Internalization of messages from society and perfectionism as predictors of male body image

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of male body image dissatisfaction, specifically ethnicity, societal factors and a personality variable. A total of 202 college males (37.3% Asian, 27.7% Caucasian, 14.5% Hispanic, and 13.6% African American) completed measures of perfectionism, internalization of societal messages, and a multidimensional measure of male body attitude. The results indicated that an Asian ethnic identity, socially prescribed perfectionism, and internalizing societal messages were predictors of muscle dissatisfaction. Socially prescribed perfectionism and internalization were the only predictors of low body fat dissatisfaction. Ethnicity, perfectionism and internalization were not predictive of height dissatisfaction. Unique aspects of perfectionism appear to predict specific body image dissatisfaction in men.