It’s a girl thing! Or is it?: A study exploring whether men’s body esteem and self-esteem are as influenced as women’s by mass media.

Brennan, Sarah (2016) It’s a girl thing! Or is it?: A study exploring whether men’s body esteem and self-esteem are as influenced as women’s by mass media. Undergraduate thesis, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Objective: Research on the influence of mass media has focused much of its attention on women and adolescent girls. This study examines mass media’s influence on self-esteem and body esteem among both male and female college students to discover whether men are as influenced as women. Method: This study included a convenience sample of 140 college students. A questionnaire was administered through online platforms, which included a demographic questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) and the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale-3 (SATAQ-3) to attain men and women’s scores for assessment. Results: There was a negative correlation between mass media and both body esteem and self-esteem for both males and females with no significant difference found between scores. Differences in correlations for the subscales of the SATAQ for men and women’s body and self-esteem were also found and are discussed. Conclusion: The results of this study support each of the hypotheses. Men and women’s body esteem and self-esteem were negatively influenced by mass media, with no significant differences in their scores. Thus, suggesting men’s body esteem and self-esteem are as influenced as women’s by mass media. Body esteem was also found to be greater influenced than self-esteem. This study adds to existing research as these results are not widely evident.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology > Body image
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Psychology
Depositing User:	Timothy Lawless
Date Deposited:	20 Sep 2016 14:47
Last Modified:	20 Sep 2016 14:47
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/2208

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