| Summary: | Student Number : 9901978A -
MA research report -
School of Human and Community Development -
Faculty of Humanities === This research explored the relationship between gender identity, body image and ego
strength in men. A questionnaire consisting of a demographic section, the Bem Sex
Role Inventory, the Adonis Complex Questionnaire- Revised, and the Psychosocial
Inventory of Ego Strength was administered to 74 male students from the School of
Actuarial Science and Statistics at the University of the Witwatersrand during lecture
time. Correlation analyses were used to infer the relationships between the three
variables, while a multiple regression assessed whether particular combinations of
gender identity and ego strength could predict higher body image dissatisfaction.
The results showed that both masculinity and androgyny had a positive effect on body
image satisfaction, as did higher ego strength. The latter was also positively correlated
with both femininity and masculinity, though not with androgyny. Body image
disturbance did not correlate with any dimension of gender identity or ego strength.
With regard to the interaction between the variables, higher ego strength was found to
have a moderating effect on body image dissatisfaction in men who endorsed
femininity, but not with men who endorsed masculinity. An androgynous orientation
further predicted lower body image dissatisfaction irrespective of the degree of ego
strength. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are
discussed.
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