Essay About Kind Of Symbolic Language And People Pleasers

Anorexia Nervosa
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Who is at risk for developing anorexia nervosa?
People who become anorexic often were good children —
eager to please, conscientious, hard working, and good
students. Typically they are people pleasers who seek
approval and avoid conflict. They may take care of
other people and strive for perfection, but underneath
they feel defective and inadequate. They want to be
special, to stand out from the mediocre masses. They
try to achieve that goal by losing weight and being
thin.
Some clinicians believe that the symptoms of anorexia
are a kind of symbolic language used by people who
dont know how to, or are afraid to, express powerful
emotions directly, with words. For example, making
ones body tiny and thin may substitute for, “Im not
ready to grow up yet,” or “Im starving for
attention.” Refusing to eat may translate to “I wont
let you control me!”
People who develop anorexia often feel stressed and
anxious when faced with new situations. Many are
perfectionists who have low tolerance for change
(including the normal physical changes their bodies
experience at puberty), feeling that it represents
chaos and loss of control. Some set rigid, unrealistic
standards for themselves and feel they have failed
totally when they cannot achieve and maintain the
degree of excellence they demand of themselves.
In addition to restricting food, classic anorexics
also restrict other areas of their lives. They are
risk-averse individuals, preferring to live closely
circumscribed lives, with few changes in established
routines, to which they tightly cling. They need to
become more adventurous and learn how to cope with
expanded horizons.
Although people who have anorexia nervosa dont want
to admit it, many fear growing up, taking on adult
responsibilities, and meeting the demands of
independence. Many are overly engaged with parents to
the exclusion of peer relationships. They use dieting
and weight preoccupations to avoid, or ineffectively
cope with, the demands of a new life stage such as
adolescence, living away from home, or adult
sexuality.
What causes eating disorders?
There are many theories and no one simple answer that
covers everyone. For any particular person, some or
all of the following factors will be woven together to
produce starving, stuffing, and purging.
Biological factors
Temperament seems to be, at least in part, genetically
determined. Some personality types
(obsessive-compulsive and sensitive-avoidant, for
example) are more vulnerable to eating disorders than
others. New research suggests that genetic factors
predispose some people to anxiety, perfectionism, and
obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors. These
people seem to have more than their share of eating
disorders. In fact, people with a mother or sister who
has had anorexia nervosa are 12 times more likely than
others with no family history of that disorder to
develop it themselves. They are four times more likely
to develop bulimia. (Eating Disorders Review. Nov/Dec
2002)
Studies reported in the New England Journal of
Medicine (3/03) indicate that for some, but not all,
people heredity is an important factor in the
development of obesity and binge eating. Now there are
suggestions that women who develop anorexia nervosa
have excess activity in the brains dopamine
receptors, which regulate pleasure. This may lead to
an explanation of why they feel driven to lose weight
but receive no pleasure from shedding pounds. (Journal
of Biological Psychiatry; July 2005. Guido Frank, et
al.)
Also, once a person begins to starve, stuff, or purge,
those behaviors in and of themselves can alter brain
chemistry and prolong the disorder. For example, both
undereating and overeating can activate brain
chemicals that produce feelings of peace and euphoria,
thus temporarily dispelling anxiety and depression. In
fact some researchers believe that eating