The Pros and Cons of Plastic Surgery, Research Proposal Example

Helping people to make informed decisions about plastic surgery

In the recent past, there has been a rush by many people especially the young generation in a bid to look “pretty” resulting from the invention of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. The outcome of this obsession is what has been referred to as BDD by psychologists and other medical practitioners. People become preoccupied with perceived “defects” in their bodies or faces. The social media has been the greatest contributor to this obsession, portraying it as the surest way of achieving perfect beauty. Celebrities who model the behavior of young people especially the teenagers have also embraced plastic surgery as they want to look more appealing to their fans. In some cases, the surgery has made people to feel worse i.e. lowered their self-esteem instead of raising it. The findings of the study will add knowledge to the controversial topic of plastic surgery and in this case help people to make an informed decision before choosing to undergo or opt out of plastic surgery.

Information on Plastic surgery

There exists quite a range of information about plastic surgery in the present. Most of it is in electronic form and thus can be found online in many websites. The research will utilize most of this information but with precaution so as to sieve and only use the credible one. Scholarly materials will be accessed through such search engines such as Google Scholar. Below are some of these online sources that will be used in the study:

• cm (http://plasticsurgerytrust.com/plastic-surgery-pros-and-cons-list)
• com (http://www.onlymyhealth.com/pros-cons-plastic-surgery-1301554299)
• Europe PMC (http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/1261186/reload=0;jsessionid=TvGHL83sL3UDYAC15Jcb.2 and http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/11471958 )
• com (http://www.ehow.com/facts_4827233_pros-cons-plastic-surgery.html )
  Teen Time (http://app3.rthk.hk/special/teentime/programme_detailpage.php?id=4262&d=31&m=08&y=2012 )

ReMix: Reading and Composing Culture by Catherine G. Latterell

The study will largely borrow from chapter 6 of the above mentioned book which will be a secondary source of information. It will be included in the literature review. This will assist in examining and contemplating on the degree to which self-identity has been affected by the factors such as technology and the entertainment industry (their behaviors are modeled through superstars). Consequently, the information collected from this source will shape our research in terms of the theoretical construct since our research will be based on the underlying theory of the chapter (i.e. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development that proposes the stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion among adolescent).

Controversy surrounding plastic surgery

The issue of plastic surgery has been coupled by controversies due to the fact that it goes hand in hand with self-perception, and at times this self-perception which is subjective can be misguided thus leading to the danger of messing up a person’s body image. The social media has gotten involved with this issue and thus it is scientific studies that will enable the availability of valid information about the pros and cons of plastic surgery so that people can able to make the right decisions. People should accept themselves the way they are naturally and should opt for plastic surgery only in severe situations for example deformations due to accidents or burns (i.e. reconstructive surgery). This is because plastic surgery has its side effects and thus should not be joked around with. The cons far much outweigh the pros.

Prospects of the study on plastic surgery

The findings of the study should give people a clear mindset when it comes to plastic surgery. I expect people to be critical about the issue of plastic surgery after being informed by the research. The self-evaluation should be improved as they seek to find their true identity which in this case I anticipate will not be in plastic surgery but in their natural look.