Sambandet mellan träningsfrekvens och explicita attityder mot överviktiga genom atletisk identitet, internalisering av atletiskt ideal och internalisering av tunt/smalt ideal

The purpose of the study was to examine whether athletic identity, internalization of the thin ideal, and internalization of the athletic ideal mediate the relationships between exercise and explicit attitudes toward overweight individuals. A total of 141 individuals participated in the study, including 55 men, 84 women, and one participant who chose not to disclose their gender, aged between 17 and 74 years (M = 23.35). Whether these variables mediate the relationship between exercise frequency and explicit attitudes toward overweight individuals was investigated through a quantitative survey consisting of four questionnaires. The results showed significant indirect effects with both athletic identity and internalization of the athletic ideal as mediators. However, the results did not show a significant indirect effect with internalization of the thin ideal as a mediator. The findings suggest that individuals who exercise and have a high level of athletic identity or internalize the athletic ideal have explicit attitudes toward overweight individuals. These results can further be explained by The Social Comparison Theory, which suggests that social comparisons develop characteristics, opinions, and behaviors, forming the basis of a person's identity and the ideals they internalize.