To what extent do biological approaches successfully explain eating disorders?
There are many different biological approaches that explain the reasons for eating disorders they all have some validity behind them to a certain extent. An eating disorder is a psychological dysfunction that causes a person to change their eating habits to eating less, or more etc.
Firstly a biological approach was studied by Holland (1988) on genetic concordance between identical twins and non-identical twins. Holland was trying to discover the connection between anorexia and genetics through twins. Holland's study consisted of taking pairs of Monozygotic (identical) and Dizygotic (non-identical) with one of the twins suffering from anorexia; therefore there are greater genetic differences between DZ twins than the MZ twins. Holland discovered that MZ twins had a 56% concordance of their genes where as the DZ twins had only 6% concordance. This shows that therefore genetics do play a part in the causes of eating disorders. However Holland's study only focuses on anorexia other eating disorders m...
There are many different contributors to eating disorders. One factor is it being biological. “In some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be unbalanced” (Factors). Eating disorders usually run in the family. There is definitely a psychological factor that plays in. Usually the person has low-self-esteem, depression, anxiety, feeling of having no control, anger, and stress. But God gives an account in Philippians 4:6-7 about anxiety and to put trust in him and he will protect all people, “Do not be anxious about
The book Stick Figure A Diary Of My Former Self is a personal journal written by Lori Gottlieb when she was 11 years old suffering from anorexia nervosa. “Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat.” (mayclinic.com) Most eating disorders are physiological due to friends and family, stress, and the social media. Anorexia nervosa, like all other eating disorders, is extremely dangerous and unhealthy for the human body to endure. Although eating disorders are destructive to one's life, is there explainable reasoning behind why a person may have one?
Eating disorders are not caused by a single source, such as control, but are due to an accumulation of factors including genetics, upbringing, culture, and personality.
The causes, affects and ultimate results of eating disorders have different impacts in men and women
Aside from the genetic component there is also the culture around eating in the home. Parents usually decide what type of food is eaten in the house and this in turn shapes a child’s thoughts about what is and isn’t normal. If the child is taught unhealthy eating habits from an early age it can lead to eating disorders due to the child modeling their behaviour after the parent. “Data suggest that parents, particularly mothers, may contribute to their children’s (particularly daughters’) decision to lose weight” (Module 6, slide
The rising frequency of teen Internet and social media use, in particular Facebook, has cause parents to lose sight of these websites harmful attributes that lead to eating disorders and extreme dieting. Michele Foster, author of “Internet Marketing Through Facebook: Influencing Body Image in Teens and Young Adults”, published October 2008 in Self Help Magazine, argues Facebook has become the leading social network for teens and young adults aging 17 to 25 years of age, and is also the age range that has significant increases in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa in women. Foster accomplishes her purpose, which is to draw the parents of teen’s attention to the loosely regulated advertisements on Facebook and Facebook’s reluctance to ban negative body image ads. Foster creates a logos appeal by using examples and persona, pathos appeal by using diction, and ethos appeal by using examples and persona.
This book provides information on what these conditions are, what causes them, how people live with them, and the latest about treatment and prevention. The book focuses on eating disorders as a whole rather than just individual types of disorders. The source is not up to date at it was published six years ago and the statistics have changed and there is now more knowledge on eating disorders such as using neuroimaging to find what triggers eating disorders. The sources cited within the print is based off of other published prints. This print only gives the broad idea and main concept about eating disorders, it does not go into great detail so it was not very useful as a research source. This source is intended for those who is learning about eating disorders for the first time. It also includes a variety of graphs and charts to display different statistics which is designed to be productive and visually entertaining. Lorraine does cover the topic well as it allows the reader to easily find a variety of information on eating disorders that gives very clear and concise explanations with scientific
...orted self-image, low self-esteem, and a need for control. "Eating disorders are not about food or weight but about a disordered 'sense of self' looking for approval and finding it, however
"Is Anorexia in the Genes? Twin Studies Offer Clues - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 1998. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.
A great range of people have keen interest in their body shape. However, it becomes a problem when your effort to have an envious physical appearance becomes an obsession. When this obsession falters, you began to lose control of your life and the people affected turn to one of two paths: excessive eating, or self-starvation. This compulsion of food and a physical appearance is also known as an eating disorder. Eating disorders slowly deteriorate your body, beginning with your brain, leading to the start of mental illnesses. Although people suffering with eating disorders know that their body is degenerating, they become ignorant towards their disease and fail to recognize their problem until it is too late.
Eating disorders are quite serious and can often lead to extreme disruption of normal eating behaviors. It wasn’t considered an illness till 1980, when a singer named Karen Carpenter died from complications due to anorexia. If left untreated a person can put significant stress on their body; causing the body to begin to shut down. Often the organs will begin to fail, the persons hair will start to fall out and the person whom you once knew will become completely unrecognizable. Researchers have found many reasons that can be the cause of eating disorders. If we consider Demi Lovato a once happy go lucky Disney star who started acting different from her usual self. We can see that she was struggling from some kind of internal complex. When
Johnson, Craig, and Cynthia Bulik. "Genetics Play a Significant Role in Eating Disorders." Eating Disorders. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Brave New World: The Role of Genetics in the Prevention and Treatment of Eating Disorders." www.wpic.pitt.edu/research/pfanbn/genetics.html. 2002. 36-40. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Recent psychological research has shown extensive interest in the relationship between eating and weight disorders and drug/alcohol addiction. At first thought, these two entities may seem to fall within completely separate and distinct areas of study. However, numerous researchers has investigated and proposed the idea that eating and weight disorders share a myriad of similarities to drug and alcohol addiction, and thus should be characterized as an addiction. An eating disorder is a serious medical condition marked by persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact bodily health, emotional stability and the ability to function in areas of everyday life.1 Most individuals with eating disorders are obsessively focused on their weight, body
For the last several decades, our society’s desired body image has been getting thinner and thinner. These changes in what is accepted by popular beauty standards have caused women, especially college-aged women, to use unhealthy methods to lose weight, such as over-exercising, under eating, and binge eating. According to Pyle, Mitchell, Eckert, Halvorson, Neuman, and Goff (1983) in their survey of women at a midwestern state school, “nearly one-half of the women (47%) admitted to having attempted specific weight-control methods” (77). This shows that eating disorders have been a problem in our country for a few decades, and they are definitely still a prevalent issue that needs to be addressed in our society today. Luckily, researchers are
There are many reasons that can contribute to the cause of eating disorders. One of the main reasons seems to be the obsession over every little pound a person is wearing. Sometimes low self-esteem or depression from any number of causes can usher in the eating disorder. Other times compulsive exercising can help shed the pounds but leave the enthused unhealthy looking.