Reno Jenna E, McNamee Lacy G
a Department of Communication , University of Kentucky.
Health Commun. 2015;30(4):385-97. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2013.863702. Epub 2014 Jun 19.
This study examines the relationship between sorority communication practices and members' body images through the lens of organizational socialization and identification. Specifically, we analyzed 210 sorority members' memorable messages concerning weight and physical appearance using an inductive coding method. While many of the messages examined were affirming or complimentary in nature, the results of the analysis suggest that these types of messages may positively as well as negatively influence members' body images, behaviors regarding physical appearance, and social identities. These findings contribute to scholarly and practical understandings of the influences on college women's body image and health and the potentially powerful role that organizations play in shaping members' attitudes and actions concerning their eating, exercise, and other aspects of their appearance. Implications for future health communication research in other organizational contexts outside of sororities are also discussed. Additionally, the findings of the current study indicate the broad utility of a memorable messages approach and suggest the need for further examination of the ways in which differing organizational dynamics may demonstrate divergence from traditional sources of memorable messages.
本研究通过组织社会化和认同的视角，考察了姐妹会沟通实践与成员身体意象之间的关系。具体而言，我们采用归纳编码方法，分析了210名姐妹会成员关于体重和外貌的难忘信息。虽然所考察的许多信息本质上是肯定或赞美的，但分析结果表明，这些类型的信息可能对成员的身体意象、外貌相关行为以及社会身份产生积极和消极的影响。这些发现有助于从学术和实践层面理解对大学女生身体意象和健康的影响，以及组织在塑造成员关于饮食、锻炼和其他外貌方面的态度及行为中可能发挥的强大作用。此外，还讨论了对姐妹会之外其他组织环境中未来健康传播研究的启示。另外，当前研究结果表明了难忘信息方法的广泛实用性，并建议进一步考察不同组织动态可能与传统难忘信息来源存在差异的方式。
