Aside from the primary factors which cause the onset of bulimia (heredity or genetics, inherent personality traits, socio-cultural influences), there are still a number of secondary factors which may help trigger and aggravate the condition. Among these are the following:
. Dieting. Since the society values thinness immensely, people who lose weight are often highly praised for the change in their appearance. And since we put too much value on being accepted, these positive feedbacks set the stage for a more intensive and probably, a more stringent dieting. Unfortunately, this leads to bingeing and then purging and then some more dieting - and ultimately a vicious cycle is born.
. Adolescence. Adolescence or puberty is one of the most stressful periods in any person's life. It is a period of constant changes and never-ending adjustments. It is a point in time that can be very confusing to anyone who is shedding off his or her childhood persona and eventually transforming into a more mature individual.
Teenagers do crave to fit in and would try their best to conform to the standards set by society. As such, they may strive hard to achieve the "ideal figure" set by modern society - the one which calls for extreme thinness as exemplified by models, actors and actresses which unfortunately, are the role models of the youth. Impressionable as they are, teens would try everything just to look like their idols. For them, thinness would be just as well the way to happiness and success.
. Life changing events. Any change which brings about life changing consequences can trigger off an eating disorder. Events such as relocating, heading off to college and problems with personal relationships, among others, can cause emotional distress. Some people under these stressful situations may feel so lost that they eventually latch on to something, which they can control, in this case food and their eating behaviors. They may feel that by latching on to food, they at least have some areas in their lives where they are totally in control.
. Artistic activities, sports and work-related factors. There are some artistic and sports activities where a leaner body is considered a fundamental requirement. Examples of these are ballet dancers, gymnasts, wrestlers and marathon athletes. They need to have leaner bodies to increase their agility necessary for their chosen fields. Models, actors, actresses and other television personalities also need to be thin to compete effectively in their chosen professions. Even those in the business and professional arenas feel that they need to have the "ideal figure" to be taken seriously by their colleagues.
. Society. The media is often depicted as one of the primary culprits in the proliferation of eating disorders. Just take a look at all the skinny beauties endorsing even the most common of household essentials and you will see what I mean. Whether the media is simply reflecting the social values prevalent in our times or it is manipulating and influencing the society to glorify thinness cannot be established. In this case, it can be a case of "which comes first - the chicken or the egg?"
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell |
