Sanslines
09-12-2009, 12:04 PM
For those interested in a detailed, academic, and fact filled study concerning children, college students, nudity, family relations, and self image:
A comparison of pro- and anti-nudity college students on acceptance of self and of culturally diverse others.
In contemporary United States social nudity is not accepted by the majority of people.
Despite pervasive public concerns over social nudity, there is a dearth of studies on the consequences of social nudity or even on nudity within the family. Further, the handful of studies that have been done has failed to find demonstrable evidence of deleterious consequences for those who practice family or social nudity. For example, Story (1979) compared self-concepts related to body image between preschool children whose families self-identified as nudists and comparable preschool children whose families self-identified as non-nudists. Children in nudist families had significantly more positive self-concepts related to their physical appearance than children in non-nudist families, with boys from both types of families manifesting higher levels of self-concepts than girls.
Lewis and Janda (1988) surveyed college students on the frequency of seeing others nude during their childhood and sleeping in their parents' bed as children and on their parents' attitudes about sex. The results indicated that those who reported having slept in their parents' bed as children and who commonly were exposed to family nudity in childhood did not manifest higher levels of "sexual adjustment" concerns in young adulthood relative to those who either had not slept in their parents' bed as children or who were not exposed to family nudity. Moreover, exposure to parental nudity as a child was associated with increased comfort related to physical contact and affection with others, as well as an increased likelihood of engaging in casual sex as adolescents and young adults.
In a nonrandom survey with a nonequivalent control group of college students, Smith and Sparks (1986) surveyed 66 young adults who grew up in nudist households. The adult children of nudists and non-nudist college students completed a 100-item questionnaire to assess basic demographic information, nudity and sexual development experiences, indicators of "social pathology" (e.g., treatment for psychiatric conditions), family relations, current sexual functioning, and current nudist experiences. Overall, no significant markers of "pathology" were found to distinguish adult children of nudists from non-nudist college students. Most adult children of nudists described the intrafamilial relations during childhood in similar terms used by non-nudist college students, with one exception. Adult children of nudists reported having participated in "sex play" with siblings (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/siblings) or playmates more frequently than non-nudist college students. In addition to a higher frequency of sex play participation among children of nudists, they also reported feeling less guilt about the sex play compared with non-nudist college students who also reported, though to a lesser degree, having participated in sex play as children.
Based on the present findings, it seems reasonable to suggest that individuals who are comfortable and accepting of social nudity tend to be relatively less religious, more politically liberal, and more open to sexuality than individuals who are less accepting of social nudity. Also, those who are comfortable with social nudity tend to be more accepting of their bodies' appearances and more tolerant of religious and sexual minorities, and to some degree, of ethnically dissimilar others, compared with individuals opposed to social nudity. These findings add to the scant (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/scant) empirical literature on attitudes about nudity and contribute to the creation of a fuller picture of those who are comfortable with social nudity. Anecdotally, vocal opponents of social nudity commonly argue their position on this matter with moral superiority, yet these results suggest that opponents to social nudity may actually be more prejudiced against social and religious groups that are dissimilar from their own group membership(s) than those who are more accepting of social nudity.
Increased tolerance toward diverse social groups that is possibly manifested by pro-nudity people is more in line with the ideals of a democratic and pluralistic (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pluralistic) society and better serves the interests of a multicultural (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/multicultural) nation such as the United States.
The full article continues here:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+comparison+of+pro-+and+anti-nudity+college+students+on+acceptance+...-a0186015677
A comparison of pro- and anti-nudity college students on acceptance of self and of culturally diverse others.
In contemporary United States social nudity is not accepted by the majority of people.
Despite pervasive public concerns over social nudity, there is a dearth of studies on the consequences of social nudity or even on nudity within the family. Further, the handful of studies that have been done has failed to find demonstrable evidence of deleterious consequences for those who practice family or social nudity. For example, Story (1979) compared self-concepts related to body image between preschool children whose families self-identified as nudists and comparable preschool children whose families self-identified as non-nudists. Children in nudist families had significantly more positive self-concepts related to their physical appearance than children in non-nudist families, with boys from both types of families manifesting higher levels of self-concepts than girls.
Lewis and Janda (1988) surveyed college students on the frequency of seeing others nude during their childhood and sleeping in their parents' bed as children and on their parents' attitudes about sex. The results indicated that those who reported having slept in their parents' bed as children and who commonly were exposed to family nudity in childhood did not manifest higher levels of "sexual adjustment" concerns in young adulthood relative to those who either had not slept in their parents' bed as children or who were not exposed to family nudity. Moreover, exposure to parental nudity as a child was associated with increased comfort related to physical contact and affection with others, as well as an increased likelihood of engaging in casual sex as adolescents and young adults.
In a nonrandom survey with a nonequivalent control group of college students, Smith and Sparks (1986) surveyed 66 young adults who grew up in nudist households. The adult children of nudists and non-nudist college students completed a 100-item questionnaire to assess basic demographic information, nudity and sexual development experiences, indicators of "social pathology" (e.g., treatment for psychiatric conditions), family relations, current sexual functioning, and current nudist experiences. Overall, no significant markers of "pathology" were found to distinguish adult children of nudists from non-nudist college students. Most adult children of nudists described the intrafamilial relations during childhood in similar terms used by non-nudist college students, with one exception. Adult children of nudists reported having participated in "sex play" with siblings (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/siblings) or playmates more frequently than non-nudist college students. In addition to a higher frequency of sex play participation among children of nudists, they also reported feeling less guilt about the sex play compared with non-nudist college students who also reported, though to a lesser degree, having participated in sex play as children.
Based on the present findings, it seems reasonable to suggest that individuals who are comfortable and accepting of social nudity tend to be relatively less religious, more politically liberal, and more open to sexuality than individuals who are less accepting of social nudity. Also, those who are comfortable with social nudity tend to be more accepting of their bodies' appearances and more tolerant of religious and sexual minorities, and to some degree, of ethnically dissimilar others, compared with individuals opposed to social nudity. These findings add to the scant (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/scant) empirical literature on attitudes about nudity and contribute to the creation of a fuller picture of those who are comfortable with social nudity. Anecdotally, vocal opponents of social nudity commonly argue their position on this matter with moral superiority, yet these results suggest that opponents to social nudity may actually be more prejudiced against social and religious groups that are dissimilar from their own group membership(s) than those who are more accepting of social nudity.
Increased tolerance toward diverse social groups that is possibly manifested by pro-nudity people is more in line with the ideals of a democratic and pluralistic (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pluralistic) society and better serves the interests of a multicultural (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/multicultural) nation such as the United States.
The full article continues here:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+comparison+of+pro-+and+anti-nudity+college+students+on+acceptance+...-a0186015677