Keywords

Self objectification, objectification theory, body image

Abstract

Researchers have traditionally used two measures of self-objectification, the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (Noll & Fredrickson, 1998) and the Objectified Body Consciousness Body Surveillance subscale (McKinley & Hyde, 1996), to demonstrate that self-objectification is related to body shame and dissatisfaction, appearance anxiety, decreased awareness of internal states, decreased flow experiences, disordered eating, depression and sexual dysfunction. Although the SOQ and OBC have been used widely, they also have several limitations, including problems with missing data, lack of generalizability, and concerns about content validity. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new measure of self-objectification called the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (SOBBS). Male and female college students (473 women and 202 men) completed an online questionnaire including a pool of items designed to measure self-objectification. The item pool was constructed through focus groups and consultation with subject matter experts. Participants also completed two existing measures of self-objectification and related constructs (i.e., interpersonal sexual objectification, body image, disordered eating behavior, depressive symptoms, and sexual functioning), and a subset of participants completed the new measure at a two-week interval. A 12-item, 2-factor measure of self-objectification was derived through exploratory factor analysis. Overall, the newly developed measure demonstrated excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Data also supported the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the scale as a measure of self-objectification for women and men. Implications for research in the area of self-objectification and for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders will be discussed.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2014

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Tantleff-Dunn, Stacey

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Psychology; Clinical Psychology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0005367

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005367

Language

English

Release Date

August 2015

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences; Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

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