (2003) found similar results but the

authors cited use of self-report rather than BMI for measuring body size as a study limitation.

However, a majority of studies on body dissatisfaction use self-perception of body size and

self-report of height and weight in determining body image (e.g., Holmqvist, 2010;

Thompson & Gray, 1995).

A study by Douglas (1992) also found Caucasian female undergraduate students to

have greater body dissatisfaction than African American females; although, all women,

regardless of ethnicity, perceived their bodies to be larger than was the reality. Further, a

negative correlation between femininity and body distortion was present for both African

American and Caucasian women (Douglas, 1992). Alternatively, a study by Fitzgibbon et al.
 48

(1998) found African American women were more accurate in body size estimations even at

higher BMI, while Caucasian women reported feeling heavier regardless of actual weight.

Research by Wagner (2009) showed African Americans to have higher body

satisfaction (related to overall body and specific body parts) than Caucasians. African

American participants also placed less value on the importance of appearance than did

Caucasian participants (Wagner, 2009). DeBraganza and Hausenblas (2010) showed African

American women’s body satisfaction to be less affected by viewing thin media images than

Caucasian women’s. African American women are also less likely to base their self-worth on

body weight, making them more satisfied with themselves than Caucasian women, even at

heavier weights (Nichter, 2000).

Researchers have also studied the effects of peer influence on the development or

protection against body dissatisfaction among African Americans and Caucasians (Brown,

Bakken, Ameringer, & Mahon, 2008; Kandel, 1978; Woelders, Larsen, Scholte, Cillessen, &

Engels, 2010). Woelders et al. (2010) found adolescent girls to have similar scores on body

dissatisfaction as well as eating difficulties as their friends of the same ethnicity. These

findings were replicated in a study by Rayner, Schniering, Rapee, Taylor, and Hutchinson

(2013) where girls scored very similarly on measures of body dissatisfaction in relation to

their friends. Kandel described that individual first select friends based on similarities (such

as ethnicity and physical fitness level) and then, through the process of socialization, friends

become more similar to each other and influence the each other’s beliefs about attractiveness

(Brown et al., 2008). In a related study on depression among African American teens, it was

observed that these teenagers experienced increases in depression when living with

Caucasians than among African Americans, suggesting the negative emotional impact of
 49

mainstream culture and immersion into a Caucasian peer group on ethnic minorities (Wight,

Aneshensel, Botticello, & Sepulveda, 2005). This could also explain why African Americans

experience increases in body dissatisfaction in teenage through young adulthood years, at a

time where they are socializing more with Caucasian Americans at college (Wildes et al.,

2001). It would be interesting to observe if African Americans would experience the same

increase in body dissatisfaction in that developmental period if they did not attend college or

attended a historically African American college (Roberts, 2006) where less social pressure

to be thin would exist. Further, a study by Carroll (2005) of White and Black Bahamian

adolescents indicated no difference in body dissatisfaction between the two ethnic groups,

suggesting that body dissatisfaction variations by race may differ across countries. However,

it could not be inferred from this study if White girls in the Bahamas had greater body

satisfaction than in America or if Black Bahamian girls experienced more body

dissatisfaction than African Americans. In a study comparing African American and

Jamaican women, there also was no significant difference in body dissatisfaction or ideal

body image, although the drive to be thin was more present for the Jamaican women

(Williams, 2007).

A few studies have found social pressure to be thin to be positively associated with

body dissatisfaction for African Americans (Phan & Tylka, 2006; Lester & Petrie, 2008).

However, in studies where African Americans were found to have high levels of body

dissatisfaction, it was not typically social pressure to be thin that contributed to this distress

but rather a realistic concern about being obese (Petersons et al., 2000; Smith, Thompson,

Raczynski, & Hilner, 1999). Work by Imarogbe (2004) also found experiencing racial

discrimination as a significant predictor of body dissatisfaction among African American

 50

women. Furthermore, two studies found ethnic differences in body dissatisfaction to

disappear after controlling for socioeconomic status (Caldwell et al., 1997; Gardner,

Friedman, & Jackson, 1999), implying class to be of greater influence than race on the

development of body image. This is consistent with Sobal and Stunkard’s (1989) research

which found no differences in body dissatisfaction between African Americans and

Caucasians after controlling for income, marital status, and BMI. This further supported

other research where degree of assimilation for middle to upper class African American

females at a largely Caucasian university predicted body dissatisfaction (Abrams,

Allen, & Gray, 1992; Harris, 1994).

Also, in a study observing eating disorder behaviors (a related concept to body

dissatisfaction), eating disturbances were found to be comparable for African American and

Caucasian women of middle and upper classes (French et al., 1997; Rand & Kuldau, 1992;

Wilfley et al., 1996). However, a few studies showed African American women to have

higher body satisfaction than Caucasian women, regardless of socioeconomic status

(Johnson, Heineman, Heiss, Hames, & Tyroler, 1986). Studies of the moderating effect of

income on the relationship between ethnicity and body dissatisfaction appear to be limited by

including a larger proportion of Caucasian to African American females and

underrepresenting participants of lower income (Caldwell et al., 1997).

Furthermore, a study by Twamley and Davis (1999) showed nonconformity and low

familial pressure to diet as more significant predictors of body satisfaction in African

American women than social pressure to be thin and internalizing the thin ideal. In

interesting research by Lovejoy (2001), it was suggested that more positive body image for

African American women may not reflect less pressure to conform to the thin ideal but rather
 51

a form of denial of weight-related problems. African American are typically more

overweight with higher rates of obesity than Caucasians (Kumanyika, 1987) and Ullman and

Filipas (2005) proposed that this group’s maintenance of body satisfaction in spite of obesity

is also reflective of a defensive coping mechanism to ameliorate the negative effects of

oppressive treatment (such as sexual assault and racism). A study by Rand and Kuldau

(1990) corroborated African American females’ denial of weight difficulties in spite of being

significantly overweight. Due to the high rates of obesity among African Americans, some

have stated that a small amount of body dissatisfaction would facilitate weight-loss efforts

through exercise and healthy eating (Heinberg, Thompson, & Matzon, 2001). However, a

study by Russell and Cox (2003) indicated that social physique anxiety (a concept related to

body dissatisfaction) was associated with either poor or excessive motivation to exercise.

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Asians and Caucasians

There are mixed results regarding body dissatisfaction differences between Asians

and Caucasian Americans (Akiba, 1998). Some of the literature supports greater levels of

body dissatisfaction for Caucasian Americans than for Chinese (Akan & Grilo, 1995; Akiba,

1998; Chen & Swalm, 1998; Franzoi & Chang, 2002; Tykla, 2004). Other studies indicate no

differences in body dissatisfaction between the two ethnic groups (Arriaza & Mann, 2001;

Cash, Melnyk, & Hrabosky, 2004; Siegel, 2002). However, studies of individuals from more

affluent areas in East Asia have found higher levels of body dissatisfaction among Asian than

Caucasian American females (Haudek, Rorty, & Henker, 1999; Jung & Forbes, 2007; Jung &

Lee, 2006; Kowner, 2002; Mukai, Kambara, & Sasaki, 1998; Shih & Kubo, 2005; Wildes et

al., 2001). Davis and Katzman (1998) compared body satisfaction in Asian Americans and

Asians living in Hong Kong (an affluent area in China) and found those living in Hong Kong
 52

to have higher body dissatisfaction than Asian Americans. Lee and Lee (2000) also found

Hong Kong females to be more prone to body dissatisfaction than females in Hunan and

Shenzhen (less affluent areas of China). Interestingly, results of studies of Hong Kong and

White, Australian women revealed no significant differences in feelings about their body and

weight (Lake, Staiger, & Glowinski, 2000; Sheffield & Sofronoff, 2005).Two studies of

Korean and American females found more dissatisfaction with the body among Koreans

(Jung & Forbes, 2007; Jung & Lee, 2006). Japanese females were also found to be more

displeased with their bodies than Americans in studies by Kowner (2002) and Mukai et al.

(1998). Further, Japanese females have been found to have more body dissatisfaction than

Taiwanese females (Shih & Kubo, 2005) even though both areas are more Westernized.

Caucasians have also been shown to be more dissatisfied with their bodies than Taiwanese

(Yang et al., 2005). Furthermore, a study which included numerous groups of Asian descent

as well as Pacific Islanders found no differences in body dissatisfaction for Hawaiians or

Asian American women of Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, or multiethnic heritage (Yates,

Edman, & Aruguete, 2004).

Evans and McConnell (2003) described dissatisfaction with race-specific body parts

among Asian women as being indicative of a desire to blend in with the beauty standards of

mainstream America. An example of this desire for Asian women to appear more Western is

the popularity in Korea for females to have reconstructive surgery to create double eye-lids

and skinner noses (Kawamura, 2002). Dissatisfaction with breast size (Forbes & Frederick,

2008) eyes (Koff, Benavage, & Wong, 2001; Mintz & Kashubeck, 1999), face (Mintz &

Kashubeck, 1999), and skin color (Sahay & Piran, 1997) among Asian females in Canada

and America has also been documented. Intriguingly, Mintz and Kashubeck (1999) did not
 53

find Asian American women to have higher levels of overall body dissatisfaction compared

to Caucasian Americans even when Asian Americans were found to be dissatisfied with their

eyes and face. Kowner (2002) drew upon this finding by suggesting that the higher rates of

body dissatisfaction in Japanese and Korean women is reflective of East Asian women’s

desire to look more Western and is not necessarily tied to internalization of thin ideal.

Contrary to Kowner’s proposition that Asian Americans may be spared from a

preoccupation with being thin, Sanders and Heiss (1998) found that Asians shared Caucasian

women’s desire to lose weight and Asian Americans, in fact, had a greater fear of being fat.

Chen and Swalm (1998) similarly concluded from their findings that Chinese women had

greater body satisfaction if they were thinner. Additionally, in a sample of middle school

children, Xanthopoulos et al. (2011) found obese, Asian American females to have the

highest levels of body dissatisfaction compared to children of females and males of other

ethnicities and weight classes. Studies examining level of acculturation in Asian Americans

have not found this to be significantly related to body dissatisfaction (Akan & Grilo, 1995;

Ogden & Elder, 1998).

Regarding body image comparisons between Asian Americans and other American

ethnic groups, Altabe (1998) found Caucasian and Hispanic Americans to have more body

dissatisfaction in comparison to Asian and African Americans. Mayville, Katz, Gipson, and

Cabral’s (1999) findings supported this in their study of adolescent boys and girls where

African Americans of both genders were less likely than Caucasians, Asians, and Hispanics

to endorse body dissatisfaction. This was consistent with a study by Vander wal and Thomas

(2004) who found higher rates of body dissatisfaction for Hispanic than African American

children. Wildes et al. (2001) observed similar results in their meta-analysis; however,
 54

Hispanic women were underrepresented compared to African Americans in these studies and

contributors to body dissatisfaction (i.e., perfectionism and self-esteem) were not included.

Various explanations have been offered as to why some studies indicate large

differences in body dissatisfaction across African American and Caucasian women but more

comparable levels between Caucasians and other minority groups. For instance, Lovejoy

(2001) suggested that the gender identity and role for African American women has become

more independent and self-reliant than for Caucasian women as racism and economic

uncertainty in the African American community may have made it more perilous for these

women to rely more passively on a male for support. Harris (1996) further proposed a more

androgynous gender identity for African American women to reflect their focus on their

maternal function rather than their need to maintain a thin body to attract partners. It has also

been noted that Hispanic women’s greater proclivity for perfectionism and focus on physical

appearance, in comparison to African American women, can lead to more reliance on

attaining the thin ideal for self-esteem maintenance (Greenberg & LaPorte, 1996; Jackson &

McGill, 1996).

Work by Neumark-Sztainer et al. (2002) revealed opposite findings where African

American girls actually had the highest levels of body dissatisfaction, with Caucasian, Asian,

Hispanic, and Native Americans scoring similarly. The African American women were also

the least likely of the four groups to overestimate their weight (Altabe, 1998). Wilkosz and

colleagues examined body dissatisfaction in both genders and observed Asian boys to have

the highest body image disturbance followed by Hispanic girls, Asian girls, Hispanic boys,

and Caucasian girls and boys (Wilkosz, Chen, Kennedy, & Rankin, 2001). Another clinical

study with adolescent inpatients suffering from eating disorders found higher rates of body
 55

dissatisfaction among Caucasian girls compared with Hispanic and African American girls

(White & Grilo, 2005).

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Hispanics and Caucasians

Most studies directly comparing body dissatisfaction with Hispanics and Caucasians

have found higher rates among Caucasian women (e.g., Barry & Grilo, 2002; Franko &

Herrera, 1997; Suldo & Sandberg, 2000; Warren, Gleaves, Cepeda-Benito, Fernandez, &

Rodriguez, 2005). Research by Warren et al. (2005) found ethnicity to mediate the

relationship between body dissatisfaction and internalization of the thin ideal. More

specifically, they found greater levels of body dissatisfaction among Caucasian versus

Hispanic women. Warren and colleagues reflected that it would have benefited this study to

include a measure of ethnic identity to better understand the degree to which Hispanic

participants identified with the Mexican or American culture and how this could have

impacted degree of body dissatisfaction (2005). Demarest and Allen additionally found

Caucasian women to have more variance between their actual and ideal bodies than Hispanic

women (2000). An earlier study finding’s suggested Caucasian female college students had

more body dissatisfaction than Guatemalan American females (Franko & Herrera, 1997).

Gleaves et al. (2000) as well as Carlson and McAndrew (2004) similarly found higher body

dissatisfaction among Caucasian than Spanish individuals of normal weight.

Furthermore, a study by Ferguson et al. (2011) found Mexican women women’s body

dissatisfaction to be unaffected by viewing television images portraying the thin ideal.

Researchers have suggested that Hispanic women are more protected from poor body

image because of the idealization of a fuller shaped woman (Chamorro & Flores-Ortiz,

2000). Gil-Kashiwabara (2002) further described that a larger physique is indicative of

 56

wealth, good health, and high status in the Hispanic culture. Further, the focus on

interdependence and familial relationships (familismo) in Hispanic communities may put less

pressure on individualistic concerns such as attractiveness (Santiago-Rivera, Arredondo, &

Gallardo-Cooper, 2002). Studies of acculturation in Hispanic women have shown that

women low in acculturation had larger ideal body sizes than highly acculturated Hispanics

(Lopez, Blix, & Blix, 1995). Acculturation research in Hispanic women has also found

similar levels of eating disorders (Joiner & Kashubeck, 1996) and body distortion (Guinn,

Semper, & Jorgensen, 1997) among Caucasian women and Hispanic women who have

acculturated to American culture.

Other studies have suggested no differences in body dissatisfaction between

Caucasians and Hispanics (Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008; Lipschuetz, 2009). Gleaves et al.

(2000) found Spanish males to be as dissatisfied with their bodies as American males.

However, the two groups differed in how their dissatisfaction was expressed in that

American men wished to be more muscular while Spanish men had a desire to be thinner

(Gleaves et al., 2000). A few studies have also suggested more body dissatisfaction in

Hispanics than Caucasians (McComb & Clopton, 2002; Robinson et al., 1996). McComb and

Clopton found Hispanic female university students to have greater body dissatisfaction and

drive for thinness than Caucasian counterparts (2002). In a study of middle school Caucasian

and Hispanic girls, Robinson and others (1996) found Hispanic girls with the lowest body

weights to have the greatest levels of body dissatisfaction. Avila and Avila (1995)

hypothesized that a possible contributor to higher body dissatisfaction in some Hispanic

women is the traditional female gender role in Hispanic culture which may contribute to

higher levels of pressure to have a petite figure.

 57

Santiago-Rivera et al. (2002) proposed that studies of body dissatisfaction in Hispanic

women are limited by the grouping of all Hispanic cultures into one class without observing

variances among the different Hispanic countries. However, a few researchers have

examined body dissatisfaction between specific Hispanic populations (e.g., Raich et al.,

2001; Gomez-Peresmitre & Garcia, 2000; McArthur, Holbert, & Peña, 2005; Toro et al.,

2006). Raich et al. (2001) and Toro et al. (2006) compared Spanish and Mexican women and

found higher rates of body dissatisfaction in the former, more affluent, group. However, a

study by Gomez-Peresmitre and Garcia (2000) had opposite findings. McArthur et al. (2005)

conducted a cross-cultural study of six Latin American cities in Argentina, Guatemala, Cuba,

Peru, Panama, and Chile and found adolescents girls from all countries to have body

dissatisfaction. Additionally, females from Argentina (the most affluent country of the six)

had the largest percentage of females state an interest in being more thin (McArthur et al.,

2005). Meehan and Katzman (2001) described how Argentineans identify more with Western

culture than other Latin American groups and may, therefore, have beauty standards that

coincide with the thin ideal. This was supported by a study which found no significant

differences in body dissatisfaction between Swedish and Argentinean adolescents

(Holmqvist, Lunde, & Frisen, 2007).

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Europeans and Americans

Various studies have examined the differences in body image between Americans and

Europeans (e.g., Bohne et al., 2002; Holmqvist, 2010; Lipinski & Pope, 2002). Bohne et al.

(2002) found similar body image dissatisfaction among American and German university

students. In comparing Americans, Europeans, and Australians, Holmqvist (2010) found the

highest rates of body dissatisfaction to be for Americans. In a study of males, however,

 58

Americans were no more dissatisfied with their bodies than Samoan and Western European

men (Lipinski & Pope, 2002). A qualitative study comparing American and French

adolescent boys’ and girls’ feelings about their appearance interestingly found that the two

groups of girls, while both being dissatisfied with their faces, had different ideal faces

(Ferron, 1997). For example, although American girls desired fuller lips and higher

cheekbone structure, French girls complained of not having enough of a “baby-face” defined

by full eyelashes and pale, clear skin. Regarding the boys, French boys were actually more

dissatisfied with their bodies than the Americans (Ferron, 1997).

Comparing Body Dissatisfaction in Middle Easterners and Caucasians

Differences in body image disturbance between American and Middle Eastern

peoples have also been documented (Akiba, 1998). Akiba (1998) reported Americans were

more dissatisfied with their bodies than Iranians and went on to suggest that the lack of a

“body-conscious” Western media presence in Iran protected them against a preoccupation

and displeasure with their bodies. Studies of Israeli and American females found the Israeli

women to have lower rates of body dissatisfaction (Barak, Sirota, Tessler, Achiron, & Lampl,

1994; Heesacker, Samson, & Shir, 2000; Safir, Flaisher-Kellner, & Rosenmann, 2005).

Researchers have explained this difference by focusing on the more familial nature of Israeli

families who place less value on thinness (Heesacker et al., 2000). However, more recently,

Yang et al. (2005) described an increase in body dissatisfaction in Eastern cultures as media

and Western advertising has increased its presence in these countries. A study by Barak et al.

(1994) with male college students also found Israelis more likely to be dissatisfied with upper

body strength than American males. This feeling regarding their torso strength may be

reflective of the three year army commitment required of Israeli males before attending
 59

college which is centered on physical strength and endurance (Barak et al., 1994). Two other

cross-cultural studies related to male dissatisfaction with body strength examined satisfaction

with muscularity in American, Ukranian, and Ghanian males (Frederick et al., 2007a;

Frederick, Forbes, Grigorian, & Jarcho, 2007b). In both studies, Americans were found to be

more dissatisfied with their muscularity than the other ethnic groups (Frederick et al., 2007a;

Frederick et al., 2007b). However, Grogan (1999) has stated that Ghanian males tend to have

more well-defined musculature than American males and greater muscular satisfaction for

Ghanian males may simply indicate that they have already achieved their desired

muscularity.

International Studies of Body Dissatisfaction

Concerning countries outside of the United States, Australia has been shown to have

high rates of body dissatisfaction among its citizens (Tiggemann & Rüütel, 2001), although

not as high as in America (Tiggemann & Rothblum, 1988). Australian females have also

been shown to have poorer body image than Estonians and Italians (Tiggemann & Rüütel,

2001; Tiggemann, Verri, & Scaravaggi, 2005). Moreover, Australians’ body image was more

negatively impacted than Italians’ following their reading of fashion magazines. Australian

females, again, had more body dissatisfaction in a study where they were compared with

Pakistani females, although both groups reported a desire to be thinner (Mahmud &

Crittenden, 2007). The authors described that they were not surprised by these findings as the

Islamic faith, which is prominent in Pakistan, forbids critical comments about others in such

areas as their appearance (Mahmud & Crittenden, 2007). Alternatively, a qualitative study of

Australian and Fijian females did not find significant differences in body dissatisfaction

(Williams, Ricciardelli, McCabe, Waqa, & Bavadra, 2006). There also were no significant
 60

ethnic differences in body dissatisfaction in a study comparing Australian

children/adolescents from Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, and European backgrounds,

although age and gender effects were present (Wang, Byrne, Kenardy, & Hills, 2005).

In other cross-cultural research, a large international study of 12 countries in Europe,

Asia, and Africa revealed that females in the Westernized countries (i.e.., Sweden, Germany,

Spain, France, and Italy) had greater body dissatisfaction and smaller body ideals than less

affluent countries (i.e., Tunisia, Ghana, Gabon, and India) (Jaeger et al., 2002). Although,

there was a positive correlation between BMI and body dissatisfaction among women from

all participating countries (Jaeger et al., 2002). Contradictory to research indicating the

positive relationship between affluence and body dissatisfaction, one study found Indian

females to have as much body dissatisfaction as Canadian females of higher socioeconomic

status (Gupta, Chaturvedi, Chandarana, & Johnson, 2001).

Ethnicity, Self-Esteem and Body Image

A few studies have examined how the relationship between body dissatisfaction and

self-esteem varies based on ethnicity (Eitel, 2003; Garcia-Rea, 2007; van den Berg, Mond,

Eisenberg, Ackard, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2010). A study of undergraduate Caucasian,

Hispanic, and African American women did not find differences in the relationship between

body dissatisfaction and self-esteem across the three ethnic groups (Garcia-Rea, 2007).

However, low self-esteem, internalization of the thin ideal, and family’s focus on weight and

physical appearance were associated with great body dissatisfaction among all ethnic groups

(Garcia-Rea, 2007). Alternately, a study by Eitel (2003) found differences in body

satisfaction and self-esteem among African American and Caucasian women, where African

American women had higher self-esteem and body satisfaction than Caucasian women.
 61

Furthermore, self-esteem was determined to stay consistent over the lifespan for both African

American and Caucasian women (Eitel, 2003). In a school-based study of diverse 11-18 year

old boys and girls, self-esteem and body dissatisfaction were found to be more strongly

related for Caucasian girls of normal weight from high socioeconomic backgrounds than for

girls who were African American, Asian, underweight, or from low socioeconomic

backgrounds (van den Berg et al., 2010). There also was a significant relationship between

body dissatisfaction and self-esteem among the adolescent boys and, interestingly, the

strength of this relationship did not vary to a significant degree by demographic membership

(van den Berg et al., 2010).

Cultural Considerations for Perfectionism

Although much research has been conducted on perfectionism, variances in

perfectionism based on ethnic differences have not been fully examined (Castro & Rice,

2003). Ethnicity can be defined as a sense of belonging to a cultural group and observing the

cultural practices and norms of that group (American Psychological Association, 2003).

According to Katz (1985) and Phinney (1996), ethnic groups are commonly defined by

culture of origin, race, and physical characteristics (e.g., skin color, hair color/texture, and

facial features). Very little is known about how perfectionism differs for Hispanic

individuals; although, Triandis, Bontempo, Villareal, Asai, and Lucca (1988) proposed that

perceived parental criticism and expectations may be particularly high in this cultural group

due to its collectivistic nature.

A few studies have suggested perfectionism does not vary significantly for Asian

American and Caucasian students (Arale, 2010; Chow, 2003). In another study of Asian and

Caucasian American college students, Chang (1998) used Frost’s (1990b) multidimensional
 62

perfectionism model to examine difference in perfectionism among the two ethnicities.

Results showed Asian American students to have greater levels of doubting about actions,

concern over making mistakes, and parental expectations and criticism in comparison to

Caucasian students. However, personal standards and organization did not vary based on

ethnicity (Chang, 1998). This supported Peng and Wright’s (1994) analysis of the National

Education Longitudinal study of 25,000 students where Asian Americans were found to have

very high perceived parental expectations compared to students of other ethnicities. Sue and

Okazaki (1990) hypothesized that high perceived parental expectations for Asian Americans

develops out of the intense pressure in Asian families to achieve and the parental criticism

and feelings of guilt that ensue when these achievement demands are not met. Asian

Americans high in maladaptive perfectionism were also seen to observe Asian cultural

practices more strictly, have less self-confidence to perform academically, and be greater

procrastinators (Yao, 2010). Davis and Katzman (1999) also observed that Chinese American

immigrants experienced more perfectionism during the assimilation process.

A study of Asian American, Caucasian American, and African American college

students revealed that the Asian American students experienced more perfectionistic

tendencies (e.g., concern over mistakes, doubt about actions, and parental criticism and

expectations) than the other groups (Castro & Rice, 2003). Furthermore, the Asian American

and African American students were more likely than the Caucasian students to report high

perceptions of parental expectations. African American and Caucasian participants scored

comparably on concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, and parental criticism, while all

three groups had similar degrees of personal standards and organization (Castro & Rice,

2003).
 63

Regarding differences in perfectionism among African American and Caucasian

individuals, Nilsson, Paul, Lupini, and Tatem (1999) utilized Frost’s (1990b) and Hewitt and

Flett’s (1991) multidimensional perfectionism models in their study which found African

American participants to score higher than Caucasians in parental expectations and other-

oriented perfectionism. Alternately, African Americans had less concern over mistakes and

perceived parental criticism than Caucasians (Nilsson et al., 1999). Garner and Olmstead

(1984) and Garner, Olmstead, and Polivy (1983) also found differences in African American

and Caucasian participants’ scores on perfectionism in a sample with eating disorder

symptomatology. In a longitudinal study of adolescent girls, African American girls were

significantly higher in perfectionism than Caucasian girls (Striegel-Moore et al., 2000).

Another study of adolescents found that African American males and females were higher in

SOP and OOP than were Caucasian adolescents (van Hanswijck de Jonge & Waller, 2003).

Although, no difference was found between the ethnic groups on their perception of pressure

from others to perform well (van Hanswijck de Jonge & Waller, 2003). Additionally, no

difference in maladaptive perfectionism for African American and Caucasian females was

observed in a study by Chang, Watkins, and Banks (2004). Still, Caucasian women were

higher in adaptive perfectionism (Chang et al., 2004).

African American ethnic identity and SPP were shown to be related in a study by

Heads (2009). It has been suggested that African Americans scored higher on this type of

perfectionism (concerned with perceiving others to be very critical of their efforts) due to the

pressure of racial discrimination leading African American parents to advise their children to

strive harder than their Caucasian peers to compensate for White privilege (Chao,

Mallinckrodt, & Wei, 2012). Hines and Boyd-Franklin (1996) also described that African
 64

American parents may put pressure on their children to succeed out of fear that their children

will fail from the disadvantage of racial discrimination. They argued that this is particularly

true of middle-class African American families whose parents experienced financial

difficulties and had to work very hard to attain financial security. However, Hines and Boyd-

Franklin (1996) also discuss that, since African American families can greatly value the

importance of a strong character rather than financial status alone as an indicator of personal

success, this may lead to African American parents approving of their children’s hard work

and achievements, even if high status is not reached.

Studies of South African White and Black individuals have shown similar trends in

perfectionism and perfectionism-related variables as seen in the studies comparing African

Americans and Caucasians (Edwards, d’Agrela, Geach, & Welman, 2003; Wassenaar, le

Grange, Winship, & Lachenicht, 2000). Wassenaar et al. (2000) found that Black women had

higher levels of perfectionism, including a higher drive for thinness, in comparison to White

women. Further, Edwards et al. (2003) observed higher perfectionism scores among Black

women compared with White women. These researchers stated that, due to the South African

Apartheid which limited Blacks’ opportunities, Black women may develop very high self-

standards and place excessive pressure on themselves to achieve (Edwards et al., 2003). The

trend for Black women to fear the process of maturing into adulthood has also been

suggested to reflect their belief that there are more pressures on them to succeed than there

are for White women in South Africa (Wassenaar et al., 2000).

Ethnicity and Perfectionistic Self-Presentation

Research has yet to be conducted examining the effect of ethnicity on PSP. However,

one study with related concepts found that perfectionism (marked by self-criticism and
 65

expectation for others to be perfect) moderated the relationship between body dissatisfaction

and bulimia in African American women (Bardone-Cone et al., 2009). This study was

conducted at a predominantly Caucasian university and it would be interesting to explore if

the same relationship between perfectionism and body image for African Americans is

present at a university with a higher percentage of African American students (Root, 2001).

Still, this indicates that preoccupation with one’s physical appearance and the appearance of

others can be present even among ethnic groups that accept larger ideal body types

(Freedman, Carter, Sbrocco, & Gray, 2004).

Ethnic Identity and Body Dissatisfaction

It has been argued that, to better understand the development of body dissatisfaction,

ethnic identity must be included as a predictor variable (Striegel-Moore & Smolak, 1996). As

described by James (2001), if the body is thought to vary from the culturally body ideal, body

dissatisfaction will be the result. Other authors agree that people appraise their bodies based

on the body type valued by the culture (Franzoi & Klaiber, 2007) and compare themselves to

others of similar age and ethnicity (Festinger, 1954; Salovey & Rodin, 1984). The

sociocultural perspective of body dissatisfaction suggests that women who identify with the

White majority culture’s standards for physical attractiveness will be more dissatisfied with

their bodies (Rogers Wood & Petrie, 2010). Alternatively, women who have strong ethnic

identity in a minority culture that accepts a more realistic body shape may be more protected

from negative views of the their bodies (Rogers Wood & Petrie, 2010).

Ethnic Identity among African Americans

While this is still a burgeoning area of research, studies on ethnic identity and body

dissatisfaction for African Americans have been documented (e.g., Petersons et al., 2000;

Rogers Wood & Petrie, 2010; Watsky, 2012; Wilcox, 2007). Identification with the African
 66

American culture has been associated with less body dissatisfaction (Osvold & Sodowsky,

1993; Parker et al., 1995; Petersons et al., 2000). Watsky (2012) found ethnic identity to

moderate the relationship between anxious attachment and body dissatisfaction where ethnic

identity was protective against body dissatisfaction for African Americans. Similar results

were found by Rogers Wood and Petrie (2010) when ethnic identity in African American

female college students was shown to be negatively associated with pressure to be thin,

internalization of the thin ideal, and body dissatisfaction. The researchers concluded that the

African American women in their sample who were strong in ethnic identity received

positive messages from their families, churches, peers, and cultural media programs

regarding accepting their natural body types (Rogers Wood & Petrie, 2010). Wilcox (2007)

found both ethnic and feminine identities to be negatively related to body dissatisfaction.

Findings by Imarogbe (2004) further revealed a negative relationship for African

Americans between both Afrocentrism and ethnic identity with body dissatisfaction related to

lips, skin color, and hair. African American women high in ethnic identity have also been

shown to be less vulnerable to body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness after watching thin

ideal rap videos than women with less ethnic identity internalization (Zhang, Dixon, &

Conrad, 2009). In addition, in a study by Turnage (2004) of high school African American

females, ethnic identity achievement predicted body satisfaction and self-esteem.

Harris (1995) looked at African American ethnic identity more specifically. Three

racial attitudes (i.e., pro-Black/anti-White, pro-Black/White-neutral, and transition to

incorporating more Black perspectives over White perspectives) were associated with less

body dissatisfaction and more focus on healthy living (Harris, 1995). Oney, Cole, and Sellers

(2011) examined centrality (ethnic identification), private regard (positive attitude towards
 67

ethnic group), and public regard (others’ positive attitude towards ethnic group) as they

related to body dissatisfaction in a sample of African American male and female college

students. It was found that the relationship between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem was

moderated by all three ethnic-related categories (Oney et al., 2011).

In a study comparing ethnic identity in both African American and Caucasian

females, Petersons et al. (2000) observed ethnic identity in Caucasian females to be

associated with higher levels body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, while ethnic identity

in African American females was not related to these outcome variables (Petersons et al.,

2000). A later study found no relationship between ethnic identity and body dissatisfaction

for either African American or Caucasians (Baugh, Mullis, Mullis, Hicks, & Peterson, 2010).

Bessellieu (1997) also found no relationship between positive ethnic identity and body

satisfaction among African American women, although negative feelings about African

American culture was related to more body dissatisfaction.

Multiethnic Comparisons of Body Dissatisfaction

In a study of Caucasian, African American, Asian, and Hispanic women ranging from

adolescents to elderly females, ethnic and female identities were significant predictors of

body dissatisfaction for all ethnic groups except Caucasians (Gilmore, 2001). Yokoyama

(2003) examined ethnic identity in Asian Americans and found a positive relationship

between ethnic identity formation and body satisfaction. Women who had less developed

ethnic identities had more dissatisfaction with their face, limbs, hips/abdomen, and height

(Yokoyama, 2003). These findings were consistent with a later study by Phan and Tykla

(2006). A study by Song (2010) of Korean adolescent girls similarly found a positive

relationship between ethnic identity and body satisfaction. Newman, Sontag, and Salvato
 68

(2006) also found a positive relationship between ethnic identity and positive body image in

a longitudinal study of teenage rural American Indians.

A study of Mexican American college females, however, did not show ethnic identity

to protect against body dissatisfaction (Bettendorf & Fischer, 2009). However, ethnic identity

did function as a moderator of acculturation and disordered eating where poor ethnic identity

with high acculturation to American culture led to undereating (Bettendorf & Fischer, 2009).

Alternatively, a study of female Mexican American children revealed that strong Mexican

identity was associated with more body dissatisfaction (Ayala, Mickens, Galindo, & Elder,

2007). Ayala and colleagues suggested that the dissonance of identifying more with the

Mexican culture while living in America may create a negative self-image (2007).

A few studies of ethnic identity in New Zealand had mixed results (Ngamanu, 2006;

Talwar et al., 2012). Ngamanu (2006) did not find a significant effect of ethnic identity in

Maori and Pakeha New Zealand females. However, Talwar et al. (2012) observed that

stronger ethnic identity among Maori college females was related to less worry about body

weight. Moreover, BMI was more strongly related to body dissatisfaction for European New

Zealanders than for the Maori, who were more protected from body image concerns even at

higher weights (Talwar et al., 2012). Research examining the effect of ethnic identity on

body distortion is not yet available. This would be greatly beneficial to better understand how

non-majority cultural values may protect against not only negative views of the body but also

misperceptions of physical appearance.

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Introduction to Present Study

The literature has consistently supported a positive relationship between body

distortion (a conceptual inaccuracy in the view of one’s body as described by Freeman,

Beach, Davis, and Solyom, 1985) and body image dissatisfaction (Etu & Gray, 2010;

Ferguson, Munoz, Contreras, & Velasquez, 2011; Gardner & Tockerman, 1993; Kasper,

2001). While body dissatisfaction and body distortion are common among individuals

diagnosed with disorders concerning difficulty regulating eating (i.e., bulimia, anorexia, and

obesity) (Cash & Deagle, 1997; Kopyt, 2000), these problems are also present for

asymptomatic individuals (Altabe & Thompson, 1992; Vocks, Legenbauer, Rüddel, & Troje,

2007). In fact, dissatisfaction with one’s body has been labeled a “normative discontent”

given that it is now so common-place among women in developed countries (Rodin,

Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1985). Due to the high prevalence rate of body image

disturbance, it is important to continue to better understand the various complex contributors

to the development of body dissatisfaction and body distortion that will allow clinicians to

target successful interventions towards these issues. Research also shows that body

dissatisfaction is related to more severe forms of psychopathology (i.e., eating disorders (De

Barardis et al., 2007) and personality disorders (Sansone & Levitt, 2005)) which decrease

overall life satisfaction (Hamachek, 1978). Further, there is a gap in understanding the

predictors of body distortion as this construct is seldom assessed in non-clinical populations,

including a lack of research with figure drawings to assess distorted body image (Gillen,

2011), in spite of the fact that this technique does not require much time to administer

(Gardner & Brown, 2010).

One study conducted in the United States showed that 50 percent of all women
 70

reported overall body dissatisfaction (Cash & Henry, 1995). Negative body evaluation has

seen a dramatic rise over the past few decades (Garner, 1997). This is an important trend as

body dissatisfaction has been shown to correspond with overall life dissatisfaction (Stokes &

Frederick-Recascino, 2003). At a time where a very thin ideal body shape is being portrayed

in the media (Wiseman, Gray, Mosimann, & Ahrens, 1992), the average female weight

appears to have become increasingly heavier (Garner & Garfinkel, 1980; Spitzer, Henderson,

& Zivian, 1999). The societal pressure to be thin is, therefore, creating frustration for women

who are moving further away, rather than closer to, the ideal body and who believe they must

lose weight in order to be accepted as a normal-looking woman (Mintz & Betz, 1986).

Further, Caucasian women have been shown to overestimate the male desire for a slim body

type (Forbes, Adams-Curtis, Rade, & Jaberg, 2001). Survey research by Wooley and Wooley

(1984) of 33,000 women found that 45 percent of participants believed they were too fat, and

even underweight women categorized their bodies as overweight (body distortion).

For the purposes of the current study, inaccuracy in the perception of one’s body was

referred to as body distortion rather than body dysmorphia or body dysmorphic disorder as

this study’s participants were not assumed to be a clinical population and were not assigned

diagnoses. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric illness which involves a

preoccupation with an imagined defect or magnification of a minor defect in appearance,

resulting in significant impairment or distress in social, occupational, or other important areas

of functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). This illness affects 1-2 percent of

the general population (Rief, Buhlmann, Wilhelm, Borkenhagen, & Brahler, 2006) and

typically presents when individuals are 16-18 years old (Phillips, 2005). Excessive mirror

checking and beautifying is common among these individuals and these compulsive patterns
 71

of repetitive behavior are very time-consuming and mentally exhausting (Sarwer & Crerand,

2008). With BDD, any body part can be an area of fixation; however, the nose, skin, and hair

are the most common problem areas (Phillips, McElroy, Keck, Pope, & Hudson, 1993). Body

distortion in the present study, however, examined women’s perceptual inaccuracies of their

body as a whole rather than specific body parts.

This study focused only on women as past studies have indicated that men and

women differ in their types of body dissatisfaction and body distortion (Furnham & Greaves,

1994; Moreno & Thelen, 1993; Nagel & Jones, 1992; Peters & Phelps, 2001). For instance,

men often distort their degree of muscle while women tend to misperceive their amount of fat

deposit (Nagel & Jones, 1992). Regarding body dissatisfaction, research indicates that there

is a unidirectional dissatisfaction for women as they desire to weigh less (Peters & Phelps,

2001). However, for men, body image dissatisfaction is bidirectional as they desire to be both

more muscular and thinner (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998).

This study mostly included college-age participants as past research has shown that

body image disturbance is most prevalent and severe in late adolescence, particularly in

freshman college students (Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002). However, women under age 65

were not excluded as longitudinal and cross-sectional studies have revealed that body

dissatisfaction appears to remain fairly constant throughout the lifespan (Lewis & Cachelin,

2001; Siegel, 2010; Stevens & Tiggemann, 1998; Tom, Chen, Liao, & Shao, 2005). Still,

stress related to body image concerns appears to decrease with age after adolescence

(Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002; Tiggemann, 2004). Specifically, older women tend to

report a larger ideal body size, less preoccupation with appearance, and less dieting efforts

(Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002).

 72

The relationship between alexithymia and body dissatisfaction/satisfaction was

examined in this study. Alexithymia is defined as difficulty with identifying and expressing

emotions (Taylor, Bagby, & Parker, 1991). This is a burgeoning field of research and early

studies have found positive relationships between alexithymia and body dissatisfaction

(Carano et al., 2006; 2011; De Barardis et al., 2005; Franzoni et al., 2013; Newman, 2004;

Ridout, Thom, & Wallis, 2010).

Regarding perfectionism, this variable has been shown to be positively related to

body dissatisfaction (Brannan & Petrie, 2008; Casale, Biondi, & Pacini, 2011; Chan &

Owens, 2006; Tissot & Crowther, 2008). However, most of the research observing the

correlation between these two variables has been conducted in eating disorder studies with

clinical populations (Bardone, Weishuhn, & Boyd, 2009; Vocks et al., 2007; Welch, Miller,

Ghaderi, & Vaillancourt, 2009). Additionally, there have been few studies observing the

direct effects of perfectionism on body distortion, which was examined in this study.

Perfectionistic self-presentation (PSP), defined as taking great strides to appear

perfect to others by not showing defects or weaknesses in relation to performance,

competence, or physical appearance (Hewitt & Flett, 1991), was examined in this study as it

related to body dissatisfaction/satisfaction and body distortion. Given that this is a relatively

new concept, little research has been conducted on PSP and body distortion, although early

studies have shown a positive correlation between body dissatisfaction and aspects of PSP

(Baratelli, 2009; Hewitt et al., 2003).

Poor self-esteem has been widely accepted as a significant predictor of body

dissatisfaction (Brytek-Matera, 2010; Forbes, Adams-Curtis, Rade, & Jaberg, 2001; Johnson

& Wardle, 2005; Tiggemann, 2005) and was included in the present study as well. The
 73

relationship between self-esteem and body distortion has been rarely examined, however

(Buhlmann, Teachman, Gerbershagen, Kikul, & Rief, 2008). This research aimed to expand

upon this literature.

The effect of ethnicity on body dissatisfaction/satisfaction and body distortion was

also investigated in this study. It has been observed that the discrepancy in body

dissatisfaction between Caucasian and African American women is shrinking (Roberts,

2006). It is uncertain if Caucasian women are becoming more satisfied with their bodies or

African American women are becoming more susceptible to body dissatisfaction (Roberts,

2006), but it was thought that it would be helpful to add to the literature in this area to help

shed light on variations in body image based on ethnicity.

Concerning ethnic identity, or the degree to which individuals accept and affirm their

ethnic heritage (Rogers Wood & Petrie, 2010), this variable has been examined to a small

degree as it relates to body dissatisfaction (e.g., Petersons, Rojhani, Steinhaus, & Larkin,

2000; Talwar, Carter, & Gleaves, 2012). These preliminary studies have begun to show that

ethnic identity is a protective factor against body dissatisfaction for ethnic minorities

(Ngamanu, 2006) but that strong ethnic identity in Caucasian females is related to higher

levels of body dissatisfaction (Harris, 1995). The current study attempted to add a significant

contribution to research on ethnic identity as it relates to body image by being one of the first

to examine ethnic identity’s relationship to body distortion. The findings attempted to

advocate for cultural changes that would promote healthier body satisfaction and self-esteem.

It was expected that, through examination of the relationships among alexithymia,

perfectionism, perfectionistic self-presentation (PSP), self-esteem, ethnicity, ethnic identity,

body dissatisfaction/satisfaction, and body distortion, the contributors to disturbances in body

 74

image would be better understood. This research expanded upon the literature on the

relationships between predictors of body dissatisfaction/satisfaction (i.e., alexithymia,

perfectionism, PSP, self-esteem, ethnicity, and ethnic identity) and body distortion. The

relationships of body distortion to PSP and ethnic identity were yet to be examined. Given

the continual rise in body image disturbance in recent decades, even among ethnic minorities

and in non-Western countries (Garner, 1997; Rodin et al., 1985), it was important to add to

the knowledge about risk factors for body-related issues in order to better understand how to

target interventions to improve body image and overall life satisfaction.

Hypotheses

We expected that this study would support the findings of previous research on

predictors of body dissatisfaction and that these predictors would play a significant role in the

development of body distortion. Specifically, the following hypotheses were offered:

1. Greater alexithymia would be related to more body dissatisfaction/less body

satisfaction as suggested in early studies by Newman (2004) and Carano et al. (2006).

2. Higher perfectionism would be related to more body dissatisfaction/less body

satisfaction as suggested in previous studies (Brannan & Petrie, 2008; Casale et al.,

2011; Chan & Owens, 2006; Tissot & Crowther, 2008). Consistent with past research

(Purdon et al., 1999), it was expected that each of the three perfectionism factor

subscales (Fear of Mistakes, Perceived Parental Pressure, and Goal/Achievement

Orientation) would be positively associated with body dissatisfaction and negatively

associated with body satisfaction.

3. Perfectionistic self-presentation would be positively associated with body

dissatisfaction and negatively associated with body satisfaction consistent with prior
 75

research (Baratelli, 2009; Hewitt et al., 2003).

4. Self-esteem would be negatively related to body dissatisfaction and positively related

body satisfaction as indicated in past research (Brytek-Matera, 2010; Forbes et al.,

2001; Johnson & Wardle, 2005; Tiggemann, 2005).

5. Caucasian participants would report more body dissatisfaction/less body satisfaction

than ethnic minority participants as found in the literature (Barry & Grilo, 2002;

Halpern et al., 1999; Wassenaar et al., 2000).

6. Stronger ethnic identity would be negatively associated with body dissatisfaction and

positively associated with body satisfaction in agreement with past studies (Osvold &

Sodowsky, 1993; Parker et al., 1995; Petersons et al., 2000; Rogers Wood & Petrie,

2010).

7. Higher body dissatisfaction/lower body satisfaction would be related to more body

distortion (Etu & Gray, 2010; Ferguson et al., 2011; Gardner & Tockerman, 1993;

Kasper, 2001).

8. The predictors of body dissatisfaction/satisfaction would be related to body distortion

based on research linking body dissatisfaction and body distortion (e.g., Etu & Gray,

2010; Ferguson et al., 2011).

9. Body dissatisfaction/satisfaction would mediate the effect of predictors of body

dissatisfaction/satisfaction on body distortion. To current knowledge, this mediational

relationship had yet to be examined. We expected that, given the literature on the

relationship between body dissatisfaction and body distortion (Kasper, 2001), body

distortion would not be present in the absence of the less severe body image

disturbance of body dissatisfaction.

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Method

Participants

Participants included 151 females of all ethnicities between the ages of 18 and 65

(Mage = 29.98 years, SD =11.87). This is a common age range for participants in body

dissatisfaction studies (e.g., Stevens & Tiggemann, 1998; Tiggemann & Rüütel, 2001; Tom

et al., 2005). Various studies have shown body dissatisfaction to be consistent throughout the

lifespan with no differences between young, middle, and older adult cohorts (e.g., Lewis &

Cachelin, 2001; Siegel, 2010; Tiggemann, 1992; Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001; Webster &

Tiggemann, 2003), although less research is available on body dissatisfaction in elderly

women over 65. Of the 151 participants, 3.3% (n = 5) identified as Asian American, 9.3% (n

= 14) as African American, 2.6% (n = 4) as Hispanic, 74.8% (n = 113) as White, 2.0% (n =

3) as European American, 2.0% (n = 3) as Middle Eastern American, 4.6% (n = 7) as

Biracial, and 1.3% (n = 2) as another racial category. Participants were recruited from the

University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit metro communities, and Canada through the use of

electronic announcements and flyers.

The study aimed to recruit 150 participants to detect a medium effect size (with

statistical power level of .80 and probability level of .05) through the use of regression

analyses. To minimize error from possible outliers, a question was included in the last survey

asking participants to answer with “1” for that item. No participants were excluded from the

study as a result of answering incorrectly to this question. Two participants were excluded

from the study due to incomplete responses and one male participant was excluded. Thirty-

two participants (17%) were excluded from the remaining sample due to scoring at or above

20 on the Eating Attitudes Test. It was believed that high scorers on an eating disorders

measure would skew the body image data given the significant relationship found between
 77

eating disorder pathology and body dissatisfaction (De Barardis et al., 2005). Interestingly,

the percentage of participants that reached the eating disorders threshold on the EAT was

much higher than in the general population (0.5-3.7% for anorexia, 1.1-4.2% for bulimia, and

2-5% for binge-eating disorder) (The National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). The mean

EAT score for the remaining participants was in the low range (M = 7.91, SD = 5.18).

Measures

Alexithymia. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) (Taylor, Ryan, & Bagby, 1985)

was used to measure alexithymia. The 20-item measure has three factors: 1) difficulties

identifying feelings and distinguishing them from bodily sensations (DIF), 2) difficulties

describing feelings (DDF), and 3) externally-oriented thinking (EOT). These factors align

with the theoretical alexithymia construct. The scale uses a 5-point Likert scale ranging from

1 (“strongly disagree”) to 5 (“strongly agree”). Five items are negatively keyed and higher

scores are indicative of greater levels of alexithymia (Taylor, Ryan, & Bagby, 1985). Scores

equal to or greater than 61 are indicative of alexithymia (Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994).

The TAS has demonstrated solid internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .81) and test-retest

reliability (.77). Adequate convergent and concurrent validity has also been established

(Bagby et al., 1994). Good reliability and validity have been found in both clinical (Troop,

1995) and non-clinical samples (Swift, Stephenson, & Royce, 2006).

Perfectionism. The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) (Frost et al.,

1990a; 1993) was used to measure perfectionism. This scale gives an overall perfectionism

score as well as six subscale scores and three factor scores. The six subscales related to

perfectionism are: Concern Over Mistakes (CM), Doubts About Actions (DA), Personal

Standards (PS), Parental Expectations (PE), Parental Criticism (PC), and Organization (OR).

The total perfectionism score is obtained by adding the scores of all the subscales, except the
 78

OR subscale with was not found to correlate sufficiently with the other subscales or the

overall score (Purdon et al., 1999). The scale is 35 items with a 5-point Likert scale ranging

from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Possible scores on the FMPS range from 35 to

175, with higher scores indicating a greater amount of perfectionism (Fischer & Corcoran,

2007). Scores lower than 105 are considered within normal limits (2007).

Purdon et al. (1999) found that three factors described the scale well: Fear of

Mistakes (comprised of CM and DA subscales), Goal/Achievement Orientation (comprised

of PS and OR subscales), and Perceived Parental Pressure (comprised of PE and PC

subscales). For these three factors, there was high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s

Alpha scores being .91, .85, and .91, respectively. The alpha for the total scale was also .90

in another sample (Fischer & Corcoran, 2007). Further, Cronbach’s alpha for PS

perfectionism was .77 in a study by Boone (2011). Frost et al. (1990a) found the following

internal consistency reliabilities for the FMPS subscales: .93 (OR), .88 (CM), .84 (PC), .83

(PE), and .77 (DA). The scale has also shown good construct and concurrent validity when

compared with other scales (Fischer & Corcoran, 2007; Frost et al., 1993). For this study, the

three factor subscales were used as measures of perfectionism to observe if there were

differences in the relationship between the maladaptive perfectionism subscales (Fear of

Mistakes and Perceived Parental Pressure) and the more adaptive subscale

(Goal/Achievement Orientation) with body dissatisfaction and body distortion.

This perfectionism scale was chosen over other multidimensional perfectionism

scales as the FMPS is the most exhaustive by including values, thoughts, and behaviors

descriptive of perfectionists as well as items pertaining to experiences that lead to the

development of perfectionism in the first place (i.e., parental expectations and criticism). The
 79

FMPS contains both maladaptive (concern over mistake and doubt about actions) and

adaptive (organization and personal standards) perfectionism components similar to the

Hewitt and Flett model of perfectionism (Hewitt et al., 2003) and additionally contains

antecedents to perfectionism. Further, the FMPS has been showed to have a good fit for use

with the young adult population, particularly among university students (Stallman, 2011).

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation. The perfectionistic self-presentation scale (PSPS)

(Hewitt & Flett, 1993b) was used to measure the degree to which one feels a needs to present

one’s self as perfect to others. The PSPS is a 27-item measure which includes three

categories of perfectionistic self-presentation: The 10-item Need to Appear Perfect subscale

(or self-promotion), the 10-item Avoid Appearing Imperfect subscale (or non-display of

imperfection), and the 7-item Avoid Disclosure of Imperfection subscale (or non-disclosure

of imperfection). The measure uses a Likert scale ranging from 1 (“disagree strongly”) to 7

(“agree strongly”) and higher scores are indicative of more perfectionistic self-presentation

(Hewitt & Flett, 1993b). The PSPS has shown good internal consistency (Cash et al., 2004)

of .94 for females and .92 for male as well as solid test-retest reliability with adequate

convergent and discriminant validities (Hewitt et al., 2003). Additionally, there is support for

factorial stability and construct and predictive validities for the PSPS in clinical and non-

clinical university settings (Habke et al., 1999; Hewitt et al., 1995).

Self-Esteem. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (Rosenberg, 1979) was used

to measure self-esteem. This measure of global self-esteem is comprised of 10 items which

capture one’s thoughts and feelings about the self. The scale utilizes a 4-point Likert scale

ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Scores range from 0 to 30 with higher

scores indicating greater levels of self-esteem (Rosenberg, 1979). The RSES has shown good
 80

internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of .82), test-retest reliability (Cronbach’s alpha

greater than .85) and convergent validity with reported self-esteem from clinical interviews

and ratings from peers (Cronbach’s alpha of .51) (Demo, 1985; Rosenberg, 1979). Silber and

Tippett (1965) also found the RSES to be correlated with a measure of self-ideal discrepancy

(r=.67) and self-image (r=.83).

Ethnic Identity. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) (Phinney, 1992;

Roberts et al., 1999) was used to measure ethnic identity. The 12-item measure examines

ethnic identity based on level of Exploration (or learning more about their ethnic group and

participating in ethnic-related activities) and Commitment (devotion to belonging to an

ethnic group). A 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 4 (“strongly

agree”) is used where higher scores are associated with more developed ethnic identity

(Phinney, 1992). The overall score is attained by taking the mean of the 12 item scores.

Therefore, possible scores range from 1 to 4. In a diverse male and female adolescent sample,

Roberts et al. (1999) found internal consistency Cronbach’s alphas for the MEIM to range

from .81 to .86 for Commitment and .55 to .76 for Exploration. Phinney (1992) found similar

reliability values (.86 for Commitment and .77 for Exploration). Adequate concurrent

validity with measures of psychological health has also been documented for the MEIM

(Roberts et al., 1999). Additionally, in a diverse study of American Indian and Asian,

African, Hispanic, and Caucasian American students, reliability coefficients were .81 for

high school students and .90 for college students.

On the MEIM, participants were also asked to indicate which ethnic group they most

identified with. The following ethnicity categories were used: 1) Asian or Asian American,

including Chinese, Japanese, and others; 2) Black or African American; 3) Hispanic of

 81

Latino, including Mexican American, Central American, and others; 4) White, Caucasian,

Anglo; not Hispanic or Middle Eastern; 5) European American; 6) American Indian/Native

American; 7) Middle Eastern American; 8) Biracial, Mixed, Parents are from two different

groups; 9) Other.

Participants also provided additional demographic information (sex, age, religion,

SES, and education level). Religion was included as an exploratory variable as some studies

have observed religious faith to be a protective factor against psychological distress (e.g.,

Laurencelle, Abell , & Schwartz, 2002), body image dissatisfaction (Weinberger-Litman,

2008), and self-objectification (Davis-Quirarte, 2007). Further, age and SES were explored

as possible covariates given that some studies have suggested body dissatisfaction to vary

based on age (Roberts et al., 2006) and socioeconomic status (Davis & Katzman, 1998).

Body Dissatisfaction. The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire

(MBSRQ) (Brown, Cash, & Mikulka, 1990) was used to measure body dissatisfaction in this

study. The 69-item MBSRQ uses a 5-point Likert type scale ranging from 1 to 5. The initial

sampling included 2,052 males and females ranging from ages 15 to 87. Ten factors were

found: Appearance Evaluation (AE), Appearance Orientation (AO), Fitness Evaluation (FE),

Fitness Orientation (FO), Health Evaluation (HE), Health Orientation (HO), Illness

Orientation (IO), Overweight Preoccupation (OP), Self-Classified Weight (SW), and the

Body Areas Satisfaction (BAS) (Brown et al., 1990). For females and males, the factor

solutions accounted for 51 percent and 53.9 percent, respectively, of the total variance. Also,

for females, all items had factor loadings greater than .40 after varimax rotation was

performed. A majority of the Pearson intercorrelations were less than 10 percent for both

males and females (Brown et al., 1990). The MBSRQ has also shown good internal
 82

consistency (with alphas ranging from .75 to .90) and adequate to excellent test-retest

reliability with alphas ranging from .49 to .91 (Banasiak, Wertheim, Koerner, & Voudouris,

2001). All MBSRQ subscales have demonstrated acceptable convergent, discriminant, and

construct validities (Cash et al., 2004).

For the purposes of this study, the Appearance Evaluation (AE) and Body Areas

Satisfaction (BAS) subscales were focused on for measures of body dissatisfaction as they

related more specifically to this study’s predictions. The AE subscale involves 7 items (with

scores ranging from 1 (“definitely disagree”) to 5 (“definitely agree”)) which relate to one’s

satisfaction with physical appearance (Cash et al., 2004). Higher scores are indicative of

more positive feelings about one’s appearance. The BAS subscale includes 8 items (with

scores ranging from 1 (“very dissatisfied”) to 5 (“very satisfied”)) which pertain to

satisfaction with specific body parts (i.e. face, hair, torso, etc.). Higher scores are indicative

of satisfaction with more discrete areas of the body. Subscale scores are computed by

summing scores for each item (Cash et al., 2004).

Participants were then asked to report their height and weight which was converted

into their actual BMI through the use of the following formula: [(weight in pounds)/(height in

inches)2] X 703 (Garrow & Webster, 1985). Self-report of height and weight has been

utilized in most health-related studies to determine BMI due to its convenience and adequate

reliability (Wilkosz et al., 2011). Participants were also asked to report their ideal height and

weight. The difference between actual BMI and ideal BMI was calculated to provide an

additional assessment of degree of body dissatisfaction.

Body Distortion. The Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS) (Swami, Salem,

Furnham, & Toveé, 2008) was utilized to measure body distortion in this study. The PFRS is
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a selection of ten picture images of the front side of real-life women of varying sizes. The

women are dressed in tight grey (ethnic neutral color) spandex and their faces are blotted out

to provide more of a focus on the body than on facial attractiveness. Each photographed

woman represents a certain BMI weight class, with subsequent pictures increasing in weight.

Two photographs are associated with each BMI weight class (Swami et al., 2008). The five

BMI weight classifications include: underweight (BMI < 20), normal weight (20 < BMI <

25), borderline (25 < BMI < 27), overweight (27 < BMI < 30), and obese (BMI > 30)

(Caldwell et al., 1997). The corresponding BMIs for each of the ten photographs of the PFRS

are as follows: 12.51, 14.72, 16.65, 18.45, 20.33, 23.09, 26.94, 29.26, 35.92, and 41.23

(Swami et al., 2008). The PFRS has shown good construct validity as body dissatisfaction

with the PFRS was negatively correlated with body satisfaction (r = -.35). Further, the

photographs were modeled after naturally existing human body shapes which added

ecological validity to the scale (Toveé, Maisey, Emery, & Cornelissen, 1999). Test-retest

reliability of the discrepancy between current and ideal body size from the PFRS also was

observed to be strong (r = .85). Further, the PFRS had stronger correlations with participant

BMI (r = .80 at initial test and r = .83 at three week follow-up) than another measure of body

image (Swami et al., 2008).

On the PFRS, the participants were asked to “indicate the number of the image that

you feel most accurately depicts your current body size.” The discrepancy between

participants’ actual BMI and perceived BMI served as a measure of body distortion. An

objective measure of the discrepancy between actual and perceived BMI was obtained by

dividing the perceived size by the actual size and multiplying by 100 which provided the

body distortion index (BDI) (Thompson, 1987). The BDI produces a percentage of over or
 84

underestimation in body size. A BDI value of 100 indicates complete accuracy in body size

estimation while scores greater (overestimation) or less (underestimation) than 100 indicate

inaccuracies in prediction of actual body size. As suggested by Thompson (1987), absolute

values of the BDI were used to measure degree of perceptual inaccuracy.

Eating Disorders Screening. Given the relationship found between eating disorders

and body dissatisfaction (De Barardis et al., 2005), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) (Garner

& Garfinkel, 1979) was used to screen out individuals with disordered eating behaviors to

limit the chance of significant outlying scores on body dissatisfaction and body distortion.

The EAT is a 26 item measure with three subscales: Dieting, Bulimia and Food

Preoccupation, and Oral control. The measure uses a 6 point Likert scale ranging from

“always” to “never.” Higher overall scores on the EAT are associated with a greater presence

of disordered eating behaviors. Total scores at or above 20 indicate possible problems with

dieting, food preoccupation or other eating disordered behaviors (Garner & Garfinkel, 1979).

The EAT has good overall reliability (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha of .83) (Koslowskey et

al., 1992). In one study, the Dieting scale was found to be the most reliable (.90) and to

account for 26 percent of the variance. The Oral Control scale accounted for 8.5 percent of

the variance with a reliability of .74 and the Bulimia and Food Preoccupation scale accounted

for 5.5 percent of the variance with a reliability of .56 (Koslowskey et al., 1992).

Intercorrelations for these factors also ranged from .90 to .20 (Koslowskey et al., 1992).

Procedures

Participants completed an online survey through the use of Survey Gizmo.

Participants were required to give their informed consent before beginning the study. In the

informed consent form, volunteers were reminded of their rights as participants, including the

right to decline to answer any question(s) and to discontinue participation at any time without
 85

penalty. Each informed consent form also included the statement that it was important for

each participant to complete the surveys privately because the questions were of a private,

personal nature and honest answers were needed. Participants were instructed to read the

directions at the top of each measure fully before completing them. Consenting participants

then provided demographic information (sex, age, religion, SES, and education level) and

completed eight self-report surveys (TAS, FMPS, PSPS, RSES, MEIM, MBSRQ, PFRS, and

EAT) electronically. It took participants approximately 20 minutes to complete the survey.

To address the contingency that some participants could have been affected emotionally in

unanticipated ways after completing the measures, participants were debriefed and provided

contact information for mental health facilities in the area. Contact information for this

researcher was provided should participants have had any questions or concerns pertaining to

the study. Extra credit incentive was provided to University of Detroit Mercy students for

their participation in the study. To protect participant anonymity, surveys were identified by

numbers only and data will be kept on a password-protected personal computer until

destroyed.

Statistical Analysis

This quantitative study employed a nonexperimental research design. The data

analyses utilized in this study included: multiple regression, one-way ANOVA’s,

independent samples t-tests, and Pearson Correlation Matrix. The independent/predictor

variables included: alexithymia (measured by total score on the TAS: higher scores indicative

of greater alexithymia), perfectionism (measured by total scores on the three factor subscales

of the FMPS (Fear of Mistakes, Perceived Parental Pressure, and Goal/Achievement

Orientation): higher scores indicative of greater perfectionism), perfectionistic self-

 86

presentation (measured by total score on the PSPS: higher scores indicative of greater PSP),

self-esteem (measured by total score on the RSES: higher scores indicative of greater self-

esteem), ethnicity, and ethnic identity (measured by mean of the item scores on the MEIM:

higher scores indicative of stronger ethnic identity). The mediating variables included body

satisfaction (measured by AE and BAS subscale scores of the MBSRQ: higher scores

indicative of greater body satisfaction) and body dissatisfaction (measured by absolute value

of the actual and ideal BMI discrepancy: greater discrepancies indicative of greater body

dissatisfaction). The dependent variable included body distortion (measured by the BDI:

greater deviations from 100 indicative of greater body distortion). Exploratory variables were

age, religion, parent SES, participant SES, parent education, and participant education.

Intercorrelations for the independent, body image, and exploratory variables were

obtained through the use of a Pearson correlation matrix. Hypothesis 1 was tested using a

Pearson correlation to examine the relationship between alexithymia and body

dissatisfaction/satisfaction. Hypothesis 2 was tested using a Pearson correlation to examine

the relationship between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction/satisfaction. Hypothesis 3

was tested using a Pearson correlation to examine the relationship between perfectionistic

self-presentation and body dissatisfaction/satisfaction. Hypothesis 4 was tested using a

Pearson correlation to examine the relationship between self-esteem and body

dissatisfaction/satisfaction. Hypothesis 5 was tested using an independent samples t-test to

examine the relationship between ethnic differences and body dissatisfaction/satisfaction.

Hypothesis 6 was tested using a Pearson correlation to examine the relationship between

ethnic identity and body dissatisfaction/satisfaction. Hypothesis 7 was tested using a Pearson

correlation to examine the relationship between body dissatisfaction/satisfaction and body

 87

distortion.

A Pearson correlation matrix was also used to test the relationships in Hypothesis 8

between the predictors of body dissatisfaction/satisfaction and body distortion. Separate

multiple regressions were further used to test the relationships between Appearance

Evaluation, Body Areas Satisfaction, and Body Dissatisfaction with the significant

independent variables. Ethnicity and Goal/Achievement Orientation were not found to be

significantly related to body satisfaction/dissatisfaction measures and were, therefore,

excluded from the multiple regression analyses.

The mediational effect proposed in Hypothesis 9 was tested by conducting the steps

in the mediational model described by Baron and Kenny (1986). Specifically, a series of four

regressions were used in the following sequence: 1) Standard linear regression was used to

examine the effects of the independent variable on the mediational variables. 2) Standard

linear regression was used to test the effect of the independent variable on the dependent

variable. 3) Standard linear regression was used to test the effect of the mediator variables on

the outcome variable. 4) Standard multiple regression was performed to observe the effect of

the independent and mediational variables on the dependent variable. The effect of the

independent variable on the dependent variable in step three was compared to that of step

two, where a smaller effect for step three was considered to be indicative of a mediational

effect. Ethnic identity was the only independent variable found to be significantly correlated

with both body satisfaction variables (mediators) and body distortion (dependent variable).

Ethnic identity, however, was not found to be significantly correlated with the possible

mediator of body dissatisfaction which was then excluded from the mediation process.

Therefore, a series of regressions was performed to test possible mediation (by Appearance
 88

Evaluation and Body Areas Satisfaction) between ethnic identity and body distortion. First,

two simple regression analyses with ethnic identity predicting Appearance Evaluation and

Body Areas Satisfaction were conducted. Second, a simple regression analysis with ethnic

identity predicting body distortion was conducted. Third, two simple regression analyses

with Appearance Evaluation and Body Areas Satisfaction predicting body distortion were

conducted. Fourth, a multiple regression analysis with ethnic identity and the two mediator

variables (Appearance Evaluation and Body Areas Satisfaction) on body distortion was

conducted to determine if the body satisfaction variables mediated the relationship between

ethnic identity and body distortion.

Additional Analyses. Additional Analyses were also conducted in order to determine

the most suitable groupings for the exploratory variables which were found to be

significantly correlated with one or more body image variables: age, religion, parent SES,

and parent education level. Age was initially condensed into five categories: 18-25, 26-35,

36-45, 46-55, and 56-65. However, insufficient distribution in the 46-55 category led to a

grouping of this category with the 56-65 category, creating four age categories. The

relationships between age and the body image variables were then explored through the use

of a one-way ANOVA. Regarding religious affiliation, an insufficient number of participants

identified as Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, or Other Religion to be included in

exploratory analysis. Therefore, religion was divided into two categories: Roman Catholic

and Other Christian Denomination (comprised of Protestant Christian, Evangelical Christian,

and Other Christian Denomination). The relationships between religion and independent and

body image variables were then explored through the use of an independent samples t-test.

The three categories for parent SES (i.e., lower class, middle class, and upper class) were
 89

deemed appropriate and their relationships with body image variables were examined

through the use of a one-way ANOVA. Parent education levels were initially categorized into

the following seven groups: less than 7 (years), grades 7-9, grades 10-11, high school

diploma, college 1-3 years, undergraduate degree, and graduate degree. Due to an insufficient

number of participants in the first three categories, they were grouped into the fourth

category, creating four categories. The relationships between parent education level and the

body image variables were then explored through the use of a one-way ANOVA.

Data Cleaning. Data in the excel file generated from Survey Gizmo were screened in

order to prepare for entry into PASW. Primarily, reporting values were coded into numerical

form. Also, height and weight entries were checked that they were entered accurately in

inches and pounds, respectively. Surveys were flagged and removed at this time for missing

data or male responders. The data was then uploaded into PASW for statistical analyses.

Using PASW, data was transformed from raw into scale scores (including reverse

scoring), creating new variables which could be analyzed. Total scores were calculated for

the TAS, FMPS subscales, PSPS, RSES, and EAT. Means were calculated for the MEIM.

Additionally, means were obtained for the AE and BAS subscales of the MBSRQ. BMI was

calculated using the following formula: [(weight in pounds)/(height in inches)2] X 703

(Garrow & Webster, 1985). A measure of body dissatisfaction was obtained by calculating

the discrepancy between ideal and actual BMI. An objective measure of the discrepancy

between actual and perceived BMI was obtained by dividing the perceived size by the actual

size and multiplying by 100 which provided the body distortion index (BDI) (Thompson,

1987). The BDI produced a percentage of over or underestimation in body size. Lastly, data

was screened for EAT scores in the clinical range (De Barardis et al., 2005).
 90

Results

Descriptive statistics

Tables 1 and 2 present the demographic characteristics of all participants, including

age, religion, parent SES, parent education, participant SES, and participant education. Most

participants fell into the youngest age category, were middle class, highly educated, and had

parents of similar educational and SES backgrounds. Nearly half of the participants identified

as Roman Catholic, 60% identified as belonging to a Christian denomination, and 31%

identified as “other,” which included responses such as “spiritual” and “free-thinker.” Table

3 presents descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) for all variables. The total

scores for appearance evaluation and body areas satisfaction varied slightly from those in the

original sample by Brown et al. (1990) (23.32 versus 23.52 and 27.19 versus 25.84).

Additionally, the mean score on TAS was lower in this sample (M = 41.40, SD = 10.99) than

another sample (M = 47.85, SD = 9.30) (Bagby et al., 1990). There also was a notable

difference in the scores on the RSES in this sample (M = 21.66, SD = 5.27, range = 9-30) and

a comparable sample (M = 28.6, SD = 8.2, range 9-40) (Bardone et al., 2000). Lastly, scores

on the MEIM appeared to be similar in this sample (M = 2.72, SD = .58) compared to another

sample (M = 2.56, SD = .90).

Interestingly, regarding the body distortion data, a higher number of women

underestimated their body size (n = 84, 56%) than overestimated their body size (n = 67,

44%). Further, 13.9% had BMIs in the “underweight” category (n = 21), followed by 47.1%

in the “normal weight” category (n = 71), 23.2% in the “overweight” category (n = 35), and

15.9% in the “obese” category (n = 24). The percentage of overweight participants in this

sample was less than that for another sample (37.9%) examining body image variables

(Butryn, Juarascio, & Lowe, 2011). However, in this same comparative sample, the
 91

percentage of obese participants (13.6%) was lower than that of the current sample (Butryn et

al., 2011).

Preliminary Analyses

Pearson correlations were conducted to observe the intercorrelations among the

independent variables. Alexithymia was found to be positively correlated with fear of

mistakes and perfectionistic self-presentation and negatively correlated with self-esteem

(Table 4). Consistent with past research (Fischer & Corcoran, 2007; Frost et al., 1993), the

three perfectionism factors were shown to be positively correlated with each other as well as

with perfectionistic self-presentation (Table 4). However, while fear of mistakes, perceived

parental pressure, and perfectionistic self-presentation were negatively correlated with self-

esteem, goal/achievement orientation was positively correlated with self-esteem (Table 4).

Pearson correlations among the body image variables revealed intercorrelations in the

expected directions (e.g., Etu & Gray, 2012; Kasper, 2001), where body satisfaction variables

(i.e., appearance evaluation and body areas satisfaction) were positively correlated with each

other and negatively correlated with body dissatisfaction and body distortion (Table 5). Body

dissatisfaction was also negatively correlated with body distortion (Table 5).
 92

Table 1

Demographic Characteristics of Participants (N = 151)

___________________________________________________________________________

Characteristic n %
___________________________________________________________________________

Age at time of survey (years)

18-25 66 44
26-35 56 37

36-45 13 9

46-55 3 2

56-65 13 9

Religious Affiliation

Roman Catholic 45 30

Protestant Christian 16 11

Evangelical Christian 4 3

Other Christian denomination 24 16

Buddhist 1 <1

Hindu 1 <1

Muslim 5 3

Jewish 9 6

Other 46 31
___________________________________________________________________________
Note. Totals of percentages are not 100 because of rounding.
 93

Table 2

SES Characteristics of Participants (N = 151)

___________________________________________________________________________

Characteristic n %
___________________________________________________________________________

Parent SES

Lower class 28 19
Middle class 104 69
Upper class 19 13

Highest parent education level completed

Less than 7 0 0
Grades 7-9 2 1

Grades 10-11 4 3
High school diploma 31 21
College 1-3 years 18 12
Undergraduate degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) 43 29
Graduate degree (M.D., Ph.D., M.A., etc.) 53 35

Participant SES

Lower class 26 17
Middle class 104 69
Upper class 21 14

Highest participant education level completed

Less than 7 0 0
Grades 7-9 0 0

Grades 10-11 0 0
High school diploma 7 5
College 1-3 years 44 29
Undergraduate degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) 46 31
Graduate degree (M.D., Ph.D., M.A., etc.) 54 36
___________________________________________________________________________
Note. Totals of percentages are not 100 because of rounding
 94

Table 3

Participant Characteristics (N = 151)

___________________________________________________________________________

Characteristic M SD
___________________________________________________________________________

Appearance Evaluation MBSRQ Subscale 23.32 6.00

Body Areas Satisfaction MBSRQ Subscale 27.19 5.53

Body Dissatisfaction 15.13 11.74

Body Distortion Index 86.29 23.51

Toronto Alexithymia Scale 41.40 10.99

Fear of Mistakes FMPS Subscale 32.93 9.26

Goal/Achievement Orientation FMPS Subscale 47.88 7.66

Perceived Parental Pressure FMPS Subscale 23.32 6.85

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale 101.06 28.25

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale 21.66 5.27

Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure 2.72 .58

Age at time of survey (years) 29.98 11.87

Parent SES 1.94 .56

Participant SES 1.97 .56

Highest parent education level completed 5.69 1.29

Highest participant education level completed 5.97 .92

___________________________________________________________________________
 95

Table 4

Intercorrelations among Independent Variables

___________________________________________________________________________

Measure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
___________________________________________________________________________

1. TAS __

2. Fear of Mistakes .44** __

3. Goal/Achievement Orientation -.04 .24** __

4. Perceived Parental Pressure .07 .50** .12 __

5. PSPS .36** .73** .36** .41** __

6. RSES -.46** -.51** .21** -.18* -.47** __

7. MEIM .03 -.01 .21** .06 -.02 .18*

___________________________________________________________________________

Note. TAS = Toronto Alexithymia Scale; PSPS = Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale;

RSES = Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; MEIM = Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure.
*p < .05. **p < .01.

Table 5

Intercorrelations among Body Image Variables

___________________________________________________________________________

Measure 1 2 3 4
___________________________________________________________________________

1. Appearance Evaluation __

2. Body Areas Satisfaction .83** __

3. Body Dissatisfaction -.57** -.56** __

4. Body Distortion Index -.28** -.27** .24** __

___________________________________________________________________________
*p < .05. **p < .01.
 96

Tests of Hypotheses

The following five hypotheses were tested through the use of Pearson correlations

with a two-tailed test of significance as represented in Table 6: The first hypothesis stated

that there would be a positive relationship between a higher score on a measure of

alexithymia (TAS) and a higher score on a measure of body dissatisfaction (BD) and

negative relationships between a higher score on the TAS and higher scores on two measures

of body satisfaction (AE and BAS). Modest, but statistically significant, negative correlations

(r <. 30) were found between TAS and both AE and BAS indicating that alexithymia is

related to body satisfaction. However, a significant relationship was not found between TAS

and BD (r = .08, p >.05) indicating that body dissatisfaction is not related to alexithymia.

The second hypothesis stated that there would be a positive relationship between

higher scores on three measures of perfectionism (i.e., fear of mistakes (FM),

goal/achievement orientation (G/A), and perceived parental pressure (PP)) and BD and a

negative relationship between the perfectionism variables and body satisfaction variables.

Modest, negative correlations were found between FM with AE and BAS indicating that fear

of making mistakes is related to body satisfaction. However, a relationship was not found

between FM and BD (r = .02, p >.05). No significant correlations were found between G/A

and any of the body satisfaction/dissatisfaction variables (Table 6). Concerning PP, results

were similar to those of FM, with negative correlations with AE and BAS. A positive

correlation was also found between PP and BD as expected. The correlation was quite

modest yet statistically significant given the study’s robust sample size. Perceived parental

pressure was the only predictor variable found to be related to body dissatisfaction.

The third hypothesis stated that there would be a positive relationship between higher
 97

scores on a measure of perfectionistic self-presentation (PSPS) and BD and a negative

relationship between higher scores on the PSPS and body satisfaction. Very modest, negative

correlations were found between PSPS and both AE and BAS indicating that perfectionistic

self-presentation and body satisfaction are related. The fourth hypothesis stated that there

would be a negative relationship between higher scores on a measure of self-esteem (RSES)

and BD and a positive relationship between higher scores on the RSES and body satisfaction.

Moderate, positive correlations were found between RSES with both AE and BAS indicating

that self-esteem and body satisfaction are related. This was the strongest relationship found

between a predictor variable and body image variable. The sixth hypothesis stated that there

would be a negative relationship between higher scores on a measure of ethnic identity

(MEIM) and BD and a positive relationship between higher scores on the MEIM and body

satisfaction. Modest, but statistically significant, positive correlations were found between

MEIM and both AE and BAS indicating that ethnic identity is related to body satisfaction.

The fifth hypothesis stated that White participants would score higher on a measure

of body dissatisfaction and lower on two measures of body satisfaction than non-White

participants. An independent samples t-test was conducted to examine the relationship

between ethnicity and BD as well as the relationships between ethnicity and both AE and

BAS. Results indicated no significant mean differences between ethnicities for BD (t(149) =

1.12, p >.05), AE (t(149) = -0.57, p >.05) or BAS (t(149) = -0.01, p >.05) (Table 7)

indicating that there is no relationship between ethnicity and body dissatisfaction/satisfaction.

As previously stated, a Pearson correlation was used to test hypothesis 7 which stated

that a higher score on a measure of body dissatisfaction and lower scores on two measures of

body satisfaction would be positively correlated with body distortion. Modest, negative
 98

correlations were found between BDI and both AE, r = -.28, p <.01, and BAS, r = -.27, p

<.01, indicating that body satisfaction is related to body distortion. Further, a modest,

positive correlation was found between BD and BDI, r = .24, p <.01, indicating that body

dissatisfaction is related to body distortion.

Hypothesis 8 stated that the significant predictors of body dissatisfaction would be

positively correlated with higher scores on the BDI and that the significant predictors of body

satisfaction would be negatively correlated with higher scores on the BDI. A Pearson

correlation was conducted to examine the relationship between the predictors of body

dissatisfaction/satisfaction and body distortion. A very modest, but significantly significant,

negative correlation was found between MEIM and BDI (Table 6) indicating that ethnic

identity is related to body distortion. All other relationships between predictors of body

dissatisfaction/satisfaction and body distortion were not significant.

 99

Table 6

Correlations of Independent Variables with Measures of Body Image Disturbance

___________________________________________________________________________

Measure
_________________________________________________
Independent Variable AE BAS BD BDI
___________________________________________________________________________

TAS -.20* -.21* .08 -.12

Fear of Mistakes -.33** -.31** .02 -.05

Goal/Achievement Orientation .04 .08 -.11 -.02

Perceived Parental Pressure -.25** -.24** .16* .04

PSPS -.26** -.27** .10 .20

RSES .47** .44** -.16 -.05

MEIM .20* .25** -.13 -.17*

___________________________________________________________________________
Note. TAS = Toronto Alexithymia Scale; PSPS = Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale;
RSES = Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; MEIM = Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure; AE =
Appearance Evaluation; BAS = Body Areas Satisfaction; BD = Body Dissatisfaction; BDI =
Body Distortion Index.
*p < .05. **p < .01.
 100

Table 7

Group Differences for White Participants and Non-White Participants

___________________________________________________________________________
White Non-White
______________ ______________
Cohen’s
Measure M SD M SD t(149) p d
___________________________________________________________________________
AE 23.49 5.69 22.84 6.90 -0.57 .568 0.10

BAS 27.19 5.26 27.18 6.36 -0.01 .992 0.00

BD 14.51 11.13 16.98 13.37 1.12 .264 0.20

BDI 86.36 23.03 86.06 25.22 -0.07 .946 0.01

TAS 40.68 10.56 43.53 12.09 1.38 .168 0.25

FM 32.17 8.95 35.18 9.93 1.75 .083 0.32

G/A 47.96 7.59 47.63 7.96 -0.23 .817 0.04

PP 22.23 6.88 26.58 5.67 3.51 .001 0.69

PSPS 98.46 29.14 108.79 24.14 1.97 .051 0.39

RSES 22.23 5.21 19.95 5.13 -2.35 .020 0.44

MEIM 2.64 .55 2.96 .60 3.00 .003 0.55

P SES 1.99 .53 1.79 .62 -1.79 .078 0.35

SES 1.99 .59 1.89 .45 -0.92 .359 0.19

P Ed 5.75 1.21 5.50 1.48 -0.95 .348 0.18

Ed 5.99 .93 5.92 .88 -.41 .685 0.08

___________________________________________________________________________
Note. AE = Appearance Evaluation; BAS = Body Areas Satisfaction; BD = Body
Dissatisfaction; BDI = Body Distortion Index; TAS = Toronto Alexithymia Scale; FM = Fear
of Mistakes; G/A = Goal/Achievement; PP = Perceived Parental Pressure; PSPS =
Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale; RSES = Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; MEIM =
Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure; P SES = Parent SES; P Ed = Parent Education; Ed =
Education
 101

Regression Analyses. To further explore the relationships between the predictor

variables and body dissatisfaction/satisfaction, a series of regressions was performed. A

standard multiple regression was performed between appearance evaluation as the dependent

variable and the significant predictors of body satisfaction (i.e., alexithymia, fear of mistakes,

perceived parental pressures, PSP, self-esteem, and ethnic identity) as the independent

variables. Analysis was performed using PASW REGRESSION for evaluation of

assumptions.

Results of evaluation of assumptions did not require transformation or exclusion of

variables to reduce skewness or outliers, N = 151. Normality, linearity, and

homeoscedasticity of residuals were met. No cases had missing data. The use of Mahalanobis

distance found one outlier but Cooke’s distance revealed that the case did not have undue

influence on the data. Review of the tolerance statistics indicated that all of the IVs were

tolerated in the model.

Table 8 displays the unstandardized regression coefficients (B), standard errors (SE

B), standardized regression coefficients (β), t values, and significance values. Regression

results indicate that the overall model significantly predicts appearance evaluation, R2=.271,

R2adj= .240, F(6,144)=8.90, p<.001. This model accounts for 27.1% of variance in appearance

evaluation. However, self-esteem is the only variable of six to significantly contribute to the

model, β=.40, t(144)=4.48, p<.001. The semi-partial correlation further reveals that self-

esteem uniquely accounts for 10.17% of variability in appearance evaluation.

These results support hypothesis 1 regarding the relationship between self-esteem and

body satisfaction. While alexithymia, fear of mistakes, perceived parental pressure, PSP, and

ethnic identity were found to be significantly correlated with appearance evaluation using
 102

Pearson correlations, these relationships were no longer significant in this regression model.

This shows that self-esteem appears to be much more closely linked with body satisfaction

than the other predictor variables. However, in this regression model, the contributions of

perceived parental pressure (β=-.16, t(144)=-1.92, p=.057) and ethnic identity (β=.14,

t(144)=1.88, p=.062) towards explaining the variance in appearance evaluation approached

significance.

A standard multiple regression was then performed between body areas satisfaction

as the dependent variable and the significant predictors of body satisfaction (i.e., alexithymia,

fear of mistakes, perceived parental pressures, PSP, self-esteem, and ethnic identity) as the

independent variables. Analysis was performed using PASW REGRESSION for evaluation

of assumptions.

Results of evaluation of assumptions did not require transformation or exclusion of

variables to reduce skewness or outliers, N = 151. Normality, linearity, and

homeoscedasticity of residuals were met. No cases had missing data. The use of Mahalanobis

distance did not show any outlier cases. Review of the tolerance statistics indicated that all of

the IVs were tolerated in the model.

Table 9 displays the unstandardized regression coefficients (B), standard errors (SE

B), standardized regression coefficients (β), t values, and significance values. Regression

results indicate that the overall model significantly predicts body areas satisfaction, R2=.257,

R2adj= .226, F(6,144)=8.30, p<.001. This model accounts for 25.7% of variance in body areas

satisfaction. Three of the variables significantly contribute to the model. Self-esteem

uniquely accounts for 7.24% of variability in body areas satisfaction, β=.34, t(144)=3.74,

p<.001. This supports the relationship in hypothesis 1 between self-esteem and body
 103

satisfaction. Further, ethnic identity accounts for 3.61% of variability in body areas

satisfaction, β=.20, t(144)=2.65, p<.01, which supports the relationship in hypothesis 6

between ethnic identity and body satisfaction. Perceived parental pressure accounts for only

2.10% of variability in body areas satisfaction, β=-.17, t(144)=-2.02, p<.05, adding some

support to the inverse relationship in hypothesis 2 between perfectionism and body

satisfaction. While alexithymia, fear of mistakes, and PSP were found to be significantly

correlated with body areas satisfaction using Pearson correlations, these relationships were

no longer significant in this regression model. This, again, adds support to self-esteem as the

most significant predictor of body satisfaction.

A third standard multiple regression was performed between body dissatisfaction as

the dependent variable and the independent variables (i.e., alexithymia, fear of mistakes,

perceived parental pressures, PSP, self-esteem, and ethnic identity). Analysis was performed

using PASW REGRESSION for evaluation of assumptions. Results of evaluation of

assumptions did not require transformation or exclusion of variables to reduce skewness or

outliers, N = 151. Normality, linearity, and homeoscedasticity of residuals were met. No

cases had missing data. The use of Mahalanobis distance found one outlier but Cooke’s

distance revealed that the case did not have undue influence on the data. Review of the

tolerance statistics indicated that all of the IVs were tolerated in the model.

Table 10 displays the unstandardized regression coefficients (B), standard errors (SE

B), standardized regression coefficients (β), t values, and significance values. Regression

results indicate that the overall model significantly predicts body dissatisfaction, R2=.089,

R2adj= .051, F(6,144)=2.34, p<.05. This model accounts for 8.9% of variance in body

dissatisfaction. Two variables significantly contribute to the model. Fear of mistakes

 104

uniquely accounts for 2.89% of the variability in body dissatisfaction, β=-.28, t(144)=-2.14,

p<.05, and perceived parental pressure accounts for 4.04% of the variability, β=-.24,

t(144)=2.52, p<.05. The positive association here between perceived parental pressure and

body dissatisfaction supports hypothesis 2. However, the inverse relationship between fear of

mistakes and body dissatisfaction is in the opposite direction as was predicted in hypothesis

2.
 105

Table 8

Regression Analysis Summary for Variables Predicting Appearance Evaluation

___________________________________________________________________________

Variable B SE B β t p
___________________________________________________________________________

Toronto Alexithymia Scale 0.01 0.05 .02 0.19 .847

Fear of Mistakes -0.07 0.08 -.10 -0.84 .400

Perceived Parental Pressure -0.14 0.07 -.16 -1.92 .057

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation 0.01 0.02 .07 0.63 .528

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale 0.46 0.10 .40 4.48 .000

Multigroup Ethnic Identity 1.43 0.76 .14 1.88 .062

___________________________________________________________________________

Note. R2 = .27 (N = 151, p < .001)

Table 9

Regression Analysis Summary for Variables Predicting Body Areas Satisfaction

___________________________________________________________________________

Variable B SE B β t p
___________________________________________________________________________

Toronto Alexithymia Scale -0.02 0.04 -.03 -0.33 .736

Fear of Mistakes -0.03 0.07 -.04 -0.35 .725

Perceived Parental Pressure -0.14 0.07 -.17 -2.02 .045

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation 0.00 0.02 .00 0.60 .952

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale 0.36 0.10 .34 3.74 .000

Multigroup Ethnic Identity 1.87 0.71 .20 2.65 .009

___________________________________________________________________________

Note. R2 = .26 (N = 151, p < .001)

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Table 10

Regression Analysis Summary for Variables Predicting Body Dissatisfaction

___________________________________________________________________________

Variable B SE B β t p
___________________________________________________________________________

Toronto Alexithymia Scale 0.09 0.10 .08 0.89 .377

Fear of Mistakes -0.36 0.17 -.28 -2.14 .034

Perceived Parental Pressure 0.41 0.16 -.24 2.52 .013

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation 0.04 0.05 .10 0.84 .403

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale -0.34 0.23 -.15 -1.53 .129

Multigroup Ethnic Identity -2.44 1.66 -.12 -1.47 .143

___________________________________________________________________________

Note. R2 = .09 (N = 151, p < .05)

 107

Test of Mediation. The ninth hypothesis stated that body dissatisfaction/satisfaction

would mediate the relationship between the predictors of body dissatisfaction/satisfaction and

distortion. Given that ethnic identity was the only body dissatisfaction/satisfaction predictor

to be related to body distortion, mediation was only examined with this variable. Further, this

mediation included appearance evaluation and body areas satisfaction but excluded body

dissatisfaction as this was not found to be related with ethnic identity. Therefore, mediational

model hypothesized that AE and BAS would mediate the effects of the relationship between

scores on the MEIM and BDI. The mediational effects of AE and BAS were tested by

conducting the steps in the mediational model described by Baron and Kenny (1986). The

significance value for MEIM was compared for the linear regression analysis between MEIM

and BDI and for the multiple regression analysis which included both MEIM and the body

satisfaction variables as predictors of BDI.

As shown in Table 11, the significance value and standardized regression coefficient

are stronger for MEIM in the linear regression analysis than in the multiple regression

analyses with AE and BAS. After AE and BAS are included in the regression models, the

ability for scores on the MEIM to predict scores on the BDI diminishes. These results

indicate that appearance evaluation and body areas satisfaction mediate the relationship

between ethnic identity and body distortion.

In model 1, ethnic identity accounts for 2.8% of the variability in body distortion,

R2=.028, R2adj=.022, F(1,149)=4.30, p<.05. In model 2, the overall model accounts for 9.3%

of the variability in body distortion, R2=.093, R2adj=.081, F(2,148)=7.58, p<.01. Ethnic

identity no longer significantly accounts for variance in body distortion in this model, β=-.12,

t(148)=-1.44, p>.05, while appearance evaluation accounts for 6.5% of variance in body
 108

distortion, β=-.26, t(148)=-3.25, p<.01. In model 3, the overall model accounts for 8.2% of

the variability in body distortion, R2=.082, R2adj=.070, F(2,148)=6.65, p<.01. Again, addition

of body satisfaction into the model diminished ethnic identity’s influence on variance in body

distortion, β=-.11, t(148)=-1.33, p>.05. Body areas satisfaction accounts for 5.4% of the

variability in body distortion in this model, β=-.24, t(148)=-2.96, p<.01.

Additional Analyses

Exploratory analyses were conducted with demographic variables, including age,

parent SES, participant SES, parent education, participant education, ethnicity and religion.

Pearson correlations were conducted between the continuous exploratory variables and the

independent and body image variables. Age was found to be positively correlated with self-

esteem (Table 13). Regarding parent SES, positive correlations were found with appearance

evaluation and body areas satisfaction (Table 12), while negative correlations were found

with body dissatisfaction (Table 12), alexithymia, and perfectionistic self-presentation (Table

13). Parent education was found to be negatively correlated with alexithymia (Table 13) and

positively correlated with appearance evaluation and body dissatisfaction (Table 12).

Participant education also was negatively correlated with alexithymia as well as positively

correlated with self-esteem (Table 13). Given that no significant correlations were found for

participant education or participant SES with the body image variables, these variables were

not included in the subsequent ANOVA tests.

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Table 11

Regression Analysis Summary for Mediational Effect of Body Satisfaction Measures between
MEIM and Body Distortion
___________________________________________________________________________

Variable B SE B β t p
___________________________________________________________________________
1
MEIM -6.80 3.28 -.17 -2.08 .040
2
MEIM with AE -4.67 3.24 -.12 -1.44 .152
3
MEIM with BAS -4.39 3.30 -.11 -1.33 .185
___________________________________________________________________________
Note. MEIM = Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure; AE = Appearance Evaluation; BAS =
Body Areas Satisfaction.

Table 12

Correlations of Exploratory Variables with Measures of Body Image Disturbance

___________________________________________________________________________

Measure
_________________________________________________
Exploratory Variable AE BAS BD BDI
___________________________________________________________________________

Age -.11 -.16 .03 .15

Parent SES .28** .24** -.23** -.05

Participant SES .05 .07 -.05 .04

Parent Education .21* .11 .20* -.00

Participant Education .01 -.10 .04 .00

___________________________________________________________________________

Note. AE = Appearance Evaluation; BAS = Body Areas Satisfaction; BD = Body

Dissatisfaction; BDI = Body Distortion Index.
*p < .05. **p < .01.
 110

Table 13

Correlations of Independent Variables with Participant Characteristics

___________________________________________________________________________

Characteristic
_________________________________________________________
Independent Variable Age Parent SES Participant SES Parent Ed Participant Ed
___________________________________________________________________________

TAS -.16 -.27** -.02 -.28** -.30**

Fear of Mistakes -.15 -.15 -.06 -.04 -.11

Goal/Achievement -.07 -.00 .07 .09 -.02

Parental Pressure -.01 .01 -.03 .10 .09

PSPS -.13 -.17* -.04 -.10 -.12

RSES .17* .15 .15 .15 .20*

MEIM -.11 .10 .16 .04 -.07

___________________________________________________________________________

Note. TAS = Toronto Alexithymia Scale; PSPS = Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale;

RSES = Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; MEIM = Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure; Parent
Ed = Parent Education; Participant Ed = Participant Education.
*p < .05. **p < .01.
 111

ANOVA Exploratory Analyses. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to

investigate body image differences in age category. ANOVA results showed that

homogeneity of variances was not met for body dissatisfaction (p<.05) and this variable was

further explored with the Brown-Forsythe test, a robust F test. Significant main effects were

found for body areas satisfaction (F(3,147)=3.66, p<.05) and body dissatisfaction

(F(3,147)=2.60, p<.05). The Tukey HSD post hoc test was conducted to determine which age

categories were significantly different. Results revealed that body areas satisfaction for the

age categories of 18-25 (M = 28.77, SD = 5.38) and 26-35 (M = 26, SD = 5.65) differed from

each other but this was not true of the older age categories. These results suggest that

satisfaction with areas of the body is higher for women between 18-25 than 26-35. This trend

was also true for body dissatisfaction where more dissatisfaction was present for 26-35 year

olds (M = 18.44, SD = 13.78) than for 18-25 year olds (M = 12.78, SD = 9.97).

A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to investigate body image differences

in level of parent education. ANOVA results showed that homogeneity of variances was not

met for body dissatisfaction (p<.05) and this variable was further explored with the Brown-

Forsythe test, a robust F test. A significant main effect was found for body dissatisfaction

(F(3,147)=3.38, p<.05) and the Tukey HSD post hoc test revealed that women whose parents

received 1-3 years of college education had more body dissatisfaction (M = 20.82 , SD =

15.34) than women whose parents received graduate degrees (M = 12.09, SD = 9.51).

A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to investigate body image differences

in parent SES. ANOVA results showed that homogeneity of variances was not met for

appearance evaluation or body dissatisfaction (p<.05) and these variables were further

analyzed with the Brown-Forsythe test, a robust F test. Results showed main effects for body
 112

areas satisfaction (F(2,148)=6.15, p<.01), appearance evaluation (F(2,148)=7.37, p=.001),

and body dissatisfaction (F(2,148)=5.60, p<.01). The Tukey HSD post hoc test was

conducted to determine which levels of parent SES were significantly different. Results

revealed that body areas satisfaction significantly differed between lower parent SES (M =

24, SD = 6.09) and middle parent SES (M = 27.87, SD = 4.97) as well as between lower

parent SES and upper parent SES (M = 28.21, SD = 6.21). Similar trends were found for

appearance evaluation and body dissatisfaction as well. These results suggest that overall

body satisfaction and satisfaction with areas of the body is highest for participants in this

sample whose parents were of upper SES and lowest for participants with parents of lower

SES.

Independent Samples t-Tests Exploratory Analyses. Ethnicity was explored in

more depth as it related to the other independent variables. Independent samples t-tests were

conducted for this analysis to examine differences in the independent variables based on if

the participants were of the majority culture (White) or an ethnic minority culture. Results

showed that perceived parental pressure, self-esteem, and ethnic identity all varied based on

ethnicity. Specifically, White participants reported experiencing less parental pressure than

non-White participants (Ms = 22.23 vs. 26.58, t(149) = 3.51, p = .001). Unexpectedly, self-

esteem was significantly higher for White participants than ethnic minorities (Ms = 22.23 vs.

19.95, t(149) = -.2.35, p <.05) which is inconsistent with previous research (Eitel, 2003).

However, ethnic identity varied in the anticipated direction, with ethnic minorities scoring

higher on ethnic identity than Caucasians (Ms = 2.96 vs. 2.64, t(149) = 3.00, p <.01.).

Religious affiliation was also considered as an exploratory variable. Specifically,

trends were compared between Roman Catholics and participants belonging to other
 113

Christian denominations. Perceived parental pressure, self-esteem, appearance evaluation,

body areas satisfaction, and parent SES did not meet Levene’s test for equality of variances

and, therefore, equal variances were not assumed in exploring significant group differences.

Table 14 shows that alexithymia and PSP were significantly lower among Catholics than

non-Catholic Christians while self-esteem was significantly higher for Catholic women.
 114

Table 14

Group Differences for Roman Catholic Participants and Participants of Other Christian
Denominations______________________________________________________________
Other Christian
Roman Catholic Denominations
______________ ______________
Cohen’s
Measure M SD M SD t(87) p d
___________________________________________________________________________
AE 24.62 5.19 22.05 7.20 1.93 .057 0.41

BAS 28.62 4.91 26.41 6.30 1.85 .069 0.39

BD 14.43 10.84 15.77 12.21 -0.54 .588 0.12

BDI 86.51 23.03 86.38 25.21 0.03 .980 0.01

TAS 38.53 9.75 44.61 11.96 -2.63 .010 0.56

FM 31.38 9.86 34.25 8.77 -1.45 .151 0.31

G/A 48.62 6.43 48.41 7.00 0.15 .881 0.03

PP 22.24 5.88 24.02 7.80 -1.21 .229 0.26

PSPS 95.78 27.89 109.55 27.73 -2.34 .022 0.50

RSES 24.04 4.67 20.48 5.88 3.17 .002 0.67

MEIM 2.85 .53 2.68 .66 1.38 .172 0.28

Parent SES 2.02 .50 1.82 .58 1.77 .080 0.37

SES 2.11 .57 1.98 .55 1.12 .264 0.23

Parent Ed 5.60 1.39 5.66 1.18 -0.22 .829 0.05

Education 5.87 .94 6.00 .94 -0.67 .506 0.14

___________________________________________________________________________
Note. AE = Appearance Evaluation; BAS = Body Areas Satisfaction; BD = Body
Dissatisfaction; BDI = Body Distortion Index; TAS = Toronto Alexithymia Scale; FM = Fear
of Mistakes; G/A = Goal/Achievement; PP = Perceived Parental Pressure; PSPS =
Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale; RSES = Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; MEIM =
Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure; Parent Ed = Parent Education.
 115

Discussion

Overview

This study attempted to examine the relationships between alexithymia,

perfectionism, self-esteem, ethnicity and body image disturbance among females between the

ages of 18 and 65. There were noticeable gaps in the literature on the potential importance

that the role of alexithymia could play in the development of body image problems as well as

little research on contributors to body distortion, the more severe form of body

dissatisfaction. The rates of body dissatisfaction are startling, especially given the increase in

body image disturbance even among women in less developed nations (Rodin et al., 1985).

Body image issues are also related to more severe psychological difficulties (i.e., eating

pathology, personality disorders, and depression (Hamachek, 1978)) and it is crucial that

researchers contribute to furthering knowledge on contributors to and healing strategies for

body image disturbance to lessen psychological suffering in these individuals.

Overall, results of this study showed that greater body satisfaction was found to be

related to higher self-esteem and ethnic identity as well as lower levels of alexithymia,

perfectionism, and perfectionistic self-presentation. Additionally, body satisfaction

successfully mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and body distortion. Age,

parent education, and parent SES were also found to be related to body satisfaction while

body dissatisfaction was only found to be related to perceived parental pressure.

Alexithymia and Perfectionism

As predicted, women who had difficulty identifying and expressing their emotions

were also concerned with making mistakes and needing to appear perfect in front of others.

This was consistent with the work of Hayaki et al. (2002) which indicated that perfectionistic
 116

self-presentation, including the desire to hide imperfections, led to disruptions in overall

emotional expression. As suggested by De Barardis et al. (2009), the need to appear perfect

would motivate a perfectionistic self-presenter to cover up feelings, such as frustration and

disappointment, if they believed others would view these emotions as negative. Of course,

directionality could not be assumed given the correlational nature of the relationship between

alexithymia and perfectionism in this study and, therefore, it could also be true that

alexithymia may be present first for individuals which leads to a proclivity towards

perfectionistic tendencies (Ruggiero et al., 2011).

Alexithymia and Self-Esteem

Alexithymia was also found to be inversely related to self-esteem as was expected.

One would expect that individuals high in self-esteem would first need to “know” who they

are in order to take pride in who they are. By definition, those high in alexithymia have little

self-awareness and ability to reflect on themselves (Taylor et al., 1991). Further, this

relationship supported Anna Freud’s theory of “turning against the self” (1936) in which

inability to identify and express negative feelings towards others leads to a redirection of

those emotions back against the self. This results in a poor view of the self and higher levels

of emotional distress, such as depressive symptomology (de Groot et al., 1995; Parker et al.,

1996), which correlates highly with poor self-esteem. (e.g., Fabian & Thompson, 1989;

Mable, Balance, & Galgan, 1986; McCauley, Mintz, & Glenn, 1988; Shin & Shin, 2008).

Self-Esteem and Perfectionism

Regarding the relationships between self-esteem and perfectionism variables, self-

esteem was shown to have a negative relationship with perfectionistic self-presentation, fear

of mistakes, and perceived parental pressure. This coincides with work by Rice and Mirzadeh
 117

(2000) which linked negative perfectionism and poor self-esteem. However, individuals

higher in goal/achievement orientation had higher self-esteem. This pattern was consistent

with work by Hamachek (1978) and Blatt et al. (1995) who observed that neurotic forms of

perfectionism were associated with psychological problems while normal perfectionism

(such as the need to achieve and desire to attain realistic goals) were related to healthy self-

esteem. These results also supported Flett’s multidimensional model of perfectionism which

explained that high personal standards were directly related to self-esteem while concern

over mistakes and parental criticism/expectations were associated with anxiety (Flett et al.,

1991; Flett & Hewitt, 2002). These findings on both the adaptive and maladaptive (in the

more extreme) forms of perfectionism suggest that psychologists may benefit from more

consistent use of both types of perfectionism (such as “normal” and “maladaptive”) rather

than lumping all perfectionistic tendencies into one category of perfectionism. This could

help stress that some degree of perfectionism, such as goal direction and high achievement,

are adaptive when they do not cause distress.

Alexithymia and Body Satisfaction

Additionally, alexithymia was found to be inversely related to body satisfaction. This

finding was consistent with past studies which linked difficulties with emotional expression

to negative feelings about the body (Carano et al., 2006; De Barardis et al., 2009; Franzoni et

al., 2013; Hayaki et al., 2002; Ridout et al., 2010). This result connected with Freudian

theory which described body dissatisfaction as an unconscious, nonverbal communication of

anger or shame which the person could not express verbally (Freud, 1936). According to this

theory, when emotions are experienced by the ego as too overwhelming, feelings of reproach

towards others become experienced within the self. Therefore, dissatisfaction with one’s
 118

body could be representative of one’s negative feelings towards others. Similarly, critical

views of the body can serve as punishment for what are perceived to be unacceptable sexual

or aggressive feelings that have been repressed (Freud, 1936).

Perfectionism and Body Satisfaction

Another important finding was the relationship between perfectionism and body

satisfaction. Specifically, fear of mistakes and perceived parental pressure were found to be

inversely related to body satisfaction as predicted based on past findings (Casale, 2011;

Ruggiero, 2003). This adds support to the theory that perfectionism may extend to the arena

of body image, where those who experience pressure to be perfect may also strive to have a

perfect body (Cafri et al., 2005; McKee, 2006). This finding also lends support to

psychodynamic theory regarding development where pressure from and criticism by parents

and others can lead to an internalization of critical views of the self which extends to one’s

view of the body (Flett et al., 2002). This study found that perceived parental pressure was

also associated with body dissatisfaction. Interestingly, parental pressure was the only

variable found to be related to body dissatisfaction. This was not expected and one possible

explanation for the lack of relationships with body dissatisfaction could be that the

discrepancy between actual and ideal BMI may not be as valid or reliable a measure as the

scales of the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire which were used to

measure body satisfaction. For instance, the participants’ self-report of actual height and

weight may not have been accurate. Further, on the Photographic Figure Rating Scale (which

was used to measure ideal BMI), some of the images appear to represent body figures of

slightly different heights and, if participants based their ideal BMI more on height than

weight or shape, this may have contributed to unhelpful variations in actual versus ideal BMI
 119

discrepancies.

An interesting finding was that goal/achievement orientation was not significantly

related to body satisfaction but there was a trend in the opposite direction with body image

than was for the other perfectionism variables. This would support the earlier

recommendation for the utilization of a “normal” or “healthy” form of perfectionism that

could help motivate one to fulfill their aims and which could actually build self-confidence.

However, this result was somewhat unexpected as this more positive perfectionism factor

had been less studied than the overall measures of perfectionism and there have been mixed

results on how positive perfectionism is related to other aspects of the self (Flett et al., 1991;

Frost et al., 1990a). For instance, high personal standards was found to be related to less body

dissatisfaction when there were less concern over mistakes and doubt about actions (Flett et

al., 1991). However, another study found high personal standards to be associated with more

body dissatisfaction when in combination with fear of mistakes (Frost et al., 1990a).

PSP and Body Satisfaction

Perfectionistic self-presentation was found to be related to less body satisfaction. This

was consistent with past studies (Penkal & Kurdek, 2007; Rudiger, Cash, Roehrig, &

Thompson, 2007; Sherry, Vriend, Hewitt, Flett, & Wardrop, 2009) which suggested that the

need to appear perfect to others can lead to a preoccupation with perceived bodily

imperfections. Also as expected, self-esteem was found to be related to body satisfaction.

This was the strongest relationship found between a predictor variable and body image

variable which was not surprising given the large literature on the relationship between self-

esteem and body image ((Button, Loan, Davies, & Sonuga-Barke, 1997; Brytek, 2010;

Johnson & Wardle, 2005; Tiggemann, 2005).

 120

Ethnicity and Body Image

Unexpectedly, no relationship was found between ethnicity and body

dissatisfaction/satisfaction. Many previous studies observed differences in body

dissatisfaction between Caucasian American women and ethnic minority women (e.g.,

Abood & Chandler, 1997; Casper & Offer, 1990; Chandler, Abood, Dae, & Cleveland, 1994;

Douglas, 1992; Mobley, Slaney, & Rice, 2005; Perez & Joiner, 2003). The largest minority

group in the current study was for African Americans and the majority of findings suggested

that African American women had greater body satisfaction than Caucasian women (Ackard,

Croll, & Kearney-Cook, 2002; Duncan, Anton, Newton, & Perri, 2003; Rucker & Cash,

1992; Story, French, & Resnick, 1995; Williamson, Kahn, & Byers, 1991).

However, the results of the current study are more in line with the growing research

that has pointed to less differences in body dissatisfaction between African American and

Caucasian women (Caldwell, Brownell, & Wilfley, 1997; Cachelin, Rebeck, Chung, &

Pelayo, 2002; Cash, Melynk, & Hrabosky, 2004; James, 2001; Shaw, Ramirez, Trost,

Randall, & Stice, 2004). These findings appear to support Robert’s (1993) meta-analysis

which indicated that the ethnic differences for body dissatisfaction for these two groups were

shrinking possibly due to minorities’ exposure to the thin ideal in media and worsening of

body image among African Americans or even improvement in Caucasians’ body esteem due

to more accessibility to minorities in media. In contrast to ethnicity, ethnic identity was found

to be related to body satisfaction. This was consistent with past research on the positive

effects of identification with African American culture on body image (Osvold & Sodowsky,

1993; Parker et al., 1995; Petersons et al., 2000).

 121

Body Image Models

Appearance Evaluation. The combination of independent variables (alexithymia,

fear of mistakes, perceived parental pressure, perfectionistic self-presentation, self-esteem,

and ethnic identity) best predicted appearance evaluation, followed by body areas

satisfaction, and body dissatisfaction. The multiple regression analyses showed that the

model accounted for 27.1 percent of the variance in appearance evaluation. Interestingly,

only self-esteem significantly contributed to the model, while alexithymia, fear of mistakes,

perceived parental pressure, perfectionistic self-presentation, and ethnic identity did not. Still,

perceived parental pressure and ethnic identity approached significance. Self-esteem

explained 10.17 percent of the variability in appearance evaluation suggesting that judgment

of one’s overall appearance is determined, in part, by how one feels about their general worth

as a person.

This is consistent with studies connecting higher self-esteem with less social physique

anxiety (Henry et al., 2006; Koyuncu et al., 2010; Martin et al., 1997). Further, it supports the

concept of body esteem as described by Striegel-Moore (1990) where regard for one’s body

is an extension of global self-esteem. The present study’s findings on self-esteem and overall

body satisfaction, in conjunction with past research, point to the importance of self-

affirmation (Steele, 1988), or increasing self-esteem, through avenues such as insight-

oriented psychotherapy in order to improve body satisfaction.

Body Areas Satisfaction. Regarding body areas satisfaction, self-esteem accounted

for the most variability, followed by ethnic identity and then perceived parental pressure. It is

interesting that self-esteem accounted for less of the variance with body areas satisfaction

than for appearance evaluation (7.24 versus 10.17 percent), indicating that self-esteem may
 122

influence feelings about one’s overall physical appearance more than feelings about specific

body parts. This relationship between self-esteem and satisfaction with specific body areas

supports the early study by Secord and Jourard (1953) on the positive relationship between

body cathexis (the worth one gives her body) and self-cathexis (self-worth).

It is also important that the current study found self-esteem to have more predictive

power than the perfectionism variables for both appearance evaluation and body areas

satisfaction. Similar to findings by Steele (1988), this suggests that, even though a

perfectionist may be overly concerned with physical appearance, one’s view of her body can

still be positive in the presence of a positive overall self-image. The dominance of self-

esteem in this study to predict body satisfaction points to the potential effectiveness of

psychological treatments for image disturbance that are geared more towards helping people

gain insight into unconscious sources of harsh views of themselves (such as ego therapy

(Freud, 1936)) without the need for as much focus on more cognitive behavioral

interventions which may attempt to actively discourage one’s negative preoccupation

towards the self and the body.

The Role of Body Distortion

An important finding for this study was that both measures of body satisfaction were

negatively associated with body distortion and body dissatisfaction was positively associated

with body distortion. This supports past studies linking body dissatisfaction and body

distortion (Etu & Gray, 2010; Ferguson, Munoz, Contreras, & Velasquez, 2011; Gardner &

Tockerman, 1993; Kasper, 2001). Only one of the significant predictors of body

dissatisfaction was associated with body distortion: ethnic identity. This study showed a

negative relationship between ethnic identity and body distortion. This is an important
 123

finding as, to this writer’s knowledge, there have been no prior studies examining these two

variables. Rogers Wood and Petrie discussed the importance of a focus on internal versus

external beauty as a source of self-acceptance and that, at least among African Americans,

activities that strengthened ethnic identity (such as family and peer gatherings, church

functions, and positive cultural programs) had positive effects on body image as well (Rogers

Wood & Petrie, 2010). It is hoped that this finding will encourage further research to

examine how positive cultural values may protect against negative misperceptions of

physical appearance. Additional analyses revealed that appearance evaluation and body areas

satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and body distortion

according to the mediational steps by Baron and Kenny (1986). Therefore, the relationship

between ethnic identity and body distortion disappeared when body satisfaction was taken

into account and stronger ethnic identity was related to less body distortion because of the

presence of body satisfaction. This suggests that stronger ethnic identity leads to greater body

satisfaction which then is related to body distortion.

Exploratory Findings

Age and Body Image. Consistent with the literature (Meier, Orth, Denissen, &

Kühnel, 2011), self-esteem was higher for women who were older. It has been documented

that younger women, especially in adolescence and early adulthood, experience more self-

consciousness as this is a crucial period for procuring a mate (Roberts et al., 2006). Further,

young women tend to have more emotional lability, stress-related to academic pressures, and

the burden of changing bodies due to pubertal development (Roberts et al., 2006). However,

ANOVA results showed that body areas satisfaction was higher for women between the ages

of 18 and 25 than between 26 and 35. This is inconsistent with past studies on the effects of
 124

aging on body image which either supported no differences in body dissatisfaction across age

groups (e.g., Lewis & Cachelin, 2001; Siegel, 2010; Tiggemann, 1992; Tiggemann & Lynch,

2001; Webster & Tiggemann, 2003) or higher body satisfaction in older age groups than

adolescents (Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002; Tiggemann, 2004). This unique finding may

suggest that the trends in body dissatisfaction with age may be different for overall body

dissatisfaction than for dissatisfaction with specific body parts. For example, while women’s

overall body satisfaction may improve over time (possibly due to increases in self-esteem as

described above), older women may still be plagued more so than younger women by

changes specific to certain body parts (i.e., looser skin, wrinkles, age spots, etc.).

SES and Body Image. Regarding socioeconomic status variables, higher parent SES,

parent education, and participant education were associated with more body satisfaction and

lower SES and education were associated with more body dissatisfaction, alexithymia, and

perfectionistic self-presentation. Specifically, satisfaction with areas of the body was highest

for participants in this sample whose parents were of upper SES and lowest for participants

with parents of lower SES. Higher participant education was also related to greater self-

esteem. These results were not expected given that past studies suggested greater levels of

emotional distress and body dissatisfaction among women with higher education and of

higher SES (van den Berg et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2005).

It is possible that the relationships with education level were skewed given that this

sample was highly educated. According to the United States Census Bureau education data

from 2012 including adults of ages 25 and over, only 3.07 percent and 8.05 percent of adults

were granted doctoral and master’s degrees, respectively. However, in the current study, 36

percent of participants and 35 percent of participants’ parents obtained a graduate degree.

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The level of graduate education in this sample was more than three times that of the national

average (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012) which potentially limits the study’s ability to generalize

to the general population. Past studies have suggested that women from families of high SES

(correlated highly with education level) experience more pressure on themselves which leads

to body image complaints (Akan & Grilo, 1995). However, given the higher than average

number of very educated women in this sample, combined with the relationship between

education level and body satisfaction, it is possible that greater education protected the

women in this study from body image issues by allowing them to place their worth on other

factors (such as intelligence) than physical attractiveness. Further, Striegel-Moore et al.

(2000) noted that most studies on body image are conducted with upper middle-class samples

and that SES differences in body dissatisfaction may disappear with the inclusion of lower

SES classifications such as was found in a study by Stevens and Tiggemann (1998).

Kumanyika (1987) also made the connection between poorer social class and obesity.

Therefore, another possibility is that the more highly educated women in this sample were

more aware of the positive effects of a healthy weight and diet, leading to less difficulty

maintaining a thin physique and, therefore, less concern over body weight. Women in higher

SES regions also tend to have access to more healthy food options, compared to the “food

deserts” in poorer areas, which allow them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight.

The sampling bias towards a highly educated sample could reflect the fact that this

researcher recruited acquaintances from her community, peer group, colleagues, church, and

university who shared similar SES and educational backgrounds. It is also possible that the

online recruiting method, in itself, attracted a sample that was more affluent. For instance,

according to a study by Payne and Barnfather (2012), Black individuals of lower SES groups
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were less likely to spend as much time on the internet in comparison to White, highly

educated individuals.

Ethnicity. Results on ethnicity showed significantly higher ethnic identity for ethnic

minorities compared to Caucasian women which coincided with past research (Abrams et al.,

1992). However, self-esteem was found to be higher for White women which was not in

agreement with a study by Eitel (2003). Interestingly, perceived parental pressure was higher

for non-White women which supports research by Castro and Rice (2003) but conflicts with

another study (Nilsson et al., 1999). The relationship between perfectionism and ethnicity has

not yet been fully explored and this study adds some support to the complex nature of this

area of study. These findings may support Heads’ theory that African American families

place extra pressure on their children to succeed given the obstacles this race has experienced

due to discrimination (2009).

Religion. Lastly, differences in alexithymia, perfectionistic self-presentation, and

self-esteem were found based on religious affiliation. Catholic women were less likely to

have difficulty with emotional expression and needing to appear perfect than non-Catholic

Christians. Further, Catholic women were found to have greater self-esteem than non-

Catholics. While it is difficult to attribute meaning to the difference in alexithymia, PSP, and

self-esteem based on these different branches of Christianity, it may still support general

findings on the importance of religious faith for reducing overall anxiety (Pardini, Planteb,

Shermanc, & Stump, 2000) and improving emotional well-being (Laurencelle et al., 2002).
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Clinical Implications

Psychodynamic Perspective. This study’s findings on the psychological contributors

to body dissatisfaction (i.e., alexithymia, perfectionism, and self-esteem) point to the

theoretical basis that body image problems can represent more complex, intrapsychic

disturbances which must be considered and addressed in psychotherapy. For example,

individuals who present for treatment with body image concerns can be gently guided by the

therapists to explore negative emotions which may be outside of conscious awareness

(alexithymia) to reduce the tendency for individuals to turn those feelings against themselves

(Freud, 1936). This study shows that, without help with understanding their feelings,

individuals could begin attacking themselves with negative emotion such as by criticizing

their bodies.

The results on perfectionism and self-esteem with body dissatisfaction further support

the proposition that there is significant psychological meaning to symptoms of body image

disturbance. Most notably from this study was the relationship between parental criticism and

body dissatisfaction. As suggested by previous theorists (e.g., Burns, 1980; Hollender, 1965;

Horney, 1950; Parker, 1997; Sorotzkin, 1998), deficits in healthy parental expectations or

parental support in early life can lead to perfectionistic patterns in adulthood to continue to

achieve with the hope of attaining parental love and acceptance and to combat feelings of

guilt and shame over perceived failures. It is important for clinicians to recognize in

therapeutic practice that the drive for perfectionism can extend to the need for perfection in

physical appearance in order to target interventions towards exploring an underlying

internalization of harsh parental views of the self.

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Sociocultural Perspective. The differences in body image variables found in this

study based on ethnicity and ethnic identity lend itself to explanations based on social

learning theory. The sociocultural view of body image disturbance holds that one’s view of

the physical body develops out of societal pressure towards achieving a certain ideal

physique (Perez-Lopez & Petretic, 2004). While past research suggested that African

American women were more protected against the internalization of a thin ideal and,

therefore, against body image problems (such as due to a larger ideal body type (Halpern et

al., 1999), less concern with overeating (Casper & Offer, 1990), less social pressure to be

thin (Striegel-Moore et al., 1995), and evolutionary adaptiveness of larger waist-hip ratios in

child-bearing (Singh & Young, 1995)), the current study did not find African Americans or

other ethnic minorities to have a more positive body image than Caucasians.

It is possible, as the meta-analysis by Roberts (1993) revealed, that the ethnic

differences for body dissatisfaction for these Caucasians and ethnic minorities are shrinking

possibly due to a combination of minorities’ exposure to the thin ideal in the media and

worsening of body image among African Americans or even improvement in Caucasians’

body esteem due to more accessibility to minorities of healthy weight in media. However,

Singh (1993) has described that the thin ideal body type has only been getting thinner in

Western culture and it seems more likely that African Americans and other minorities may be

adopting the majority culture ideal for a thin body type, leading to poorer body satisfaction

(Anschutz, 2009). Wildes et al. (2001) described that African Americans experience

increases in body image disturbance in the adolescent and young adult periods due to

opportunities for socialization with more Caucasians in high school and at university. With

the mean age in the current study being in the young adulthood range and with the sample
 129

including many college students, it adds support that the body image of ethnic minorities

may have been negatively influenced by the majority culture’s view of thinness. Cafri et al.

(2005) and McKee (2006) also reported the increases in body dissatisfaction in ethnic

minorities of this age group due to pressure from peers to lose weight. Additionally, Roberts

et al. (2012) noted that African American women are more likely to internalize a thinner

ideal, strive for lower body weights, and have higher rates of body dissatisfaction while

dating Caucasian men which may have also contributed to the more similar body

dissatisfaction levels in African American and Caucasian women in the current sample who

are attending a multiracial university.

The lack of variation in body satisfaction based on ethnicity may also reflect a greater

influence of socioeconomic status than race on body image (Caldwell et al., 1997; Gardner,

Friedman, & Jackson, 1999; Sobal & Stunkard, 1989). The lack of significant differences in

SES or education level between White and non-White participants in this study may,

therefore, have led to similar rates of body dissatisfaction. The influence of SES on body

image is important for psychologists to consider from a hierarchy of needs perspective to

facilitate clients’ abilities to fulfill basic needs first as a path to gaining psychological health

as well. This points to the possible role of incorporating social workers in work with

psychologists to help address basic socioeconomic needs clients may have (such as healthy

nutrition) as a way to prevent development of body issues.

It was particularly interesting that the current study found higher rates of perceived

parental pressure and lower rates of self-esteem among minority women. These findings may

reflect effects of racial discrimination which has been described to influence parents of

African American children to put pressure on them to have higher expectations for
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themselves to compensate for White privilege (Chao, Mallinckrodt, & Wei, 2012). Hines and

Boyd-Franklin (1996) argued that this is particularly true of middle-class (of which the

current sample was predominantly comprised of) African American families whose parents

experienced financial difficulties and had to work very hard to attain financial security. With

this material in mind, clinicians may benefit in their work with minority women to consider

that these women who strive for perfection may also have the fantasy that this perfection is

needed for social notoriety and self-value (Thompson et al., 1999).

In addition, this study’s results on ethnic identity point to the importance that

clinicians should place on cultural identity formation for their clients as this was shown to

protect against body dissatisfaction. This expanded on previous studies which described

identification with African American culture as negatively correlated with drive for thinness,

thin ideal internalization (Rogers Wood & Petrie, 2010), and body image disturbance

(Osvold & Sodowsky, 1993; Parker et al., 1995; Petersons et al., 2000). Specifically, clinical

interventions which encourage interactions with individuals who support positive ethnic

identity messages (such as with families, churches, peer groups, and cultural media

programs) could be very beneficial in combating poor body esteem (Rogers Wood & Petrie,

2010).

Suggested Changes to Model

Given the results of the current study, three changes are recommended to strengthen

the model. First, it could benefit from the use of a hierarchical regression given the

knowledge of self-esteem as the most consistently strong predictor of body satisfaction

followed by perfectionism, perfectionistic self-presentation, ethnic identity, and alexithymia.

Second, ethnicity could be removed from the model as a predictor of body

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satisfaction/dissatisfaction as the results of this study were in line with past research which

indicated that, with acculturation, body image in African Americans in particular has become

more similar to that of Caucasians (Roberts, 1993). Third, changes to the perfectionism

construct are recommended. Given the evidence for two separate types of perfectionism

(normal and maladaptive) (Frost et al., 1993), it would be helpful for the model to include a

maladaptive perfectionism measure (such as the Fear of Mistakes and Perceived Parental

Pressure subscales of the FMPS or the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale) and a measure

of normal perfectionism (such as the Goal/Achievement Orientation subscale of the FMPS

utilized in the current study).

Limitations

The use of multiple ANOVAs could have, potentially, led to an increased Type I error

rate in which significant differences were found when they did not truly exist. This study also

utilized a convenience sample by recruiting through a university and through the use of

online surveys and, therefore, the demographics for the participants may differ from those of

the general population, limiting the ability for the study’s findings to generalize to the

general public. For instance, the average age of the participants was approximately 30 years

old, there were an insufficient number of 46-55 year olds in the distribution, and women over

the age of 65 were not included in the study. Further, 60 percent of participants were

Christian and the data was not examined based on differences across non-Christian religions

or faith systems to which a large number of the participants identified with (40 percent).

However, given the wide variety of responses for “other religion,” these participants could

not be grouped together.

A significant limitation regarding external reliability also appears to be that the

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participants’ education levels did not reflect those of the general population (they were much

more educated than the general public) which may have contributed to the study’s

unexpected trend in higher body satisfaction among those with higher education. As stated

before, this rather idiosyncratic sample could have reflected the use of an online survey

which may have made the research study less available to individuals from lower SES with

less internet access. This more affluent and educated sample could have also influenced

perfectionism scores (especially regarding goal/achievement) due to the likelihood that these

women (who pursued graduate degrees) were highly driven and high achieving.

Additionally, nearly 75 percent of participants were White and the smaller group for

ethnic minorities may have limited the study’s statistical power to identify more significant

group differences based on ethnicity. The study was also limited by the inclusion of all ethnic

minorities into one category. While this was done to increase power for this ethnicity group,

it may have ignored variances in body image among ethnicity minorities and possibly

contributed to less differences between Caucasians and African Americans than would have

possibly been found with a more robust groups of African American participants. Further, it

was unclear if the three participants who identified as European American were raised in

Europe versus the United States making it difficult to ascertain their level of acculturation to

American society and potentially limiting differences in body image between the Caucasian

and European American groupings.

This study also did not include males given the literature to suggest that there are

differences in body image for men and women (Furnham & Greaves, 1994; Moreno &

Thelen, 1993; Nagel & Jones, 1992; Peters & Phelps, 2001). For instance, women tend to

have a more unidirectional dissatisfaction with their bodies in wanting to weigh less (Peters
 133

& Phelps, 2001) while body dissatisfaction in men can be bidirectional as they desire to be

both more muscular and thinner (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998). Therefore, the study’s

findings may not be reflective of patterns in body dissatisfaction that exist for men.

The participants also appeared to be a more emotionally “healthy” sample in some

ways which may have lent itself to finding more positive associations with body satisfaction

than may truly exist in the general population. For example, the average for satisfaction with

one’s body parts was higher in this study than in the original sample using the body areas

satisfaction subscale of the MBSRQ (27.19 versus 25.84) (Brown et al., 1990). Furthermore,

the average score on alexithymia for the current sample was much lower (41.40) than in

another widely cited study (Bagby et al., 1990). Also, more than half of the women in the

present study underestimated their body size and there were less overweight participants in

this sample than comparative samples which suggested that these women could have been

less likely to be concerned about their weight. Examination of the scores on the Eating

Attitudes Test for participants who were not screened out also revealed that most of the

participants had lower scores on this screener which could be another indication of less body

concerns in this sample. However, it was very interesting to see that 17 percent of the sample

scored in the clinical range on the EAT and needed to be excluded from the study. The

percentage of participants that reached the eating disorders threshold on the EAT was much

higher than in the general population (0.5-3.7% for anorexia, 1.1-4.2% for bulimia, and 2-5%

for binge-eating disorder) (The National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). This surprising

finding adds support to the important need for more research on and the development of

treatment interventions for women with body image problems.

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Recommendations for Future Research

It would be beneficial for the study to be replicated with a more evenly distributed

sample to include more individuals of lower SES, ethnic minorities, older age groups, and

various religious affiliations. This would help strengthen the ability of this study’s findings to

extend to more individuals than middle class, Caucasian, Christian, young adults. It would be

particularly interesting if this study were replicated with male participants to observe possible

differences in body satisfaction/dissatisfaction and body distortion given the more

bidirectional pattern (desire for both more musculature and thinner waist) of male body

image disturbance (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998). For instance, given males’ tendency to

overestimated their body size by 13% (Slade, 1994) and tendency to be preoccupied with

different areas of the body than women (i.e., biceps and chest) (Moreno & Thelen, 1993;

Nagel & Jones, 1992), this may lead to different relationships for male body satisfaction with

factors such as perfectionism and ethnicity. Perhaps the desire to be larger in some areas and

smaller in others predisposes males to or is a reflection of more perfectionistic tendencies or

perhaps the striving towards more musculature could make one appear thinner than is reality,

leading to less pressure for weight loss. Differences in body image for males based on

ethnicity have also been found such as in a study by Ricciardelli et al. (2007) which found

non-White males to strive for more dramatic body transformation than White males.

Although, a similarity for both men and women appears to be that body dissatisfaction can

pertain to negative feelings about one’s whole body shape or to particular body parts (Slade,

1994).

Another specific area of future study could be to examine the nature of differences in

alexithymia in males in comparison to females as they relate to body image and the other
 135

related variables (such as perfectionism and self-esteem). Levant (1995) described a

“normative male alexithymia” in which he stated traditional gender roles inhibit males from

emotional expression, particularly feelings which elicit a sense of vulnerability or

attachment. Although, he described that, historically, males do not struggle as much as

women with the expression of aggression or lustful feelings (Levant, 1995). It appears that it

is yet to be explored in the research if alexithymia in males could also be related to negative

self-worth, perfectionism, and body dissatisfaction according to the “turning against the self”

theory as was found in the current study.

It is further recommended that researchers continue to research alexithymia in larger

studies to examine the effects of emotional inhibition across many individuals with varying

demographic backgrounds and psychological problems. While, often times, clinical

psychotherapy case studies are utilized to discuss an individual’s difficulty with identifying

or expressing emotion, capacity for abstract thinking, and difficulty distinguishing between

emotions and physical sensations, it is believed that this area of research could greatly benefit

from including subclinical populations as well to explore this topic more fully. Given the

anticipated increased role of psychologists in primary health care settings (Chamberlin,

2010), one area of alexithymia which could be especially relevant to investigate more could

be how difficulties with emotional identification and expression can be misinterpreted by

patients and physicians as a medical illness (Ginsburg & Link, 1989). Similar to the current

study’s finding on the relationship between alexithymia and body dissatisfaction, these

patients in the primary care setting could be communicating their fear that something is

“wrong” with them which may represent the deeply psychological impact they are

experiencing from their discomfort about their thoughts and feelings.

 136

Additionally, it may be interesting to explore additional sociocultural variables (such

as family size and relationship status) as they relate to body image. Individuals who grow up

with more siblings may experience more competitiveness within their families possibly

leading to a drive for perfectionism or negative comparisons of their bodies with female

siblings close in age. Further, larger families may put more pressure on parents (particularly

single mother households) which could lead to more emotional difficulties (such as

alexithymia) for parents and children (Usmiani & Daniluk, 1997). Relationship status could

also be considered as it relates to body image. Past research has shown a positive relationship

between self-esteem and being in a satisfying, committed relationship (Wade, 2000) and this

may extend to body esteem as well.

Finally, the mediational relationship in this study of body satisfaction with ethnic

identity and body distortion presents an exciting new area of research which should be

investigated further. For instance, the relationship between ethnic identity and body

satisfaction/body distortion could be examined in males. The positive effect of ethnic identity

on poor body image is important. With the negative influence of the thin ideal portrayed in

social media (Boone, 2011), the possibility for positive social influence on body satisfaction

through avenues such as ethnic identity should continue to be explored.

Conclusion

Body image concerns continue to impact a significant number of women. The high

percentage of women who needed to be screened out of this study due to eating disorders

scores in the clinical range points to the pervasiveness of the body dissatisfaction problem as

a normative discontent. The current study makes an important contribution to gaining a

further understanding of the relationships between body image disturbance, alexithymia,

 137

perfectionism, self-esteem, and ethnicity. Overall, the results indicated that self-esteem was

the most significant predictor of body satisfaction. Additionally, lower levels of alexithymia,

perfectionism, and perfectionistic self-presentation and higher levels of ethnic identity were

associated with greater body satisfaction. Body satisfaction also was found to mediate the

relationship between ethnic identity and body distortion. Further, body satisfaction was found

to vary based on age, parent education, and parent SES. These findings present important

information on psychosocial factors which promote or combat critical views of one’s self and

her body.
 138

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ABSTRACT

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ALEXITHYMIA, PERFECTIONISM, SELF-

ESTEEM, ETHNICITY AND BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE

By

WHITNEY ALEXIS KANTACK

May 2014

Advisor: Dr. Steven Abell

Major: Psychology (Clinical)

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Body image disturbance is a pervasive problem in this country that is associated with eating

disorder pathology, depression, anxiety, and other psychological problems. Very few studies

have attempted to examine body distortion (the more severe form of body dissatisfaction) as

it relates to alexithymia, perfectionism, perfectionistic self-presentation, self-esteem,

ethnicity, and ethnic identity. This study explored the relationships between body

satisfaction/dissatisfaction and body distortion with alexithymia, self-esteem, and

perfectionism and ethnicity variables through the use of the following measures: Toronto

Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS),

Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale (PSPS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES),

Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), Appearance Evaluation and Body Areas

Satisfaction subscales of the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire

(MBSRQ), Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS), and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT).

Participants included 151 females of all ethnicities between the ages of 18 and 65 (Mage =
 185

29.98 years). Results indicated that self-esteem was the most significant predictor of body

satisfaction. Additionally, greater body satisfaction was associated with lower levels of

alexithymia, perfectionism, and perfectionistic self-presentation and higher levels of ethnic

identity. Body satisfaction also was found to mediate the relationship between ethnic identity

and body distortion. Further, body satisfaction was found to vary based on age, parent

education, and parent SES. These findings present important information on psychosocial

factors which influence body dissatisfaction.

Keywords: body satisfaction, alexithymia, ethnic identity, perfectionism, body distortion

 186

Autobiographical Statement

Whitney Alexis Kantack

427 Kensington Avenue
Ferndale, MI 48220
(928) 916-2911
[email protected]

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY Detroit, MI

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology February 2014
Master of Arts, TLLP in Clinical Psychology May 2011

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY

Flagstaff, AZ Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Chemistry, Religious Studies May 2007

ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

MICHIGAN PSYCHOANALYTIC INSTITUTE Farmington Hills, MI

Adult Psychoanalytic Candidate September 2013-Present
Early Admissions Candidate December 2012-August 2013

RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

Blume, L.B., Blume, T.W., Hadied, L., Kantack, W.A., & Ads, M. (2013, January).
Dialectics of ethnicity: Ethnic identities of adolescents and mothers in Arab American
families. Poster presentation accepted in the Society for the Psychology of Women
(Division 35) program for the 2013 APA Convention, Honolulu, HI.

Kantack, W.A. (2010, April). A comparative study of variables associated with client
engagement in assessment and psychotherapy services. Poster presentation conducted
at the UDM Research Day, Detroit, MI.

Kantack, W.A. (2007, March). A comparison of in-class versus online teacher evaluations.
Poster presentation conducted at the 2nd Annual Arizona Psi Chi Convention,
Flagstaff, AZ.

Kantack, W.A. (2006, March). The effects of hemispheric mode preference on mood change:
A look at music sensitivity. Poster presentation conducted at the 1st Annual Arizona
Psi Chi Convention, Flagstaff, AZ.