Helga Dittmar
Biographic Data
| ID | 170629 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Helga Dittmar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Helga |
| FAMILY NAME | Dittmar |
| SIGNATURE | DITTMAR H |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Sussex |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6094-3567 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 37 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 249 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 37 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1993 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Applying Objectification Theory to Adolescent Girls’ Gendered Experiences of Physical Education in the United Kingdom
Girls’ interest in physical education declines over adolescence in Western countries (e.g., the United Kingdom). Self-objectification in physical education classes may link girls’ gendered experiences in this environment to their engagement in and enjoyment of physical education. We investigated whether objectifying features of the physical education environment (peer appearance-related commentary, teacher gender bias) are linked to self-objectif…
Identity changes and well-being gains of spending money on material and experiential consumer products
Shifts in subjective well-being of different status groups: A longitudinal case-study during declining income inequality
Adolescent girls' views on cosmetic surgery: A focus group study
This study examined adolescent girls' views of cosmetic surgery. Seven focus groups were run with girls aged 15-18 years ( N = 27). Participants read case studies of women having cosmetic surgery, followed by discussion and exploration of their views. Thematic analysis identified four themes: (1) dissatisfaction with appearance, (2) acceptability of cosmetic surgery, (3) feelings about undergoing cosmetic surgery and (4) cosmetic surgery in the m…
Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (Sataq-4).
The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) and its earlier versions are measures designed to assess societal and interpersonal aspects of appearance ideals. Correlational, structural equation modeling, and prospective studies of the SATAQ-3 have shown consistent and significant associations with measures of body image disturbance and eating pathology. In the current investigation, the SATAQ-3 was revised to improve u…
The impact of cosmetic surgery advertising on women’s body image and attitudes towards cosmetic surgery
Cosmetic surgery is increasingly common, and the way it is advertised has raised concern (American Society of Plastic Surgeons [ASPS], 2004; British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons [BAAPS], 2008). Two experimental, between-participants studies examined the impact of cosmetic surgery advertising on body image and attitudes toward surgery. Study 1 examined the impact of different types of information in such advertising. Women (N = 161) v…
Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being: Evidence from three longitudinal studies and an intervention experiment
The effect of cosmetic surgery reality tv shows on adolescent girls’ body image
Cosmetic surgery media coverage has become common in recent years, with surgery featuring in advertising and reality TV. Concerns have been expressed by the American and British Associations for Plastic Surgery about the nature of this coverage, particularly with respect to the impact on adolescents (ASPS, 2004; BAAPS, 2004). This study was the first to investigate adolescent girls’ responses to a cosmetic surgery TV show using an experimental de…
Consumer culture ideals, extrinsic motivations, and well‐being in children
Internalising the consumer culture ideals of materialism and appearance has been shown to be negatively related to adults' well‐being. Similarly, adults who strive towards these ideals for extrinsic reasons, such as to improve their image or status, have been shown to have lower levels of well‐being than those who strive towards them for intrinsic reasons, such as to help others or support healthy relationships. However, to date, there is little …
To have or to learn? The effects of materialism on British and Chinese children’s learning
This article presents a systematic attempt to examine the associations of materialism with learning in 9- to 11-year-old children in 2 countries of similar economic development but different cultural heritage. Using cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental methods, we test a theoretically driven model of associations among materialism, learning motivations, and learning outcomes. Convergent findings suggest that a materialist orientation i…
The relationship between materialism and personal well-being: A meta-analysis
This meta-analysis investigates the relationship between individuals' materialistic orientation and their personal well-being. Theoretical approaches in psychology agree that prioritizing money and associated aims is negatively associated with individuals' well-being but differ in their implications for whether this is invariably the case. To address these and other questions, we examined 753 effect sizes from 259 independent samples. Materialism…
The relationship between materialistic values and environmental attitudes and behaviors: A meta-analysis
The relationship of materialism to debt and financial well-being: The case of Iceland’s perceived prosperity
Material and Consumer Identities
Consumerism and Well-Being in India and the UK: Identity Projection and Emotion Regulation as Underlying Psychological Processes
Does Media Type Matter? The Role of Identification in Adolescent Girls’ Media Consumption and the Impact of Different Thin-Ideal Media on Body Image
I want it and I want it now: Using a temporal discounting paradigm to examine predictors of consumer impulsivity
This paper proposes a new model of consumer impulsivity, using type of good, a person's endorsement of materialistic values, and identity deficits as predictors. Traditional decision making and psychological accounts see impulsive behaviour as a general overweighing of short-term gratification (I want that dress now) relative to longer-term concerns, irrespective of consumer good. Our proposal is that consumers' impulsivity (a) differs according …
Consumer Culture, Identity and Well-Being: The Search for the 'Good Life' and the 'Body Perfect'
1. Understanding the Impact of Consumer Culture. 2. To Have is to Be? Psychological Functions of Material Possessions. 3. Consuming Passions? Psychological Motives for Buying Consumer Goods. 4. Is this as Good as it Gets? Materialistic Values and Well-Being. 5. I Shop Therefore I Am? Compulsive Buying and Identity-Seeking. 6. Does Size Matter? The Impact of Ultra-Thin Media Models on Women's Body Image and on Advertising Effectiveness. 7. Think '…
Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8-year-old girls
The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined in the present study as a possible cause for young girls' body dissatisfaction. A total of 162 girls, from age 5 to age 8, were exposed to images of either Barbie dolls, Emme dolls (U.S. size 16), or no dolls (baseline control) and then completed assessments of body image. Girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape than girls in the other exposure conditio…
The impact of advertisements featuring ultra-thin or average-size models on women with a history of eating disorders
Previous research demonstrates that exposure to ultra-thin media models leads to increased body image concerns amongst women (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002). There is emerging evidence that attractive, average-size models do not have this negative effect and can be effective in advertising (e.g. Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004). The present study investigates these factors amongst women with a history of eating disorders. Participants either viewed ad…
Body Image and Self‐Esteem Among Adolescent Girls: Testing the Influence of Sociocultural Factors
In Western cultures, girls' self‐esteem declines substantially during middle adolescence, with changes in body image proposed as a possible explanation. Body image develops in the context of sociocultural factors, such as unrealistic media images of female beauty. In a study of 136 U.K. girls aged 11–16, experimental exposure to either ultra‐thin or average‐size magazine models lowered body satisfaction and, consequently, self‐esteem. Self‐esteem…
Compulsive buying - a growing concern? An examination of gender, age, and endorsement of materialistic values as predictors
Compulsive buying is an understudied, but growing, dysfunctional consumer behaviour with harmful psychological and financial consequences. Clinical perspectives treat it as a psychiatric disorder, whereas recent proposals emphasize the increasing endorsement of materialistic values as a cause of uncontrolled buying (e.g. Dittmar, 2004b; Kasser & Kanner, 2004). The present research aims to improve understanding of compulsive buying through examini…
Thin-Ideal Internalization and Social Comparison Tendency as Moderators of Media Models' Impact on Women's Body-Focused Anxiety
Exposure to thin media models has a negative effect on women's body image, and the current study extends previous research by examining the relative impact and interrelation of two moderators: (a) individual differences in women's internalization of the thin ideal, and (b) tendency to make social comparisons with media models. Body-focused anxiety of adult professional women (n = 150) was examined after they had been exposed to one of three types…
Buying on the Internet: Gender Differences in On-line and Conventional Buying Motivations
A Qualitative Investigation of Women's and Men's Body Image Concerns and Their Attitudes Toward Aging
Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8-year-old girls
The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined in the present study as a possible cause for young girls' body dissatisfaction. A total of 162 girls, from age 5 to age 8, were exposed to images of either Barbie dolls, Emme dolls (U.S. size 16), or no dolls (baseline control) and then completed assessments of body image. Girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape than girls in the other exposure conditio…
The experience of homeless women: An exploration of housing histories and the meaning of home
The exploratory study with homeless women presented in this paper aims to highlight two shortcomings in the current literature on homelessness, which accompany the predominant conceptualisation of ‘home’ as a place of safety and security, and homelessness as a primarily structural issue characterised by ‘residential instability’. The first is the paucity of research on homeless women in their own right and the second the lack of studies which exa…
The relationship between materialism and personal well-being: A meta-analysis
This meta-analysis investigates the relationship between individuals' materialistic orientation and their personal well-being. Theoretical approaches in psychology agree that prioritizing money and associated aims is negatively associated with individuals' well-being but differ in their implications for whether this is invariably the case. To address these and other questions, we examined 753 effect sizes from 259 independent samples. Materialism…
A Qualitative Investigation of Women's and Men's Body Image Concerns and Their Attitudes Toward Aging
Self-image – is it in the bag? A qualitative comparison between “ordinary” and “excessive” consumers
Body Image and Self‐Esteem Among Adolescent Girls: Testing the Influence of Sociocultural Factors
In Western cultures, girls' self‐esteem declines substantially during middle adolescence, with changes in body image proposed as a possible explanation. Body image develops in the context of sociocultural factors, such as unrealistic media images of female beauty. In a study of 136 U.K. girls aged 11–16, experimental exposure to either ultra‐thin or average‐size magazine models lowered body satisfaction and, consequently, self‐esteem. Self‐esteem…
Compulsive buying - a growing concern? An examination of gender, age, and endorsement of materialistic values as predictors
Compulsive buying is an understudied, but growing, dysfunctional consumer behaviour with harmful psychological and financial consequences. Clinical perspectives treat it as a psychiatric disorder, whereas recent proposals emphasize the increasing endorsement of materialistic values as a cause of uncontrolled buying (e.g. Dittmar, 2004b; Kasser & Kanner, 2004). The present research aims to improve understanding of compulsive buying through examini…
Buying on the Internet: Gender Differences in On-line and Conventional Buying Motivations
Gender identity and material symbols: Objects and decision considerations in impulse purchases
To have is to be: Materialism and person perception in working-class and middle-class British adolescents
The relationship of materialism to debt and financial well-being: The case of Iceland’s perceived prosperity
Does Media Type Matter? The Role of Identification in Adolescent Girls’ Media Consumption and the Impact of Different Thin-Ideal Media on Body Image
The “Body Beautiful”: English Adolescents' Images of Ideal Bodies
I want it and I want it now: Using a temporal discounting paradigm to examine predictors of consumer impulsivity
This paper proposes a new model of consumer impulsivity, using type of good, a person's endorsement of materialistic values, and identity deficits as predictors. Traditional decision making and psychological accounts see impulsive behaviour as a general overweighing of short-term gratification (I want that dress now) relative to longer-term concerns, irrespective of consumer good. Our proposal is that consumers' impulsivity (a) differs according …
The perceived relationship between the belief in a just world and sociopolitical ideology
Teaching and Learning Politics: A Survey of Practices and Change in UK Universities
The paper presents the results of a survey of practices and change in respect of teaching and learning politics in UK universities for the period 1991/92–1994/95. It begins by contextualizing the survey; summarizing changes that occurred in higher education in the UK in the early 1990s and reviewing key strands in contemporary British literature on teaching and learning in higher education. Following a methods section, the findings of the survey …
The impact of advertisements featuring ultra-thin or average-size models on women with a history of eating disorders
Previous research demonstrates that exposure to ultra-thin media models leads to increased body image concerns amongst women (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002). There is emerging evidence that attractive, average-size models do not have this negative effect and can be effective in advertising (e.g. Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004). The present study investigates these factors amongst women with a history of eating disorders. Participants either viewed ad…
Shifts in subjective well-being of different status groups: A longitudinal case-study during declining income inequality
Adolescent girls' views on cosmetic surgery: A focus group study
This study examined adolescent girls' views of cosmetic surgery. Seven focus groups were run with girls aged 15-18 years ( N = 27). Participants read case studies of women having cosmetic surgery, followed by discussion and exploration of their views. Thematic analysis identified four themes: (1) dissatisfaction with appearance, (2) acceptability of cosmetic surgery, (3) feelings about undergoing cosmetic surgery and (4) cosmetic surgery in the m…
Consumer culture ideals, extrinsic motivations, and well‐being in children
Internalising the consumer culture ideals of materialism and appearance has been shown to be negatively related to adults' well‐being. Similarly, adults who strive towards these ideals for extrinsic reasons, such as to improve their image or status, have been shown to have lower levels of well‐being than those who strive towards them for intrinsic reasons, such as to help others or support healthy relationships. However, to date, there is little …
Material possessions as stereotypes: Material images of different socio-economic groups
The Social Psychology of Material Possessions: To Have Is To Be
Mass consumption and personal identity
The perceived relationship between the belief in a just world and sociopolitical ideology
To have is to be: Materialism and person perception in working-class and middle-class British adolescents
Material possessions as stereotypes: Material images of different socio-economic groups
The Social Psychology of Material Possessions: To Have is to Be
The Social Psychology of Material Possessions: To Have Is To Be
The experience of homeless women: An exploration of housing histories and the meaning of home
The exploratory study with homeless women presented in this paper aims to highlight two shortcomings in the current literature on homelessness, which accompany the predominant conceptualisation of ‘home’ as a place of safety and security, and homelessness as a primarily structural issue characterised by ‘residential instability’. The first is the paucity of research on homeless women in their own right and the second the lack of studies which exa…
Gender identity and material symbols: Objects and decision considerations in impulse purchases
Wirtschaftspsychologie: Grundlagen und anwendungsfelder der ökonomischen psychologie
Teaching and Learning Politics: A Survey of Practices and Change in UK Universities
The paper presents the results of a survey of practices and change in respect of teaching and learning politics in UK universities for the period 1991/92–1994/95. It begins by contextualizing the survey; summarizing changes that occurred in higher education in the UK in the early 1990s and reviewing key strands in contemporary British literature on teaching and learning in higher education. Following a methods section, the findings of the survey …
The “Body Beautiful”: English Adolescents' Images of Ideal Bodies
Self-image – is it in the bag? A qualitative comparison between “ordinary” and “excessive” consumers
A Qualitative Investigation of Women's and Men's Body Image Concerns and Their Attitudes Toward Aging
Thin-Ideal Internalization and Social Comparison Tendency as Moderators of Media Models' Impact on Women's Body-Focused Anxiety
Exposure to thin media models has a negative effect on women's body image, and the current study extends previous research by examining the relative impact and interrelation of two moderators: (a) individual differences in women's internalization of the thin ideal, and (b) tendency to make social comparisons with media models. Body-focused anxiety of adult professional women (n = 150) was examined after they had been exposed to one of three types…
Buying on the Internet: Gender Differences in On-line and Conventional Buying Motivations
The impact of advertisements featuring ultra-thin or average-size models on women with a history of eating disorders
Previous research demonstrates that exposure to ultra-thin media models leads to increased body image concerns amongst women (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002). There is emerging evidence that attractive, average-size models do not have this negative effect and can be effective in advertising (e.g. Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004). The present study investigates these factors amongst women with a history of eating disorders. Participants either viewed ad…
Body Image and Self‐Esteem Among Adolescent Girls: Testing the Influence of Sociocultural Factors
In Western cultures, girls' self‐esteem declines substantially during middle adolescence, with changes in body image proposed as a possible explanation. Body image develops in the context of sociocultural factors, such as unrealistic media images of female beauty. In a study of 136 U.K. girls aged 11–16, experimental exposure to either ultra‐thin or average‐size magazine models lowered body satisfaction and, consequently, self‐esteem. Self‐esteem…
Compulsive buying - a growing concern? An examination of gender, age, and endorsement of materialistic values as predictors
Compulsive buying is an understudied, but growing, dysfunctional consumer behaviour with harmful psychological and financial consequences. Clinical perspectives treat it as a psychiatric disorder, whereas recent proposals emphasize the increasing endorsement of materialistic values as a cause of uncontrolled buying (e.g. Dittmar, 2004b; Kasser & Kanner, 2004). The present research aims to improve understanding of compulsive buying through examini…
Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8-year-old girls
The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined in the present study as a possible cause for young girls' body dissatisfaction. A total of 162 girls, from age 5 to age 8, were exposed to images of either Barbie dolls, Emme dolls (U.S. size 16), or no dolls (baseline control) and then completed assessments of body image. Girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape than girls in the other exposure conditio…
Consumer Culture, Identity and Well-Being: The Search for the 'Good Life' and the 'Body Perfect'
1. Understanding the Impact of Consumer Culture. 2. To Have is to Be? Psychological Functions of Material Possessions. 3. Consuming Passions? Psychological Motives for Buying Consumer Goods. 4. Is this as Good as it Gets? Materialistic Values and Well-Being. 5. I Shop Therefore I Am? Compulsive Buying and Identity-Seeking. 6. Does Size Matter? The Impact of Ultra-Thin Media Models on Women's Body Image and on Advertising Effectiveness. 7. Think '…
I want it and I want it now: Using a temporal discounting paradigm to examine predictors of consumer impulsivity
This paper proposes a new model of consumer impulsivity, using type of good, a person's endorsement of materialistic values, and identity deficits as predictors. Traditional decision making and psychological accounts see impulsive behaviour as a general overweighing of short-term gratification (I want that dress now) relative to longer-term concerns, irrespective of consumer good. Our proposal is that consumers' impulsivity (a) differs according …
Material and Consumer Identities
Consumerism and Well-Being in India and the UK: Identity Projection and Emotion Regulation as Underlying Psychological Processes
Does Media Type Matter? The Role of Identification in Adolescent Girls’ Media Consumption and the Impact of Different Thin-Ideal Media on Body Image
The relationship of materialism to debt and financial well-being: The case of Iceland’s perceived prosperity
Psychology (34 works) · Social Psychology (26 works) · Social Psychology (20 works) · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification (19 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Developmental psychology (15 works) · Eating Disorders and Behaviors (15 works) · Materialism (13 works) · Epistemology (10 works) · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies (8 works)