“thinking” versus “feeling” fat: Correlates of two indices of body image dissatisfaction

Abstract

This study used figural discrepancy ratings to investigate the cognitive (“thinking”) and affective (“feeling”) components of body image dissatisfaction. The subjects were 178 female undergraduate students. It was found that cognitive and affective measures of body dissatisfaction could be distinguished from each other on the basis of differential prediction of other weight and psychological variables, thereby providing evidence as to their construct validity. When feeling fat was treated as the outcome variable of interest, and weight and thinking fat were statistically controlled, feeling fat was predicted by dietary restraint, self-esteem, and depressed affect. It was concluded that feeling fat represents something more important than simply being overweight or thinking oneself overweight.