IB Psychology HL - Abnormal - Analyse Etiologies of Anorexia

evolutionary (Surbey, 1987)

anorexia and OCD are similar (Zandian et al, 2007)

serotonin hypothesis (Striegel-Moore and Bulik, 2007)

unusual brain activity (van Kuyck et al, 2007)

Surbey (1987):

noted that weight loss usually comes after the amenorrhea

anorexia often occurs in girls who are maturing early, so Surbey suggests that starvation is an adaptive response

this deliberately delays reproductive capabilities until a more appropriate time

Strengths:

unlike many evolutionary theories, it can be experimentally tested – as it states that females who delay menstruation (or undergo amenorrhea) may enjoy greater reproductive success

also explains obsession with food that many anorexic patients have; adaptive behaviour during starvation is to shift attention to acquiring food

Weaknesses:

- excludes males (even if males are a very small sub-group of anorexics)

Zandian et al (2007):

anorexia is an expression of underlying OCD – as OCD frequently precedes anorexia

suggests sexual dimorphism in the manifestation of OCD – female biology interacts with the OCD in a way that has a higher chance of causing the OCD to manifest as anorexia

Striegel-Moore and Bulik (2007):

found that less serotonin receptors = more mood issues among anorexic patients

also found that in general serotonin levels are low in anorexic patients

Zandian et al. (2007):

studies measuring serotonin levels do not have a ‘before’ measure – this is impossible to obtain!

furthermore, ‘after’ measures indicate that serotonin levels return to normal after health is restored

as serotonin is known to inhibit eating, it’s more likely that low serotonin is a product rather than a cause of anorexia

van Kuyck et al (2007):

anorexia sufferers show decreased activity in the parietal cortex

this could be attributed to the body dysmorphia and anosognosia (ignorance/denial of one’s condition) that frequently occurs in anorexia patients

as the parietal cortex is sexually dysmorphic, this could explain the difference between male and female prevalences of anorexia

need for control (Fairburn et al, 1999)

- body distortion hypothesis (Bruch, 1962)

Fairburn et al. (1999):

low self esteem + extreme need for control = anorexia

suggests that the need for control can be met more easily in the aspect of controlling food intake rather than in other aspects (e.g. sports, social life)

this is supported by the fact that dieting is associated with self-control in Western society

over time, control over eating becomes a measure of self-worth

Bruch (1962):

anorexic people suffer from body dysmorphia

their flaws are magnified to themselves

Fallon and Rozin (1988):

when families were asked to compare their body shape to their ideal body shape, only the sons reported that their body shape was acceptable

most mother and daughter participants believed that men prefer thinner women than they actually do

improper diagnostic systems (Lee et al, 1966)

social stigmatisation of obesity (Lee et al, 1966)

conformity to social standards (Strahan et al, 2007)

Lee et al. (1966):

Western diagnostic systems are inappropriate for use in other countries

16% of slim but healthy Chinese women can be classified as anorexic using the Western BMI

Lee et al (1966):

notes that anorexia developed most intensely in areas with significant media influence

thus people are exposed to a significant amount of info on dieting and eating disorders

may influence people to think they are the wrong shape

unclear whether anorexia has caused this receptiveness, or if acceptance of the message led to anorexia

Strahan et al. (2007):

encourages them to believe that thin models and actresses are normal and attractive

so people conform to the perceived expectations of others to undergo excessive dieting to fit that norm

may be influenced from a young age for females (e.g. Barbie doll shape)