The cognitive approach looks at thought processes to explain behaviour. The key point in the Cognitive Approach to this issue, is that it is caused by a persons irrational beliefs that they cannot be valued unless they have an ideal body and physical appearance. And as people with eating disorders often have a distorted body image (usually that they are fat), they continue to loose weight in order to get to that perfect body image.
Thoughts which have been noted by psychologists Bemis-Vitousek and Orimoto (1993) were consistent with with the model of Abnormality, for example "I am not yet thin so i must lose more weight". Irrational thoughts were also noted "I must continue to lose weight so i can continue to be in control of my body" this is an irrational attitude about control, as except there is no control as they are losing a dangerous amount of weight.
Fairburn et al. in 1999 conducted an interview study which compared 169 eating disorder sufferers, 102 people with other psychiatric disorders and 204 healthy controls. The results showed that many eating disorder sufferers were perfectionist and had a negative self evaluation.
The cognitive approach suggests that irrational thoughts is what causes these disorders, but it doesnt tell us where these irrational thoughts come from.
I certainly think this is a plausible explanation. I know for sure that these irrational thoughts have been on my mind. It is a shame that it cannot tell us where these thoughts originate and why we have them.
Sophie x
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