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Body image disturbance has become an increasing problem among women (Cash & Henry, 1995). Thus researchers have begun to focus on methods of prevention and intervention. Programs utilizing psychoeducation and Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, for example, have been found to reduce body image dissatisfaction and related symptomatology. The information provided and potential impact are limited, however, because the interventions do not offer women an adaptive method of interpreting the many appearance-related messages they experience. This study sought to determine if exposure to feminist theory of body image may act as a buffer – a filter through which cultural messages about thinness and beauty are challenged. This feminist schema may provide an alternative interpretation of cultural messages, thereby increasing body image satisfaction. Participants were exposed to one of three interventions (feminist, psychoeducational, control). Exposure to the feminist condition resulted in increased physical appearance satisfaction and likelihood to self-identify as a feminist when compared with the control group. While findings were not extensive, they are nonetheless promising due to the brevity of the intervention.

Media effects on body dissatisfaction is a long-studied issue; however, aspects of the research – such as those regarding cultivation theory and its effects on body image – are unclear or incomplete. This study attempts to clarify the relationship between cultivation and body dissatisfaction. Besides cultivation, social comparison theory is also examined because upward comparisons with media images and peers can shape and reinforce body image attitudes as well. Additionally, the study examines the connection between media and body dissatisfaction by looking at a broader social context – one that includes other social/environmental influences, such as peer and parental attitudes, as well as internal influences such as self-esteem. A sample of 285 female undergraduate students completed media exposure, parental influence, peer influence, and self-esteem measures, as well as internalization of the thin-ideal and body dissatisfaction measures. Overall, the study found that while peer comparisons and self-esteem are associated with internalization of the thin ideal, they are not as powerful as the most significant indicators – media attitudes regarding weight and body shape and media comparisons. Contrastingly, peer comparisons and self-esteem were observed to be the strongest indicators of body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that cultivation is directly associated with the internalization of the thin ideal. However, the cultivation of media messages may not have a direct effect on body dissatisfaction, as social/environmental influences and the internal variable of self-esteem proved to be the most significant indicators.

The current study investigated the effects of brief exposure to appearance-related media on female preschoolers' body image. Results indicated that exposure did not affect body dissatisfaction or engagement in appearance-related play behaviors. Surprisingly, participants' self-reported frequency of weight concerns decreased at posttest. In contrast to older populations, it is possible that young children may adopt the persona of attractive characters with whom they identify rather than comparing themselves to the characters. This level of identification temporarily may alleviate weight concerns. This is the first empirical study to provide support for previous findings that suggest media exposure does not affect body image in young children. Also presented are data regarding familial influences and other media consumption (e.g., television viewing) on girls' body dissatisfaction.

Body image, broadly defined as an individual's general experience of his or her physical appearance, is a multidimensional phenomenon that has been found to affect functioning throughout the lifetime. Although some degree of dissatisfaction has been found to be a common aspect of the female experience, research suggests that a disturbance in body image can result in a number of clinical complications, particularly the development of an eating disorder (ED). Despite the relationship between body image and EDs, examinations of the cognitive underpinnings of the relationship between body image disturbance and EDs are relatively few and inconclusive. Research indicates that individuals with an ED diagnosis exhibit cognitive rigidity (deficits in set-shifting ability) and weak central coherence(as demonstrated by performance on measures of information processing style). However, research has not established whether individuals with body image disturbance who do not meet criteria for an ED exhibit comparable performance. The aim of the current study was to determine whether individuals with body image disturbance exhibit similar patterns of neuropsychological functioning. A sample of women with high levels of body image disturbance completed a battery of cognitive tests and outcomes were compared to a group of women with little disturbance and also compared with performance of individuals with diagnosed EDs as cited in previous studies. Overall, the results do not clearly indicate that women with body image disturbance have difficulties with set-shifting tasks and global information processing, however some preliminary patterns did emerge. These preliminary findings extend existing theoretical models of body image and have potential to inform clinical efforts aimed at improving treatment protocols for body image disturbance and EDs by targeting these aspects of neurocognition during treatment.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.

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