Psychological Explanations for Anorexia Nervosa: Social Learning Theory (AQA A Level Psychology): Revision Note

The role of modelling & vicarious reinforcement

• The social learning theory of AN argues that the disorder can be acquired indirectly, through observing and imitating a model who provides a 'template' for behaviour

  • Models are especially influential if the observer respects them or perceives them as successful or glamorous

• Individuals are more likely to imitate behaviour they observe being rewarded, which reinforces the behaviour indirectly, known as vicarious reinforcement

  • E.g., a model is praised for losing weight, or a young child observes an older sibling restricting their food intake and learns that this behaviour is normal

• Adolescents are seen as especially vulnerable, as they are searching for an identity and heightened self-esteem

• Through modelling and vicarious reinforcement, social learning theory can explain why AN occurs more in cultures where beauty is associated with being thin and why it is more of a female disorder, as low body weight is mainly associated with attractiveness in females

The role of the media & cultivation theory

• In many cultures, the media (which includes social media) portrays extreme thinness as being desirable 

• Media figures may be identified with because of the glamour of celebrity, so that adolescents want to behave in ways that help them lose weight and achieve thinness, such as dieting and exercising

  • This is then vicariously reinforced by the fame, success, wealth, respect and satisfaction they observe in those role models

• As girls and women are exposed to more media images promoting thinness than men, this can explain why more females than males are affected by AN

• Cultivation theory explains how increased interaction with the media will lead to internalisation of the messages of thinness, as extremely thin models and actresses create a new reality for media users that thinness results in beauty, power, femininity and happiness

Research which investigates social learning theory as an explanation for AN 

• Becker et al. (2011) studied adolescent girls in Fiji, where television only became available in the mid-1990s, and found that the strongest predictor of eating disorder symptoms was how many friends and schoolmates had media access, rather than how long the girls themselves spent watching

  • This suggests eating disorders are acquired indirectly through peer discussion of celebrities, offering both direct reinforcement (praise for losing weight) and vicarious reinforcement (thin celebrities being admired)

• Eisenberg et al. (2005) found that peers also act as role models for social learning and are particularly influential during adolescence, with dieting among friends being significantly related to unhealthy weight control behaviours, such as the use of diet pills or purging

Evaluation of social learning theory as an explanation for AN

Strengths

• SLT can explain cultural changes in AN rates: Chisuwa & O'Dea (2010) highlight increased rates of AN in Japan over the past 40 years as traditional values favouring plumpness gave way to the 'Western' cultural thinness ideal

  • Ozawa et al. (2005) found greater occurrence of AN symptoms in young Japanese women who regularly read magazines promoting thinness compared with those who did not

    • This suggests AN is no longer a culture-bound syndrome confined to Western cultures, and that media representations of female body shape are driving the change

• Social learning principles underpin many treatment approaches to AN, with techniques incorporated into programmes that use direct and vicarious reinforcement and the modelling of adaptive eating behaviours

Limitations

• Social learning theory cannot explain why eating does not start again when compliments for losing weight stop, and negative comments start occurring

• SLT cannot explain why only some women develop AN when most are exposed to the same media influences, which suggests another factor must be involved, such as a genetic vulnerability or an environmental stressor like childhood trauma

  • This points towards a diathesis-stress explanation, which can accommodate biological and non-biological factors and is therefore more valid than one based on social learning processes alone

Issues & Debates

• Social learning theory explains anorexia as a response to Western beauty ideals (e.g., thinness equals attractiveness), which may not apply in collectivist or non-Western cultures where body ideals differ

  • This suggests the theory is culturally biased and lacks universality

• The theory focuses largely on females, assuming that social pressures around thinness affect women more than men, reinforcing alpha bias by exaggerating gender differences

  • It may overlook the growing number of males affected by eating disorders, as for men the ideal body shape is increasingly muscular, leading to bigorexia (a drive to develop muscle without gaining fat)

    • Jones & Morgan (2010) report bigorexia becoming increasingly prevalent in men responding to cultural ideals about masculinity transmitted through the media