The Relationship Between Social Comparison And Social Anxiety Of Female College Students: The Mediating Role Of Negative Physical Self

Based on the theoretical basis of domestic and foreign researches, the study was intended to explore into the features of social comparison orientation, social comparison effect, negative physical self and their relationship with social anxiety so as to expand the research field of social anxiety. Besides, the study was aimed at helping female college students to make positive social comparisons and form their own body images, reducing social anxiety, regulating negative experiences,promoting their social interactions as well as providing empirical evidence and support for the improvement of their mental health levels.Taking 992 female college students who studies in Nanjing, Yangzhou and other cities as research subjects and employing questionnaire and research tools including Lowa-Notherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM), Social Comparison Effects Scale, Negative Physical Self Scale (NPSS) and Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADs), the study made a preliminary investigation into the relations between social comparison orientation, social comparison effect, negative physical self and social anxiety. Research results obtained in this thesis were as follows:(1) Female college students' social anxiety is significantly higher than the norm.(2) There is a significant correlation between female college students' social comparison orientation, negative physical self and social anxiety. Social comparison orientation is significantly positively correlated with social anxiety. Negative physical-self dimensions except thinness is significantly positively correlated with social anxiety. Social comparison orientation is positively correlated with general appearance, appearance, fatness negative physical-self dimensions.(3) There is a significant correlation between female students' social comparison effect, negative physical self and social anxiety. Upward-assimilation effect is significantly negatively correlated with general appearance and appearance negative physical-self dimensions. Upward-contract effect is significantly positively correlated with general appearance, appearance and fatness negative physical-self dimensions.Downward-assimilation effect is significantly positively correlated with general appearance, appearance, fatness, shortness and thinness negative physical-self dimensions. Downward-contract effect is significantly positively correlated with appearance and fatness negative physical-self dimension. Upward-assimilation effect is significantly negatively correlated with social anxiety. Upward-contract effect,downward-assimilation effect and downward-contract effect are significantly positively correlated with social anxiety.(4) Negative physical self plays a partial mediating role between social comparison and social anxiety while social comparison effects play a complete mediating role between social comparison orientation and negative physical self and social comparison orientation and social anxiety.Conclusions drawn in this thesis are as follows: (1) Female college students'social anxiety is very serious. (2) Most female college students are dissatisfied with their bodies. (3) Social comparison effect can not only directly affect social anxiety,but also indirectly affect social anxiety through negative physical self. Taking social comparison effect as the medium,social comparison orientation indirectly affects negative physical self and social anxiety. (4) The more frequently female college students adopt upward divergence comparisons,downward similarity comparisons and downward divergence comparisons, the more unsatisfied they will become with their bodies and the higher levels their social anxiety will reach in the meantime.Conversely, the more frequently female college students employ upward similarity comparisons, the more satisfied they will feel with their bodies and the lower levels their social anxiety will reach.