Transcript Eating Behaviour - Beauchamp Psychology

Eating Behaviour
Anorexia Nervosa
Unit PSYA3
AQA A Specification
Factors influencing attitudes to food and eating behaviour. For example:
Eating behaviour cultural influences; psychological influences (mood); and social influences
(health concerns/media).
Explanations for the success and failure of dieting.
Biological
Neural mechanisms involved in controlling eating behaviour.
explanations of
eating behaviour Evolutionary explanations of food preference.
In relation to either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa:
Eating disorders
Psychological explanations.
Biological explanations, including neural and evolutionary explanations.
What we have covered
Where we are now
Today’s lesson
 What is anorexia nervosa?
 Clinical characteristics of anorexia nervosa.
 Psychological explanations of anorexia nervosa.
1. Cultural ideals and the role of the media.
2. Ethnicity and peer influences.
3. Personality.
 Evaluation and IDA.
Starter
In pairs, discuss and write down answers to the following
questions.
1. What is anorexia nervosa?
2. Can you identify any other types of eating disorder?
3. What are the clinical characteristics used to diagnose an
individual with anorexia?
4. Can you identify any famous celebrities that have
suffered from anorexia?
You have 5 minutes!
What is anorexia nervosa?
• Eating disorder – obsessed with losing
weight through self-starvation.
• Emaciation – extreme weight loss and
thinness.
• Anorexia nervosa means ‘nervous loss of
appetite.’
• 90% of cases are female although AN is
increasing in males.
• Typical age of onset is between 13-18.
• Four clinical characteristics identified for
diagnosis of AN.
Clinical characteristics of AN
Anxiety
• Excessive fear of gaining weight and becoming fat
(associated with a loss of control).
Weight
• Refusal to maintain a minimally normal weight (at
least 15% below what is regarded as normal).
• Avoid or restrict the amount and type of food eaten.
• Carefully weigh and portion their food.
• Repeatedly check body weight.
• Engage in strategies to control weight – excessive
exercise or use of laxatives.
Clinical characteristics of AN
Body-image distortion
• Disturbance in the way individuals perceive their body
shape - see themselves as fatter than they are.
• Denial of problem – don’t see the seriousness of their low
body weight.
Amenorrhoea
• Cessation of menstrual periods due to inadequate nutrition.
• Absence of periods for more than 3 months.
Can also experience symptoms of depression/OCD.
A02: Cause or consequence of AN??
Celebrities with eating disorders
Psychological explanations
of AN
What do you think plays a major role in the
development of AN?
Hint: think about the images you have just seen.
Cultural ‘ideals’ and the media have a huge impact on
the development of eating disorders (behaviourist
approach).
Cultural ideals
Western cultures
• Emphasis on ‘thinness’ being ‘ideal.’
• Suggested AN is a learned behaviour in response to cultural
‘ideals’ and that dieting is ‘normal’ in Western cultures.
• Gregory et al (2000) – survey, 16% of 15-18 year old girls in
the UK said they were ‘on a diet.’
• Studies have reported that many teenagers, especially girls,
have body dissatisfaction and have a distorted body image.
Evaluation
Hoek et al (1998)
• Examined if AN IS rare in non-western cultures where there is no
emphasis on ‘thinness’ being ‘ideal.’
• Examined records of over 44,000 patients admitted to hospital
over a two-year period in Curacao (non-westernised Caribbean
island).
• In this culture it is acceptable to be overweight.
• They found 6 cases of AN that they claimed was within the range
of rates reported in western cultures.
• Evidence of AN in different cultures even when the cultural ideals
are not focused on ‘thinness.’
• This suggests…
Role of the media
Western cultures
Emphasis on ‘thinness’ in the media - ‘slim is
beautiful.’
The portrayal of thin models and celebrities in the
media is a contributory factor in body image concerns
and the ‘drive for thinness’ in western cultures.
Dieting is considered ‘normal’– the latest diets are often
advertised in magazines and on the TV.
Role of the media
Evaluation
The media influence may explain why some eating disorders are
maintained once they are established. However it doesn’t explain
why some people develop AN and others do not, even though we
are all exposed to the same images.
Research to support
Jones and Buckingham (2005) – Individuals with low self-esteem
are more likely to compare themselves to the idealised images in
the media.
Personality traits could play a role in the development of AN.
Role of the media
Evaluation
+ Becker et al (2002) – eating attitudes and behaviours
of adolescent Fijian girls were observed following the
introduction of TV; they stated a desire to lose weight
to become more like the Western TV characters.
+ Other research has shown that suitable intervention
before exposure to idealised images in the media can
prevent any negative effects of the exposure (e.g. desire
to lose weight).
Behaviourist
approach to AN
In pairs, discuss and write down ideas for the following
questions: 1) How could operant conditioning explain AN?
2) How could classical conditioning explain AN?
You have 5 minutes.
Behaviourist approach to AN
Operant conditioning
• Positive reinforcement.
• Avoiding food can be positively reinforced through
rewards from others.
• The reward of not eating = attention and approval from
others if slimness is admired (compliments).
• These rewards positively reinforce the behaviour.
Behaviourist approach to AN
Classical conditioning
• Learn to associate eating with anxiety.
• They see eating too much as making people
overweight and unattractive which makes them
anxious.
• Therefore they avoid eating to reduce this anxiety.
Ethnicity
Other cultural groups do not place the same value on thinness
as an ideal for women (lower incidence of AN).
+ Grabe and Hyde (2006)
 Meta-analysis of 98 studies.
 Found difference between African-American and Caucasian
females.
 African-Americans reported significantly less body
dissatisfaction.
 In many non-western cultures (Fiji and the Caribbean) there are
more positive attitudes towards large body sizes (associated
with attractiveness and fertility).
Independent tasks
• Gap fill on the psychodynamic approach to
AN by Bruch.
• Evaluation of the psychodynamic approach to
AN by Freud.
Evaluation of Freud (A02)
Outline a criticism of the psychodynamic explanation
by Freud (1889)
Freud’s explanation of AN suggests the idea of avoiding adult
sexuality by stopping menstruation (thus preventing possible
pregnancy).
However, this explanation has difficulty explaining the
development of AN in older women (menopause) and CANNOT
explain AN in men!!!
Personality: Perfectionism
Personality traits (enduring characteristics that define who we
are) can play a role in the development and maintenance of
AN.
What is perfectionism?
 Concern for mistakes.
 Set high standards for personal performance.
 Self-critical.
Perfectionism associated with body dissatisfaction and a
pursuit of thinness.
Personality: Perfectionism
Strober et al (2006) – retrospectively evaluated
personality traits in teenage girls and boys receiving
treatment for AN. They found high levels of
perfectionism (73% vs. 50%).
Nilsson et al (1999) – longitudinal study; individuals
who had a short duration of AN had lower levels of
perfectionism and those with high levels were more
at risk of a long duration of AN.
IDA
Independently, select 2 IDA from the list below and
write elaborated paragraphs on these in relation to
AN.
•
•
•
•
•
Gender bias.
Culture bias.
Determinism vs. Free Will.
Nature vs. Nurture.
Oversimplistic.
IDA
Gender bias – much of the research into AN has focused
primarily on females, although AN is increasing in males.
Can the findings be generalised e.g. personality traits?
Culture bias – much of the research has focused on AN in
western cultures, can the findings be generalised? There is
evidence of AN across all cultures regardless of their
‘ideals.’ For example…
This suggests that there could be a biological cause behind
AN such as…
IDA
Determinism vs. Free Will – Could be argued that AN is
determined by external forces outside of our control (i.e. the
environment – media/culture). However, all exposed to media
yet don’t all develop AN – suggests some free will over eating
behaviour and who to look to as role model?
Nature vs. Nurture – psychological explanations provide
support for the role of nurture in development of AN
(childhood/media/culture). Ignores nature side: biological
explanations e.g. role of neurotransmitters (serotonin) and
hypothalamus. For example…
General evaluation
Methodological – samples studied are mainly AN
patients that have been clinically diagnosed – what about
those that don’t quite meet the criteria but are suffering
from AN? Can we generalise the findings of research
across different groups i.e. clinical to sub-clinical?
Ethical – researchers use Internet Communities as a
source of qualitative data e.g. discussion boards and chatrooms for individuals with AN. What about privacy,
informed consent and confidentiality?