To What Extent Does the Environment Play in the Develoment of Anorexia Nervosa?
Extended project ‘first draft’
“To what extent does the environment effect the development of Anorexia Nervosa?”
‘Anorexia Nervosa is an eating-disorder and mental condition which can be life-threatening’. This definition is from the NHS website, and mentions the psychological side behind it. Another useful definition is from the Oxford Dictionary, and states: ‘the lack or loss of appetite for food’. The translation from Latin to English simply means ‘the nervous loss of appetite’, which implies that the disorder is a chosen one, and is inflicted upon oneself, when in reality, a lot of research has discovered that psychological influences play a huge part in the development as well. The attitude that Anorexia Nervosa is simply ‘a teenage girls strive to be beautiful’ is one which is held my numerous people, and it is often seen as a lifestyle choice, not an illness- this attitude particularly being held by the sufferers themselves. The blame for causation is continuously thrust upon the modelling and magazine industry, however, modern research has discovered that there are genetic and biological aspects to it, so while those industries may play a significant role, they are not the only cause. I chose this topic because it is one which has engaged my interest since the very beginning, allowing me also to develop my understanding for an illness which is very relevant to my age-group, as the majority of eating disorders are developed during puberty, which I will expand upon later. I have seen frequent interviews and documentaries about the ‘killer industries’; accusing modelling companies and magazines for causing the disorder, and this always seemed to interest me. I was particularly interested to find out whether just one aspect of our society today could be solely be to blame for such debilitating illness. There was always something which seemed wrong with that, as I believed that there was more to the illness that just environmental factors, and I hoped, and
“To what extent does the environment effect the development of Anorexia Nervosa?”
‘Anorexia Nervosa is an eating-disorder and mental condition which can be life-threatening’. This definition is from the NHS website, and mentions the psychological side behind it. Another useful definition is from the Oxford Dictionary, and states: ‘the lack or loss of appetite for food’. The translation from Latin to English simply means ‘the nervous loss of appetite’, which implies that the disorder is a chosen one, and is inflicted upon oneself, when in reality, a lot of research has discovered that psychological influences play a huge part in the development as well. The attitude that Anorexia Nervosa is simply ‘a teenage girls strive to be beautiful’ is one which is held my numerous people, and it is often seen as a lifestyle choice, not an illness- this attitude particularly being held by the sufferers themselves. The blame for causation is continuously thrust upon the modelling and magazine industry, however, modern research has discovered that there are genetic and biological aspects to it, so while those industries may play a significant role, they are not the only cause. I chose this topic because it is one which has engaged my interest since the very beginning, allowing me also to develop my understanding for an illness which is very relevant to my age-group, as the majority of eating disorders are developed during puberty, which I will expand upon later. I have seen frequent interviews and documentaries about the ‘killer industries’; accusing modelling companies and magazines for causing the disorder, and this always seemed to interest me. I was particularly interested to find out whether just one aspect of our society today could be solely be to blame for such debilitating illness. There was always something which seemed wrong with that, as I believed that there was more to the illness that just environmental factors, and I hoped, and