Psychological explanations of anorexia: Sociocultural

Question 1

Description

Answer 1

• According to the sociocultural explanation; one causal factor is the tendency in western cultures to equate slimness with attractiveness.
• This preoccupation with slimness is generally only found is cultures where food is abundant, and a slim physique is propagated though the media by showing slim models on television

Question 2

Description (SLT)

Answer 2

• We internalise these culturally defined standards of attractiveness, this is bought partly through social learning.
• SLT says that we learn from watching role models and are encouraged to copy them because of vicarious reinforcement: they see the models enjoying the glamorous lifestyle which comes with being thin.
• In some people this creates tension between the actual self and ideal self leading to dissatisfaction with their own body shape and weight
• This can then lead to dieting and obsession with food (further strengthened by operant conditioning)

Question 3

Description (Operant conditioning)

Answer 3

=> when dieters lose weight they will receive praise from peers and encourage further weight loss (people in western cultures often reinforce weight loss because they equate slimness with attractiveness.)

Question 4

Becker et al. (2000)

Answer 4

Aim: Becker wanted to take advantage of a naturally occurring situation where television was first introduced to the island Fiji, so see if the western media would effect attitudes towards eating and anorexia.
Procedure: 63 native Fijian girls were asked to complete a questionnaire on eating attitudes. Three years later a further sample of 65 girls, aged 17 on average were questioned on their eating habits. Also interviewed about their views on eating + television.
Results:
-3% in 1995 and 15% in 1998 reported to vomiting to control their weight.
-13% in 1995 and 29% in 1998 of girls with a high score on the eating questionnaire indicating an eating disorder
-Those who reported the most television were more likely to be at risk.

Question 5

Conclusions of Becker et al

Answer 5

• The findings indicate a strong link between exposure to western ideals of thinness and changed attitudes towards eating.
• The girls’ desire to be slim is one sign that young Fijians are striving to conform to Western cultural standards. Such changed attitudes are likely to lead to the development of eating disorders such as anorexia.

Question 6

Evaluation of Becker

Answer 6

• Supports the social-cultural explanation
• Showed that the meer exposure of media caused the girls to try and control their weight
• Showed the more time they spent watching TV e.g. more years, the higher percentage appeared to have an eating disorder
• High ecological validity, naturally occurring so not set up; naturally occurring anorexia, this therefore enhances the validity of the explanation

Question 7

Keel & Klump

Answer 7

• Carried out a review of cross-culture studies of eating disorders
• Found that AN is not culture bond. It is found in all cultures studied, even those not exposed to western influences
• However, the frequency of AN is proportional to the degree of these influences

Question 8

Groesz et al.

Answer 8

-Meta review of 25 studies and concluded that body dissatisfaction significantly increased after exposure to media images of thin women. The effect was most marked in girls under 19 years. Increase in dissatisfaction was also greatest in those with most dissatisfaction before exposure.

Question 9

Evaluation of Groesz

Answer 9

• General trend in research, high reliability (meta-review)
• Shows importance of actual vs. ideal self (everyone is exposed to the media but it effects some more than others)
• Vicarious reinforcement; supports SLT + OC

Question 10

General evaluation of studies

Answer 10

• Anorexia and body image issues is not culture bound, but seems to be effects by the degree of exposure to the media
• The fact it is not culture bound and found even in societies without western cultures, implies that the it is genetic; universal
• Nature/Nurture; higher support for nurture as the media has effected them
• Meta-analysis + naturally occurring events so high methodological validity
• Sociocultural explanation is important and well supported, however not the whole story, implies nature has a role

Question 11

Practical application for the sociocultural explanation

Answer 11

-PA: could encourage people to reduce their exposure to media, for instance the French government has passed a bill decreeing that models working in the country must possess a medical certificate deeming them fit to work, in a bid to prevent the use of “excessively thin” models. The bill also requires that digitally altered images - in particular those which make a model’s silhouette “narrower or wider” - be labelled “touched up”.

Question 12

Beta bias

Answer 12

-Underplaying the role of gender; applying the findings of women to men.