socio cultural theory for anorexia Flashcards
what is the sociocultural theory?
it is more likely to occur in social or cultural groups that place emphasis on slimness.
- anorexia is more likely to occur in modelling or dance studentscompared to other university students.
what is evidence for the socio-cultural theory?
a review of miss america beauty pagent competitors from 59-78 and found that over that period the average weight of contestants decreased but the average weight of normal women slightly increased.
what are the cultural differences for AN?
anorexia was first diagnosed in western cultures and was quite rare in eastern cultures but due to globalisation it’s diagnosis has increased.
- cultural values may have significant impact on the diagnosis of the disorder
Hoek et al. found that Curacao island where it is culturally acceptable to be obese has found that the overall incidence of anorexia is much lower - and no cases were reported in the majority black pop but in the minority white pop were comparable to that of US.
what is a strength of this explanation?
there is compelling evidence for the effect of cultural ideals on body image
- evidence to support is that diagnosis of AN has increased hugely since the 50s which marked the beginning of the change towards slimmer models.
what is a weakness of this explanation?
there are many people who are not influenced by the ideals that are perpetuated which suggests that sociocultural factors may simply be one of a number of risk factors.
