CHAPTER 11

LECTURE EXTENSION

Sex Differences in Body Dissatisfaction in Adolescence

A study by Rosenblum and Lewis (1999) assessed body dissatisfaction, physical attractiveness, and body mass index among the same participants at ages 13, 15, and 18 years. Over the study period, girls' body image worsened, while boys' body image improved. Sex differences in body dissatisfaction emerged between 13 and 15 years of age and were maintained at 18 years. Although sex differences were not significant until age 15, even at age 13, 16 percent of the girls, but 0 percent of the boys were dissatisfied with their body image. The authors suggest that this change may be related to adolescents' emerging capacity for and increasing emphasis on self-evaluation.

Further results revealed that adolescent girls became increasingly dissatisfied with the body parts affected by puberty-thighs, hips, waist, and weight. In contrast, boys exhibited increasing satisfaction with certain body parts such as height. The authors attribute girls' increasing dissatisfaction with their body image to physical changes that occur as a consequence of puberty (such as an accumulation of fat around the hips and thighs) that are at odds with the dominant culture's standards of beauty. Boys' increasing satisfaction is attributed to their increasing similarity to the masculine ideal of larger size and muscularity.

Rosenblum, G. D., & Lewis, M. (1999). The relations among body image, physical attractiveness, and body mass in adolescence. Child Development, 70, 50-64.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Examining Media Reports about Adolescents

Most students would agree that adolescents act differently than adults, but do they really think differently? Do they actually believe themselves to be invulnerable?

Teenagers frequently take risks, and they often suffer severe consequences. But does risky behavior really stem from adolescent thought-specifically, adolescent egocentrism? Do teens really extend the personal fable to the point of believing in their invulnerability? Research to date has provided some support, but several studies also show that adolescents are no poorer at judging the riskiness of behavior than adults.

If knowledge about risk does not contribute to adolescent risk taking, what factors might underlie teenagers' behavior? Some theorists point to the Type-T (or thrill-seeking) personality. Because they lack "real-world" experience, adolescents with Type-T tendencies have difficulty channeling their risk taking into productive, creative outlets. Consequently, they have a higher injury rate than adults.

Another possibility is that research on adolescent cognition and decision making has not focused on the correct variables. Most studies use paper-and-pencil tasks that may not take account of environmental and social pressures that teenagers face when they have to make decisions. Furthermore, comparing answers of adolescents to adults may not be appropriate, since the two groups live in very different social situations.

What impact does the peer culture have on teenagers' decisions? Can the pressure be so strong that adolescents who do evaluate a behavior as "risky" engage in it nonetheless? What are the characteristics of young people who are most likely to bend to such pressure? Are there different consequences for risky behaviors in the adult realm than in the teen realm? How can we help teens engage in less risky behavior?

Ask students to clip articles from the newspaper about teenagers. Many stories describe adolescents who are in trouble. Do the actions of teenagers in the articles reflect typical risk-taking behaviors? Do they fit those of a Type-T personality? To what extent do they reflect the limitations of adolescent thought?