An anthropologist could study bulimia nervosa using the ecological and biological approaches to anthropology. The ecological approach involves factors outside of the body that can affect health, such as an individual’s culture, the natural resources used in their environment, the political economy in their area, the plants and animals in their environment, and also the other humans around them also living in their environment. The biological approach also involves the individual’s environment, but also focuses on the individual’s genetic makeup and also their personal choices in relation to their health. In the anthropological journal focusing on eating disorders, it is explained how women in western, industrialized, educated, rich, and democratic societies are generally the major population of sufferers of eating disorders, partially because of the focus of beauty being associated with thinness in the media and fashion industries (Bain 2). Eating disorders are also very often found in individuals suffering from other psychiatric conditions, such as depression or anxiety. At the root of many eating disorders is a desire for control and perfection by the individual suffering from the disorder and the extreme control of weight is a way for the individual suffering from an eating disorder to gain a sense of control and perfection by controlling their weight and trying to perfect their body, even though these behaviors can be extremely harmful. Cardiac arrest, cerebral atrophy, hypothermia, and osteoporosis are just a few of the medical complications that can result from suffering from an eating disorder, not to mention the high fatality rate of eating disorders if they go untreated (Bain 3). Individual choice and environment from the biological aspect of anthropology are a big factor in understanding eating disorders, for instance, if an individual grows up in a household where they are criticized for their weight, they would be more likely to develop an eating disorder than an individual not in that situation. Culture also plays a big part in eating disorders. If a culture associates thinness with beauty then more individuals will develop eating disorders by striving to attain the culture’s idea of beauty. How beauty is portrayed in media and advertisements is also crucial to change the increasing rate of eating disorders among individuals. It is by adopting an anthropological perspective that it is possible to understand the different aspects, such as culture and environment, that can affect individuals’ health, such as why they may suffer from an eating disorder such as bulimia nervosa.
Bain, Tasman. "In the Shadows of Eating Disorders: An Anthropological Exploration of Eating Disorders Outside of the WEIRD-Female Population." Accessed August 10, 2014. http://www.academia.edu/2300529/In_the_Shadows_of_Eating_Disorders_An_Anthropological_Exploration_of_Eating_Disorders_outside_of_the_WEIRD-Female_Population.
Bain, Tasman. "In the Shadows of Eating Disorders: An Anthropological Exploration of Eating Disorders Outside of the WEIRD-Female Population." Accessed August 10, 2014. http://www.academia.edu/2300529/In_the_Shadows_of_Eating_Disorders_An_Anthropological_Exploration_of_Eating_Disorders_outside_of_the_WEIRD-Female_Population.