Strahan et al., 2008: Critiquing thin body ideals decreased likelihood of basing self-worth on appearance and increased body satisfaction among female adolescents over a week
Reference:
Strahan, E. J., Lafrance, A., Wilson, A. E., Ethier, N., Spencer, S. J., & Zanna, M. P. (2008). Victoria's dirty secret: How sociocultural norms influence adolescent girls and women. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(2), 288-301.
Download PDFSummary:
Adolescent girls took part in two 80-minute sessions over two weeks to critique thin body ideals, including the source of these norms in popular media, how unrealistic they are, and how they have changed over time, including creating posters challenging sociocultural norms. As compared to girls in a control condition, those in the treatment condition were less likely a week later to base their self-worth on their appearance, reported being more satisfied with their bodies, and reported less concern about others’ perceptions of their bodies.
Psychological Process:
Need
Need to BelongWhat Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
To Feel Connected, Included, Respected, and Valued by OthersApproach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Link Belonging to a Behavior or Attitude to Motivate Positive ChangeHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Are social norms that contribute to negative behaviors accurate or valid?Are social norms that contribute to negative behaviors accurate or valid?Changing beliefs about social norms to motivate positive behaviorsPsychological Question Addressed
Are social norms that contribute to negative behaviors accurate or valid?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Health
Intervention Technique:
Increasing commitment through action, saying-is-believing