He Said, She Said: The Role of Self and Peer Rated Attractiveness in the Personality-Victimization Relationship

Abstract

Our own and others' perceptions of our attractiveness are impressively salient. Such perceptions have the power to influence not only the respect and attention we receive from others but also how we are treated in platonic and romantic relationships. This association is found to be particularly relevant for children and adolescents' victimization. I hypothesized that the relationship between attractiveness and victimization is influenced by personality. Victimization outcomes are thought to differ in shy and attractive adolescents compared to outgoing and attractive adolescents. In the current study, links between personality, attractiveness, and victimization were explored. Participants (N = 539, M = 11.82) completed self-report questionnaires to assess personality (via HEXACO Personality Inventory), self-perceptions of attractiveness and victimization. Peer nominations were used to assess students' perceptions of their peers' level of attractiveness and victimization. Significant negative associations were found between Openness and peer nominations of attractiveness and Honesty-Humility and self-reported attractiveness. Furthermore, a significant positive relationship was found between self-reported attractiveness and self-reported indirect victimization. In contrast, significant negative relationships were found between peer-nominated attractiveness and all measures of peer nominated victimization. Mediation analyses resulted in different paths when comparing self-reported and peer nominated victimization. Lastly, contrasting results were found when direct effects were assessed for gender differences. A positive relationship between Emotionality and peer nominated attractiveness was found for girls, while a negative relationship was found for boys. Furthermore, a positive relationship between self-reported attractiveness and self-reported direct victimization was found exclusively in boys. Results have the potential to expand bullying interventions to include not only those who are customarily regarded as victims but all students