oncern with their appearance, patients with eating disorders are typically influenced by fashion models and the media. They feel that they must live up to these standards. The sample was composed of 50 anorectics and 30 bulimics for the patient sample. The sample of controls consisted of 151 subjects. An interview was used as the major method of the study. The interview was semistructured and consisted of primarily free response or open-ended questions. It covered a broad range of issues. As well as specific themes of body shape and weight, issues of attractiveness, health, physical fitness, and exercise were examined (Murray et al., 1996).The results of the study according to awareness of social pressures found that at least 90 percent of subjects in all groups stated that they thought that society in general has an ideal body shape for women. Slim was the most frequently offered description from each of the female groups, and it accounted for a majority of all the responses offered. At least three-quarters of the subjects in all the groups reported that some types of female figures are unacceptable by society. The most frequently reported socially unacceptable female figure type were overweight. Overall, only 10 percent of the subjects stated that underweight figures were not socially acceptable. Almost all subjects reported that there is a particular image of women portrayed in the media. An average of 92 percent of subjects reported that there is more pressure on women to conform to a particular body shape. The study also found that 99 percent of subjects started that women are most often judged by their appearance. The most surprising finding on the issue of awareness of social pressure was the very high level of agreement between the two groups- the eating disorder sample and the control sample (Murray et al., 1996). The results found that when examining the perceived influence of social pressure, the most common re...
