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What I Look Like: College Women, Body Image, and Spirituality

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Abstract

Despite public acknowledgment of the importance of spiritual development, little has been written globally on female young adults’ personal views of their spiritual values and body image. This article briefly presents the findings of a pilot study that explored female college students’ reflections on body image and spirituality. Responses from participants showed that (1) many students are interested in faith and spiritual development; (2) body dissatisfaction affects those women who viewed themselves as spiritual (92%) as well as those who said they were free thinkers (49%). Nevertheless, religion and spiritual values seemed to confer some behavioral protection. Implications for educational programs that will address the spiritual dimension of learning are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR

    Kaili Chen Zhang

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  1. Kaili Chen Zhang
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Correspondence to Kaili Chen Zhang.

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Zhang, K.C. What I Look Like: College Women, Body Image, and Spirituality. J Relig Health 52, 1240–1252 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9566-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9566-0

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