Women`s body image satisfaction: connection with age and self-esteem

Abstract

The article examines the results of a study of the influence of age and self-esteem on satisfaction with the image of their own body in women based on the material of the Kazakhstani sample. A feature of the present time is the importance of the visual factor in assessing a person, this is especially true for women. The standards of appearance, put forward and promoted by various communication channels, are becoming more and more stringent from year to year. The number of women who are susceptible to their influence is growing in parallel with all these changes. To work with women who are dissatisfied with their body image, it is necessary to understand what determines such behavior. A part of the results of a survey of women on the topic of satisfaction with their bodies is presented, the determinants of age and self-esteem are analyzed. A battery of techniques by T. Cash (MBSRQ, BISS, SIBID), OOST O.A. Skugarevsky – S.V. Sivukha, MDS T.V. Dembo – S.Y. Rubinstein. 82 women aged 16-62 took part in the survey. There was a statistically significant correlation between body image satisfaction and self-esteem. Body image satisfaction is not affected by a woman’s age, marital status, or the presence or absence of children. The conducted research allows us to draw a general conclusion about the high importance of appearance in the life of a woman of any age. Within the framework of psychological assistance to women with a problematic attitude towards themselves and their appearance, one of the possible areas of work is the creation of a positive bodily image.

Key words: body image, satisfaction, self-esteem, appearance, age, women.