Relationships Between Social Self-Esteem, Media Influence and Drive for Thinness

Although media exposure is known to relate to drive for thinness and social self-esteem in women, less is known about how media affects drive for thinness and social self-esteem in men. The present study examined the relationships between drive for thinness, social selfesteem, and media influence among men and women. Two hundred ninety-four college students completed the Texas Social Behavior Inventory, the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Scale-3, a self-constructed questionnaire measuring the influence of media models, and the Drive for Thinness scale of the EDI-3. We expected to find an association between drive for thinness and media influence and between drive for thinness and social competence in both men and women. In addition, we expected that the use of media, social pressures and media internalization would relate to drive for thinness in both men and women. As expected, we found a relationship between media influence and drive for thinness, as well as a relationship between social competence and drive for thinness in both men and women. After controlling for the influence of social self-esteem, the influence of media models on body image related to drive for thinness in both men and women. In addition, societal pressures related to drive for thinness in women, but not men. Implications for college counselors will be discussed.