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Published on: March 8, 2019
Body-image, personal space and self-esteem: preliminary evidence for "focusing" effects
1Dept. of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, England.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|October 1, 1982
Summary
Enhancing self-esteem reduced personal space, increasing body-cathexis and decreasing interaction distance. This study supports the defensive distancing hypothesis in psychology.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Self-esteem is a crucial aspect of psychological well-being.
- Personal space and body image are important constructs in understanding social interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of self-esteem manipulation on body image and personal space.
- To test the defensive distancing hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- A repeated-measures experimental design was employed.
- Participants underwent self-esteem enhancement or reduction manipulations.
- Measures included body-cathexis, personal space (penetration, simulated interaction distance, barrier), figure drawing, and spatial orientation.
Main Results:
- Significant interactions were found for body-cathexis, penetration, and simulated interaction distance.
- Enhanced self-esteem led to higher body-cathexis and lower penetration/interaction distance.
- Trends suggested enhanced self-esteem also affected barrier, though not significantly.
- Figure drawing and spatial orientation were not significantly related to self-perception.
Conclusions:
- Experimental evidence supports the defensive distancing hypothesis.
- Self-esteem directly influences perceptions of personal space and body image.
- Self-esteem manipulation can have a focusing effect on personal boundaries.
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