Examining the Casual Model of Identity Styles and Social Acceptability with Mediating of Dysfunctional Attitudes in Predicting the Use of Cosmetics in Female Students

The aim of the present study was to examine the causal model of identity styles and social acceptance by mediating of dysfunctional attitudes in predicting the use of cosmetics in female students. The statistical population of the present study was all female students of Mohaghegh Ardabili University during the academic year 2020-2021. The research sample was 336 individuals who were selected via convenient sampling method. The research design was correlational and structural equations type. Measuring instruments included Identity Style Questionnaire (1989), Social Acceptance Questionnaire (1960), Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (1978), and Cosmetics Use Questionnaire (2014). The subjects answered the questionnaires online and in cyberspace. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that the causal model of the relationships between identity styles, social acceptance, dysfunctional attitudes, and the use of cosmetics in female students based on different indicators had optimum goodness of fit. Identity styles, social acceptance, and dysfunctional attitudes had a direct effect on the use of cosmetics in female students; also, identity styles and social acceptance had an indirect effect on the use of cosmetics through dysfunctional attitudes. Therefore, identity styles, social acceptance, and dysfunctional attitudes play an important role in the use of cosmetics in female students.