Sex differences in body-cathexis associated with exercise involvement

The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in body-cathexis associated with exercise involvement. Data were collected from exercising groups of 52 women and 23 men volunteers from a university fitness improvement class and from comparison groups of 41 women and 9 men volunteers from cl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPerceptual and motor skills Vol. 73; no. 1; p. 139
Main Authors Salusso-Deonier, C J, Schwarzkopf, R J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.08.1991
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Body Image
Exercise
Female
Gender Identity
Humans
Male
Personal Satisfaction
Physical Fitness - psychology
Self Concept
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in body-cathexis associated with exercise involvement. Data were collected from exercising groups of 52 women and 23 men volunteers from a university fitness improvement class and from comparison groups of 41 women and 9 men volunteers from classes unrelated to exercise. Multivariate analysis of variance of prestudy body-cathexis scores identified significant sex differences; men had much higher body-cathexis for waist, hip, thigh, fitness, and weight than did women. Multivariate analysis of poststudy data, normalized to control for prestudy sex differences, yielded a significant effect for the exercise involvement of fitness class men and women. Regular exercise seems to have potential as a method for improving body-cathexis for both men and women. Further research on methods for improving satisfaction with weight is needed.
ISSN:0031-5125
DOI:10.2466/pms.1991.73.1.139