eating disorders
At least 2 million female Americans have a clinically relevant eating disorder. Diagnosable eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, are not uncommon, occurring in approximately three percent of the United States female population. Many people with eating disorders do not recognize that they have a problem and never seek help. Eating disorders like anorexia have traditionally been attributed to environmental cues: rigid beauty standards, strict homes, rigorous sports and competition (Segall, 22). Anorexia nervosa is characterized by refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, profound fear of weight gain, body image disturbance, and amenorrhea. Bulimia nervosa involves recurrent episodes of binge eating accompanied by compensatory mechanisms and self-esteem significantly influenced by one's weight and shape. Compensatory mechanisms include self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercise, and fasting. These disorders usually begin during adolescence with the majority of the cases developing before the age of twenty-five (Dickinson, 154). The media has always influenced fashion and body shape. During the 1920's, thin women were briefly in style, but their popularity was taken over
BIBLIOGRAPHYDickinson, Amy. Fathers' preference for thinner female body types also has been associated with increased disordered eating. It was once believed that eating disorders affected primarily middle to upper class Caucasian women. The issue of negative self-evaluation is likely related to perfectionism, which a number of studies have been identified as a psychological trait that puts individuals at risk for an eating disorder. Findings suggest that although not specific to the development of an eating disorder, sexual abuse puts individuals at risk for a variety of psychological disorders. Studies suggest that observations of mothers' dieting and weight concerns may contribute to the development of an eating disorder by learned behavior. An overemphasis on competitiveness by the family also was linked to the development of disordered eating. Normal development during this period involves a number of difficult tasks, including forming peer relationships, beginning to date, gaining increased autonomy from the family, and developing an independent sense of identity. In particular, dieting at the beginning of freshman year was found to be the best predictor of bulimic behavior at the end of the first year of college. Direct comments by parents about a child's weight may be particularly powerful in shaping elementary school age children's attitudes regarding weight and shape.
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