Abstract

Adolescence is a period characterized by physical growth and maturation (Cobb, 1995). This normal biological process moves most American girls away from the thin ideal body shape that is dominant within the United States. Ethnic differences in ideal body size have in fact been found in several studies; but they have been shown based on ethnic group membership, not ethnic identification. The specific relationship of ethnic identity and body ideal for Mexican American, African American, and Anglo American adolescent females has not been clearly defined; Lopez, Blix, and Blix (1995) have hinted at the role of ethnic identification (through the assessment of acculturation) in the choice of body ideal. Ethnic identity is only an indirect measure of culture; however, the evaluation of impact of ethnic identity is a critical step in establishing that cultural variables influence an individual's ideal body size.

In order to determine whether ethnic identity influences African American, Mexican American, and Anglo American adolescent girls' choice of ideal body size, 335 adolescent girls ages 16-18 from two public high schools, one private high school, and a charity group in Southern California were asked to participate in the present study. Two African Americans, 12 Mexican Americans, and 20 Anglo Americans completed and returned the questionnaires, achieving a 10.1% response rate. While the hypotheses of this study were not supported by the data, there were some interesting findings. One of the more prominent findings is that despite a relatively strong ethnic identity, the Mexican American and African American girls do not appear to be internalizing that aspect of their culture. They appear to be internalizing another cultural ideal, possibly the more pervasive high school cultural ideal of thinness for girls. It is also interesting that while there was not a significant difference between self body ideal among the groups, there was a significant difference between cultural ideals among groups. The African American and Mexican American girls appear to acknowledge the preference for a larger body ideal within their culture, while simultaneously not prescribing to it as demonstrated by their significantly thinner self body ideal. Based on the aforementioned findings, implications and suggestions for further research are provided.

LLU Discipline

Clinical Psychology

Department

Clinical Psychology

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Janet Sonne

Second Advisor

Hector Betancourt

Third Advisor

Kelly Morton

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Level

M.A.

Year Degree Awarded

2005

Date (Title Page)

3-2005

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Ethnic Groups -- psychology; Adolescent Psychology; Body Size; Adolescent Behavior; Mexican-Americans -- psychology; African-Americans -- psychology; European Continental Ancestry Group -- psychology

Type

Thesis

Page Count

ix; 54

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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