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Self-objectification and well-being in women's daily lives
Juliana G Breines1, Jennifer Crocker, Julie A Garcia
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA. jbreines@berkeley.edu
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|February 19, 2008
Summary
Self-objectification often harms psychological well-being, but high self-esteem and appearance-contingent self-worth can buffer negative effects for some women. These factors may increase well-being by reducing feelings of unattractiveness.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Body Image Research
Background:
- Self-objectification is linked to negative outcomes like body shame and reduced well-being.
- Objectification theory posits that internalizing an observer's perspective on the self impacts psychological health.
- Previous research primarily used laboratory settings to study self-objectification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the daily life associations between self-objectification and psychological well-being in female college students.
- To examine the moderating roles of trait self-esteem and appearance-contingent self-worth in the self-objectification-well-being link.
- To explore the mediating role of perceived unattractiveness in these relationships.
Main Methods:
- Experience sampling methodology was used with 49 female college students.
- Participants' daily self-objectification, well-being, self-esteem, and appearance-contingent self-worth were assessed.
- Statistical analyses examined within-person effects and moderation/mediation.
Main Results:
- Increases in daily self-objectification predicted decreased psychological well-being for most participants.
- High trait self-esteem and high appearance-contingent self-worth moderated this effect, leading to increased well-being in some individuals.
- Perceived unattractiveness partially mediated the relationship, with highly contingent individuals experiencing less negative impact due to feeling less unattractive.
Conclusions:
- While self-objectification generally decreases well-being, certain individual difference factors can alter this association.
- Some women, particularly those with high self-esteem and appearance-contingent self-worth, may experience psychological benefits from self-objectification in daily life.
- Understanding these moderators is crucial for a nuanced view of self-objectification's impact on women's psychological health.
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