Thin-Ideal Internalization: Mounting Evidence for a New Risk Factor for Body-Image Disturbance and Eating Pathology

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 181-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kevin Thompson ◽  
Eric Stice
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Eating Pathology ◽  
Body Image Disturbance ◽  
Thin Ideal ◽  
Thin Ideal Internalization

scholarly journals The Struggle Between the Real and Ideal

SAGE Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401769132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itisha Nagar ◽  
Rukhsana Virk
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Thin Ideal ◽  
Media Images ◽  
The Real ◽  
Thin Ideal Internalization ◽  
Ideal Woman ◽  
Body Image Disturbances

Media, in its diverse forms, has become a powerful tool for construction and portrayal of the “shoulds, oughts, and musts” of a woman’s body. As a result of “thinning” of beauty ideals in the media, the real woman finds the representations of ideal woman to be increasingly unattainable. This exploratory study examined the effect of acute media images for a sample of young adult Indian woman ( N = 60). A 2 (intervention group) × 2 (time) mixed-group design was used where half the participants were presented with thin-ideal media images, whereas the other half were presented with control images. The participants were examined on body image dissatisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, and self-esteem. Results of the study indicate a significant increase in thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction and a significant decrease in self-esteem scores as a result of exposure to the thin-ideal media images. The findings of the study indicate that, similar to their counterparts in Europe and North America, young urban Indian women experience body image disturbances when exposed to thin-ideal images. The findings have been examined in light of the spread of global media and homogenization of beauty standards among non-Western countries.

Evidence-Based Practice for the Prevention and Treatment of Body Image Disturbance and Eating Pathology in Sexual Minority Men

2019 ◽  
pp. 291-312
Author(s):  
Aaron J. Blashill ◽  
Tiffany A. Brown ◽  
Patrycja Klimek
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Eating Pathology ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Body Image Disturbance ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Sexual Minority Men ◽  
Minority Men

Eating disorders are serious mental health disorders that are associated with significant medical and psychiatric comorbidities, and they have one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder. Although considerable research has demonstrated that sexual minority males represent a high-risk group for eating disorders and body image disturbance, less research has been conducted on evidence-based practice for this population. This chapter describes the prevalence of body image disturbance and eating pathology/disorders among sexual minority men. Next, it reviews leading theoretical models that explain these concerns among sexual minority men, including objectification theory, tripartite theory, and sexual minority stress theory. It then discusses clinical interventions and prevention programs tailored to sexual minority men and briefly reviews leading treatment packages for eating pathology in the general population. A case example of enhanced cognitive–behavioral therapy with a hypothetical sexual minority male patient is presented. The chapter concludes with future directions.

scholarly journals Examining the role of thin-ideal internalization in the relationship between reactions to high- and low-calorie food and eating pathology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Wilson ◽  
Stephen D Benning ◽  
Sarah Elizabeth Racine
Keyword(s):  
Blink Reflex ◽  
Eating Pathology ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Thin Ideal ◽  
Low Calorie ◽  
Thin Ideal Internalization ◽  
Startle Blink ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
High Calorie

Motivational responses to both body and food stimuli are relevant for eating disorders (EDs). Thin-ideal internalization, a socio-cognitive factor implicated in EDs, has been associated with approach responses toward thin bodies and avoidant responses to overweight bodies. Research examining reactions to food in EDs has been mixed, with some studies reporting enhanced approach and others observing avoidant responses to food. Thin-ideal internalization may help to explain these mixed findings, as individuals with eating pathology may experience food as a threat to internalized ideals of thinness, despite its inherently appetitive qualities. In the present study, physiological reflexes measuring aversive (startle blink reflex) and appetitive (postauricular reflex) responding as well as self-report ratings were recorded while 87 women with and without eating pathology viewed images of high- and low-calorie food. Greater global eating pathology, but not thin-ideal internalization, was associated with negative self-report valence ratings and lower craving ratings of high-calorie food. Thin-ideal internalization was related to more positive self-report ratings of low-calorie food, and low-calorie food ratings were related to eating pathology indirectly through thin-ideal internalization. Overall, thin-ideal internalization may represent a higher-order factor that influences conscious reactions to food.

Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder Symptomology as a Risk Factor for Thin-Ideal Internalization: The Role of Self-Concept Clarity

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 674-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven S. Posavac ◽  
Heidi D. Posavac
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Separation Anxiety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Separation Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Thin Ideal ◽  
Thin Ideal Internalization

The study of when and how individuals compare themselves against standards has been an enduring focus for clinical and social psychology researchers in efforts to facilitate well-being and health. Our study focused on internalization of the societal thin-ideal standard for feminine attractiveness, a construct that has proven to be very important in women’s psychological health. Although multiple adverse consequences of thin-ideal internalization have been documented, the understanding of variability in the extent of thin-ideal internalization across women (e.g., why do some women strongly internalize thin-ideal standards when others do not?) is much less well developed. This research was conducted to explore the role of adult separation anxiety disorder (ASAD) symptomology and conceptions of the self in young women’s propensity to internalize the thin-ideal attractiveness standard. Results show that elevated ASAD symptoms are associated with greater thin-ideal internalization. A structural equations model demonstrates the reason for this association; young women with higher ASAD symptomology exhibit lower self-concept clarity, which drives greater thin-ideal internalization. This research makes novel practical and conceptual contributions by (a) delineating a new risk factor for the development of thin-ideal internalization, (b) highlighting a previously undocumented vulnerability of women who experience ASAD symptoms, and (c) documenting the relationship between ASAD and lower self-concept clarity. Implications for mental health practitioners are discussed.

scholarly journals The role of individual and social variables in predicting body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms among Iranian adolescent girls: an expanding of the tripartite influence model

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shima Shahyad ◽  
Shahla Pakdaman ◽  
Omid Shokri ◽  
Seyed Hassan Saadat
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Thin Ideal ◽  
Eating Disorder Symptoms ◽  
Cultural Variables ◽  
Thin Ideal Internalization

The aim of the present study was to examine the causal relationships between psychological and social factors, being independent variables and body image dissatisfaction plus symptoms of eating disorders as dependent variables through the mediation of social comparison and thin-ideal internalization. To conduct the study, 477 high-school students from Tehran were recruited by method of cluster sampling. Next, they filled out Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES), Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (PACS), Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), Appearance Perfectionism Scale (APS), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), Multidimensional Body Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) and Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-4). In the end, collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings showed that the assumed model perfectly fitted the data after modification and as a result, all the path-coefficients of latent variables (except for the path between self-esteem and thin-ideal internalization) were statistically significant (p<0.05). Also, in this model, 75% of scores' distribution of body dissatisfaction was explained through psychological variables, socio-cultural variables, social comparison and internalization of the thin ideal. The results of the present study provid experimental basis for the confirmation of proposed causal model. The combination of psychological, social and cultural variables could efficiently predict body image dissatisfaction of young girls in Iran. Key Words: Thin-ideal Internalization, Social comparison, Body image dissatisfaction, mediating effects model, eating disorder symptoms, psychological factors.

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