Body image, self-esteem, and depression-proneness: Closing the gender gap

Gender differences in body image and related correlates have received increasing attention in recent psychological research. The purposes of the present study were to further examine gender differences in body image and its relationship to depression-proneness and self-esteem. The Body Cathexis Scale, the Depression-Proneness Inventory, the Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy Scale, and a background questionnaire were administered to 176 female and male undergraduates at a small Midwestern college. Responses were analyzed by gender and by participants' perceived and actual weight. Findings were consistent with sociocultural messages, and showed a pervasive preoccupation with weight and appearance for both men and women. The importance of considering weight, environment, and other demographic data when studying body image is discussed.

[1]  S. Jourard,et al.  Body-cathexis and the ideal female figure. , 1955, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[2]  J. Weinberg.  A further investigation of body-cathexis and the self. , 1960, Journal of consulting psychology.

[3]  A. Ross,et al.  Relationship of body image to self-concept. , 1968, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[4]  S. Abramowitz.  Locus of Control and Self-Reported Depression among College Students , 1969, Psychological reports.

[5]  H. Bruch.  Thin fat people. , 1973, Journal of the American Medical Women's Association.

[6]  S. Karabenick,et al.  Relations among physical attractiveness, body attitudes, and self-concept in male and female college students. , 1973, The Journal of psychology.

[7]  John P. Robinson,et al.  Measures of social psychological attitudes , 1976 .

[8]  M. B. Cutlip,et al.  A nomograph method for assessing body weight. , 1976, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[9]  M. Weissman,et al.  Sex differences and the epidemiology of depression. , 1977, Archives of general psychiatry.

[10]  C. Hammen,et al.  Sex differences in the expression of depressive responses on the Beck Depression Inventory. , 1977, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[11]  M. Pepping,et al.  Revisiting sex differences in the expression of depression. , 1980, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[12]  D. Garner,et al.  Cultural Expectations of Thinness in Women , 1980, Psychological reports.

[13]  Toby Miller,et al.  Survey on body image, weight, and diet of college students. , 1980, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[14]  J. Brennan,et al.  Depression and Body Image Satisfaction , 1981 .

[15]  C. Hammen,et al.  Sex differences in depressive symptom expression and help-seeking among college students , 1981 .

[16]  K. Chernin.  The Obsession: Reflections on the Tyranny of Slenderness , 1981 .

[17]  T. F. Cash,et al.  Body image, physical attractiveness, and depression , 1985 .

[18]  R. Lewontin.  Larger than life , 1985, Nature.

[19]  Laurie B. Mintz,et al.  Sex differences in the nature, realism, and correlates of body image , 1986 .