Ferron
Ferron (1997)
Aim:
To investigate possible cultural differences in the way adolescents relate to bodily changes in puberty.
Procedure:
This was a small-scale survey using semi-structured interviews to collect data in a cross-cultural sample consisting of 60 American and 60 French adolescents. Boys and girls were equally represented. One of the themes in the interview was how the bodily changes during puberty affected body image and how they coped with it.
Results
- Seventy-five per cent of the American adolescents did not accept any biological predisposition in terms of body shape. They believed it was possible to obtain a perfect body if one tried hard enough and adhered to specific rules. Eighty per cent of the Americans believed in the effectiveness of specific diets or exercise programs.
- The Americans were also more likely to suffer from self-blame and guilt and adopt unhealthy weight regulating strategies such as unbalanced diets or continuous physical exercise.
- Seventy-five per cent of the American girls believed that their personal worth depended on looks and would do nearly anything to get close to an ideal body image.
- Less than half of the French adolescents believed they could obtain a perfect body. They had perceptions of ideal body image but 75% of them believed that physical appearance is genetically determined and could not possibly be extensively modified through willpower or particular behavior. The only thing they considered blameworthy was physical carelessness.
Evaluation
The study was conducted in the West but it shows interesting differences between two Western countries. The results may not be generalized to non-Western countries. It was a small-scale survey using self-reported data, which can be somewhat unreliable.