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Aim- To determine if ethnic origin has an affect on a person’s preferred ideal body shape.
It would be logical to assume that people who originate from countries outside of Western Society would have a larger ideal body shape than those originating from the United Kingdom. However, as my study will take place in the United Kingdom (a Western society)
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Hypothesis- I predict that ethnic origin will have no significant affect on preferred ideal body shape and any results showing that it does are coincidental and caused by chance factors.
This null hypothesis is supported by a study by Nasser (1986) who showed that immigrants from cultures where eating disorders are rare develop anorexia just as frequently as those born in industrialized countries. Mumford et al (1991) also suggested that more traditional Asians had greater concerns about body shape and size than the less traditional Asians.
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Alternative 1-tailed hypothesis- I predict that people who originate from countries outside Western society will have a larger preferred ideal body shape.
Method
The participants were selected through opportunity sampling, all 24 of which were Enfield College students and asked them to fill out a questionnaire. The researchers approached all participants individually and asked them to fill in a questionnaire that asks them they’re age group, ethnic origin and they’re preferred ideal body shape from a selection of four silhouettes of varying sizes, however we did not reveal to them the aim of the experiment. The questionnaire’s used and images of the four silhouettes can be found in the appendices. The majority of the participants were approached in the colleges learning centre, canteen or in various classes. We attempted to control for variables such as age and gender, by only approaching female potential participants and tried to narrow them down so they were all from one age group. During the research we followed ethical guidelines and described on all the questionnaires were instruction to participants, which stated that all information provided is confidential; they have the right to withdraw at any time; they would be treated with respect and that they would be debriefed as to the aim of the research after the study had been concluded.
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Results
Summary Table Of Results
Total number of participants used=26
B.S= Body Shape
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Discussion
Findings
The alternative hypothesis in this study is supported,
- Females from the Black group chose a larger body shape than those originating from Western
However,
- Females from the group other chose an ideal body shape similar to that of female’s origination from Western society.
- Females from the Asian group chose a body shape thinner than that of females originating from a western society
The results showing that Asians chose a thinner ideal body shape than the rest of the ethnic groups is supported by the study conducted in 1991 by Mumford et al. These studies demonstrate how influential media images can be on a person’s perception of the ‘ideal body shape’ and how these images may contribute to a sense of dissatisfaction of one’s own body image. This can be dangerous as this can ultimately lead to an eating disorder in a search of perfection.
Limitations
- Cultural stereotype.
- Social desirability.
- Actual body shape of participant.
- Participant’s feelings towards they’re actual body shape.
- Some participants were psychology students – may have had some idea as to the aim of the study.
- Age, gender, culture, sub-culture, ethnic origin, social class of researcher.
- Actual body shape and ideal body shape of researcher.
- Tone of voice / communication, style of dress.
- Researchers desire for particular outcome.
- The opportunity-sampling technique used makes the research biased.
- The other researchers and I personally knew many of the participants involved in the research that most likely produced a biased result.
- The research only includes females from Enfield College and may be difficult to generalise to other groups.
- The sample size is very small and is probably unrepresentative of the target population.
- The study relies on questionnaire data that may be unreliable.
- This study doesn’t take into account how involved the participants are with they’re culture and tradition.
- Doesn’t take into account whether the participants originating from countries outside Western society were born there or if they are first second or third generation British.
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The researches hypotheses are mainly based around the behavioural model and doesn’t take into account that body image may be affected by a biochemical imbalance (Keesey and Corbett 1983), a means in which a woman can remain children to avoid responsibility (Freud), negative self-evaluation (Fairburn et al 1999), family conflict (Minuchin et al 1978), pressure to succeed or struggling fro a sense of identity.
Improvements could be made to the study by implementing a more efficient and unbiased sampling technique such as stratified sampling; increasing the sample size; take age into account when selecting participants. A suggestion for a follow up research would be to see if ideal body shape changed depending on the length of time that an immigrant originating from a country outside Western society has been living in the United Kingdom and therefore the length of time they have been exposed to Western ideals of attractiveness.
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Conclusions
- The results were very mixed and were probably a result of various confounding variables and therefore unreliable.
- Ethnic origin probably does have an affect on ideal body shape but I think that it is directly associated with how traditional that particular person is and how much of an impact they’re ethnic origin makes in they’re lives.
- Ethnic origin is not the only factor to affect a person’s ideal body image.
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References
Fairburn, C.G., Cooper, Z., Doll, H.A. and Welch, S.L. (1999) ‘Risk factors for anorexia nervosa’, Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, pp.468-76.
Keesy, R.E. and Corbett, S.W. (1983)’Metabolic defence of the body weight set-point’, in A.J. Stunkard and E.Steller (eds) Eating and Its Disorders, New York: Raven Press.
Minuchin,S., Rosman, B.L. and Baker, L. (1978) Psychosomatic Families: Anorexia Nervosa in Context , Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press.
Mumford, D.B., Whitehouse, A.M. and plattes, M.(1991) ‘Sociocultural correlates of eating disorders among Asian schoolgirls in Bradford’, British Journal of Psychiatry, 158, pp.222-8.
Nasser, M. (1996) ‘Comparative study of the prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes among Arab female students of both London and Cairo universities’, Psychological Medicine, 16, pp.621-7.
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Appendices
Table Of Raw Data
B.S= Body Shape
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