Key Question - Anorexia

Question 1

what is the key question

Answer 1

‘Is the influence of role model and celebrities something that causes anorexia?’

Question 2

what is the aim of the sufferers

Answer 2

to reach an abnormally low weight

Question 3

what can reaching an abnormally low weight cause

Answer 3

hospitalisation & death from starvation

Question 4

DSM 3 main diagnostic criteria for anorexia

Answer 4

persistent restriction of energy intake leading to abnormally low body weight

either an intense fear of weight gain or persistent behaviour that interferes with weight gain

a disturbance in the way ones body weight is experienced

Question 5

what is the mortality rate of anorexia

Answer 5

13-20%

highest mortality rate of any mental disorder

(Waterhouse and Mayes 2000)

Question 6

what age range are 95% of the sufferers between

Answer 6

12 & 29 years old

Question 7

what gender are 90 of the sufferers

Answer 7

female

Question 8

which cultures is anorexia more common in

Answer 8

western cultures

Question 9

what percentage of british girls in schools and university have anorexia

Answer 9

1%

Question 10

how many people with anorexia receive treatment

Answer 10

1/10

Question 11

girlguiding UK survey

Answer 11

survey of over 3000 girls

over half said the media made them feel that being ‘pretty and thin was the most important thing’

Question 12

what is social learning theory

Answer 12

we learn behaviour through the observation and imitation of role models

Question 13

what did Pennington 1986 say about role models

Answer 13

role models tend to be of a similar age, same gender and high in status

Question 14

how does vicarious learning cause anorexia

Answer 14

role models may be thin so when rewarded with fame and fortune, people might hope to get the same rewards

Question 15

what are large influences on whether someone develops anorexia

Answer 15

media

whether the persons parents have had anorexia

Question 16

Garner et al (1980)

Answer 16

20 year trend to thinner ideals of young women has been accompanied by the rise of diet culture

Question 17

2000’s size 0 catwalk models - decrease in imitation

Answer 17

trend for size 0 catwalk models in the 2000s

they were banned in fashion shows and by advertising companies

could be seen as punishment, so decreases imitation

Question 18

how can operant conditioning help to explain anorexia

Answer 18

it can help to explain the maintenance and severity of anorexia

doesn’t explain the cause

Question 19

how may positive reinforcement lead to anorexia

Answer 19

attention and compliments for dieting and losing weight

Question 20

how may punishment of obese people lead to anorexia

Answer 20

positive punishment such as name calling, or for example children teasing their peers for being overweight,

Question 21

describe cross-cultural differences in anorexia

Answer 21

anorexia first diagnosed in western cultures and was rare in eastern cultures

supports learning approach - different types of behaviour and social norms are likely to be modelled in different countries

Question 22

Iancu et al. (1994)

Answer 22

diagnosis increased worldwide in the 1970’s which coincides with the increased reach of western values into into Eastern cultures through the media

Question 23

how does Eysence and Flanagan (2000) dispute Iancu et al

Answer 23

virtually all young women in the west are exposed to the media

only 3-4% of them develop an eating disorder

shows that the learning approach cannot explain individual differences

Question 24

Nasser 1986 - unsure if needed in exam so using this as a reminder that it exists

Answer 24

not needed

compared 50 egyptian women in london universities with egyptians in Cairo universities

12% of those in london developed eating disorders

in cairo they did not

Question 25

Biological Approach to anorexia - Grice et al. (2002)

Answer 25

found evidence of a genetic link
192 families followed - with at least 2 members having had an anorexia diagnosis

initial findings - not significant

focused on sub group of 37 families with restrictive type anorexia -evidence for susceptibility on chromosome 1 as similar markers were found in the afflicted pairs/groups in each family

Question 26

personality factors which may influence the development of anorexia

Answer 26

patients score highly on measures of perfectionism
- a person with this trait is likely to be influenced by media images and ideals