Binge Eating in Non-Western Cultures - 1038 Words

Literature regarding eating disorders in non-Western cultures in general is scarce. Very few studies address disordered eating in cultures outside of the Western and Westernized world. This could be because of the perceived lack of eating disorders in non-industrialized countries or even because there is an overwhelming amount of concern over eating disorders in Western society. However, there have been several studies done on binge eating and dietary restraint in non-western citizens and in non-Caucasian women in the United States. Women who are not from a Caucasian background face different societal and traditional pressures than do Caucasian women in Western cultures, but some of the women in those cultures were found to have binge†¦show more content†¦A major way in which they express this negative self-perception is to restrain their diets or binge-eat (Eating Disorders Review, 2007, 5). Many cultures idealize robust women and practice feasting as a common social pr actice. However, women feel pressured by the stick-thin images they see on Western-influenced television advertisements to lose weight or look more conventionally attractive by Western standards. They feel torn between participating in their traditional custom and looking like the women they see idealized in the media. They feel guilt and embarrassment about overeating but participate in it as part of the cultural norm. (Becker, 2003, 430) Women who feel shame about eating are also less likely to seek help for their eating disorders, and this shame has been found to be more prevalent in women from non-Western ethnicities living in the Western world. Women from different ethnicities experience guilt and a fear of losing control while eating at different levels. Asian and Native American women are the most likely to feel embarrassed about overeating or losing control while eating (Eating Disorders Review, 2007, 5). They are therefore the least likely to seek help for their binge-eating disorders. Healthcare providers should take ethnicity into account when determining causal factors of binge-eating in women from Asian and Native American cultures because they are moreShow MoreRelatedGeneral Education Requirement For Psch 2701410 Words   |  6 PagesDisorder: Social Anxiety Disorder Because: Some behaviors that are allowed in Western culture might be inappropriate in Eastern culture. Therefore, clinical psychologist s should be aware of different sociocultural factors when diagnosing the abnormality of one’s behavior because, for instance, inability to expressing thoughts and feelings might not be solely because of anxiety, and certain behaviors might be common in other culture. b. 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