718 research outputs found
Inking of Immunity Episode 14. Viren Swami on Tattooing and Body Image
No full textViren Swami is Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University and Director of the Centre for Psychological Research at Perdana University. His research is focused on body image, physical attractiveness, and mental health. He is the author of over two hundred academic papers and three books, including Attraction Explained (now in its second edition) and The Psychology of Physical Attraction
Attraction explained: The science of how we form relationships
No full textWhen it comes to relationships, there’s no shortage of advice from self-help ‘experts’, pick-up artists, and glossy magazines. But modern-day myths of attraction often have no basis in fact or – worse – are rooted in little more than misogyny. In Attraction Explained, psychologist Viren Swami debunks these myths and draws on cutting-edge research to provide a ground-breaking and evidence-based account of relationship formation.
At the core of this book is a very simple idea: there are no ‘laws of attraction’, no foolproof methods or strategies for getting someone to date you. But this isn’t to say that there’s nothing to be gained from studying attraction. Based on science rather than self-help clichés, Attraction Explained looks at how factors such as geography, appearance, personality, and similarity affect who we fall for and why
Psychometric Properties of an Italian Translation of the Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS)
No full textThe Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS; Alleva et al., 2017) is a widely used instrument for the measurement of individual's appreciation of their body for what it can do and is capable of doing (i.e., functionality appreciation). Here, we examined the psychometric properties of a novel Italian translation of the FAS. A sample of 950 Italian adults completed the FAS, as well as previously validated measures of body image (body appreciation, body esteem, body surveillance), disordered eating symptoms, and psychological well-being (self-esteem, general distress). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 1-dimensional model of FAS scores, with all 7 items retained. Scores achieved scalar invariance across gender, and the gender difference in latent FAS scores was not significant. FAS scores were found to have adequate internal consistency, test-retest reliability up to three weeks, and convergent and criterion-related validity through significant correlations with all additional constructs. However, evidence of incremental validity was weak, and likely reflected high nomological and conceptual similarity between functionality and body appreciation in this national context. Overall, these results provide strong evidence that scores on the Italian FAS are psychometrically valid, which may aid future development of interventions to promote more positive body image in Italian-speaking samples
Translation and validation of body image instruments:An addendum to Swami and Barron (2019) in the form of frequently asked questions
No full textTest adaptation - the translation and validation of source instruments for use in new social identity groups - plays a vital role in body image research. Previously, Swami and Barron (2019) developed a set of good practice recommendations and reporting guidelines for the test adaptation of body image instruments. However, a number of issues in that article were not covered in depth and new issues have emerged as a result of developments in theory and practice. Here, we offer an addendum to Swami and Barron in the form of frequently asked questions. Issues discussed in this article include various methods for achieving good translations, the appropriateness of revising instrument components prior to empirical analyses, determining the number of factors to extract in exploratory factor analyses (EFA), and the usefulness of EFA versus confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in determining factorial validity. We also cover methods of analyses that have been infrequently utilised by body image scholars, including exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM), bifactor model analyses, and various methods for establish measurement invariance. When read as an addendum to Swami and Barron, we hope this article helps to clarify issues of importance for body image researchers interested in conducting test adaptation work.</p
Healthy body equals beautiful body? Changing perceptions of health and attractiveness with shifting socioeconomic status
No full textThe impact of Western beauty ideals on the lives of women and men: A sociocultural perspective
No full textAccording to a recent survey of 3,300 girls and women across 10 countries, 90 per cent of all women aged 15 to 64 worldwide want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with body weight ranking the highest (Etcoff, Orbach, Scott, & D’Agostino, 2004). This finding suggests that women’s anxiety about their appearance is a global phenomenon, observed in every country studied from Saudi Arabia to the United States. Beyond body dissatisfaction, a stunning 67 per cent of all women aged 15 to 64 worldwide reported that they actually withdraw from life-engaging, life-sustaining activities due to feeling badly about their looks. These activities include giving an opinion, meeting friends, exercising, going to work, going to school, dating, and going to the doctor
Motherhood status moderates the relationship between perfectionistic self-presentation and breast size dissatisfaction
No full textPerfectionistic self-presentation refers to a desire to create an image of flawlessness in the eyes of the others and has been associated with more negative body image. We extended previous research by examining associations between perfectionistic self-presentation and breast size dissatisfaction, and also examined whether motherhood status moderated this association. A total of 484 Italian women (ageM = 40.39, SD = 13.73; mothers n = 53.9%) completed measures of perfectionistic self-presentation (perfectionistic self-promotion, non display of imperfection, and nondisclosure of imperfection) and breast size dissatisfaction. Preliminary analyses indicated that a majority of the sample (69.2%) reported breast size dissatisfaction, with 44.4% and 24.4% desiring larger and smaller breasts, respectively, than they currently had. Only perfectionistic self-promotion and non display of imperfection were significantly correlated with breast size dissatisfaction. Both associations were additionally moderated by motherhood status, with associations being significant in non-mothers but not in mothers. Our findings suggest that motherhood may help decouple the link between perfectionistic self-presentation and breast size dissatisfaction. Future studies should assess whether this effect is due to an enhanced maternal view of breasts that emphasizes nurturing and biological functions or a result of weaker investment in socio cultural norms on physical appearanc
Translation and Validation of Body Image Instruments: An Addendum to Swami and Barron (2019) in the Form of Frequently Asked Questions
No full textTest adaptation – the translation and validation of source instruments for use in new social identity groups – plays a vital role in body image research. Previously, Swami and Barron (2019) developed a set of good practice recommendations and reporting guidelines for the test adaptation of body image instruments. However, a number of issues in that article were not covered in depth and new issues have emerged as a result of developments in theory and practice. Here, we offer an addendum to Swami and Barron in the form of frequently asked questions. Issues discussed in this article include various methods for achieving good translations, the appropriateness of revising instrument components prior to empirical analyses, determining the number of factors to extract in exploratory factor analyses (EFA), and the usefulness of EFA versus confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in determining factorial validity. We also cover methods of analyses that have been infrequently utilised by body image scholars, including exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM), bifactor model analyses, and various methods for establish measurement invariance. When read as an addendum to Swami and Barron, we hope this article helps to clarify issues of importance for body image researchers interested in conducting test adaptation work
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