100 likes | 343 Views
Etiology of Bulimia Nervosa. Socio-cultural level of analysis. The idea of the perfect body image has changed over the years. Media Television, billboards and magazines Making exeptional good looks seem normal, but current media ideal is only achieved by less than 5 % of female population
E N D
Etiology of Bulimia Nervosa Socio-cultural level of analysis
The idea of the perfect body image has changed over the years
Media Television, billboards and magazines • Making exeptional good looks seem normal, but current media ideal is only achieved by less than 5 % of female population • A desire to be thin is often influenced by images and messages. • Rise in prevalence frequently attributed to thinness as an ideal body shape
Women more likely to be a target for media propaganda than men and children • Ideal female thinness also seen with children’s clothes and dolls • Sanders and Bazalgette (1993) - Analyzed body shape of Barbie, Cindy and the Little Mermaid - Measured bust, height, hips and waist - Converting measurements to a real woman all dolls tiny hips and waists
Already by the age of 12, body shape may be major criteria for self-evaluation • Men are becoming more under pressure • “Worked out male figure”
Cross-cultural differences in body dissatisfaction (Jaeger et al.) • Aim: investigating body dissatisfaction • Procedure: - 1751 medical & nursing students, from 12 nations - Natural experiment, no control over the independent variable (culture) - Self-report method body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and dieting behavior - 10 culture free body silhouettes
Results: Significant differences between cultures - most extreme in Mediterranean countries, followed by northern Europe - Countries in progress of westernization, and non-western countries showed lower levels of body dissatisfaction
Results support the explanation bulimia is due to idealized body images • Western countries more exposed to media • However: - Ignores genetic factors - Reductionist to only consider one explanation - Natural experiment – one cannot say that culture causes difference in body dissatisfaction - Not a representative sample