Eating disorders can be seen as many different things by many different people. The main thought is that eating disorders such as anorexia are simply attention seeking devices. However, according to the Eating disorders foundation of Victoria, they are a “dangerous mental illness…which often requires psychological and/or physical intervention to promote recovery.”
There are various different eating disorders, and, unlike normally thought, not all of them result in “skinniness”. The most well known eating disorder is anorexia, which is simply not eating. Some other eating disorders are binge eating, bulimia and compulsive overeating.
What are the causes of eating disorders?
These illnesses can be caused by many different things, but the main reason has to do with the mental state of the victim. Low self-esteem, depression, perfectionism and feeling inadequate can all contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
As well as these psychological factors, it has been reported that there may be biological influences on this topic. One theory is that there is a chemical in the brain which causes disorders such as these.
Nature or Nurture?
The nurture side of this argument is pretty straight forward. It states that people who develop eating disorders such as anorexia develop them because they are raised to think that this behavior is acceptable in society. Some of the causes of this issue, such as feeling inadequate and low self-esteem, can be a result of the pressure on them to look such a way. This message is usually sent through the media, and some people argue that it is therefore the way that this society allows the media to “nurture” our people that result in some of them establish eating disorders.
It has been stated that people who have family members such as parents or siblings who have or had an eating disorder are at more risk of developing one them self. This can be seen as proof both from nurture and a nature side. The nature side would argue that this is because the mother has the genes for this disorder to occur for the child. In the year 2000, researches stated that they had “found a gene for anorexia”. This is major evidence that could be used for the nature side of this great debate, but is yet to be confirmed.
Questions:
1) What would be the nurture side of the argument for the statement “It has been stated that people who have family members such as parents or siblings who have or had an eating disorder are at more risk of developing one them self.”?
2) What is your view on this topic?
P.S . This is a quote that I found while searching information “We’re dealt a hand, taught certain rules about how to play it, then take those rules on the road and implement them.” This suggests that it is both Nature and Nurture that have an influence on our lives.
Bibliography:
Eating disorders foundation of Victoria inc. (September 2009) What is an eating disorder? and Risk Factors. Victoria, Viewed 26th October 2009.
CRC health group (2007) Disorder or diet?, Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, Compulsive overeating and Binge eating disorder. Something fishy.org, Viewed 26th October 2009.
Karen R. Koenig,( January, 2009) Nature or Nurture. Eating disorders blogs.com, Viewed 26th October 2009.
Katie Gunnell 10H =P
If people have family members with the disorder, their own experience with it could go one of two ways. They could be more succeptible to it, because of how they've been raised, or the media or whatever, and fall into the trap of eating disorders and perfectionism. On the other hadn, they could see what it's doing to their family member/s and the people around them, and never allow themselves to be swayed by that kind of pressure, after seeing what it had done to the people around them.
ReplyDeleteEating disorders are probably most likely nurture- based, as they are contracted from people feeling inadequate and imperfect. Like Katie said, this is often a result of the media, their household, or many other outside influences. Nurture would have to be looked on favourably as the main cause of eating disorders, because even if it occurs in a family member, it's still the reaction it causes that says whether the person will contract the disease or not themselves.
fraser 10N
While it may seem that Nature plays a part in eating disorders, as it is proven that people are more likely to develop eating disorders if their family members have had a history of them, I do not believe it is so. It may not be to genes or chemicals in the body that determine disorders such as anorexia, as how does that determine a person’s state of mind? It is the experiences a person has, the situations they encounter, the influences they have, that impact on their personal view. A main factor of eating disorders is the media. It works both ways, promoting thin role models, such as supermodels and actors; while also promoting excess amounts of food, such as fast food outlets like MacDonald’s. Focussing on anorexia, a person may be completely at rest with themselves, but after influence through the media or even closer role models like their parents, the self-esteem can drop, sometimes resulting in anorexia.
ReplyDeleteSocial Desirability comes into the topic of eating disorders. The Nature side of the debate would come into this section. Psychologists have stated that certain personality traits are more inclined to alter their own views to become more acceptable towards a certain person or society ideal. These traits are passed down hereditary through a generation, which does give an argument to Nature. However, many people could have this conforming trait, but it doesn’t result in something as drastic as an eating disorder. Therefore, I believe eating disorders are mainly a case of Nurture.
Anna, 10M