Social Cosmos
Social Cosmos – URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-101272
Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescent Girls: A Culture-Bound Disorder of Western
Society?
Elizabeth N. Hopton
Abstract
Drawing upon the present body of epidemiological and etiological research on anorexia nervosa (AN) this review paper investigates the role of modern Western society, and in particular the influence of the media, as a precursor to the underlying body image disturbances central to the current diagnostic definition of the disorder. Although cases of self-starvation have been documented throughout history, in contemporary psychiatry poor self-image (specifically body image disturbance) is conceptualized as a central feature of the pathology underlying the illness. In the lead up to the publication of the DSM-V an ongoing debate has emerged as to the true origins of anorexia nervosa, either as a uniquely modern culture-bound disease of Western society or as an historically continuous phenomenon spanning many centuries. From the former perspective, epidemiological studies indicate an ‘anorexia epidemic’ confined to young women in Western society, and the portrayal of the female body in the media presents as the popular culprit responsible for the alarming proportion of adolescent girls with body image concerns. From the latter viewpoint, however, epidemiological studies should be viewed with caution, and while the influence of the media in body image dissatisfaction has received some support, its role in the onset of AN remains tenuous, with many young women presenting with self-starvation in the absence of any obvious body image pathology. The current debate, although clearly unresolved, identifies areas for future research and challenges the present conceptualization of the illness, posing potential implications for its diagnosis and treatment.
Keywords: anorexia nervosa, adolescent girls, body image, media, advertizing.
Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescent Girls: A CultureBound Disorder of Western
Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescent Girls: A Culture-Bound Disorder of Western
Society?
Elizabeth N. Hopton
Abstract
Drawing upon the present body of epidemiological and etiological research on anorexia nervosa (AN) this review paper investigates the role of modern Western society, and in particular the influence of the media, as a precursor to the underlying body image disturbances central to the current diagnostic definition of the disorder. Although cases of self-starvation have been documented throughout history, in contemporary psychiatry poor self-image (specifically body image disturbance) is conceptualized as a central feature of the pathology underlying the illness. In the lead up to the publication of the DSM-V an ongoing debate has emerged as to the true origins of anorexia nervosa, either as a uniquely modern culture-bound disease of Western society or as an historically continuous phenomenon spanning many centuries. From the former perspective, epidemiological studies indicate an ‘anorexia epidemic’ confined to young women in Western society, and the portrayal of the female body in the media presents as the popular culprit responsible for the alarming proportion of adolescent girls with body image concerns. From the latter viewpoint, however, epidemiological studies should be viewed with caution, and while the influence of the media in body image dissatisfaction has received some support, its role in the onset of AN remains tenuous, with many young women presenting with self-starvation in the absence of any obvious body image pathology. The current debate, although clearly unresolved, identifies areas for future research and challenges the present conceptualization of the illness, posing potential implications for its diagnosis and treatment.
Keywords: anorexia nervosa, adolescent girls, body image, media, advertizing.
Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescent Girls: A CultureBound Disorder of Western
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