Exploring Trend in Male Body Image and Relationships among Drive for Muscularity, Self-Esteem, and Quality of life
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Lu, Hsueh Chao
Abstract
Recently, western researchers observed a growing trend of putting more emphases on the appearance of male body in a variety of media. Specifically, men believe that they should have muscular bodies rather than focus on drive for thinness as women do. Studies also indicate that there is a negative association between over concern for muscularity and psychological functions in western men. As the societies change, body image becomes more and more important for male’s psychological well-beings. However, rare studies related to male body image have been done in Taiwan, and the measurement tools are limited either. Hence, the aims of this study were to first explore the trend of male body nudity in a popular magazine in Taiwan as the background information for this study; secondly, to develop tools to measure male body image; and finally, to investigate the relationship between men’s drive for muscularity and self-esteem, as well as their predictions for quality of life. The present thesis consists of two studies. In Study 1, a rating system of six-degree body nudity was developed and then applied to evaluate the male figures appeared in the fashion section of a leading men’s magazine from 1998 to 2005. In Study 2, psychometric properties of five subscales of the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relation Questionnaire (CMBSRQ) and the Chinese version of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (CDMS) were examined by using samples of 190 male undergraduate students. Furthermore, it not only investigated the relationships among drive for muscularity, self-esteem, and quality of life, but also examined the integrative correlational model by path analysis. Results revealed that: (1) a significant correlation between the year of publication and the degree of nudity was found. (2) Both the CMBSRQ and CDMS yielded adequate and satisfactory psychometric properties, supporting themselves as useful measures of body image. (3) All the five subscales of CMBSRQ significantly and positively correlated with self-esteem and quality of life. (4) Evaluative component of drive for muscularity related to poor self-esteem, and behavioral component related to positive quality of life. (5) Path analysis showed that self-esteem affected quality of life directly and the process was partially mediated by the two components of drive for muscularity. Based on the findings, further discussion was about how to apply it to improve male body image or use it in clinical setting. Various factors such as masculinity and media were also suggested for future research.
Subjects
Male Body Image
Muscularity
Self-Esteem
Quality of Life
SDGs
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