Stereotype Accuracy of Ballet and Modern Dancers

Abstract

The authors recorded preprofessional ballet and modern dancers' perceptions of the personality traits of each type of dancer and self-reports of their own standing, to test the accuracy of the group stereotypes. Participants accurately stereotyped ballet dancers as scoring higher than modern dancers on Fear of Negative Evaluation and Personal Need for Structure and accurately viewed the groups as equal on Fitness Esteem. Participants inaccurately stereotyped ballet dancers as lower on Body Esteem; the groups actually scored the same. Sensitivity correlations across traits indicated that dancers were accurate about the relative magnitudes of trait differences in the two types of dancers. A group of nondancers reported stereotypes that were usually in the right direction although of inaccurate magnitude, and nondancers were sensitive to the relative sizes of group differences across traits.

Self-Compassion: A Potential Buffer in an Evaluative Dance Environment

“…Fear of negative evaluation is associated with increased anxiety (Mesagno, Harvey, & Janelle, 2012) and decreased perceived competence (Ridgers, Fazey, & Fairclough, 2007). Specifically, ballet dancers experience greater negative self--evaluations than both modern dancers and non--dancers (Clabaugh & Morling, 2004;Druss & Silverman, 1979). As individuals tend to avoid situations in which they may be evaluated negatively, ballet dancers' heightened threat of negative self--evaluation may have unfavorable implications on their commitment to and participation in dance (Ridgers et al, 2007).…”

Dancers' Body Esteem, Fitness Esteem, and Self-esteem in Three Contexts

“…In this respect, the finding for self-esteem replicates the small difference between modern and ballet dancers using the same self-esteem measure, but in a different sample of dancers. 5 Overall, the data emphasizes the similarities, not the differences, between modern and ballet dancers.…”

“…However, in a recent, direct comparison, modern dancers and ballet dancers were shown to have equally negative body esteem on a standard psychological scale, and modern dancers' self-esteem was only slightly higher than ballet dancers. 5 Similarly, in a qualitative study, Green 10 noted that body image messages for modern dancers could be disconcerting and conflicting. Green's participants had experience in many different dance techniques, including ballet and modern dance.…”

“…5 In addition to measuring body and fitness esteem, the study also measured overall self-esteem. Self-esteem is a well-known construct that assesses people's overall liking for, or attitude toward, themselves.…”

The Role of Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Emotion Regulation as Protective Factors Against Disordered Eating in a Sample of University Students

“…Most research about ballet dancers has found an endorsement of perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, preoccupation with eating and weight, and eating disordered practices, (Anshel, 2004;Ringham et al, 2006). Distinct from the continual pressure to maintain low body weight, modern dancers appear to have more physical and artistic freedoms (Clabaugh & Morling, 2004). However, a drive for perfectionism and external pressure to maintain acceptable body weight may increase the risk of developing an eating disorder (Thomas, Keel, & Heatherton, 2005).…”