Eating Disorders: Sociocultural Factors - Essay Example

Sociocultural Factors Influencing Eating Disorder Development Here Here Here Here Sociocultural Factors Influencing Eating Disorder Development Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia have been a popular topic of discussion in science, as well as the media, in recent decades. The avoidance and/or purging of food has been commonly linked to Western society, especially among women. However, evidence shows that eating disorders like these have been observable across different cultures since at least the 17th century.

Additionally, males are now subject to these disorders as well as women. Clearly, the previous understanding of eating afflictions was not as complete as once believed. Sociocultural factors appear to play an important role in the development of problems like anorexia and bulimia. It has long been theorized that one of the most prominent influences of eating disorder development is the increasingly prevalent, and progressively unrealistic, images of females that have idealized through the Western media.

Accordingly, the spread of Western culture has been identified as a vector of eating disorders, and has been blamed for propagating the ambition for an unattainable body. Male rates of these afflictions have also been increasing throughout the world, suggesting that the West has also spread an unrealistic male body image. Acculturation has been consistently linked to eating disorders in the literature, but there are sociocultural factors other than media and body image that have a significant impact (Corner, 2011).

For example, the mere exposure to another culture may cause a disruption in eating based on observed differences and resulting "shock". Gender roles throughout all cultures can also play an important part in eating disorder development. Changing expectations for both males and females may also explain the rise in the incidence of men with such afflictions (as well as increasing overall rates), especially as the pressure to "succeed" (as well as to adhere to social norms, becomes more important).

Finding these common threads between cultures may be the only way to develop a comprehensive sociocultural approach model of eating disorder risk factors.ReferenceCorner, R.J. (2011). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (6th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.