Environmental Influences On Human Behavior Essay Example for Free

Environmental Influences On Human Behavior analyzeEating b some other is a condition wherein an individuals ingest behavior of alimentation or not eating is limitd by a psychological impulse, instead of a physiologicalal lead. Individuals with eating disorders slackly choose to ignore the signals their bodies send out that maintenance is needed for maintenance or that enough nutrient has already been consumed. One general feature commonly find in an individual with an eating disorder is abnormal canfult, which may be either above or down the stairs the normal weight.Normal weight has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having a consistency mass forefinger (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 squared (m2). An individual with a BMI of 25 to 29 kg/m2 is classified as overweight, those with BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 ar e categorized as moderately corpulent, and people with BMI of 40 kg/m2 and above are identified as morbidly obese.Obesity was earlier considered as an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Today, corpulency is regarded as a disease that is strongly influenced by genetic, physiologic and behavioral components (Jequier and Tappy, 1999). The global estimate of overweight people is currently 1. 2 billion, of which at least ccc 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 every preference to economic position of a country, health governing bodies have put in a significant effort to upgrade awareness of this disease and intervention programs that would teach the public of the risks of being overwe ight and/or obese. A major(ip) factor that influences much(prenominal) excessive weight gain is the poor lifestyle choices individuals make, in terms of their eating, recitation and physical activities.Binge eating is another eating disorder that is characterized by consuming huge totalitys of nutriment for thought 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 sheath and the binge-eating/purging types (APA, 1994). The restricting type of anorexia nervosa involves the absolute inhibition of food consumption and does not accompany any purging or binge-eating actions.The binge-eating type of anorexia nervosa is commonly characterized by cycles of binge-eating and purging. The classic symptom of anorexia nervosa is subjecting ones ego to a starvation condition, with the main goal of preventin g or avoiding gaining weight or sensing that any eke out is deposited in the body. 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 collectible 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 distinguish from anorexia nervosa through the feature that the individuals afflicted with this eating disorder typically have normal or above-average weights. In addition, individuals with anorexia nervosa can strongly inhibit their food intake, darn individuals with bulimia nervosa find difficulty in avoiding food consumption.Bulimic individuals commonly carry a psychological feeling of guilt and shame of eating so much food, hence they try to appea se themselves of their eating faults through purging and chemical 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 purify 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 cor proportional statistics of this cause still has to be investigated.Another theory involves the motivation of the bulimic individual to escape from objectiveity, by treating for as a comfort instead of a source of energy and nutrition for their bodies. Childhood experiences may also possibly play a role in the cause of bulimia, because young children are a lot given different types of food in order to pacify them or to reward them for particular activities. smart set may also play a role in bulimia, because the m edia strongly endorses that being thin is good, sightly 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 frequently observed in females in the Western world (Suematsu, 1986). Several theories have been proposed to explain the mechanism behind hurt and eating in overweight and obese individuals. The internal-external theory of Schachter (1971) states that aridness 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 explore showed that faster ticking clocks that would reach meal times earlier would influence the subjects to eat earlier, while slower ticking close would influence subjects to eat later during the day. This theory strengthened the hypothesis that obese people tend to feel hungry based on the time of the day, and not bas ed of the real sensation 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 landmark 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 limitation (Hermand and Polivy, 1984). During diet regimes, the amount of food an individual eats is a little less than the set amount or boundary and in turn, the body 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 third 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 impart be biologicly maintained through the natural way, regardless o f efforts to loss weight through diets and other weight loss regimens. A decreased intake of calories lead not perturb the hypothalamus in its self-regulation of body weight. These theories are comparatively similar in terms of their goal of attempting to discern the mechanisms of obesity.The theories all emphasized that obesity is not influenced by a single 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 society has comprehend as overweight is not really caused by a simple excessive hunger that stems from the need of the stom ach 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 treatment 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 relationship of ones thoughts and eating activities, as well as teaching 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 monitor whether the patient is gaining weight and to determine whether any other complications may be present in the individual.Diet icians 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 provide energy to the proper functioning of the human body. It is more complicated than the straightforward provide 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 capability to feed our themes, 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 cho ices of eating the proper(a) amount of food, as well as the right type of food, is a conscious and voluntary choice, and the consequences should be seriously considered.