Date of Award
2000
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
First Advisor
Marilyn Patterson
Second Advisor
Anita Sankar
Third Advisor
Hillary Maxwell
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the cultural basis of body-esteem and negative body image in adolescent females. This study focused on the differences between the culture of the Hutterites, an Anabaptist communal society, and the mainstream Western culture in the same geographic area. The Body-Esteem Scale (Mendelson & White, 1982) was administered to 35 Hutterite and 31 mainstream girls between the ages of 12 and 17. The Hutterite girls were found to have significantly higher body-esteem scores than the mainstream girls. These findings add to the vast amount of research linking body-esteem to cultural factors. Several possible cultural causes for low body-esteem are discussed, although the exact sources for the differences in scores cannot be determined.
Recommended Citation
Walgren, Amanda Ann, "A Comparison of Body-Esteem in Adolescent Girls Between the Hutterite and Mainstream Western Cultures" (2000). Theses. 1581.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1581
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