Susceptibility
to Physical Attractiveness Comparison: On the Role of Attributions
in Protecting Self-Esteem
R. Kowner |
Do
the habitual comparisons of physical attractiveness conducted by
people in daily life affect their self-esteem, and how do they account
for the outcome of such comparisons? This study examined the effect
of a single physical attractiveness comparison (PAC) on the change
in group members' self-esteem, attractiveness ratings, and attributions
following a manipulation of their attractiveness ranking. One hundred
and twenty-two Japanese undergraduates ranked each other according
to their attractiveness in newly formed groups, and later were provided
with bogus feedback about their own rank. The results indicated a
change in subjects' ratings of their own attractiveness, and various
differences in their attribution style, but virtually no effect on
their self-esteem. These outcomes are explained in terms of defense
mechanisms employed to protect one's self-esteem from the fluctuations
of incessant PACs, but they may also reflect certain aspects of the
self common in collectivitst societies.
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