TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-objectification and sexual dysfunction among women
T2 - Testing and extending objectification theory
AU - Kahalon, Rotem
AU - Klein, Verena
AU - Alon, Shani
AU - Shnabel, Nurit
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors. European Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Objectification theory predicts that women's self-objectification should lead to sexual dysfunction, yet previous studies failed to provide consistent support for this prediction. The present research—which used two sufficiently powered samples and a self-objectification measurement (SOBBS) with improved psychometric qualities and content validity than previous measurements—found support for the expected association between self-objectification and sexual dysfunction among heterosexual women in Israel and the United States (N = 404 and 366, Mage= 30.59 and 36.93, respectively). We also examined two novel potential mediators of this association, entitlement for pleasure and sexual agency (i.e., the capability to express sexual desires and boundaries), and found that the latter mediated the link between self-objectification and sexual dysfunction. The mediators originally proposed by objectification theory (i.e. appearance anxiety, body shame, awareness of internal body states and flow) failed to mediate this link. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.
AB - Objectification theory predicts that women's self-objectification should lead to sexual dysfunction, yet previous studies failed to provide consistent support for this prediction. The present research—which used two sufficiently powered samples and a self-objectification measurement (SOBBS) with improved psychometric qualities and content validity than previous measurements—found support for the expected association between self-objectification and sexual dysfunction among heterosexual women in Israel and the United States (N = 404 and 366, Mage= 30.59 and 36.93, respectively). We also examined two novel potential mediators of this association, entitlement for pleasure and sexual agency (i.e., the capability to express sexual desires and boundaries), and found that the latter mediated the link between self-objectification and sexual dysfunction. The mediators originally proposed by objectification theory (i.e. appearance anxiety, body shame, awareness of internal body states and flow) failed to mediate this link. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.
KW - entitlement for pleasure
KW - objectification theory
KW - self-objectification
KW - sexual agency
KW - sexual dysfunction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187191847&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3056
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3056
M3 - مقالة
SN - 0046-2772
VL - 54
SP - 878
EP - 891
JO - European Journal of Social Psychology
JF - European Journal of Social Psychology
IS - 4
ER -