INTERNALIZATION OF THE THIN IDEAL AS A CAUSAL RISK FACTOR AND A MEDIATOR OF INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON EATING DISORDER SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN

The current cultural definition of female beauty is a source of pressure placed on women to attain extremely thin figures. Incorporation of this standard into how a woman thinks she should look, a desire to attain it and engagement in appearance-invested behaviours refer to the construct of thin-ideal internalization. Three prominent socio-cultural theories of the development of eating disorders propose the impact of internalization of the thin ideal on body image. These are: the socio-cultural model of eating disorders, the tripartite influence model and the objectification theory. Thin-ideal internalization is a widely recognized risk factor in eating disorders in women. Kraemer´s typology of risk factors provides clarification of the terms correlate, fixed marker, variable risk factor, variable marker and causal risk factor for the certain outcome.