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This work deals with the assessment of the impact of value orientations on body image and the use of physical beauty practices by young women in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. The transitional course of events as well as the historical, cultural and religious differences of each country have also left their mark on the role and position of women in each of the countries. This research deals with how much modernization did, in terms of modernization theory (Inglehart and Welzel, 2007), through a system of dominant value orientations the use of the media and cultural features of the countries analysed, influenced the differences in the perception and understanding of the female body, which is reflected in the body image of women and the use of physical beauty practices. We analyse the impact of the factors (values, media influence, sociodemographic factors and body mass index (BMI)) on body image and the use of physical beauty practices by young women in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. The results did not confirm a direct impact on body image values, however, the value orientations were shown to be a relevant factor of the media impact and the use of beauty practices. Body image was also statistically significantly influenced by BMI and some sociodemographic factors (education, wealth). A significant impact of sociodemographic factors (size of place of residence, education, wealth) on values and physical practices was also proven.

The widespread use of factor analysis in social research requires a detailed review of epistemological and methodological aspects of its use. This is the only way to overcome “usual manner” of understanding factor analysis as a statistical method. In methodological terms, it is necessary to provide not only theoretical definition of the basic concepts and theoretical assumptions related to use of factor analysis, but also adequate operational definition. The importance of these theoretical prerequisites is being shown through two types of factor analysis: exploratory vs. confirmatory factor analysis. In addion, this paper gives particular attention to fulfill the basic epistemological principles. In this paper an example of the use of confirmatory factor analysis will be given. This will be done by carrying out a confirmatory factor analysis on data from a study in the field of value orientation. This type of factor analysis is used with the intention of revealing and understanding latent constructs. In the context of value orientation analysis, the concepts of authoritarian collectivism and patriarchalism will ilustrate the concept of latent dimensions. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179035: Izazovi nove društvene integracije: koncepti i akteri]