Below is a list of some factors that could have contributed to the development of problems.
Psychological Factors
* Low self-esteem* Feelings of inadequacy
* Incidence of depression or anxiety
* Fear of the responsibility of adulthood
* A belief that love from family & friends is dependent on high achievement
* Poor communication between family members, or the reluctance of parents to allow appropriate degrees of independence as children mature
* Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings, particularly ‘negative’ emotions such as anger, sadness, anxiety or fear
* Ineffective coping strategies
* Perfectionism
* Fear or avoidance of conflict
* Competitiveness
* Impulsive or obsessive behaviours
* A need to please others
* Highly concerned with the opinions of others
* Prone to extremes, such as ‘black and white’ thinking
Social Factors
* Cultural value placed on ‘thinness’ as an inextricable part of beauty* Current cultural emphasis on the need for a ‘perfect body’
* Valuing of people according to outward appearance and not inner qualities
* Media and popular culture's portrayal of men and women's shapes and bodies that are not representative of ‘real’ men and women
* Pressure to achieve and succeed
* Professions with an emphasis on body shape and size (eg. dancers, models, athletes)
Physiological/ biological Factors
* Scientists are currently researching possible biochemical and biological factors and their role in the development of eating disorders. Research has indicated that in some people with eating disorders there is an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain* Adolescence and the associated physical, hormonal and neural changes
* Genetic or familial factors, for example a person who is exposed to a parent or sibling with an eating disorder is at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder themselves. While no conclusive outcome has been reached, research has provided evidence that in some cases this is due to genetic predisposition - rather than just learned behaviour
External Factors
* Life events, particularly those involving major changes (loss of a family member or friend, the divorce or separation of parents, moving schools or jobs)* Dieting
* Peer pressure
* Inability to effectively deal with stress, whereby a person lacks adequate stress-management strategies
*Personal or family history of obesity, depression, substance abuse or eating disorders
*Troubled personal or family relationships
*Sexual or physical abuse
*History of teasing or bullying, particularly when based on weight or shape
That is crazy...I myself an in the middle of a research paper about how media plays a part in body image lol good luck on your paper.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school I based most of my research papers on eating disorders. It just becomes an obsession, I get that. My mom still to this day won't admit that she has a problem with food. I grew up watching her constantly suck in her stomach so her ribs would sharply portrude under her skin. My grandma used to always tell me that I would never be skinny because I was born with muscle and had a swimmers frame. I just want to prove all the doubters wrong who told me I can't. Because we can!
ReplyDeleteI think that most mental illness have both a physiological/genetic side and a environmental (external factors) side to them. There are people who have a predisposition (things like certain genetic markers) to developing eating disorders which may be triggered by environmental factors (Like the ones you listed up there) and there are people who aren't but predisposed but environmental factors trigger the disorder anyway. It's just that those who have those genetic markers are something like a 50% higher chance of developing the disorder than a "normal" person. Scientists think that it works in the same way as depression, it's pretty much been proved that it run through families and that is certainly true in my family.
ReplyDeleteI briefly went into it in my own blog when I was researching medicines for depression. It's somewhat scary stuff.
Anyway, sorry for the long comment, but like everyone else here I am extremely interested in the workings of my own disorder.
xx
im pretty sure i have all of those factors down. ahaha i did a project in 7th grade on eating disorders for a health class i think. of course, then, i thought ED kids were weird and horrible...but ive always felt that its the only way on the inside. i talked the talk, but didnt walk the walk, you know? I always said EDs were horrible and "how could someone starve themselves, i fucking love food!" and yet, here i am. living the life i couldnt help but live.
ReplyDelete