e failure to maintain satisfying or involved friendships seemed to modify the stability of perceived physical appearance (Keefe & Berndt, 1996). This research presents peer relationships as an additive component to self-esteem, though it exemplifies the significance of physical appearance. Body Image as a Component of Adolescent Self-esteem Wood, Becker, and Thompson (1996) investigated the origins of body image dissatisfaction earlier in childhood because of the correlation that has been found between adolescent self-esteem and body image satisfaction (Vekruyten, 1990). In their research, Wood et al. (1996) found that at ages between 8 and 11, girls displayed greater body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem than boys did. Wood et al. (1996) defined body dissatisfaction as a larger absolute value of discrepancy between ideal self and current self (p. 97). This study found that the dissatisfaction reported by girls was attributed to a desire to be thinner than their current figure (Wood et al., 1996). Girls as early as the age of eight were found to already display significantly lower self-esteem than boys due to the perception of body image (Wood et al., 1996).Pubertal Timing as a Contributing FactorWilliams and Currie (2000) explored the relation of body image to pubertal timing and self-esteem. The study was done on Scottish girls with a mean age of 11.53 years. Results of this study found that early maturers and those that reported poor perception of body image exhibited lower ratings of self-esteem. It was also found that negative perceptions of body size and perceived looks contributed to the prediction of lower ratings of self-esteem (Williams & Currie, 2000). Lerners research (as cited in Williams & Currie, 2000) discusses pubertal timing and self-esteem in a goodness-of-fit model. When the level of physical development matches the norm in a context of social comparisons, it is likely to be advantageous. However, be...
