Who Feels Discrepant and How Does Feeling Discrepant Matter? Examining the Presence and Consequences of Feeling Discrepant from Personal and Social Norms Related to Thinness in American and British High School Girls

Abstract

This research examines whether both American and British girls feel discrepant from social and personal norms related to thinness and the consequences of such discrepancy on rates of disordered eating. High school girls in the United States (N = 198) and Great Britain (N = 74) completed measures of their own eating and body-related attitudes and behaviors as well as their perceptions of other girls' attitudes and behaviors. As predicted, participants in both countries believed that, compared to themselves, other girls are thinner, have thinner ideal bodies, and exercise more for aesthetic reasons (e.g., weight loss, attractiveness, toning). Girls in both countries believed that their ideal body shapes are smaller than their current body shapes. In addition, both British and American girls who believed their current figure was smaller than that of other girls, and those who believed their ideal figure was smaller than their current figure, showed greater drive for thinness. Finally, actual-ideal self-discrepancy was associated with more symptoms of bulimia in British girls, but not in American girls. Discussion focuses on the theoretical and applied implications of these findings.