Abstract
This qualitative study investigated the decision making processes of women who have engaged in cosmetic surgery. Ten women, ranging in ages from 25 to 72, who had previously engaged in cosmetic surgery, participated in this study. This was the first study to apply the Cognitive Information Processing Theory, previously used for career decision making, to the domain of cosmetic surgery. Participants in this study were successfully able to retrace their decision making steps, within the framework of the Cognitive Information Processing Theory that led up to their final decision to engage in cosmetic surgery. The ultimate goal of all decisions, including those specific to cosmetic surgery, is to close the gap between a real and desired state. However, the findings from this study suggest that for women with underlying self-esteem and body image issues, the gap between the real and ideal states were not closed as a result of cosmetic surgery. Self knowledge, which encompassed family of origin and body image issues, appeared to hold the most influence on the entire decision making process. However, the amount of world knowledge specific to cosmetic surgery and its effects were underestimated by the participants, which often resulted in post-operative crisis situations. This study demonstrates the utility of the Cognitive Information Processing Theory for illuminating decision processes related to elective cosmetic surgery. The implications for the field of psychology from this study reflect a need for pre-operative psychological screenings and post-operative counseling.
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