Does the salience of possible selves mediate the impact of approach and avoidance temperaments on women's weight-loss dieting?

• Salient possible selves mediate the effect of avoidance temperament on women's dieting.
• Mediation through a feared fat self is stronger than through a hoped-for thin self.
• Approach temperament is unrelated to salient possible selves and dieting.

The salience of both a hoped-for thin self and a feared fat self was predicted to mediate the impact of respective approach and avoidance temperaments on weight-loss dieting (WLD). Further, that the mediation pathway from avoidance temperament and through a feared fat self would be stronger than that from approach temperament and through a hoped-for thin self. A convenience sample of 249 college women reported age, height and weight and completed measures of the salience of possible selves, concern for dieting and approach and avoidance temperaments. Bootstrap mediation revealed that only avoidance temperament exerted an impact on WLD through the salience of both possible selves. However, the mediation pathway through the feared fat self was stronger than that through the hoped-for thin self. The consequences for the research and prevention of unhealthy dieting and eating pathology in women are discussed.