“I’m not as Thin as You Think I Am”: The Development and Consequences of Feeling Discrepant from the Thinness Norm

Abstract

This research examines whether people feel discrepant from others in terms of their attitudes and behaviors related to valued social norms as well as the development and consequences of this perceived discrepancy. To examine these issues, the authors chose a prevalent social norm, namely, the norm of thinness for women. As predicted, participants believed that, compared to themselves, other women are thinner, want to be thinner, exercise more frequently and for more aesthetic reasons (e.g., weight loss, attractiveness), and are more aware of and influenced by the thinness norm. Moreover, upper-class women showed more evidence of perceiving a discrepancy on behavioral norms than first-year women, and women who felt discrepant from the norm showed more symptoms of eating disorders. Discussion focuses on the theoretical and applied implications of these findings.