A-Level Psychology (AQA)

Topic Summaries

Eating behaviour

Psychological explanations for anorexia nervosa

  • The family systems theory (👥 Minuchin, 1978) emphasises the role of dysfunctional family dynamics in the development of anorexia nervosa.
    • Families of anorexic individuals are often described as enmeshed, meaning that boundaries are blurred and individual autonomy is limited. These families also display overprotectiveness, rigidity, and conflict avoidance, which can create an environment where a young person feels powerless. Anorexia may thus be an attempt to assert autonomy and control.
    • 👥 Bruch (1973) supported this theory by finding that anorexia often arises in contexts where independence is suppressed. However, this theory has been criticised for gender bias, since it tends to blame mothers disproportionately for family dysfunction, and for failing to establish clear causality, as family difficulties may be the result rather than the cause of anorexia.
  • The social learning theory proposes that anorexia nervosa develops through processes of modelling and reinforcement.
    • Individuals may observe peers, family members, or media figures who promote thinness and dieting, and imitate this behaviour. They may also be positively reinforced by praise for weight loss or thin appearance.
    • 👥 Becker et al. (2002) found that Fijian girls developed increased eating disorders after the introduction of television, demonstrating the powerful influence of media. However, not all individuals exposed to thin-ideal media develop anorexia, suggesting that individual differences moderate the effects of social learning.
  • Cognitive theories argue that anorexia is maintained by faulty thought processes.
    • According to 👥 Garner and Bemis (1982), anorexic individuals hold irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions, such as perceiving themselves as overweight despite being underweight, or believing that thinness equates to worth and success.
    • 👥 Vitousek and Orimoto (1993) found that anorexia nervosa patients often misperceive body size and display perfectionist thinking. These distortions can perpetuate the disorder even when weight loss becomes extreme.
    • The cognitive explanation is supported by the persistence of such beliefs in recovered patients, but critics argue that these thought patterns may be a consequence of starvation rather than a primary cause. Nevertheless, cognitive theories have informed effective therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), giving them strong practical application.

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