An investigation of the relationship of locus of control and self-monitoring to body image in athletic populations

Abstract

Forty-three college athletes participated (male basketball players, n=13; female basketball players, n=11; male swimmers, n=9; female swimmers, n=10). Two administrations of four self-report questionnaires were completed. Psychological traits of locus of control and self-monitoring were compared to perceptions of body image and predisposition to eating disorders. Measurements used were Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, Self-Monitoring Scale, Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. Males tended to have lower drive for thinness linked with lower fat anxiety as compared to females. Females associated body dissatisfaction with perception of weight. In females, self-monitoring was correlated with feelings of physical attractiveness. Findings support previous literature proposing that women attach negative feelings to the body in relation to an cultural thin ideal. Reliability estimates lacked significance in general. This suggests that the measurements used are not predictive for these subgroups.