Assessing potency of self-enrichment skill training to overcome self-objectification in adolescent females

Pages: 177-182
Tarika Sandhu, Sargun Sandhu, Jasvir Kaur, and Harpreet Singh (Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab)

Kaschak (1992) has aptly expressed the origin and implications of self-objectification in the quote, “It is in the eye of the beholder, in which women’s appearance is reflected, evaluated, and given meaning”. There’s an increasing trend of reducing women’s bodies as objects of marketing in contemporary media. More concerning still is the documented increase over time in the objectification and an increase in body image consciousness in younger girls. The study focused on reducing detrimental effects of self-objectification on teenage girls using Self-Enrichment skill training. It comprised of 4 sessions for the N=60 adolescent females high on self-objectification. (age ranging 15-19 years). The Self-Enrichment training is based upon the principles of self-awareness and selfregulation. A pre post experimental design was used to assess efficacy of the training. The Self-Objectification questionnaire by Fredrickson and Roberts (1997 to determine the level of objectification and its psychological impact. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the pre-and post-treatment scores of the participants. Implications of the study point towards effectiveness of the Self-Enrichmentskill training in helping young girls overcome media induced self-objectification thereby paving way for greater self-discovery.