A Study On The Self-objectification Of Adolescent Girls:Perceived Boys' Influence And The Role Of Mentalization

The concept of self-objectification comes from the process of sexual objectification experienced by women in the patriarchal society.It refers to the individual internalizes an "observer" perspective which focused on the physical appearance,then treats and evaluates her body as an "object".(Fredrickson & Roberts,1997).It means that the individual will pay less attention to her inner states or experiences from their own perspective,but evaluates her body or body parts more from the perspective of an spectator.Numerous studies have verified that self-objectification has negative effects on individual's physical and mental development and is related to individuals' high-risk psychological and behavioral problems.With the development of society,it is an universal phenomenon that the sexual objectification information in mass media and social interpersonal relationships lead to the objectification of female groups,which has observed in adolescents(predominantly girls)as well.The objects of current related studies both abroad and home were mostly focused on adult women and researches on measurement tools,antecedents and consequences.Few attention were paid to the impacts of self-objectification on students differentiated by the factors of their age development,interpersonal communication characteristics and internal psychological function.Mentalization refers that individuals based on intentionally mental states such as personal goals,needs,emotions,beliefs,motivations & etc.to explain the meaningfully psychological processes of their and others' behaviors both implicitlyand explicitly,which is a comprehensive concept that integrates multiple mental abilities.(Fonagy & Bateman,2006).It can be explained as individuals' mental state and inner experience of perception and inclusion towards themselves and others from the perspective of an "observer".It is an exemplification that an individual possesses subjective initiative as a whole human being and is capable of reducing excessive attention and emphasis on the physical appearance while strengthen the experience and cognition of the internal state.Therefore,mentalization can be a way of helping reduce the occurrence of self-objectification theoretically.This research subjected on adolescent girls and explored the influence of their male peers' attention and the role of mentalization on girls' self-objectification based on the investigation of the age characteristics of girls' self-objectification.It intended to enrich the domestically theoretical research on self-objectification and mentalization and provided effectively theoretical basis for the prevention and intervention of adolescents' self-objectification.The author randomly selected 1,039 junior and senior high school students(Grade 7-Grade 12)as research subjects by random sampling method and employed questionnaires to conduct the research.Self-objectification Questionnaire(SOQ)(Revised Version),Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youths(RFQY),Perceived Boys' Influence Questionnaire are used to measure the self-objectification,mentalization and perceived boys' influence for 548 girls.To observe boys' attention to girls' objectification,the Boys' Attention on Girls' Objectification Scale is adopted to measure for 491 boys.Meanwhile,the basic demographic information was collected.Upon the basis of the data analysis,the following conclusion can be drawn:(1)Self-objectification of adolescent girls fluctuates with age increase,and significant differences can be observed in the three stages of puberty;(2)Adolescent boys' attention to girls' objectification increases with age and differentiates in age and various phrases of adolescence;(3)Boys' influence perceived by adolescent girls have a significant predictive effect on their self-objectification;(4)Adolescent girls' Mentalization ability fluctuates and rises with age,and no obvious correlation is observed in this study with their self-objectification level.Andit serves a positive regulatory role in their perceived influence from boys and their self-objectification.