Men’s lives: the consequences of living with high levels of drive for muscularity

Historically, body image research has focused on females and their dieting and weight loss habits. McCreary and Sasse (2000) recognised that although some men desired to be thin for health, occupational, or recreational reasons, high levels of the drive for thinness in men from Western societies is relatively rare. Consistent with other researchers, they identified that for Western men the ideal physique is muscular and mesomorphic and proposed the drive for muscularity (DFM) construct to represent the desire to increase muscularity levels as a parallel to the established drive for thinness. Given the contemporary centrality of the body in the acquisition of social status, it is not surprising that some men may develop strong desires to be muscular to improve their ‘masculine credit’. Despite regular exercise and a muscular physique generally being associated with health benefits (e.g., increased self-esteem, improve cardiovascular health), a growing body of evidence suggests that high levels of DFM is a public health concern because of its links to impaired well-being (Edwards, Molnar, & Tod, 2017; Edwards, Tod, & Molnar, 2014).

Our work specifically identifies how men with obsessive levels of DFM may experience social isolation, impaired social functioning, and engage in risky behaviours to enhance their muscularity (Edwards et al., 2017). Research has not, however, explicitly examined how men with high DFM perceive and experience their immediate social milieu and how that social milieu perceives individuals with high DFM. This void provides the impetus for a proposed PhD. Thus, we seek PhD students with an interest in men’s body image to extend insights on the everyday lives of men with high levels of DFM. Guided by an experienced supervisory team, the successful candidate (or candidates) will adopt a mixed method research design and have an interdisciplinary focus (i.e., merging psychology and sociology) in unfolding a so far unexplored social figuration of men’s lives with high DFM.

Application Process

To begin the application process please go to Sport and Exercise Science MPhil/PhD Webpage and click on ‘How to Apply’ in the top menu. This PhD could be caried out on a part time or full-time basis so please select the relevant application link. On the application form, please make it clear that you are applying for one of our advertised projects so we can direct it straight to the relevant people.

The Interview

All successful applicants will be offered an interview with the proposed Supervisory Team. You will be contacted by a member of the Research School Team to find a suitable date. Interviews can be conducted in person or over Microsoft Teams.

Funding your PhD:

For more information about Doctoral Loans please visit: https://www.worc.ac.uk/study/fees-and-finance/doctoral-loans.aspx

During your PhD you can access the Research Student Support Scheme to support dissemination costs associated with your research, up to £500 a year.

Research Group

Inclusive Sport and Physical Activity Research Group

The Inclusive Sport and Physical Activity Research Group aims to support excluded and marginalised individuals and communities through ethically and socially responsible research.

We aim to support excluded and marginalised individuals and communities through ethically and socially responsible research with three key research themes: Gender, Identity and the Body; Inclusive Sports and Politics of Sport. Together these themes build a focused, contemporary and highly relevant research agenda based on collaboration and interdisciplinary practice, to integrate research scholarship in and beyond the School of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Worcester.

Widening Participation:

As part of its mission statement the University is committed to widening participation for its higher degrees. Although most candidates will have an undergraduate and/or a Masters degree, the University is happy to accept applications from candidates with relevant professional qualifications and work related experience.

Director of Studies:

Dr Christian Edwards, Inclusive Sport and Physical Activity Research Group, School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Worcester

Supervisors:

Prof. Győző Molnár, Inclusive Sport and Physical Activity Research Group, School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Worcester

Dr David Tod, Lancaster University

Inclusive Sport and Physical Activity Research Group

For further information or an informal discussion on this project, please contact Dr Christian Edwards (Director of Studies) via email at c.edwards@worc.ac.uk