Eating Disorders DeviantBehavior
Eating Disorders-Contributing to Deviant Behavior Deviance is defined as differing from a norm or from accepted moral or societal standards. ... The focus of this paper is to bring more awareness to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia and how these diseases can lead to deviant behavior. ... It is characterized by episodes of binge eating; eating large quantities of food in a short time (Silverstein, B. ... It should be noted, however, that children as young as 7 have been diagnosed, and women 50, 60, 70, and even 80 fit the diagnosis (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders). ... For some, the compulsiveness shows up in strange eating rituals or the refusal to eat in front of others. ... Other signs include: binge eating, compulsive eating, 25% or more in weight loss, depression, brittle nails and hair, and skin may become dry and yellow and cutting their food into small pieces and rearranging them their plate, but never actually eating the food. Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a person regularly binge eats, then tries to prevent weight gain by self-induced vomiting, water pills, laxatives, fasting or extreme exercising (Joan Jacobs Brumberg; Fasting Girls, Harvard University Press 1989). ... Usually bingeing alternates with periods of normal eating and/or fasting. Symptoms of Bulimia include frequent binge eating (eating very large amounts of food in a short period of time); feeling a lack of control over eating; regular self-induced vomiting; using laxatives or water pills; strict dieting, fasting or vigorous exercise to prevent weight gain; and judging oneself mainly by body shape and weight. ... As a society, we have created an image of the perfect woman, which has plagued not only teenagers, but grown woman to develop deviant behaviors in the form of eating disorders. I have never considered myself to have an eating disorder. ... I can remember in High School going days with barely eating and bragging to my friends about it. But the flip side was that I could go on binges of eating anything and everything I could get my hands on and bragging about how much I could eat and still stay thin. ... Individuals with eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are 95% women and 5% men (Toro, Cervera, and Perez 1988). ... Being a desirable norm of our society, women are trying to fit this and other norms and end up living dysfunctional lives as well as developing deviant eating habits. ... The statistics on the percentage of hospitalizations due to eating disorders are hard to determine because many women will not admit that there is a physical or psychological problem with them (Habermas 1992). Therefore, women may develop eating disorders or compulsive exercise habits to successfully achieve a satisfactory body image and not seek medical attention until it is too late (People 1996).