Relationship between Sociotropy, Autonomy and Appearance Anxiety among Emerging Adults

Abstract

In contemporary society where external validation is on what self-worth is based on, the concepts of sociotropy, autonomy and appearance anxiety are increasingly relevant in understanding mental health concerns among emerging adults. Sociotropy is an excessive investment in social and interpersonal relations while autonomy is excessive concern regarding personal achievement and control (Sato & McCann, 2006). Appearance anxiety is preoccupation with one’s appearance and a fear that one’s appearance may be negatively evaluated by others (Hart, 2008). The present study aimed to explore the relationship between sociotropy autonomy and appearance anxiety among emerging adults. A sample of 200 was selected using purposive sampling. Sociotropy autonomy scale (SAS) (Beck, 1983) and Appearance anxiety scale (AAI) (Veale et. al, 2014) were used. Pearson’s correlation and linear regression were for the analysis of the obtained data. Aligning with the existing literature, the findings revealed that sociotropy is highly correlated and predicts self-esteem and appearance regarded issues by indicating a significant positive relationship between sociotropy and appearance anxiety (r=0.418, p<0.01) and by indicating that sociotropy was a significant predictor of appearance anxiety (R²=0.175, p<0.01).The findings suggest development of interventions to cultivate intrinsic validation and self-acceptance for people with appearance anxiety and development of early interventions to reduce the incidence of the issue.