Sociocultural factors, female students body internalization, food choices and eating patterns - Theory and Practice in Hospitality and Tourism Research - page 494

2 LITERATURE predicted by early menstrual occurrence, rise in

body mass, perception of pressure to be thin and
deficient social support namely peer influences.
The study found that adolescents' perception of
pressure to be thin, the ideal body image internali-
zation and lacks in societal support, weight-related
teasing and depression like symptoms would able
to foretell elevated body dissatisfaction. Another
predictive factor that increased body dissatisfac-
tion was the pressure to be thin.
Griffiths and McCabe (2000) examined the
effect of peer influence on body image dissatisfac-
tion and disordered eating among young female
adolescents. The relationships with others (peers)
or the impact of significant others may predict
body dissatisfaction. It appears that girls use refer-
ence points with their friends in regards to body
dissatisfaction and might use cultural standards in
terms of their ideal body image and might endure
body dissatisfaction. In addition, individuals with
increased body dissatisfaction tended to have
stricter food restriction and/ or bulimic eating.

2.1 Sociocultural factors
In sociocultural theory, human behavior and learn-
ing may be explained by both society and culture
(Berger, 2004). Depending on the specific society
in which one lives in, there is a culture within that
helps individuals mold their behavior and learn
what is right and what is wrong.
Sociocultural theory, as it relates to disorder eat-
ing and body image dissatisfaction denotes that
Western society posits unrealistic expectations for
attractiveness that most individuals do not possess.
Thus, these individuals endure body dissatisfaction
which may eventually lead to behaviors to alter the
physical. Some of these methods may include chronic
dieting and binge eating, which typically lead to dis-
ordered eating (Halliwell& Harvey, 2006).
To better understand the function of socio cul-
tural influences that might lead to disordered eat-
ing, a model was developed by Stice (1994). This
model explains the development of eating disorders
among young women. In addition, this model has
been found to support adolescent male disordered
eating and body dissatisfaction (Smolak, Levine &
Thompson, 2001). According Stice's model, there
are diverse factors that contribute to the pressure
related to appearance, namely the media, family
and peers. The media has been suggested to be one
of the most frequent sociocultural factors contrib-
ute to disordered eating and body image dissatis-
faction among individuals, especially adolescents
followed by family and peer influences (Dittmar,
2009). These factors may contribute to the prob-
lem of disorder eating through the internalization
of body dissatisfaction and cultural ideals (Stice,
1994). Finally, these factors have been individu-
ally studied in relation to body image dissatisfac-
tion and disordered eating. However, there are still
researches combining these three socio cultural
factors (McCabe & Ricciardelli, 2001).

2.3 Media influence
The media also plays an important role in the
development of disordered eating and body image
dissatisfaction. Levine & Harrison (2004) revealed
there is positive relationship between the exposure
to media which depicted an idealized image of a
perfect body figure and the emergence of body
image dissatisfaction. Durkin & Paxton (2002)
posited that media images are processed in people's
mind coupled with pre-existing individual charac-
teristic could moderate and/or mediate the effect
of media exposure in the development of negative
body image. In investigating the media influenced
on adolescent girls and boys, Lawrie, Sullivan,
Davies & Hill (2006) revealed that media strongly
influenced young adolescent girls to be slimmer.
However, in gaining muscle both adolescents were
having the similar view on media influence.

2.2 Peer influence
Since most individuals live in a connected society,
more often than not they will follow certain norms
that are accustomed to that particular social
group. Peer influence is a crucial part in shaping
and developing identity and personality of a per-
son and because of that the development of ideal
body image may be attributed to social pressure
and other personal life events. Peer influence on
social, personality and behavior development start
to receive attention among researchers (Stice &
Whitenton, 2002; Schutz & Paxton, 2007).
Stice and Whitenton (2002) examined whether
an increase in body dissatisfaction overtime was

2.4 Parent influence
It is widely accepted that family has a major role in
shaping and influencing the way a person behave
and the personality that they carried within. The
fact that the family is the first group of people
that a person encounter in his life could explain
a lot of variance in why people eat, what they eat,
speak the language that they speak and behave the
way they do. Parents influences have also proven
to be particularly relevant in the process of body
dissatisfaction formation (Stice, 1994; McCabe &
Ricciardelli, 2003) and their impact on the develop-
ment of body image concerns has been verified in
many cross-sectional studies and a few prospective