Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Sex Roles and Psychopathology pp 317–337Cite as

Sex-Role Stereotypes and the Development of Eating Disorders

  • Chapter

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore ways in which cultural sex role stereotyping may influence the development of eating disorders. Previous reports (Boskind-Lodahl, 1976; Bruch, 1978; Chemin, 1981; Leon, 1976; Wooley and Wooley, 1980) have considered the probable etiological role of cultural attitudes regarding women for certain abnormal eating patterns. However, the relationship involving sex role attitudes, sex role identification, sex role behavior, and the development of abnormal eating patterns has not been directly studied. Therefore, one is obliged to draw conclusions about the etiological role of sex role attitudes on eating disorders through integrating the available scientific knowledge about sex role stereotypes with findings from epidemiological and other studies of eating disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Balter, M. Extent and character of amphetamine use. In L. Lasagna (Ed.), Obesity: Causes, consequences, and treatment. New York: Medcom, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beller, A. S. Fat and thin: A natural history of obesity. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bemis, K. Current approaches to the etiology and treatment of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Bulletin, 1978, 85, 593–617.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beuf, A. Anorexia nervosa: A sociocultural approach. Unpublished manuscript, University of Pennsylvania, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beumont, P. J. V., Abraham, S. F., and Simson, K. G. The psychosexual histories of adolescent girls and young women with anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 1981, 11, 131–140.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boskind-Lodahl, M. Cinderella’s stepsisters: A feminist perspective on anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 1976, 2, 341–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bray, G. A. A look at diets and other treatments for obesity. Medical Times, 1979, 107, 51–55.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruch, H. The importance of overweight. New York: Norton, 1957.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruch, H. Eating disorders: Obesity, anorexia, and the person within. New York: Basic Books, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruch, H. The golden cage. The enigma of anorexia nervosa. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canning, H., and Mayer, J. Obesity — Its possible effect on college acceptance. New England Journal of Medicine, 1966, 275, 1172–1174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canning, H., and Mayer, J. Obesity: An influence on high school performance? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1967, 20, 352–354.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chemin, K. The obsession: Reflections on the tyranny of slenderness. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clifford, E. Body satisfaction in adolescence. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1971, 33, 119–125.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, S. Emotions and clinical medicine. New York: Norton, 1950.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, A. H., Harding, B., and McGuinness, B. Anorexia nervosa: Psychoneurotic characteristics of parents: Relationship to prognosis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1974, 18, 167–173.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, A. H. Anorexia nervosa. Hospital Medicine, 1967, 1, 713–718.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, A. H., Kalucy, R. S., Lacey, J. H., and Harding, B. The long-term prognosis in anorexia nervosa: Some factors predictive of outcome. In R. A. Vigersky (Ed.), Anorexia nervosa. New York: Raven Press, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, A. H., Palmer, R. L., and Kalucy, R. S. How common is anorexia nervosa? A prevalence study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 1976, 128, 549–554.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dietmania. Medical Times, 1979, 107, 31-34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douty, H. I., Moore, J. B., and Hartford, D. Body characteristics in relation to life adjustment, body image, and attitudes of college females. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1974, 33, 119–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Espinosa-Campos, J., Robles, C., Gual, C., and Perez-Palacios, G. Hypothalamic, pituitary and ovarian function assessment in a patient with anorexia nervosa. Fertility and Sterility, 1974, 25, 453–458.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, S. Sex differences in body perception. Psychological Monographs, 1964, 78, 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flack, R., and Grayer, E. D. A consciousness-raising group for obese women. Social Work, 1975, 20, 484–486.

    Google Scholar 

  • Food and Drug Administration. Food and nutrition: Knowledge and beliefs, a nationwide study among food shoppers by response analysis. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, March 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdston, R. Mind over matter: Observations on 50 patients hospitalized with anorexia nervosa. American Academy of Child Psychiatry Journal, 1974, 13, 246–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garner, D. M., and Garfinkel, P. E. Socio-cultural factors in the development of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 1980, 10, 647–656.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Schwartz, D., and Thompson, M. Cultural expectations of thinness in women. Psychological Reports, 1980, 47, 483–491.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gifford, S., Murawski, B. J., and Pilot, M. Anorexia nervosa in one of identical twins. International Psychiatry Clinics, 1970, 7, 139–228.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glucksman, M. L., and Hirsch, J. The response of obese patients to weight reduction: III. The perception of body size. Psychosomatic Medicine, 1969, 131, 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grinker, J., Hirsch, J., and Levin, B. The affective responses of obese patients to weight reduction: A differentiation based on age at onset of obesity. Psychosomatic Medicine, 1973, 35, 57–63.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gubner, R. Overweight and health: Prognostic realities and therapeutic possibilities. In L. Lasagna (Ed.), Obesity: Causes, consequences, and treatment. New York: Medcom, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammar, S. L., Campbell, M. M., Campbell, V. A., Moores, N. L., Sareen, C., Gareis, F. J., and Lucas, B. An interdisciplinary study of adolescent obesity. Journal of Psychiatry, 1972, 80, 373–383.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huenemann, R. L., Shapiro, L. R., Hampton, M. C., and Mitchell, B. W. A longitudinal study of gross body composition and body conformation and their association with food and activity in a teen-age population: Views of teen-age subjects on body conformation, food and activity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1966, 18, 325–338.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwawaki, S., and Lerner, R. M. Cross-cultural analyses of body-behavior relations: III. Developmental intra-and inter-cultural factor congruence in the body build stereotypes of Japanese and American males and females. Psychological An International Journal of Psychology in the Orient, 1976, 19, 67–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. J., Fox, M. M., Babigian, H. M., and Hutton, H. E. Epidemiology of anorexia nervosa in Monroe County, New York: 1960–1976. Psychosomatic Medicine, 1980, 42, 551–558.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jourard, S. M., and Secord, P. F. Body size and body-cathexis. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1954, 18, 184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jourard, S. M., and Secord, P. F. Body-cathexis and the ideal female figure. Journal of Abnormal Social Psychology, 1955, 50, 243–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keesey, R. E. Set-points and body weight regulation. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 1978, 1, 523–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurtz, R. Your body image: What it tells about you. Science Digest, 1969, 66, 52–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R. Current directions in the treatment of obesity. Psychological Bulletin, 1976, 86, 557–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R. Cognitive-behavior therapy for eating disturbances. In P. Kendall and S. Hollon (Eds.), Cognitive-behavioral interventions: Theory, research, and procedures. New York: Academic Press, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R. Personality and behavioral correlates of obesity. In B. Wolman (Ed.), Psychological aspects of obesity. A handbook. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R., and Carroll, K. The bulimia vomiting disorder within a generalized substance-abuse pattern. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Toronto, November 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R., and Chamberlain, K. Emotional arousal, eating patterns, and body image as differential factors associated with varying success in maintaining a weight loss. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1973, 40, 474–480.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R., Eckert, E. D., Teed, D., and Buchwald, H. Body image, personality, and life event changes after jejunoileal bypass surgery for massive obesity. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1979, 2, 39–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R., Carroll, K., Chernyk, B., and Finn, S. Binge eating and associated habit patterns within college student and identified bulimic populations. Manuscript submitted for publication, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon, G. R., Lucas, A. R., Colligen, R. C., Ferdinande, R. J., and Kamp, J. Body image, sexual attitudes, and interpersonal behavior patterns in anorexia nervosa. Manuscript submitted for publication, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R. M., and Geliert, E. Body identification, preference, and aversion in children. Developmental Psychology, 1969, 1, 456–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R. M., and Iwawaki, S. Cross-cultural analyses of body-behavior relations: II. Factor structure of body build stereotypes of Japanese and American adolescents. Psychologia: An International Journal of Psychology in the Orient, 1975, 18, 83–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R. M., and Pool, K. B. Body build stereotypes: A cross-cultural comparison. Psychological Reports, 1972, 31, 527–532.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R. M., and Schroeder, C. Physique identification, preference, and aversion in kindergarten children. Developmental Psychology, 1971, 5, 538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenna, R. J. Some effects of anxiety level and food cues on the eating behavior of obese and normal subjects: A comparison of the Schachterian and psychosomatic conceptions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1972, 22, 311–319.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, J. E. Anorexia nervosa of adolescence: The central syndrome of anorexia nervosa group. British Journal of Psychiatry, 1971, 118, 539–542.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, J. E., and Pudel, B. Experimental studies on food intake in obese and normal weight subjects. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1972, 16, 305–308.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, M. E., Stunkard, A., and Srole, L. Obesity, social class, and mental illness. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1962, 181, 962–966.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, R. L. Body image development in adulthood. Nursing Clinics of North America, 1972, 7, 617–630.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nylander, I. The feeling of being fat and dieting in a school population: An epidemiologic interview investigation. Acta Sociomedica Scandinavica, 1971, 3, 17–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orbach, S. Fat is a feminist issue. New York: Berkley, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pendergrass, V. Women as clinicians in private practice. American Psychologist, 1974, 29, 533–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. Risk factors for depression: What do we learn from them? In M. Guttentag, S. Salasin, and D. Belle (Eds.), The mental health of women. New York: Academic Press, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robson, J. R. Obesity — An overview. Medical Times, 1979, 107, 49–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, G. Bulimia nervosa: An ominous variant of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 1979, 9, 429–448.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Secord, P. F., and Jourard, S. M. The appraisal of body cathexis: Body-cathexis and the self. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1953, 17, 343–347.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seltzer, C. C., and Mayer, J. A simple criterion of obesity. Postgraduate Medicine, 1965, 38, A101–A107.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silverstone, J. T., Gordon, R. P., and Stunkard, A. J. Social factors in obesity in London. Practitioner, 1969, 202, 682–688.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stunkard, A., and Burt, V. Obesity and the body image: II. Age at onset of disturbances in the body image. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1967, 123, 1443–1447.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stunkard, A., d’Aquili, E., Fox, S., and Filion, R. D. L. Influence of social class on obesity and thinness in children. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1972, 221, 579–584.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • United States Department of Agriculture. Homemakers food and nutrition knowledge, practices, and opinions. Home Economics Research Report, No. 39, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, W. A study of anorexia nervosa in young girls. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1968, 9, 27–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wooley, S. C., and Wooley, O. W. Eating disorders: Obesity and anorexia. In A. Brodsky and R. Hare-Musten (Eds.), Women and psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wooley, S. C., Wooley, O. W., and Dyrenforth, S. R. Theoretical, practical and social issues in behavioral treatments of obesity. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1979, 12, 3–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA

    Gloria R. Leon & Stephen Finn

Authors
  1. Gloria R. Leon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen Finn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405, USA

    Cathy Spatz Widom (Chairperson and Associate Professor of Forensic Studies, Associate Professor of Psychology) (Chairperson and Associate Professor of Forensic Studies, Associate Professor of Psychology)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1984 Plenum Press, New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Leon, G.R., Finn, S. (1984). Sex-Role Stereotypes and the Development of Eating Disorders. In: Widom, C.S. (eds) Sex Roles and Psychopathology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4562-6_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4562-6_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-4564-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-4562-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation