The thesis Views of preschool children on body image examines the views of preschool children on their own body image and the body image of others.
In the theoretical part, I first focus on self-image, its development and importance for human beings. I further focus on one of the extremely important aspects of self image, namely body image, which has a profound impact on each individual's experience of the world and of life in general. Due to the importance of the factors that influence the development of (body) self-image, our behavior and well-being, I then focus on society, its ideals and expectations of girls/boys or women/men. In addition to social ideals and the definition of gender differences in the development of (body) self-image, I also focus on analyzing other factors (age, parents, peers, media, preschool teachers and teachers) that contribute to the development of an individual's (body) self-image.
The results of research carried out abroad in this field are worrying, while in Slovenia they are insufficient or non-existent. For this reason, I conducted a survey among Slovenian preschool children to find out: how satisfied Slovenian children are with their body image; whether they choose friends to play based on their physical appearance; whether they may have a negative attitude towards people with a heavier body image; whether they judge persons by their physical appearance, and whether they are aware of the teasing of another on the basis of his/her body image.
The results described in the empirical part of the thesis show that preschool children are already aware of the demands of society and its ideals. Namely, some five- and six-year-old children expressed dissatisfaction with their own body image and desire for a slimmer or heavier physique. The results further show that children would mostly choose people with a slimmer body image as a playmate. Children attributed the most negative and very few positive personality traits to heavier people. They expressed their own internalized negative beliefs towards heavier body images. It has also been shown that some children already understand and are aware of the teasing of others because of their body image. Nevertheless, it is encouraging that children did not always focus on the physical appearance of persons, but showed that they also see more than just appearance on an individual.
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