Reconceptualization of body image and drive for thinness

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the nature of body image and drive for thinness as multidimensional constructs. Subjects included 111 early adolescent (ages 11-13) girls in Grades 7 and 8 from a private school in Melbourne. METHOD: The participants completed a suite of perceptual, affective/attitudinal, and behavioral measures that included assessment of body mass index, self-concept, body parts, silhouette discrepancy, self-worth, multidimensional body image, body image dissatisfaction, social physique anxiety, eating attitudes and behaviors, and physical activity. RESULTS: The sample reported moderate levels of body image dissatisfaction and a significant association of body image dissatisfaction with drive for thinness. Findings verified the important contribution of the affective/attitudinal components of body image. DISCUSSION: A multidimensional scale devised to test the value of a combined index of self-perceived size, shape, weight, tone, and appearance proved the most effective predictor among the alternative affective/attitudinal scales of body image dissatisfaction. Drive for thinness, as central to this study, was found to be related to, yet distinct from, body image on the basis of behavioral elements such as dieting and activity levels. These findings have ramifications for the design of future research in the body image, drive for thinness, and disordered eating domains. 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.