Transcript Document

Psychology 320:
Gender Psychology
Lecture 58
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Reminders and Announcements
• Papers are due at the start of class on Friday, April
9th, 2010.
• Course evaluations are now available online.
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Mental Health:
1. Are there sex differences in: (a) depression, (b) eating
disorders, (c) personality disorders, and (d) suicide?
(continued)
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Are there sex differences in depression? (continued)
6. Gender-Related Traits
 Agency is negatively correlated with depression. The
negative correlation has been attributed to the better
problem-solving skills among people high in agency
(Bromberger & Matthews, 1996; Marcotte et al., 1999).
 Research examining the relationship between
unmitigated agency and depression is not available.
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 Communion is unrelated to depression (Bassoff &
Glass, 1982; Whitley, 1984).
 Unmitigated communion is positively correlated with
depression (Helgeson & Fritz, 1998). Two
explanations have been offered for this correlation:
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Model of the Relation Between Unmitigated
Communion and Depression
(Fritz & Helgeson, 1998)
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Are there sex differences in eating disorders?
• The DSM-IV-TR distinguishes between two eating
disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A
third category is included in the DSM-IV-TR: “Eating
Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.”
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Anorexia Nervosa
• Characterized by:
(a) refusal to maintain body weight at or above a
minimally normal weight for age and height (i.e., less
than 85% of what is expected).
(b) intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat.
(c) disturbance in the way one experiences one’s weight
or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on selfevaluation, or denial of seriousness of low weight.
(d) amenorrhea.
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• Afflicts 0.5% of females and 0.05% of males.
• Typical onset is in early to late adolescence (14-18
years of age).
• Results in damage to the bones, muscles, heart,
kidneys, intestines, and brain.
• Mortality rate: 4.0% (Crow et al., 2009).
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Bulimia Nervosa
• Characterized by:
(a) recurrent episodes of binge eating.
(b) recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviour in
order to prevent weight gain (e.g., self-induced
vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas;
fasting; excessive exercise).
(c) binge eating and compensatory behaviour occur, on
average, at least twice a week for 3 months.
(d) undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation.
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• Afflicts 1-3% of females and .2% of males.
• Typical onset is in late adolescence to early adulthood.
• Results in damage to the muscles, heart, intestines,
stomach, mouth, throat, and esophagus.
• Mortality rate: 3.9% (Crow et al., 2009).
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Sample Items from the Eating Disorder Inventory (Garner et al., 1983)
Drive for Thinness Subscale:
I think about dieting.
I feel extremely guilty after overeating.
I am terrified of gaining weight.
I am preoccupied with the desire to be thinner.
Bulimia Subscale:
I have gone on eating binges where I have felt that I could not stop.
I eat moderately in front of others and stuff myself when they are gone.
I have thought of trying to vomit in order to lose weight.
I eat or drink in secrecy.
Body Dissatisfaction Subscale:
I think that my stomach is too big.
I think that my thighs are too large.
I think my hips are too big.
I think that my buttocks are too large.
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• Males and females with eating disorders have a similar
age of onset and exhibit similar symptoms.
• The etiology of eating disorders is unclear. However,
several “risk factors” have been identified:
1. Genes
 Twin studies suggest that eating disorders are
heritable (heritability statistic for anorexia: .58-.76; for
bulimia: .54-.83; Klump et al., 2001).
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2. Demographic Factors
 Eating disorders are more prevalent among people
of European descent (vs. people of African
American descent); dancers, actors, models, and
athletes; heterosexual females (vs. lesbians); and
gay males (vs. heterosexual males; Helgeson, 2009).
 There is no clear evidence linking socioeconomic
status and education level to eating disorders
(Striegel-Moore & Cachelin, 1999).
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3. Female Gender Role
 The female gender role emphasizes: (a) physical
attractiveness and (b) concern for others’ opinions.
 Although communion is not correlated with disturbed
eating (Hepp et al., 2005), unmitigated communion
is a risk factor for eating disorders (Helgeson, 2007;
Lakkis et al., 1999).
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4. Psychological Factors
 Eating disorders are associated with a lack of
autonomy, a lack of control, a lack of sense of self,
and strivings for perfection and achievement.
5. Societal Factors
 Media, parental, and peer pressure have been
linked to eating disorders in both females and males.
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Body Dysmorphia
Among Females
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Mental Health:
1. Are there sex differences in: (a) depression, (b) eating
disorders, (c) personality disorders, and (d) suicide?
(continued)
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