A closer look at the role of social influence in the development of attitudes to eating

Abstract

The relationship between social in¯uence and the development of attitudes to eating was explored in an experimental study. Schoolgirls (n 59, median age 15 years) listened to an interview in which the interviewee (identi®ed as a radical feminist, a sportswoman or a women's magazine journalist) gave either a pro-diet or an anti-diet message. Following the interview, participants completed a questionnaire which examine their attitudes to eating and their judgements of the interviewee. The results supported predictions that in¯uence would vary as an interactive function of the message and the normative ingroup±outgroup status of the message source. However, dierent patterns of in¯uence were observed on two factors that emerged from an analysis of the eating disorder items, suggesting that there were important dierences in the shaping of subjects' beliefs about appropriate eating behaviour, (a) for themselves personally and (b) for the community in general. The ®ndings suggest that social in¯uence has a signi®cant but complex impact upon the development of potentially harmful attitudes to eating. It also appears that, for a variety of reasons, certain anti-diet messages may actually be a counter-productive means of improving female body satisfaction. # 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

When group members go against the grain: An ironic interactive effect of group identification and normative content on healthy eating

“…Moreover, the experimental design of Study 3 gives us greater confidence for asserting that both normative content and social identification play a causal role in driving eating behaviour. In light of previous uncertainties around this issue (e.g., see Balaam & Haslam, 1998), we would argue that this is a non-trivial contribution to the field.…”

Taking the strain: Social identity, social support, and the experience of stress

“…However, in contrast to this view, social identity and self-categorization theories (Tajfel & Turner, 1979;Turner, 1985;Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, & Wetherell, 1987;Turner, Oakes, Haslam, & McGarty, 1994;see also McGarty, Haslam, Hutchinson, & Turner 1994;Balaam & Haslam, 1998) suggest a more complex model of stress in which appraisal processes and stress outcomes are structured by group memberships that are internalized by individuals to a greater or lesser extent (Haslam, 2004). In particular, this is because a sense of shared identity is argued to be a basis for both giving and receiving social support.…”

Leftover Consumption as a Means of Food Waste Reduction in Public Space? Qualitative Insights from Online Discussions

“…"So you make the world a little bit better, in community of course, while the others are all sitting there isolated (no community at all)" (392). This differentiation reflects the social identity approach of in-groups and out-groups, or inclusion and exclusion [88,89]. Those consumers who consume other consumers' plate leftovers represent the in-group; they form the community.…”