Eating Disorders: Nature Vs. Nurture

The nature vs nurture debate is one of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology. It is the study of what particular aspects of human behavior are influenced from external factors from exposure and experience (McLeod, 2015). Nature is often defined as being shaped by genetics and biology, while nurture is described as the environmental influences. For the purpose of this paper, the topic of eating disorder will be specifically examined to see whether particular aspects of behavior are genetic or acquired. Eating disorders are described as an illness characterized by irregular eating habits and serious distress about body weight or shape (eating disorders, 2015). There are many different types of eating disorders but the two most common …show more content…
Researches show that genetic factors and biological inheritance contribute to generally 56 percent for the danger of developing an eating disorder (Causes of Eating Disorders – biological factors, 2007). Individuals with a family member in the same household with an eating disorder, have approximately twelve times more likely chance to develop anorexia nervosa, and four times more prone to establish bulimia compared to other families with no history of these disorders (Staff, 2013). If one identical twin has an eating disorder, the probability of the other twin to have an eating disorder increases compared to the case if it were fraternal twins or other siblings. Even with the situation when a relative does not live in the same household as each other, there is a 10% chance of passing anorexia and bulimia down (Causes of Eating Disorders – biological factors, 2007). In summary, family members play a large roll in contributing to the development of eating disorders around them. Although it is not intentional, families are part of the influence and certain factors can perpetuate an eating …show more content…
Different factors lead back to the question if eating disorders are based on biological and genetics, or the environmental influences. From examining different articles, research papers and studies, eating disorders lead towards the biological factors rather than the environmental influences. This is shown from families where relatives or siblings have an eating disorder, the brain structure of the neurotransmitters and serotonin and lastly the strong media factors that also play a role. Eating disorders are a very rampant problem afflicting millions of people globally. Understanding the cause is very important to encourage the expansion of knowledge on prevention, treatment, and care to lower the number of this