Michael P. Levine, Ph.D Professor   Samuel Mather Hall 307   740-427-5371 levine@kenyon.edu

• Ph.D.: University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), 1979 
• M.A.: UCSB, 1976 
• B.A.:  UCSB, 1971 
 
 

Came to Kenyon in:

 1979 
 
 

Professional History

Since 1979 I have been a professor (assistant, associate, and now full) at Kenyon College. I also serve as an editorial consultant to many journals, and at various times I have been a consultant to the National Anorexic Aid Society/National Eating Disorders Organization, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health, and the McKnight Foundation (Minneapolis, MN).

 

Teaching Interests

I currently teach courses in abnormal psychology, personality psychology, introductory psychology, and an eating disorders seminar, among other courses

 

Research Interests

I study the prevention of eating disorders and the ways in which body image and disordered eating are influenced by sociocultural factors such as mass media. Recently, students conducting research with me have worked on projects having to do with, e.g., the correlation between media exposure and body image; parental influences on young women who resist negative cultural influences on body image; similarities and differences in the responses of White and Black women to images of beauty from the mass media; and the positive and negative influneces of varsity sports on body image and eating in young college women. In addition, I have supervised other student projects such as independent studies on the psychology of avoidant coping in interpersonal relationships; the effects of focused expressive writing on health; and the psychology of obsessional hoarding.

 

Recent Publications (students shown in bold)

Levine, M. P., & Harrison, K. (in press). The role of mass media in the perpetuation and prevention of negative body image and disordered eating. In J. K. Thompson (Ed.), Handbook of eating disorders and obesity. NY: John Wiley. Levine, M. P., & Piran, N. (in press). The role of body image in the prevention of eating disorders. Body Image. Levine, M. P., Piran, N., & Irving, L. (2003). Primary prevention of disordered eating behavior in adolescents. In T. P. Gullotta & M. Bloom (Eds.), The encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion (pp. 423-428). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. Levine, M. P., & Smolak, L. (2002). Body image development in adolescence. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body images: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 74-82) New York: Guilford Publications. Levine, M. P., & Smolak, L. (2002). Ecological and activism approaches to prevention. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body images: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 497-505). New York: Guilford Publications. Levine, M. P., & Piran, N. (2001). The prevention of eating disorders: Towards a participatory ecology of knowledge, action, and advocacy. In R. Striegel-Moore & L. Smolak (Eds.), Eating disorders: New directions for research and practice (pp. 233-253). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Levine, M. P., & Smolak, L. (2001). Primary prevention of body image disturbance and disordered eating in childhood and adolescence. In J. K. Thompson & L. Smolak (Eds.), Body image, eating disorders, and obesity in youth: Assessment, prevention, and treatment (pp. 237-260). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Groesz, L. M., Levine, M. P., & Murnen, S. K. (2002). The effect of experimental presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31, 1-16. Irving, L., Levine, M. P., & Piran, N. (2003). Primary prevention of disordered eating behavior in adults. In T. P. Gullotta & M. Bloom (Eds.), The encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion (pp. 428-435). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. Smolak, L., & Levine, M. P. (2001). A two-year follow-up of a primary prevention program for negative body image and unhealthy weight regulation. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 9, 313-325.

 

Committees, Organizations, and Groups

•  Member of the American Psychological Association •  Member of the Academy for Eating Disorders  •  Former board member and current advisor to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA; www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)

 

Current Projects

• Working with Jennifer Smith ('03), Professor Sarah Murnen, and Lisa Groesz ('01) to conduct a meta-analysis of studies examining the correlation between media exposure and either body image or disordered eating. • Writing a book (with Dr. Smolak) on the prevention of negative body image and disordered eating. • Conducting a study of media literacy as a form of prevention of negative body image in adolescent girl.

 

The best thing about being at Kenyon is

 Intelligent, creative, and dynamic students and colleagues. 
 
 

Hobbies and favorite things

 I enjoy reading fiction, and I am beginning to think of traveling as a hobby.
 
 

One thing to do or accomplish in life

 Develop a better balance between my work and my family life 
 

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