Reverse Anorexia in Bodybuilders Essay examples - 2177 Words

Reverse Anorexia in Bodybuilders Women compose the overwhelming majority of the reported cases of eating disorders. The, desire to be thin consumes many young women who idealize the false and unrealistic model form depicted in popular magazines. Recently, researchers have started to appreciate the role of exercise in the development of eating disorders. This shift has illuminated the striking influence of sports on body image satisfaction in men as well as women. The importance of a fit physique has grown increasingly salient to men in modem society as indicated by the rise of hypermasculine action heroes such as Arnold Schwartzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. One growing sport, bodybuilding, now has the sixth largest sports†¦show more content†¦The percentage of the bodybuilders in the study with a history of anorexia nervosa was 2.8% which is considerably more than the 0.02% rate currently recorded among all American men. The authors suggested that media idealizes the large muscular body form for men just as it endorses the waif-like appearance for women Unfortunately, the study lacks a control group with which to compare their results. The majority of the primarily qualitative data obtained in the experiment, through the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID), may be subject to a slight interpretative bias. Whether individuals prone to reverse anorexia are disproportionately attracted to bodybuilding or the sport actually encourages such behavior (or both) remains unclear. The study, however, provided preliminary evidence for the existence of a reverse anorexia syndrome arnon ,g bodybuilders. Body Dissatisfaction in Bodybuilders The fear of being too small leads to a high degree of body dissatisfaction among bodybuilders. Fussell (1991), in a book based on his experience as a former bodybuilder, laments, It didnt occur to me then that too big might not be big enough (P. 86). Fussells account, although entirely descriptive, provided valuable insight and an in-depth analysis into the bodybuilders world as witnessed by a man who was consumed by it. Fussell (1991) stated, By making myself larger than fife, I might make myself a littleShow MoreRelatedPsychology Of Bodybuilding And The Bodybuilding Industry Essay887 Words   |  4 Pages that come with this hobby. Many examples of disorders are eating disorders, such as binge eating, Bulimia Nervosa, another psychological characteristic is â€Å"Bigorexia† also known as Muscle Dysmorphia. Muscle Dysmorphia is when so called BodyBuilders aren’t pleased with the way they look, they to seek different ways to get bigger or smaller. Most turn to Anabolic steroids to help increase muscle growth but, taking steroids could also lead to some health issues and it can also take an impact