Key Question - Anorexia Flashcards
what is the key question
‘Is the influence of role model and celebrities something that causes anorexia?’
what is the aim of the sufferers
to reach an abnormally low weight
what can reaching an abnormally low weight cause
hospitalisation & death from starvation
DSM 3 main diagnostic criteria for anorexia
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
what is the mortality rate of anorexia
13-20%
highest mortality rate of any mental disorder
(Waterhouse and Mayes 2000)
what age range are 95% of the sufferers between
12 & 29 years old
what gender are 90 of the sufferers
female
which cultures is anorexia more common in
western cultures
what percentage of british girls in schools and university have anorexia
1%
how many people with anorexia receive treatment
1/10
girlguiding UK survey
survey of over 3000 girls
over half said the media made them feel that being ‘pretty and thin was the most important thing’
what is social learning theory
we learn behaviour through the observation and imitation of role models
what did Pennington 1986 say about role models
role models tend to be of a similar age, same gender and high in status
how does vicarious learning cause anorexia
role models may be thin so when rewarded with fame and fortune, people might hope to get the same rewards
what are large influences on whether someone develops anorexia
media
whether the persons parents have had anorexia
Garner et al (1980)
20 year trend to thinner ideals of young women has been accompanied by the rise of diet culture
2000’s size 0 catwalk models - decrease in imitation
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
how can operant conditioning help to explain anorexia
it can help to explain the maintenance and severity of anorexia
doesn’t explain the cause
how may positive reinforcement lead to anorexia
attention and compliments for dieting and losing weight
how may punishment of obese people lead to anorexia
positive punishment such as name calling, or for example children teasing their peers for being overweight,
describe cross-cultural differences in anorexia
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
Iancu et al. (1994)
diagnosis increased worldwide in the 1970’s which coincides with the increased reach of western values into into Eastern cultures through the media
how does Eysence and Flanagan (2000) dispute Iancu et al
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
Nasser 1986 - unsure if needed in exam so using this as a reminder that it exists
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
Biological Approach to anorexia - Grice et al. (2002)
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
personality factors which may influence the development of anorexia
patients score highly on measures of perfectionism
- a person with this trait is likely to be influenced by media images and ideals
