Date

2015

Author

Çenesiz, Gaye Zeynep

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The present study aimed at investigating the relationship between eating attitudes, personality characteristics, weight perception, self-esteem, appearance esteem, and eating regulation motivations based on the theoretical framework of self determination theory. In doing so, the purpose was to develop suggestions for further interventions. Accordingly, two studies – a quantitative and a qualitative – were conducted. In the quantitative study, the group differences for the study variables were analyzed. First of all, gender comparisons revealed that women scored more problematic eating attitudes. Secondly, although the women were more motivated to regulate their eating behavior, men were equally concerned from the socio-cultural attitudes toward appearance. Thirdly, when subjective weight perception groups were compared, the results indicated that people who perceive them overweight had higher controlled motivations for regulating eating behavior, higher problematic eating attitudes, lower conscientiousness levels, and lower appearance esteem. Moreover, in this study, a two-dimensional motivational style groups were proposed including autonomously-engaged, preoccupied, obliged, and indifferent regulators. As expected, autonomously-engaged regulators have higher self-esteem and appearance esteem levels, extraversion levels, and lower level of weight perception. For the indifferent regulators, both problematic eating attitudes and socio-cultural attitudes toward appearance scores were the lowest. Obliged regulators had the lowest level of appearance esteem. Also, obliged and preoccupied regulators had higher scores on problematic eating attitudes and socio-cultural attitudes toward appearance. The results of qualitative study revealed that that the more pressure an individual felt for weight loss, the more negative emotions emerged. Also, weight bias emerged as an important factor. In the light of the findings, an intervention model was proposed.

Subject Keywords

Body weight., Eating disorders., Self-esteem., Self-perception., Motivation (Psychology)., Psychology Phd thesis

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12618668/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/24563

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis