Physique Anxiety and Self-Efficacy Influences on Perceptions of Physical Evaluation

The present study integrated concepts from social cognitive and self-presentational theories to determine the relationships among social physique anxiety, self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and state anxiety in situations of varying physical evaluation potential. These situations included scenarios considered to be high in physical evaluation, low in physical evaluation, and an exercise condition scenario, considered as high and low in physical evaluation by different individuals. Results demonstrated that the highest levels of state anxiety were found in the high physical evaluation/threat conditions and the lowest levels of anxiety were reported in the low physical evaluation/threat conditions. Additionally, the results demonstrated that being female and higher in physique anxiety resulted in greater self-reported state anxiety when encountering a physically evaluative condition of high threat potential. In exercise conditions, it was found that more efficacious individuals reported less state anxiety, however, in low physical evaluation conditions none of the variables predicted state anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of the integration of concepts from the social cognitive perspective and self-presentation theory and social physique anxiety as a dispositional quality.