Power, Self-Esteem, and Body Image

Abstract

We expected power – the perceived capacity to influence others – to be an antecedent of positive body image because power is closely linked to self-esteem, which in turn is linked to body image. In a cross-sectional study ( N = 318), sense of power was positively related to body appreciation and satisfaction with one’s appearance. Self-esteem partially mediated this effect. In an experimental study ( N = 114), participants assigned to a high-power group indicated more body appreciation, reported more body satisfaction, and estimated themselves to be taller than participants assigned to a low-power group. Self-esteem mediated all the effects. Altogether, power affected body image directly but also indirectly through elevated self-esteem. Implications refer to clinical prevention and intervention programs.

Not All Levels of Social Re-Inclusion Allow for Recovery from Negative Outcomes of Social Exclusion: The Moderating Role of Self-Esteem

“…In psychology, the importance of self-esteem has been recognized since the late nineteenth century [21]. Self-esteem is a person's evaluation of their worth as a person [22], determined by the ratio of their actualities to their supposed potentialities [23].…”

“…Researchers have explored the moderating role of self-esteem in the relationship between the external environment and outcomes. Self-esteem has been found to facilitate health and positive social behaviors, while buffering the impact of negative influences [28,29] as well as the negative impact of experimentally manipulated threats to body image and appearance [21]. Some studies have focused on the role of self-esteem on the effects of social exclusion, reporting that participants with low self-esteem were more vulnerable to social exclusion than those with high self-esteem [30].…”

“It doesn’t matter if you are in charge of the trees, you always miss the trees for the forest”: Power and the illusion of explanatory depth

“…Even if sense of power is different from structural power [ 13 ] the two forms are typically highly correlated [ 5 ]. In that vein, Magee and Galinsky [ 14 ], in their seminal review on power, assume that research based on power manipulations targeting sense of power are also applicable to structural power, and that it can therefore be assumed that results from studies on sense of power are also applicable to organizational contexts [ 15 – 17 ].…”