Appearance Management Behaviors of Female University Students by Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to find discover the effects of self-efficacy and self-esteem on the appearance management behavior of female college students. As for the study method, questionnaire survey sheets on general traits like age, grade year, major and management cost, sense of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and appearance manage-ment behavior were distributed to female college students. The responses were measured based on a 5-points Likert scale. The results of this study are as follow: One’s sense of social self-efficacy and self-esteem were both found to affect appearance management behavior significantly. In other words, the greater one’s sense of social self-efficacy, which represents one's sense of confidence in inter-personal relations, the greater one’s appearance management behaviors to enhance her own value. Furthermore, the greater one’s self-esteem(the way one feels positively about oneself), the greater one’s appearance management behaviors. As a result, it can be judged that the more an individual wants to act more capable in different contexts, the more she tries to make up for her own disadvantage. To highlight her own advantages for the sake of greater positive social activities and inter-personal relation, the more she takes to improve her image through appearance management behaviors. It is anticipated that such an examination of appearance management behavior, sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem among female college students will serve as useful data for appearance-related industries by enabling them to properly under stand their clientele’s psychological traits.Key words: appearance management behaviors(외모관리행동), self-efficacy(자기효능감), self-esteem(자아존중감).