女性自我客体化与他人客体化
Female Self-Objectification and Others Objectification
摘要: 在当前“雌竞”现象不断发生的社会,这背后对女性产生的影响值得我们去探究。女性以观察者的视角对自己进行评价,并与社会文化所强调的美丽的标准进行监视自己的外表和身体,这一过程就是自我客体化,相比于男性,女性更容易产生自我客体化。女性的高自我客体化水平会导致对其他女性的客体化,从而影响自己的人际关系,可能也会对自己的心理健康也产生负面影响。社会比较和依恋焦虑是导致女性对其他女性客体化的重要心理机制。未来应扩大研究群体,运用多种方法,探究我国文化背景下的他人客体化研究。
Abstract: In the current society where the phenomenon of “female competition” continues to occur, the impact on women behind it is worth exploring. Women evaluate themselves from the perspective of an observer and monitor their appearance and body in accordance with the beauty standards emphasized by social culture. This process is self-objectification, which is easier for women than for men. Women’s high levels of self-objectification can lead to objectification of other women, which can affect their own relationships and possibly negatively affect their own mental health as well. Social comparison and attachment anxiety are important psychological mechanisms that cause women to objectify to other women. In the future, the research group should be expanded, and various methods should be used to explore the objectification of others under the background of Chinese culture.
文章引用:刘妍芊. 女性自我客体化与他人客体化[J]. 社会科学前沿, 2024, 13(10): 362-368. https://doi.org/10.12677/ass.2024.1310933

1. 女性自我客体化的表现形式

1.1. 自拍行为

自我客体化最常见的表现就是自拍行为[1] [2]。如高频率自拍[3]、自拍编辑[4]、自拍投资[4]、以及照片评论点赞[5],这些行为都会导致女性过度关注自己的外貌,并不断地进行身体监视,将自己看作一个客体。自我客体化所进行的不同自拍行为的重点也不同[4],如高频率自拍行为,Lyu发现高频率的自拍行为,导致个体以一种客体化的角度去看待自己,不断地进行身体监视,产生身体羞耻[3];而自拍编辑行为,Chen发现高自我客体化的女性在网络互动中更有可能从事策略性的自我呈现行为,比如在将照片发布到社交媒体之前对照片进行调整或编辑,这种编辑行为会导致女性重点关注自己的外表[6]。对于照片的点赞行为,Seekis等发现关于外表相关的评论主要是会导致身体监视和身体羞耻感[7]。这些行为背后都是和高水平的自我客体化有关。

1.2. 自我客体化的环境

自我客体化的一个重要的表现是重视外表,所以除了自拍行为,生活中还存在隐形的自我客体化环境。例如物质主义的思想——“美貌作为一种货币”。在将美貌作为一种货币信念下,女性对自己的外貌越来越重视,这意味着她们会不断地去审视自己的外貌和身体即自我客体化[8] [9],Teng发现受到物质主义的影响,个体会倾向去客体化自己,不断地进行自我的监视[10]。此外,社会文化下所强调的美丽理想,让女性进行的关于外表的对话,强调外表的重要性[5],会让女性不自觉的去审视自己的身体,当其认识到与理想的标准之间的差距时,会导致身体的羞耻[11]

2. 他人客体化及其形成机制

2.1. 客体化理论

根据客体化理论[12],频繁的性客体化经历会诱使女性内化第三方的自我观点,因为一些女性开始通过性客体化的镜头来看待自己,这一过程被称为自我客体化。即被他人以性客体化的方式看待后从外部角度评价自己的身体,只关注那些可观察到的身体属性(例如,“我看起来怎么样?”)而不是从内部的角度,专注于不可观察的身体属性(例如,“我感觉如何?”),通常表现为习惯性地监测一个人的身体和外部外观。将自己性客体化的女性非常重视自己的外表,并习惯性地从观察者的角度监视自己的外表(即身体监视) [13]

客体化理论提出之后,很多研究者支持了关于性客体化导致自我客体化这一过程[14] [15],也有很多研究者发现,个体暴露在性化信息下会导致他人的客体化[16],Fredrickson & Roberts发现性化经历(如媒体使用)不仅可能导致自我客体化,还可能导致客体化他人的倾向[12]。Davidson等提出自我客体化先于他人客体化的路径[17],很多研究者也支持了这一路径,将自己客体化得更多的人也会将他人客体化得更多[18] [19]。把他人当作客体化时,会产生很多负面的影响,如,会不自觉将客体化的人都视为能力较差、智力较低[20] [21],对人际关系产生很大影响[12] [22],忽视他人的需求,并助长侵犯和虐待行为[23],以及降低与伴侣的关系质量。不难看出,由于性客体化诱发的自我客体化从而导致女性对他人的客体化,进而对女性的生活带来很多负面影响。

2.2. 女性之间的互动关系的理论依据

他人客体化是在自我客体化的基础上形成的[17],目前对于他人客体化的形成机制较少,当前主要是从社会比较、依恋类型等方面,去解释女性对他人客体化的形成机制。

2.2.1. 社会比较

Festinger的社会比较理论认为,个体倾向于将自己与相似的他人进行比较,以评价自己[24]。当人们进行向上的外表比较时,会导致个体采用观察者的视角来看待自己的身体和外貌[25],她们会更加关注外貌[26],更重视自己的体重和体型的女性在评估其他女性时也更重视这些方面[27]。因此,自我客体化的青少年可能会过度关注同龄人的外貌,从而形成一种客体化凝视[28]。Lindner和Davidson也发现女性在社交比较过程中,会助长自己的自我客体化和他人客体化,从而产生一些负面的影响,如身体不满意、进食障碍等[17] [19]。总之,社会比较对他人客体化的影响主要是由于外貌方面的比较导致的客体化,即女性倾向于通过与他人比较来评估自身外貌,导致自我和他人客体化。

2.2.2. 依恋

依恋理论是理解人际关系如何促进个体健康和适应功能的最广泛应用的概念框架之一[29]。依恋焦虑也会增加女性被他人客体化和自我客体化的风险[30] [31]。Calkins等人发现不安全依恋类型会认为他人不值得信任或自己因过去的虐待而不讨人喜欢,而这些扭曲有可能增加自己和他人成为客观化目标和实施者的可能性[32]。患有高度依恋焦虑的人可能会认为自己不那么可爱,预计会被别人拒绝,因此可能更有可能持续监控自己的外表,当他们觉得自己的身体达不到理想的美丽标准时,他们会感到羞愧。将他人客体化最显著的特点就是将他人非人化[33],Feeney的研究发现依恋不安全感高的个体可能更有可能专注于非人性的经历,然后在它们发生时回忆起来[29]。DeVille等研究发现依恋焦虑和回避与女性更多的身体监视联系在一起[34]。不安全的依恋类型可能会导致女性在互动中感受到威胁,从而在潜意识中将他人视为竞争对手,增加了客体化的倾向。

2.2.3. 其他

除了社会比较理论和依恋理论来解释他人客体化的形成机制,有研究者还从其他角度去解释自我客体化的个体对他人客体化之间的机制,如Landau等人(2012)从不确定性的角度去解释他人客体化的形成机制,他们认为,当人们对他人的主体性能力感到不确定时,就会选择淡化他的能力,从而把他当成一种客体来对待,于是会从外貌等方面来代表对方,这一类人最有可能客体化他人[35]。Keefer也认为主观性不确定性会导致人们对伴侣的看法简单,因为自己不确定是否能够建立亲密关系,所以可能会客体化对象[36]。而Davidso则认为女性受到陌生人骚扰的经历可能会导致自我客体化,进而可能导致对他人的客体化。更多的陌生人骚扰预示着更多的自我客体化,导致进行过多的身体监视,以及把他人当作客体化来进行看待[17]。另外Lachowicz-Tabaczek还发现脆弱自恋和自大自恋程度越高,客体化倾向越强。有高度自恋特质的人都倾向于通过他人对实现自己目标的有用性这一棱镜来看待他人,同时忽视他人的某些人性特质[37]。这几个角度要么从被客体化的对象角度去解释,要么从实施客体化主体背后的原因去解释。

总之,性客体化对女性的影响是潜移默化的,当女性不知道什么时候形成了这种视角去关注自己时即自我客体化,在与人相处之中,就会无形之中将他人进行客体化去对待。

3. 为何被客体化的女性会客体化其他女性

Strelan和Hargreaves通过一项调查发现,女性的自我客体化与客体化其他女性呈正相关,因此提出“客体化循环”,即自我客体化的女性更可能去客体化他人,而客体化他人这一行为将导致女性增加其自我客体化[18]。女性比男性经历更多的自我客体化[12] [38],男性对女性的客体化可能与当男性关注女性的外表吸引力时变得突出的性目标有关[39] [40],女性对女性的客体化可能更密切地与一种信念有关,即一些妇女在交配市场上活跃,具有竞争动机,并且可以获得性机会[41]。一种解释是一些女性可能觉得她们潜在的高质量男性伴侣池受到这些性别化的浪漫竞争对手的威胁,并可能随后将这些女性客体化为对这一威胁的负面反应[41]。如Johnson通过一项研究发现,对照组中无任何能力或学术表示的女性暴露图片下,女性对其客体化水平明显大于有能力、学术水平条件下的女性图片[42]。目前的研究对于女性客体化其他女性的背后的理论解释主要是从性化移除效应、性内竞争等角度进行探讨。

从性化溢出效益的角度来看,当女性以性化的形式被客体化后会对别的女性也进行客体化,Guillén通过一项研究证明了此效应的存在,一位女商人的性化可能会对另一位随后被评估的女性求职者产生影响[43]。那些自我客体化的人不仅高度意识到自己的外表,而且也意识到他人的外表,女性应该更有可能将客体化的内在化观点投射到其他女性身上[18]

Staines等人认为女性会从竞争的角度看待其他女性,因此倾向于对她们的成就或成功(尤其是在男性主导的环境中)产生负面偏见[44]。Vaes等人发现女性将其他有吸引力的女性客体化,并与其产生距离,表现出回避倾向一种可能性是被客体化的女性对整个女性类别构成了威胁,另一种可能性更多地与自我保护有关[39]。而被客体化的个体觉得他们可以被其他人或物体取[45]。综上所述,这些解释多针对某些场景的客体化或者他人客体化形式,并不能完全解释他人客体化,后续还需要研究进一步进行验证和探讨。

4. 问题与展望

关于自我客体化到他人客体化之间的机制,大部分都集中在人际关系方面,如Vangee发现自我客体化与对朋友进行客体化有关,青少年对于外貌相关的关注会滋长相互客体化的现象[28],还有自我客体化的个人更有可能客体化他们的伴侣[18] [36]。因此,女性自我客体化导致对他人客体化的研究,未来还需要从以下几个方面推进。

第一,目前的研究的对象主要是年轻女性,还需要扩大群体去研究,如中年女性、男性等等都是有可能导致自我客体化[18] [46]。因此,未来研究要考虑多种类型的群体去进行研究,不仅要考虑不同年龄、不同社会背景的女性,也要考虑同年龄段的男性或者其他类型的群体。

第二,目前的研究方法主要集中在自我报告,方法指标太过单一,要和其他方法进行结合如脑科学等,未来可以借助这些方法,可以更深入的探讨关于客体化的研究。

第三,目前的研究的背景主要是在西方文化下,女性的客体化影响,在未来,需要重视我国文化背景下对自我客体化和他人客体化的研究。

总体而言,自我客体化与他人客体化之间形成了一种相互影响的循环机制,影响了女性的社会关系和心理状态。未来的研究应更加关注不同文化背景下的自我客体化现象,并采用多元化的方法探索其对女性生活的广泛影响,以期为改善女性心理健康和社会互动提供实用的策略和建议。

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