Relation Between Youth Orientation, Terror Management Theory and Interest in Cosmetic Surgery Among Female College Students

Year

2010

Season

Summer

Paper Type

Master's Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Arts in General Psychology (MAGP)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Randall Russac

Second Advisor

Dr. Michael Toglia

College Dean

Dr. Barbara A. Hetrick

Abstract

According to Terror Management Theory, in order to control the terror that occurs from confrontation with mortality people require buffers especially in the form of culture: children, self-esteem and body association. The foci of the current study were to investigate the extent to which interest in cosmetic surgery is associated with death anxiety, youth orientation and/or terror management theory. The current sample included 122 undergraduate women age 18-44; 76 aged 20-29 were the focus of this study. There was a significant association between interest in having cosmetic surgery and low selfesteem, aspects of the desire for offspring scale and Collett-Lester Revised scale for death anxiety, the likelihood of recommending cosmetic surgery to others and for having cosmetic surgery in the future. The use of recent publications of scales for aging anxiety as well as for women's interest in cosmetic surgery would be useful variables to examine in future studies.

This paper is not available digitally at this time. Please contact the library for assistance.

Share

COinS