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Self-objectification and sexual effects of the media: an exploratory study in early-adolescence.
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Studies from various fields have indicated that sexually oriented media content has a negative impact on the sexual development of adolescents. In spite of the consistency of this finding, the sexual media effect is still disputed, however, because media scholars have not yet presented a sound theoretical explanation. This project aims to investigate the potential of the Objectification Theory to clarify the mechanisms of the sexual media effect. Data from a longitudinal panel study in adolescents of the 2nd, 3th and 4th year of secondary school (N=500) will be used to answer two research questions: (1) Is self-objectification in early-adolescent boys and girls affected by their exposure to objectifying media contents? (2) Does the concept of self-objectification operate as a key element in an explanatory model for sexual media effects? More specifically, it is hypothesized that self-objectification is related to increased internalization of sex role stereotypes, stronger instrumental attitudes toward sexuality, lower body satisfaction, and a decreased uncertainty for the sexual exploration. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that these concepts, in turn, have an influence on adolescents’ early sexual initiation, the number of sexual experiences and the number of sexual partners.
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Project number:
3H090486
Duration of the project:
01.10.2009 - 30.09.2013
Funded research
Nederlands
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