Date of Award

6-2017

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Catherine Walker

Language

English

Keywords

body, image, women, college, dissatisfaction

Abstract

Research has identified negative body image as a growing concern among college-aged women. In turn, significant research has been devoted to exploring various treatments for body- dissatisfaction. Prior research has found mirror exposure (ME) interventions to be effective in improving body-satisfaction. However, few studies to date have incorporated aspects of positive body image within an ME treatment. The current study incorporates concepts of body- functionality within a guided ME task with the intent of facilitating participants appreciation of the functional capabilities of the body as opposed to mere physical appearance. All participants completed a set of measures assessing levels of body-appreciation, state body-esteem, and body- surveillance both before and after an ME task guided by an audio recording. Participants who were made to think about the functionality of their bodies during the audio recording displayed increased body-appreciation and increased orientation toward the fitness of their bodies. However, no significant differences were found between groups in terms of self-objectification or state body-image. Thus, this research supports prior findings identifying functionality as a means to improving body-appreciation and provides support for interventions that incorporate these concepts.

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