Our Bodies, Ourselves Revisited:
Male Body Image and Psychological Well-Being
DAVID TAGER GLENN E. GOOD
University of Missouri, Columbia
JULIE BAUER MORRISON
Glendale Community College
Given increasing objectification of the male body and rising steroid and sup-
plement use among young men, it is imperative to explore associations be-
tween body image, masculine norms, and psychological well-being. This
study examines correlations between these constructs in 101 male college stu-
dents. Results revealed significant associations between participants' physical
self-evaluations and two aspects of psychological well-being. Appearance
evaluation accounted for approximately 20 percent of variance in participants'
psychological self-acceptance. Body image correlated positively with per-
ceived environmental mastery and with the masculine norm of dominance. A
negative correlation was observed between childhood victimization and body
image. Participants who considered themselves overweight reported lower
self-acceptance than participants who considered themselves to be under-
weight. Results support the hypothesis that body image has become a signif-
icant predictor of psychological well-being in young men.
Keywords: male body, body image, masculine norms, psychological well-
being, weight
There is substantial literature on the relations of negative body image to self-con-
cept, eating disorders, and psychological distress in females, and on addressing body
image issues in counseling (e.g., Fallon, Katzman, & Wooley, 1994; Johnson, Roberts,
David Tager, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri,
Columbia; Glenn E. Good, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of
Missouri, Columbia; Julie Bauer Morrison, Department of Psychology, Glendale Community College.
Correspondence conceming this article should be addressed to David Tager, Department of Educational,
School, and Counseling Psychology, 16 Hill Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-2130. Elec-
tronic mail: dst79c@mizzou.edu
Imernational Journal of Men's Health, Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 2006,228-237.
© 2006 by the Men's Studies Press, LLC. http://www.mensstudies.com. All rights reserved.
1532-6306.0503.228
228