# The correlates of appearance focused self-concept: personality traits, self-concept, sociocultural, and early life experience factors

## TL;DR

This study explores the traits and experiences linked to placing high importance on physical appearance, which is associated with disordered eating and eating disorders.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific personality, self-concept, sociocultural, and early life factors uniquely associated with an appearance-focused self-concept.

## Key findings

- Perfectionism, impulsivity, and anxiety sensitivity are personality traits linked to an appearance-focused self-concept.
- General attractiveness internalization and perceived pressure to be thin are sociocultural factors associated with appearance focus.
- Attachment anxiety and avoidance from early life experiences are uniquely connected to appearance-focused self-concept.

## Abstract

Theory and research indicate that an appearance focused self-concept (i.e., placing overriding importance on physical appearance for self-definition and self-worth) plays a role in the etiology and maintenance of disordered eating and eating disorders. Although the consequences of an appearance focused self-concept are palpable, less is known about its correlates. Accordingly, we examined a range of factors that may characterize appearance focused people, including personality traits (perfectionism, impulsivity, sensation-seeking, hopelessness, and anxiety sensitivity), self-concept (global self-esteem and self-concept clarity), sociocultural (thin-ideal, muscular-ideal, general attractiveness internalizations, and perceived pressure to be thin), and early life experiences (adverse childhood experiences, attachment styles) factors.

Female undergraduate university students (N = 568; Mage = 19.58, SDage = 4.24) completed a questionnaire battery that included the Beliefs About Appearance Scale, Depressive Experiences Questionnaire–Self-Criticism-6 Scale, Frost-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Revised Almost Perfect Scale, Substance Use Risk Profile Scale, Self-Concept Clarity Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 Scale, Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale Short Form, and the Dietary Restraint subscale of the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire.

Multiple regression analyses were conducted for each set of factors separately and together. For personality traits, perfectionism, impulsivity, and anxiety sensitivity were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For self-concept, global self-esteem and self-concept clarity were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For sociocultural, general attractiveness internalization, thin-ideal internalization, and perceived pressure to be thin were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For early life experiences, attachment anxiety and avoidance were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. In the combined analysis, the various factors explained 54% of the variance in appearance focused self-concept. Impulsivity, global self-esteem, general attractiveness internalization, and perceived pressure to be thin were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept.

Results for global self-esteem were consistent with prior research. Findings for evaluative concerns perfectionism were inconsistent with prior research. We discuss future research directions to examine the link between evaluative concerns perfectionism and appearance focused self-concept. We also discuss how sociocultural factors (general attractiveness internalization and perceived pressure to be thin) and impulsivity may help cultivate an appearance focused self-concept, advancing knowledge on the characteristics of appearance-focused people.

It has been proposed that people who place more (relative to less) importance on appearance in their self-concept are more likely to engage in disordered eating and to have eating disorders, namely anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Yet, little is known about the characteristics of people who place more (relative to less) importance on appearance in their self-concept. Accordingly, we examined how the importance people give to appearance in their self-concept may be linked to various aspects of their personality, self-perception, societal influences, and early life experiences. Questionnaires were given to 568 female university students—a group that is known to be vulnerable to disordered eating and eating disorders. We found that some factors were connected to how much importance is placed on appearance. In particular, feeling pressure to be thin, wanting to be attractive, thinking poorly of oneself, and being impulsive were all linked to giving appearance more importance in the self-concept. These findings help us learn more about the people who view appearance as central in their lives. Understanding these connections can help us support people living with disordered eating and eating disorders.