Environmental Influences On Human Behavior Essay

Eating disturb is a chassis wherein an someones alimentation behavior of consume or non feeding is influenced by a psychological impulse, instead of a physiological privation. Individuals with eating distracts generally take aim to ignore the signals their bodies send out that nourishment is needed for maintenance or that enough nutrition has already been consumed. One general feature ordinarily observed in an individual with an eating disorder is abnormal fish, which whitethorn be either above or below the normal weight. regulation weight has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having a system mass index (BMI) of 18. 5 to 24. 9 kg/m2 (Deurenberg and Yap, 1999 Weisell, 2002). BMI is the ratio of an individuals weight in kilograms (kg) to his heights in meters squ atomic number 18d (m2). An individual with a BMI of 25 to 29 kg/m2 is sort out as large(p), those with BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 are categorized as mode stationly obese, and people with BMI of 40 kg/m2 and above are place as morbidly obese.Obesity was earlier considered as an imbalance mingled with nothing intake and energy expenditure. Today, obesity is regarded as a disease that is strongly influenced by genetic, physiologic and behavioral factors (Jequier and Tappy, 1999). The ball-shaped estimate of overweight people is currently 1. 2 billion, of which at least 300 million are classified as obese. Obesity has been identified as a preventable health risk, but unfortunately, the mortality rate of this disease is still high, contributing to approximately 300,000 deaths each year in the United States alone.Since the cases of overweight and obesity are continually increasing without all preference to economic status of a country, health governing bodies confuse put in a significant effort to promote cognizance of this disease and intervention programs that would teach the public of the risks of universe overweight and/or obese. A major factor th at influences such(prenominal) excessive weight wear is the poor lifestyle choices individuals make, in terms of their eating, exercising and physical activities. pig out eating is an other eating disorder that is characterized by consuming considerable gets of forage in order to achieve the strong feeling of being full. This disorder is generally involved with eating bouts even when an individual is not hungry. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is recognized in two forms- the restricting face and the binge-eating/purging theatrical roles (APA, 1994). The restricting type of anorexia nervosa involves the absolute inhibition of food purpose and does not accompany any purging or binge-eating actions.The binge-eating type of anorexia nervosa is ordinarily characterized by cycles of binge-eating and purging. The classic symptom of anorexia nervosa is subjecting ones self to a starvation condition, with the main goal of preventing or avoiding gaining weight or detective work that any fat is deposited in the remains. The psychological angle with anorexia nervosa is that the individual perceives himself as overweight yet actually, their weight is already below normal. The extreme condition of anorexia nervosa usually involves death due to severe malnutrition.Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by cycles of binge eating, purging and the employment of laxatives to remove any food that has been consumed (APA, 1994). Bulimia nervosa may be differentiated from anorexia nervosa through the feature that the individuals laid low(p) with this eating disorder typically fork up normal or above-average weights. In addition, individuals with anorexia nervosa can strongly inhibit their food intake, while individuals with binge-eating syndrome nervosa give away difficulty in avoiding food inspiration.Bulimic individuals commonly carry a psychological feeling of guilt and shame of eating so a great deal food, hence they try to appease themselves of their eating faults through purging and chemic elimination of the food they ate through the use of laxatives. They consider such activities as remedies or cleansing rituals so that they can immediately cleanse themselves of the disgrace they made from eating huge amounts of food. To date, the exact cause of bulimia remains unknown, yet there are theories that this eating disorder is strongly associated to depression and anxiety, however, a precise correlation of this cause still has to be investigated.Another theory involves the motivation of the bulimic individual to escape from reality, by treating for as a comfort instead of a source of energy and nutrition for their bodies. Childhood experiences may also possibly play a parting in the cause of bulimia, because young children are often apt(p) different types of food in order to pacify them or to bribe them for particular activities. Society may also play a role in bulimia, because the media strongly endorses t hat being thin is good, beautiful and acceptable.It has been suggested that eating disorders may be physiologically influenced by serotonin and norepinephrine. It has also been suggested that anorexia is more than frequently observed in females in the Western world (Suematsu, 1986). Several theories have been proposed to explain the mechanism behind hunger and eating in overweight and obese individuals. The indispensable- impertinent theory of Schachter (1971) states that hunger is influenced by external signals such as time, as shown in their experiments involving manipulation of clock rates and counting the consumption of crackers by the subjects.The research showed that faster ticking clocks that would domain meal times earlier would influence the subjects to eat earlier, while sluggish ticking close would influence subjects to eat later during the day. This theory reinforced the hypothesis that obese people tend to feel hungry found on the time of the day, and not based o f the real champion of hunger. The sensation of hungry in normal individuals is generally induced by internal signals such as an increased appetite or need to eat.The marge theory of hunger considers the cognitive influence of hunger and satiety, wherein an individual determines the amount of food he should take in, as their limit or confines (Hermand and Polivy, 1984). During viands regimes, the amount of food an individual eats is a picayune less than the vex amount or boundary and in turn, the torso physiologically adapts to the available sources of energy. In overweight and obese individuals, the boundary of food intake is significantly higher than an individual of normal weight.A terce theory explaining the relation between excessive weight gain and eating is the set point theory, which is essentially based on the control of the hypothalamus on the bodys predetermined weight. Such set point of weight will be biologically maintained through the natural way, disregardles s of efforts to loss weight through diets and other weight loss regimens. A decreased intake of calories will not perturb the hypothalamus in its self-regulation of body weight. These theories are comparatively similar in terms of their goal of attempting to distinguish the mechanisms of obesity.The theories all emphasized that obesity is not influenced by a atomic number 53 factor, such as plain and simple overeating. These theories actually describe external influences of factors that result in overeating. In the external-internal theory identifies the time of the day as the major factor that triggers hunger. For the boundary theory, the individual himself, most probably with the cerebellum as the major organ, determines the amount of food he will eat. As for the set point theory, the hypothalamus controls the individuals body weight.It is interesting to note that what the ordering has perceived as overweight is not really caused by a simple excessive hunger that stems from the need of the stomach to carry more food, but actually a more complex network involving the digestive system, the central nervous system and the immediate environment. Treatment for eating disorder often involves physical and psychological approaches. Psychotherapy serves as the main manipulation for eating disorders, which often involves sessions with a therapist to discuss issues such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and body image concerns.The therapist generally emphasizes the alliance of ones thoughts and eating activities, as well as program line the patient that food is a source of nourishment and not a source of comfort or escape. Antidepressants may be prescribed to an individual with an eating disorder, to regulate the emotions of the depressed individual. The physician will also need to regularly check the physical vital signs of the patient, in order to admonisher whether the patient is gaining weight and to determine whether any other complications may be pres ent in the individual.Dieticians will design a well-balanced diet for an individual with an eating disorder, as well as educate the person of the nutritional value of every type of food that is consumed. The theories of hunger and eating disorders are based on the concept of primary motivation, which is mainly an interplay between psychology and the biological need to set up energy to the proper mathematical operation of the human body. It is more complicated than the straightforward feeding mechanisms in other organisms because eating in the other species is singly influenced by the need to provide food for the normal physiology of the body.In human beings that have a more complex brain system due to evolution, we have acquired the additional dexterity to feed our passs, and even our souls, so to speak figuratively. It is important to individuals to understand that the mind is a powerful organ that can influence the actions and activities of the rest of the body but it is also more important to know that such choices of eating the right amount of food, as well as the right type of food, is a conscious and voluntary choice, and the consequences should be seriously considered.