Abstract:

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the dispositional flow state of regular exercise participants were predicted by perceived appearance and self-esteem. The study sample comprised of 142 men (Mage = 24.25, SD = 6.50) and 153 women (Mage = 27.33, SD = 8.23) exercise participants exercising regularly more than six months at different sport centers. Demographic information form, perceived appearance sub dimension of Physical Self-Description Questionnaire, Rosenberg Selfesteem Scale, and Dispositional Flow Scale were used to collect the data. To examine the role of perceived appearance and self-esteem in the prediction of dispositional flow of regular exercise participants, a hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. At Step 1 of the regression analysis, perceived appearance was considered as a significant contributor for explaining 23 % variance of participants’ dispositional flow (p < .01). At Step 2 of the regression analysis, self-esteem was considered as a significant contributor for explaining 20 % variance of participants’ dispositional flow (p < .01). Results indicated that perceived appearance and self-esteem predicted total 43 % variance of exercise participants’ dispositional flow in the current study. Findings of the study supported the assertion that perceived appearance and self-esteem play significant role in predicting flow experiences of regular exercise participants.

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