Authoritarian and compassionate religious messages have different impacts on body esteem

Abstract

Religiousness has been correlated with better body esteem, but it is not clear how religious messages may shape the way people feel about their bodies. One hundred and twelve Catholic undergraduate students (76% women) at a mid-sized Jesuit university in the USA were randomly assigned to one of three reading conditions: Authoritarian religious, Compassionate religious, or Academic competence. All then viewed “thin ideal” (women) or “muscular ideal” (men) images and completed the Body Esteem Scales for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA). Students who received the Authoritarian reading had lower BESAA attributions esteem, an indication of how respondents think others view them. Students with higher religious commitment were more sensitive to the Authoritarian reading. They reported significantly better BESAA appearance esteem than students with lower commitment, except in the Authoritarian condition. Examination of Tradition and Spirituality, specific values often associated with religion, revealed that participants with a high Spirituality orientation responded especially well to the Compassion reading. Value orientations were not relevant in the Academic condition. These findings suggest that buffering against low body esteem likely varies depending on the individual's core values.