ves think they are special because they can do something no one else can do. Power is a major issue with anorexics. In fact, studies suggest there are certain risk factors that make some teens more susceptible to developing an eating disorder. In addition to being unhappy with their bodies and themselves, many have a strong need for approval from their parents or peers. Some may be depressed and this can be a major factor. For women the overwhelming social and cultural pressure to be slim can produce such ferocious fear of fatness that the result is anorexia. For men, says Andersen(1994,p.61) such pressures are a significant cause of anorexia primarily in a subset that includes models, actors, gymnasts, wrestlers and jockeys. Although for several males, nonprofessional sport training can lead down the road to an eating disorder. Men can also develop eating disorders in connection with what behaviour experts call obligatory running and other endurance sports. In a world of deprivation chic, pain and hunger take a back seat to miles-per-day and body fat percentage numbers.According to Hobbs(1996) and Johnson(1996), dieting and weight loss are becoming much more common among males of all ages. Things like television, motion pictures and the print media portray a slender body as a way to obtain power, control and success. Americans are exposed to the ideas off healthy eating and thinness at an early age, and by early childhood they are learning the power they wield over their bodies through weight loss. Jenish(1990) notes that doctors who have studied the disorders say that there can be a wide spread of causes, including a childhood disturbed by alcoholism, drug abuse or sexual abuse within a family, or an individuals own obsession with perfection. Kaufman(1990,p.52) says,People want to be pencil thin. Models are suppose to be able to put their legs together and still have a space between their knees. Excruciating pressure, combined with ...
