Figure rating scale

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Figure rating scale
Synonyms Stunkard scale

The figure rating scale (FRS), also known as the Stunkard scale, is a psychometric measurement originally developed in 1983 to communicate about the unknown weights of a research subject's absent relatives, [1] and since adapted to assess body image. [2]

Contents

The scale presents nine male and nine female schematic silhouettes, ranging from extreme thinness to extreme obesity. [3] For research purposes, each participant is asked to self-select the silhouette that best indicates his or her current body size and the silhouette that reflects his or her ideal body size (IBS). [4]

Reliability and validity

Researchers assigned six specific instructions to ask of their participants during figure selection: (1) choose your ideal figure; (2) choose the figure that reflects how you think you look; (3) choose the figure that reflects how you feel most of the time; (4) choose the figure that you think is most preferred by men; (5) choose the figure that you think is most preferred by women; and (6) pick the opposite sex figure that you find most attractive. [5] For validity analyses, the figure ratings can be transformed into the three following discrepancy measures: (1) feel minus ideal; (2) think minus ideal; and (3) feel minus think. [6] The instructions developed for these measures may be changed depending on the specific topic of research or category of observation. Depending on its goal, each research study may require a different set of reliability and validity assessments.

The figure rating scale has been used in several influential studies on body image, body satisfaction, and eating disorders, and to measure how gender, media, race, and culture affect an individual's sensitivity to his or her own physical appearance.

Most research involving the figure rating scale focuses on observing body dissatisfaction. This research area also focuses primarily on the effects of gender on body dissatisfaction. [7] In association with the figure rating scale, more research has been conducted on female body image. Studies of body dissatisfaction have shown a woman will tend to choose an ideal body size smaller than her current body size. [8] This discrepancy between the two figure selections indicates body dissatisfaction. A high level of body dissatisfaction can lead to eating disorders or depression.

The figure rating scale has also been used to show that the media is an important factor in body dissatisfaction. [9] Research suggests that women are mostly influenced by media images that promote The Thin Ideal body type, [10] whereas men are mostly influenced by media images that promote a more muscular build. [11]

Figure rating scale studies have also assessed body image perceptions among Caucasian, Asian, and African-American college women. African-American women chose larger ideal body sizes than did Caucasian and Asian women., [12] suggesting that each race or ethnicity may have a different concept of the ideal body type.

In order to facilitate cross-cultural comparisons, the figure rating scale has also been translated into other languages. [13] Korean women are more dissatisfied with their bodies due to the pressures of thinness that exist in that particular culture. [14] Australian women feel more body dissatisfaction than Hong Kong women. [15]

Correlated measurements

Results from figure observations have been applied to other scales in order to assess body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. These scales provide more data that can assist researchers in determining why an individual will select a particular silhouette on the figure rating scale.

Applied theoretical frameworks

In order to properly use this type of measurement, it is important to understand how researchers have applied theoretical frameworks. This scale is most associated with body image research. Researchers conducting observations in this area will also draw on theories from psychology and communications to understand why an individual will choose a certain silhouette to represent his or her own body type.

Social comparison theory suggests that an individual will compare his or her own physical appearance to the body images presented in the media. [24] Researchers have used this theory in association with the figure rating scale. [25] [26]

Self-discrepancy theory distinguishes among three domains of the self: the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self. [27] [28] [29] The individual may choose a separate silhouette for each domain of the self.

Limitations

Since the scale's development in 1983, alternative body image measurements have been created for research in this area. The line-drawn silhouettes provided in the scale may not provide a clear presentation of the average human body. As the silhouettes in the scale shift from very thin to very obese, the figures gain more in the middle of the body, which may not reflect the way all bodies gain weight. Some individuals may have broader shoulders or wider hips than in the images provided in the scale; therefore, participants may have a more difficult time choosing the appropriate figures to represent their physical appearances. Research has also translated this scale into computer rendered images [30] and photographic images with real people. [31] These three-dimensional images are able to depict a more realistic presentation of different body types.

See also

Related Research Articles

An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating disorder, where the patient eats a large amount in a short period of time; anorexia nervosa, where the person has an intense fear of gaining weight and restricts food or overexercises to manage this fear; bulimia nervosa, where individuals eat a large quantity (binging) then try to rid themselves of the food (purging); pica, where the patient eats non-food items; rumination syndrome, where the patient regurgitates undigested or minimally digested food; avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), where people have a reduced or selective food intake due to some psychological reasons ; and a group of other specified feeding or eating disorders. Anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse are common among people with eating disorders. These disorders do not include obesity. People often experience comorbidity between an eating disorder and OCD. It is estimated 20-60% of patients with an ED have a history of OCD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulimia nervosa</span> Type of eating disorder

Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eaten from the binging phase of the process. Binge eating refers to eating a large amount of food in a short amount of time. Purging refers to the attempts to get rid of the food consumed. This may be done by vomiting or taking laxatives.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), occasionally still called dysmorphophobia, is a mental disorder characterized by the obsessive idea that some aspect of one's own body part or appearance is severely flawed and therefore warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix it. In BDD's delusional variant, the flaw is imagined. If the flaw is actual, its importance is severely exaggerated. Either way, thoughts about it are pervasive and intrusive, and may occupy several hours a day, causing severe distress and impairing one's otherwise normal activities. BDD is classified as a somatoform disorder, and the DSM-5 categorizes BDD in the obsessive–compulsive spectrum, and distinguishes it from anorexia nervosa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body image</span> Aesthetic perception of ones own body

Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, philosophy, cultural and feminist studies; the media also often uses the term. Across these disciplines, there is no single consensus definition, but broadly speaking body image consists of the ways people view themselves; their memories, experiences, assumptions, and comparisons about their own appearances; and their overall attitudes towards their own respective heights, shapes, and weights—all of which are shaped by prevalent social and cultural ideals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfectionism (psychology)</span> Personality trait

Perfectionism, in psychology, is a broad personality style characterized by a person's concern with striving for flawlessness and perfection and is accompanied by critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. It is best conceptualized as a multidimensional and multilayered personality characteristic, and initially some psychologists thought that there were many positive and negative aspects. Perfectionism drives people to be concerned with achieving unattainable ideals or unrealistic goals that often lead to many forms of adjustment problems such as depression, anxiety, OCD, OCPD and low self-esteem. These adjustment problems often lead to suicidal thoughts and tendencies and influence or invite other psychological, physical, social, and further achievement problems in children, adolescents, and adults. Although perfectionist sights can reduce stress, anxiety, and panic, recent data, compiled by British psychologists Thomas Curran and Andrew Hill, show that perfectionistic tendencies are on the rise among recent generations of young people.

Muscle dysmorphia is a subtype of the obsessive mental disorder body dysmorphic disorder, but is often also grouped with eating disorders. In muscle dysmorphia, which is sometimes called "bigorexia", "megarexia", or "reverse anorexia", the delusional or exaggerated belief is that one's own body is too small, too skinny, insufficiently muscular, or insufficiently lean, although in most cases, the individual's build is normal or even exceptionally large and muscular already.

Self-objectification is when people view themselves as objects for use instead of as human beings. Self-objectification is a result of objectification, and is commonly discussed in the topic of sex and gender. Both men and women struggle with self-objectification, but it is most commonly seen among women. According to Calogero, self-objectification explains the psychological process by which women internalise people’s objectification of their bodies, resulting in them constantly criticizing their own bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eating Attitudes Test</span> Questionnaire of symptoms and concerns characteristic of eating disorders

The Eating Attitudes Test, created by David Garner, is a widely used 26-item, standardized self-reported questionnaire of symptoms and concerns characteristic of eating disorders. The EAT is useful in assessing "eating disorder risk" in high school, college and other special risk samples such as athletes. EAT has been extremely effective in screening for anorexia nervosa in many populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-image</span> Mental picture of self that comes from different sources

Self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to an objective investigation by others, but also items that have been learned by persons about themselves, either from personal experiences or by internalizing the judgments of others.

The Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) is a self-report questionnaire used to assess the presence of eating disorders, (a) anorexia nervosa both restricting and binge-eating/purging type; (b) bulimia nervosa; and (c) eating disorder not otherwise specified including binge eating disorder. The original questionnaire consisted of 64 questions, divided into eight subscales. It was created in 1984 by David M. Garner and others. There have been two subsequent revisions by Garner: the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3).

The Body Attitudes Test (BAT) was developed by Probst et al. in 1995. It was designed for the assessment of multiple eating disorders in women. The BAT measures an individual's subjective body experience and attitudes towards one's own body. It is a questionnaire composed of twenty items which yields four different factors that evaluate the internal view of the patient's own body.

The 'effects of advertising on body image have been studied by researchers, ranging from psychologists to marketing professionals. "These days we know that the media and body image are closely related. Particularly, the body image advertising portrays affects our body image. Of course, many other things influence our body image: parenting, education, intimate relationships, and so on. The popular media does have a big impact, though" This is because thousands of advertisements contain messages about physical attractiveness and beauty, examples of which include commercials for clothes, cosmetics, weight reduction, and physical fitness. Researchers have conducted studies in an attempt to see if such advertisements have effects on teenage body image, and what those effects might be.

The thin ideal is the concept of the ideally slim female body. The common perception of this ideal is a woman who possesses a slender, feminine physique with a small waist and little body fat. The size that the thin ideal woman should be is decreasing while the rate of female obesity is simultaneously increasing, making this iconic body difficult for women to maintain. This creates a gap between the actual appearance of an average woman’s body and its expected appearance which, depending on the extent to which a woman internalizes the necessity of living up to this ideal for her well-being and peace of mind, may have serious psychological effects.

Body shape refers to the many physical attributes of the human body that make up its appearance, including size and countenance. Body shape has come to imply not only sexual/reproductive ability, but wellness and fitness. In the West, slenderness is associated with happiness, success, youth, and social acceptability. Being overweight is associated with laziness. The media promote a weight-conscious standard for women more often than for men. Deviance from these norms result in social consequences. The media perpetuate this ideal in various ways, particularly glorifying and focusing on thin actors and actresses, models, and other public figures while avoiding the use or image of overweight individuals. This thin ideal represents less than 5% of the American population.

Body cathexis is defined as the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction one feels towards various parts and aspects of their own body. This evaluative dimension of body image is dependent on a person's investment of mental and emotional energy in body size, parts, shape, processes, and functions, and is integral to one's sense of self-concept. First recognized by Jourard and Secord, body cathexis is assessed by examining correlations between measures of self-concept or esteem and bodily attitudes. An individual's evaluation of their own body tends to drive various behaviors, including clothing choices and weight management, and the existence of a universal ideal for certain dimensions of body type is, in many cases, a source of anxiety and insecurity.

The feminine beauty ideal is a specific set of beauty standards regarding traits that are ingrained in women throughout their lives and from a young age to increase their perceived physical attractiveness. It is a phenomenon experienced by many women in the world, though the traits change over time and vary in country and culture.

African Americans and their skin color and hair were once considered unattractive by white people. Black women and their bodies have been devalued and rejected by white ideal beauty standards.

Paul E. Garfinkel is a Canadian psychiatrist, researcher and an academic leader. He is a professor at the University of Toronto and a staff psychiatrist at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Body image disturbance (BID) is a common symptom in patients with eating disorders and is characterized by an altered perception of one's own body.

Body checking is a compulsive behaviour related but not exclusive to various forms of body dysmorphic disorders. It involves frequently collecting various information about one’s own body in terms of size, shape, appearance or weight. Frequent expressions of this form of behaviour entails for example mirror checking, trying to feel one’s own bones, pinching the abdomen, frequent body weight measurement and comparing your own body to that of others. Studies have shown that an increased rate of body checking correlates with an overall increased dissatisfaction with the own body.

References

  1. ↑ Cardinal, T.M., Karciroti, N., & Lumeng, J.C. (2006). The figure rating scale as an index of weight status of women on videotape. Obesity, 14(12), 2132-2135.
  2. ↑ Grogan, S.(2009). Routledge: New York.
  3. ↑ Stunkard, A., Sorenson, T., & Schulsinger, F. (1983). Use of Danish adoption register for the study of obesity and thinness. In S. Kety, L.P. Rowland, R.L. Sidman, & S.W. Matthysse (Eds.), The genetics of neurological and psychiatric disorders. New York: Raven. 115-120.
  4. ↑ International Journal of Eating Disorders
  5. ↑ Thompson, J.K., & Altabe, M.N. (1991). Psychometric qualities of the figure rating scale. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(5), 615-619.
  6. ↑ Thompson, J.K., & Altabe, M.N. (1991). Psychometric qualities of the figure rating scale. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(5), 615-619.
  7. ↑ Jayawardena R, Sooriyaarachchi P, Kagawa M, Hills AP, King NA. Methods to develop figure rating scales (FRS): A systematic review. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: clinical research & reviews. 2021 May 1;15(3):687-93.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2021.03.026.
  8. ↑ Cororve Fingeret, M., Gleaves, D., & Pearson, C. (2004). On the Methodology of Body Image Assessment: the use of figural rating scales to evaluate body dissatisfaction and the ideal body standards of women. Body Image, 2, 207-212
  9. ↑ Bissell, K. L. (2004b). What do these messages really mean? Sports media exposure, sports participation, and body image distortion in women between the ages of 18 and 75. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81(1), 108-123.
  10. ↑ Bissell, K., & Rask, A. (2010). Real women on real beauty: Self-discrepancy, internalization of the thin ideal, and perceptions of attractiveness and thinness in Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. International Journal of Advertising, 29(4), 643-668. doi:10.2501/S026504871020138
  11. ↑ Leit, R. A., & Pope Jr., H. G. (2001). Cultural expectations of muscularity in men: The evolution of playgirl centerfolds. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 29(1), 90-93.
  12. ↑ Gluck, M. E., & Geliebter, A. (2002). Racial/ethnic differences in body image and eating behaviors. Eating behaviors, 3(2), 143-151.
  13. ↑ Scagliusi, F. B., Alvarenga, M., Polacow, V. O., Cordás, T. A., de Oliveira Queiroz, G. K., Coelho, D., ... & Lancha, A. H. (2006). Concurrent and discriminant validity of the Stunkard's figure rating scale adapted into Portuguese. Appetite, 47(1), 77-82.
  14. ↑ Jung, J., & Forbes, G. (2006). Multidimensional assessment of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Korean and US college women: A comparative study. Sex Roles, 55(1/2), 39-50. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9058-3
  15. ↑ Lake, A. J., & Staiger, P. K. (2000). Effect of Western Culture on Women's Attitudes to Eating and Perceptions of Body Shape. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 27(1), 83-89.
  16. ↑ Garner, D.M., Olmstead, M.A., & Polivy, J. (1983). Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders,2, 15-34.
  17. ↑ Jung, J., & Forbes, G. (2006). Multidimensional assessment of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Korean and US college women: A comparative study. Sex Roles, 55(1/2), 39-50. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9058-3
  18. ↑ Sands, R. (2000). Reconceptualization of body image and drive for thinness. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 28(4), 397-407.
  19. ↑ Bissell, K. L. (2004). Sports model/sports mind: The relationship between entertainment and sports media exposure, sports participation, and body image distortion in Division 1 female athletes. Mass Communication & Society, 7(4), 453-472.
  20. ↑ Bissell, K. L., & Zhou, P. (2004). Must-see TV or ESPN: Entertainment and sports media exposure and body-image distortion in college women. Journal of Communication, 54(1), 5-21.
  21. ↑ Jung, J., & Forbes, G. (2006). Multidimensional assessment of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Korean and US college women: A comparative study. Sex Roles, 55(1/2), 39-50. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9058-3
  22. ↑ Tylka, Tracy L.; Bergeron, Derek; Schwartz, Jonathan P. (2005-06-01). "Development and psychometric evaluation of the Male Body Attitudes Scale (MBAS)". Body Image. 2 (2): 161–175. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.03.001. ISSN   1740-1445. PMID   18089184.
  23. ↑ Talbot, Daniel; Cass, John; Smith, Evelyn (March 2019). "Visual Body Scale for Men (VBSM): Validation of a new figural rating scale to measure perceived-desired body discrepancy in men: TALBOT et al". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 75 (3): 462–480. doi:10.1002/jclp.22710. PMID   30368814. S2CID   53105784.
  24. ↑ Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117-140.
  25. ↑ Botta, R. A. (2000). The mirror of television: A comparison of black and white adolescents' body image. Journal of Communication, 50(3), 144.
  26. ↑ Northup, T. (2012). The role of image body size, race, and familiarity on subsequent evaluations of the self. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal, 27(3), 1-33.
  27. ↑ Harrison, K., Taylor, L. D., & Marske, A. L. (2006). Women's and men's eating behavior following exposure to ideal-body images and text. Communication Research, 33(6), 507-529.
  28. ↑ Veale, D., Kinderman, P., Riley, S., & Lambrou, C. (2003). Self-dicrepancy in body dysmorphic disorder. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 42, 157-169.
  29. ↑ Bissell, K., & Rask, A. (2010). Real women on real beauty: Self-discrepancy, internalisation of the thin ideal, and perceptions of attractiveness and thinness in Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. International Journal of Advertising, 29(4), 643-668. doi:10.2501/S026504871020138
  30. ↑ Talbot, Daniel; Cass, John; Smith, Evelyn (March 2019). "Visual Body Scale for Men (VBSM): Validation of a new figural rating scale to measure perceived-desired body discrepancy in men: TALBOT et al". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 75 (3): 462–480. doi:10.1002/jclp.22710. PMID   30368814. S2CID   53105784.
  31. ↑ Swami, V., Salem, N., Furnham, A., & Tovée, M. J. (2008). Initial examination of the validity and reliability of the female Photographic Figure Rating Scale for body image assessment. Personality and Individual Differences, 44(8), 1752-1761.
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