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Kaitlyn Baptista

Abstract/Description

Body image, defined by Cash and Pruzinsky (2002), as “the multifaceted psychological experience of embodiment,” is a combination of attitudes, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors regarding one’s body. Of particular interest to this study are the concepts of evaluation of appearance and investment in appearance. Appearance evaluation refers to one’s feelings of how attractive they consider their body to be, and how satisfied they are with their believed level of attractiveness (Cash, 2000). Appearance orientation refers to how much importance an individual places on attractiveness and how invested that individual is in appearance, often measured by grooming behaviors (Cash, 2000). Body image is an important research area due to the effects a negative body image can have upon self-esteem, eating, and exercising behaviors; which can further lead to problems such as anxiety disorders, depression, and problems with sexual functioning (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2004).

Note on the Author

Kaitlyn Baptista is a senior psychology major with a minor in criminal justice. This research was conducted with funding from Students and Mentors Abroad Research Team and semester and summer research grants from the Adrian Tinsley Program. Kaitlyn worked under the mentorship of Dr. Teresa King and traveled to Jordan with Dr. King’s research lab to collect the data for this study. She presented at the 2010 ATP Summer Research Symposium, the 2011 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and the 2011 Eastern Psychological Association Conference.

Rights Statement

Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.

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