Understanding the motives for sunbathing and indoor tanning is an extremely important public health issue. UV exposure via sunbathing and utilization of sun lamps and tanning beds are considered important risk factors for the development of skin cancer. Psychosocial models of UV exposure are often based on theories of health behavior, but theory from the body image field can be useful in understanding motives to UV expose as well. The current study examines models that prospectively predict sunbathing and indoor tanning behaviors using constructs and interrelationships derived from the tripartite theory of body image (Thompson et al., 1999), as well as those from the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980), health belief model (Rosenstock, 1974), revised protection motivation theory (Rogers, 1983), and a proposed integration of several health behavior models (Fishbein, 2000). The results generally support a model in which intentions mediate the relationship between appearance attitudes and tanning behaviors, appearance reasons to tan and intentions mediate the relationship between sociocultural influences and tanning behaviors, and appearance reasons not to tan and intentions mediate the role of perceived threat on behaviors. The implications of these findings yield important information relevant to the understanding of motives to UV expose, which can useful to the development of novel prevention and early intervention programs geared toward the reduction of skin cancer risk.

This paper is an examination of colonialism, its effects on cultural identity, and its impact on the lives of women in South Africa, both black and white. The theoretical work relates to both personal issues of displacement and alienation, caused by the politics of Apartheid. The work addresses the personal, political, and social issues of cultural identity and sexuality based on the author’s own memories and experiences of the relationships between black and white women. The work attempts to deal with the issues of race, gender and class, and by using female imagery to explore issues that have enabled the exploitation and control of the sexuality as well as the economic production, of South African women. In this context the paper situates the practical work which refers to the visual impact of racist ideologies that have used the female body as a site of colonialism and subjugation, to show the effects of colonialism on the identities of African women. / Master of Arts (Hons)

Believing that ideas about evolution and genetics are playing an increasing role in popular conceptions of who we are and what it means to be human, I sought ways to express this through my art. In particular I tried to articulate these notions through figurative sculpture. As the role of figurative sculpture in expressing current ideas about being human has declined in the West, I saw this as a challenge. It was the intent of my Masters program to reposition the sculpted body back within contemporary western cultural contexts. For an understanding of those contexts I relied heavily on my own culturally embedded experience and observations. I took as background my readings of evolutionary inspired literature and linked it with my interpretations of the genetic mythologies so prevalent in recent movies. The result was an image of contemporary humans as multifaceted, yet subservient to their genes. These genes appear to be easily manipulated and the product of technological intervention as much as, if not more than, inherited characteristics. As part of developing a sculptural form able to manifest this, I investigated some non-western traditions. I used field trips and residencies to research Buddhist and Hindu sculptures of the body and developed an interest in the spatial and conceptual relationships between those bodies. Through making figurative work in the studio, I came to realise the figures' inadequacy in expressing temporal relationships. As temporal change is a fundamental element of evolution and genetics, I needed to explore this element. The result was a number of series; groups of works that create their own context of relationships. Not all these groups use sculptures of the body but they evoke the notion of bodies, naturally or technologically hybridised, mutating, transforming, evolving and related to each other generationaly through time.

Bibliography: leaves 156-165. Electronic publication; full text available in PDF format; abstract in HTML format. Several researchers have indicated that the emphasis placed by young people on body shape and appearance has been greatly shaped by the media. The aim of this research was to investigate this notion specifically with regard to televised media. It was hypothesised that there would be a relationship between media images, eating attitudes and dietary behaviours, particularly for teenagers with body-image self-schemas who were conscious of their appearance. Nine hundred and sixty five senior secondary school students, from 33 country and metropolitan, state and independent, co-educational and single-sex South Australian high schools were surveyed. Electronic reproduction.[Australia] :Australian Digital Theses Program,2001.

In recent years research has recognised that notions of body image, body image ideals and body dissatisfaction develop much earlier than was once thought. However, the growing body of evidence in this area of research is predominantly quantitative. This study was designed to engage children in the five to six year age group using qualitative methods and present their notions of body image through the looking glass of the children's own eyes. Children's voices have not often found their way into research. Concerns about their powers of communication, cognitive abilities and the ethical difficulties inherent when working with children have restricted their participation. Objective, empirical evidence suggests that if one engages children in research appropriately they are able to make a significant contribution. Forty-seven children (25=m; 22=f) aged between five and six years were interviewed on three occasions over 12 months regarding their perceptions of body image. Seven schools from the Independent school system were involved. Interviews were conducted on school sites in public, easily observable locations. The study focused on three aspects. That is, how these children perceived their own body, the bodies of other people and their notions of health in respect to body image. These interviews revealed that the girls in this age group had developed an understanding of body image that valued thinness. However, their preference for a thinner body did not negatively impact on their sense of identity or self-worth. Boys preferred larger bodies and correlated increased body size with competence and physical aptitude. The concept of 'large' was linked to height for some or to a mesomorphic body for other boys. By the final interview all the children revealed strong negative perceptions of fatness. These perceptions were more apparent at each successive interview. An obese or extremely thin body was not always correlated with being unhealthy. Depending on the perspective of the child, even the largest of images was nominated the 'healthiest body' by some children. Health was overwhelmingly linked to food intake with few children associating health with exercise. The playground and the home, where most notably mothers, were important in the development of body image conceptions. Children were acutely aware of the dietary practices of their parents and associated diets with losing weight. / PhD Doctorate

Research has shown that elite female athletes competing in competitive sports may experience weight consciousness and face demands to conform to unrealistic standards of body weight. The purpose of this research was to investigate body image and dieting behaviours in adolescent female athletes and non-athletes. A self-reporting questionnaire was administered to 60 athletes aged between 13-16 years derived from eight different sporting populations, and a control group consisting of 60 non-athletes or inactive individuals aged between 13-16 years. Two major areas relating to weight and eating behaviours were examined: disordered eating and distorted body image. Other variables under investigation included current attempts at weight loss, level of acceptance of thin female stereotypes promoted by the media, reasons for dieting, and perception of one’s own body image. Results indicated that the majority of the athletes displayed a positive body image and were generally happy with their overall body shape. This group was less likely to employ weight loss behaviours. However, the non-athletes were more likely to display distorted body image and distorted eating behaviours. Consistent with the cultural expectations of thinness, large proportions of the non-athletes wished to lose weight, even though their actual weight (i.e. Body Mass Index) was normal or underweight. Weight concerns in the non-athlete group related more to attaining a media driven “ideal” of femininity. The weight concerns recorded amongst a small number of athletes were related more to improving sporting performance. Although no clinically diagnosed cases of eating disorders were recorded, eating behaviours, weight reduction practices and body image beliefs indicated that the adolescent female non-athletes may be at risk of developing disordered eating and body image problems.

[Truncated abstract] Socio-cultural processes are often cited as one of the main causes of body dissatisfaction amongst women. Numerous studies have found that exposure to thin, idealized images in the media increases women's body dissatisfaction. The central aims of this thesis are to investigate how exposure to thin and fat bodies alters womens perceptions of body normality and body ideals, whether body dissatisfaction is related to these changes, and whether body dissatisfaction is associated with an attentional bias toward thin bodies. In Chapter 1 I review the main theories dominating body dissatisfaction research. In Chapter 2 I present two studies which investigate how exposure to thin and fat bodies influences perceptions of body normality and ideal body size. Women who varied on a measure of body dissatisfaction (Experiment 1 & 2) and awareness and acceptance of societal standards of beauty (Experiment 2) rated a range of computer generated bodies, varying in simulated BMI, for how normal (Experiment 1 & 2) and ideal they looked (Experiment 2). They were then exposed to either thin or fat bodies, and they re-rated the bodies. Increased levels of body dissatisfaction and internalisation of societal standards of beauty were related to a thinner most normal and ideal rated body, before any exposure, as well as a greater discrepancy between the most normal and ideal rated bodies. Both Experiments 1 & 2 revealed that brief exposure to thin or fat bodies altered women's perceptions of body normality and body ideal, where exposure to fat bodies made womens perceptions of a normal and ideal body fatter, and exposure to thin bodies, made perceptions of the most normal and ideal rated body thinner. ... In Chapter 5 I present normative data for the Body Shape Questionnaire-34 (a measure of dissatisfaction with body weight and shape) (Cooper et al, 1987) from an Australian university sample. Many researchers use university samples iv when investigating body dissatisfaction, so it is useful to have normative data for such a sample. One thousand and fifty two women aged between 16 and 30 completed the BSQ-34. A mean score of 94.4 (SD = 34.5) was found, with a range of 34-203. My scores are comparable with those found in an American undergraduate sample, and are significantly higher than those found in community, undergraduate and clinical samples in the UK and Italy. Results indicate that levels of body dissatisfaction may be higher in Australia than in the UK and Italy. Together, these studies provide some important new findings. 1) Body dissatisfaction and internalisation of societal standards of beauty are related to thinner body norms and ideals. 2) Women's perceptions of normal and ideal female body sizes can be readily altered by exposure to thin and fat bodies, and 3) women selectively attend to thin bodies, but the more dissatisfied she is with her own body, the less she attends to thin bodies. Potential implications of these results for the treatment of body dissatisfaction may include the incorporation of treatment programs which target not only unnaturally slim body ideals, but perceptions of what constitutes a normal body, as well as trying to alter selective attention toward thin bodies in the environment. The results may also highlight to the media that consistently showing ultra slim models will very likely affect women's perceptions of normal and ideal female body sizes.

This research examined the role that idealised image characteristics have in determining post-exposure body image and amount of self-reported social comparisons. This was tested by exposing female undergraduate students to media-portrayed idealised images that varied in their level of relevance, salience, or attainability. A negative impact of these images was indicated by greater post-exposure body dissatisfaction and body size estimation inaccuracy. In contrast, a positive impact was considered to have occurred when body dissatisfaction decreased and body size estimation was more accurate. If the images had a neutral impact on body image, one would expect little difference between groups or over time. A further aim was to determine whether a higher level of trait tendency to compare was related to more negative responding at post-exposure. In addition, thin ideal internalisation and restraint were examined as possible moderators. Studies 1, 2a, 2b, and 3 indicated that idealised image relevance and salience had little differential impact on post-exposure body image. That is, exposure to thin idealised images, irrespective of the salience and relevance manipulations, resulted in similar post-exposure body dissatisfaction and body size estimation. In contrast to this, the attainability of the image seemed to influence post-exposure responding, at least in terms of body size estimation (Study 4). Higher trait tendency to compare was associated with a greater amount of self-reported comparison with the images, but had little impact on body image. Surprisingly, these results were not moderated by thin ideal internalisation or restraint. The role of individual differences was explored with additional analyses in Study 5, which revealed that, when the power is sufficient, thin ideal internalisation, restraint, and self-reported comparisons with the images predicted post-exposure body dissatisfaction, but not body size estimation. Overall, this program of research suggests that idealised image features do not play a vital differential role in determining post-exposure body image, unless it is the body itself that is being manipulated. Results from this research support the idea that the mere presence of an idealised body is sufficient to activate negative responses, and there was little, if any, evidence for the occurrence of positive responses. These findings are discussed in terms of social comparison and schema theory, and in terms of their practical implications.

Overall, this thesis was designed to explore the nature of adolescent boys' body image, the effects of body image on body change strategies and psychological adjustment, and the factors that influence body image. The first study examined body image in 362 adolescent boys. Body image was considered in terms of attitudes to different body parts and attributes, including, lower, middle and upper body, as well as weight, shape and muscles. The relationships between Body Mass Index (BMI), body image, sociocultural messages, psychological adjustment and body change strategies, including strategies to decrease weight and increase muscles using food and exercise, drive for thinness, bulimic attitudes and behaviour, excessive exercise, food supplements to lose weight, increase muscles and steroids, were also investigated. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the role of body image, sociocultural messages and psychological adjustment to predict satisfaction with different body attributes and body change strategies. The findings from study one led to the development of a program aimed at preventing the development of unhealthy attitudes and behaviours among adolescent boys. Study two involved the implementation and evaluation of this prevention program. One hundred and twenty one boys participated in the program. The program was based on social-cognitive theory, and included a focus on accepting differences and the development of self-esteem. The boys who participated in the program indicated some change in existing attitudes and showed less development of risk behaviours relative to the control group. The implications of the findings from this thesis in relation to future research, as well as the prevention of adolescent boys' body image problems are discussed.

The affectional bond that develops between caregiver and child during infancy can lead to the development of emotional distress and the manifestation of psychological disturbance if the relationship is severed and a sense of loss is experienced. Furthermore, the caregiver-child relationship formed during infancy can have implications for the development of interpersonal relationships in later life. The secure or insecure attachment relationships developed influence the capacity to form affectional bonds in later life and may lead to the manifestation of psychological disturbance, such as depression. The focus of this thesis is on four case studies of three children and one adolescent who have suffered negative early life experiences. Harrison is an 8 year old Koori boy who has suffered from maternal deprivation. Diana is a 10 year old girl who has a Mild Intellectual Disability and Epilepsy. The influence of second generational trauma on the caregiver-infant attachment relationship will also be explored in the case study of Diana. The third case study focuses on Melanie who is a 9 year old girl who has suffered from paternal sexual abuse and exhibits indiscriminate attachment relationships. Finally, the fourth case study focuses on Tammie who is a 16 year girl who exhibits depressive symptomatology which may have developed as a result of early insecure attachment relationships. The case studies are described with reference to attachment theory, the language and social deficits associated with negative early life experiences, and implications for therapeutic interventions.