Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between disordered eating, the Superwoman ideal, competitiveness, and achievement motivation. The EAT-26, Personality Research Form (Achievement scale), and Self-Roles Inventory were administered to 69 10–12th-grade girls (69.6% White, 11.6% Hispanic, 5.8% Black, 5.8% Asian, 7.2% no information on ethnicity). EAT-26 scores were not significantly associated with attending an academically competitive high school, having a high achievement motivation, or considering a number of roles as important to one's sense of self (adherence to the Superwoman ideal). EAT-26 scores were significantly higher among the girls attending the average high school. It is important to conduct further investigations of the Superwoman ideal since it has been posited as a risk factor for eating disorders, but has been the focus of only a few empirical studies.
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Crago, M., Yates, A., Fleischer, C.A. et al. The Superwoman ideal and other risk factors for eating disturbances in adolescent girls. Sex Roles 35, 801–810 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544093
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544093