Self-Assessment and Appearance Evaluation in Student Group as Predictors in Relationships of Interpersonal Significance

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Abstract

The paper attempts to integrate the concept of relationships of interpersonal significance, approaches to the correlation between physical appearance and life satisfaction, as well as several concepts of interpersonal cognition, self-assessment and evaluations of other people’s physical appearance. It introduces the concept of “insignificant/significant assessor of appearance” and argues that among the factors that turn a group member into the “insignificant/significant assessor of appearance” are evaluations, self-evaluations and group evaluations of physical appearance. The research described in the paper involved 89 students aged 19—21 (M=20 years), 66 females and 23 males, members of five groups that have been studying together for three years. The methods employed in the study included: “The Evaluation/Content Interpretation of Appearance and its Correspondence with Gender/Age Constructs”, a technique developed by V.A. Labunskaya; a modification of a sociometric test that helped reveal “insignificant/significant assessors of appearance”. Also, nonparametric mathematical methods were used to carry out comparative analysis. The outcomes show that there are considerable differences between the self-assessments, evaluations of physical appearance of those group members who are “significant assessors of appearance”, and group evaluations of their appearance. The research was conducted with the assistance of the Southern Federal University (project № 213.01-07-2014/15ПЧВГ “Threats to National Security in Situations of Geopolitical Competition and Models of Aggressive and Hostile Behavior in Children and Youth in Southern Russia” – project part of the inner grant of the Southern Federal University).

General Information

Keywords: significant other, significant relationships, status, appearance, assessment, self-assessment, group assessment, “significant assessor of appearance”

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2016070106

For citation: Labunskaya V.A., Kapitanova E.V. Self-Assessment and Appearance Evaluation in Student Group as Predictors in Relationships of Interpersonal Significance. Sotsial'naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo = Social Psychology and Society, 2016. Vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 72–87. DOI: 10.17759/sps.2016070106. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Vera A. Labunskaya, Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the Department of Social Psychology of the Academy of Psychology and Pedagogy, Southern Federal University, Scientific director of the scientific and educational laboratory "Social psychology of appearance" APP SFU. Deputy Chairman of the Dissertation Council at the SFU., Rostov-na-Donu, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8901-8773, e-mail: vlab@aaanet.ru

Elena V. Kapitanova, PhD student, Academy of Psychology and Pedagogy, Southern Federal University, Rostov-na-Donu, Russia, e-mail: lilien_sw@mail.ru

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