| |
| author |
Malavika Vishwanath
| | title |
The Effects of Social Comparison in Athletes: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Body Image and Motivation among Indian and American Competitive Swimmers
| | abstract |
The present study examined the effects of social comparison among competitive swimmers,
while also examining cross-cultural differences in body image and motivation between Indian
and American swimmers. Participants included 33 (39.3%) Indian National Team swimmers and
51 (60.7%) NCAA swimmers. Participants were asked to indicate the types of swimmers to
whom they compared themselves, upon which the direction of the comparison as well as target
similarity were assessed. Body image was assessed using the Contextual Body Image
Questionnaire for Athletes (CBIQA), and motivation was assessed using the Achievement Goals
Questionnaire for Sport (AGQ-S). It was found that a majority of participants preferred to
compare themselves to similar rather than dissimilar others. However, those who compared
themselves to dissimilar others showed higher levels of body dissatisfaction, were more likely to
exhibit a desire to avoid performing badly, and show demotivation upon failing to perform well,
whereas those who compared themselves to similar others showed lower levels of body
dissatisfaction, exhibited a desire to master all aspects of their performance and did not show
demotivation upon failing to perform well. It was also found that American swimmers tended to
be significantly more dissatisfied with their bodies than Indian swimmers. Males tended to be
significantly more dissatisfied with their bodies within the context of sport than in daily life,
whereas no contextual differences were found in females. No cultural differences in motivation
were found. This study therefore highlights the importance of cultural and societal factors while
examining athletes' susceptibility to body dissatisfaction. While this study contributes to our
understanding of the factors that increase the susceptibility of disordered eating in athletes, an
equal emphasis must be placed on educating the athletes themselves in order to reduce this
susceptibility.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.A. (2020)
|
| advisor |
Dr. Christopher Medvecky
|
| full text | MVishwanath.pdf |
| |
