Theories of ED's

Who made the social cultural theory of ED’s?

Stice and Agras - 1998

What is the social cultural theory?

Internalisation of thin ideals leads to body dissatisfaction leading to dieting behaviours

When did Becker conduct their study?

2002

What was Becker 2002 study?

Looked into women in fiji after introduction of tv came about. Found that this coincided with ED’s and ED behaviours in women.

When did Stark et al conduct their study?

2005

What was Stark et al 2005 study?

Studied international Japanese and Chinese students studying in America. Found them to have higher endorsement of ED symptoms as a result of increased awareness of western appearance norms.

Whats some strengths of socialcultural theories of EDs

• Can explain rise in EDs in Western society

• Emphasis on role of media

• Supports preventative intervention

What are some weaknesses of social cultural theory?

• Underplays genetic factors

• Cant be applied to non-western cultures

• Doesnt explain ED’s such as ARFID

Who created social comparison theory?

Festinger in 1954

What is social comparison theory - Festinger 1954?

It is the process by which you compare yourself to others, can worsen ED’s or even create them

What are some strengths of social comparison theory?

• Explains influence of peers, parents, celebrtities etc.

• Body dissatisfaction can develop before EDs

What are some weaknesses of social comparison theory?

• Ignores cultural aspects, SES, race

Who made objectification theory?

Frederickson and Roberts

What is Frederickson and Roberts objectification theory?

Women internalise objectification of their bodies in society, leads to body shame and anxiety.

When did Meinensen et al conduct their study?

2025

What is Meinensen et al 2025 study

Looked into twin and family studies, found genes to explain 30-40% of ED risk.

When did Nunn et al conduct their study?

2010

What was Nunn et 2010 study?

Looked into the role of the insula in ED’s. Found if its dysfunctional this can cause body image, anxiety.

Neuroimaging showed reduced insula activity, damages to insula can cause reduced awareness, reduced pain sensitivity and low energy etc.

What is the insula?

Intergrates the bodies signals, emotions etc.

When did Westerman et al conduct their study?

2025

What was Westerman et al 2025 study?

Found EDs change brain systems, nervous systems etc. Can cause brain structure changes nerve issues to affect brain areas: insula, amygdala etc.

Issues of delayed diagnosis etc increases stress anxiety.

What is a vascular ED?

Where EDs can cause fragile blood vessels, can cause long term neurological damage. Long term anxiety.

When was Frank et al’s study conducted?

2021

What was Frank et al 2021 study?

Looked at fMRI data, found altered activation and neural structuring in reward hunger and decision making. Can maintain ED’s

When was de la Cruz et al study conducted?

2021

What was de la Cruz et al 2021 study?

Cortical thinning leads to changes in self regulated processing can worsen processing of body image.

Whats some strengths of the biological approach?

• Accounts for individual vulnerability

• Some use in treatment eg: dronabil can be used for weight gain

What are some weaknesses of the biological approach?

• Ignores that many symptoms develop following starvation

• No single ED gene

• Limited success for meds alone