Tory Higgins's Self-Discrepancy Theory

Self-discrepancy Theory Looking back to 1987, Edward Tory Higgins established a “Self-Discrepancy Theory” that provides a foundation of how different kinds of selves associate with emotional vulnerabilities. When the real and ideal self are not aligning with each other, the imbalance can cause a self-discrepancy to rise, all of which, may lead to negative emotions or act as motivator for one to pursuit the ideal appearance. This means that a self-discrepancy can influence a person to find a way to fix or change their physical appearance that will help them reach their goals. It can be recognized that the closer the gap between the actual and ideal self is, the more pride and positive feelings one can have about themselves. In contrast, the

This theory was origins by George Mead in his symbolic interactionism called “Mind, Self and Society”. His book expressed that, individuals tend to define themselves using symbols of material or non-material they have observed; ranged from anything such as behavior, discourse or socially recognized status, and use that symbols to communicate their self-definitions to society. The self-definitions of someone can certainly be changed depends on the norms and cultural influences of the existing locations. For instance, a man who has spent his entire life growing up with a single mom may admire a woman’s personality and appearance which then suddenly encourages him to begin using feminine products, cloths, and cosmetics. Symbols are a meaningful tool to shape individuals’ self-definition. Indeed, individual may seek for alternative symbols of accomplishment if they lack of one (Moss,

Camouflage behavior is a non-permeance reformation of the physical configuration. It occurs when individuals demand on changing how they look instead of hiding it with clothes or cosmetics. The function of camouflage may unnecessary be visible or noticeable. However, it does alter the face or body to look different from its true nature (Holman, 1982). Surprisingly, cosmetic surgeries such as face lifts, eyelid lift, liposuction, Botox, Filler, laser resurfacing are considered as camouflaging behavior. Compensatory Behavior.

A definition based on dictionay.com directed that compensation is a method of adjusting, constructing, or counterbalancing. The deficiency of actual self image and unsatisfying attempts have the tendency to resulted in a psychological process called compensatory behavior (Cash & Walker, 1981). The use of cosmetic surgery can compensate the dissatisfaction parts of the face or the body. Some examples of cosmetic surgeries that illustrate compensatory behavior would be breast augmentation, buttock augmentation, rhinoplasty (nose job), gender reassignment.

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