An eating disorder is something that must be taken seriously by all, but often is not. This really frustrates me as someone who is interested in working in health care as well as someone who has been affected by an assortment of eating disorders through friends and family. Many things could influence the habits of an individuals eating, and often one group of individuals that is known to be "at risk" includes dancers and cheerleaders. They say this could be because of the tremendous amount of stress and pressure there is to have a "nice" body (whatever that means...) and to be in excellent shape.
The reason I say that eating disorders are not always taken seriously is simply because of a lack of education. Sometimes people think that maybe younger girls are just trying to "fit in" and don't pay too much attention to their weight loss of lack of eating. And maybe they are just trying to follow the crowd, but that does NOT mean it should not be treated as a disorder as it can lead to trauma and psychological issues later on. I will also say that of course eating disorders are not limited to young girls, anyone of any gender, age or race could be affected.
I hope that eventually eating disorders will be treated as any other disorder and that it will not be such a difficult subject to talk about. I also hope that somehow there will eventually be less pressure on body image for everyone, but especially those groups known to struggle with eating disorders the most.
Wednesday 3 June 2015
Socioeconomic Status and Health
The section on Socioeconomic status and health caught my attention as health in general is a topic of interest as well as the subject I enjoy to study. It has been said that there is a strong link between the socioeconomic status of an individual and their overall health, leading to these individuals living longer than those of lower socioeconomic status.
Not only do those who have a higher income have a better chance to pay for the health care needed to maintain their health (maybe not necessarily in Canada because healthcare is covered), but they can also afford to buy healthier foods to prevent many diseases or health issues. It amazes and disgusts me to consider that many families have unhealthy lifestyles or are obese because they simply cannot afford to eat the way they should. It is so easy to buy a dozen boxes of Kraft Dinner and junk foods at a cheap price, and it is often easily twice as much to buy some fruits or vegetables.
Obviously the costs of these foods are higher for a reason - it is more expensive to get them, especially when they must be imported from another country. I do hope however that in the future it will be made easier for everyone to eat better and live a healthy lifestyle at a lower cost to prevent the high numbers of obesity and other health risks and factors that come along with it.
Not only do those who have a higher income have a better chance to pay for the health care needed to maintain their health (maybe not necessarily in Canada because healthcare is covered), but they can also afford to buy healthier foods to prevent many diseases or health issues. It amazes and disgusts me to consider that many families have unhealthy lifestyles or are obese because they simply cannot afford to eat the way they should. It is so easy to buy a dozen boxes of Kraft Dinner and junk foods at a cheap price, and it is often easily twice as much to buy some fruits or vegetables.
Obviously the costs of these foods are higher for a reason - it is more expensive to get them, especially when they must be imported from another country. I do hope however that in the future it will be made easier for everyone to eat better and live a healthy lifestyle at a lower cost to prevent the high numbers of obesity and other health risks and factors that come along with it.
Tuesday 2 June 2015
Social Facilitation
Group projects have always been something I have disliked. From the moment they are assigned, I dread the thought of having to arrange for everyone to meet, for everyone to follow through and actually show up, and to imagine that it will ever be finished to an acceptable level. Social facilitation caught my eye in my cultural psychology book as I was curious to learn whether or not group projects do in fact bring the abilities/ efforts of an individual to a lower standard, or if I was simply being dramatic.
Social facilitation is known as a tendency for people to do better on tasks they know and have rehearsed when in the presence of others, but do worse on tasks they are not as familiar with (Heine, 2010). This makes me think of myself personally as if I know enough on a subject, such as physical activity for example, I can confidently have a conversation with someone or write a paper on it in no time at all. If I am hesitant though, maybe with something as giving a speech on politics, I am likely to freeze up and become frustrated and embarrassed causing me to seem even less knowledgeable on the subject.
Social facilitation also reminded me of another personal experience related to sports. When I played high school soccer, our team always finished somewhere in the middle of the league at the end of the season. It seemed when we really needed to pull a strong effort together against a team that was clearly better than we were, we could do it. We had everyone all in giving 110% when it counted. The problem was that when we played teams we knew we should easily beat, its as if we slacked off because we knew we would come out on top. This affected us in the long run because when it came down to ranking everyone by points, we were not actually that far ahead of where we should have been from playing these teams below our level.
The Propinquity Effect
The propinquity effect says that we are likely to choose friends based upon how frequently we interact with them (Heine, 2010). A personal example of this would be the friends I have made and maintained throughout my time at university. During frosh week, we were exposed to students from all faculties as well as from all residences to encourage new friendships within the STFX community. Throughout the first semester I spent at university, I made friends with individuals of all ages, from all programs, and all residences. The friendships I maintained though, are relationships that were formed over consistent or constant interaction such as those who lived in the same residence that I did, those who are in the same program as I am, as well as those who are my own age and share similar interests.
When considering who I am still friends with from the beginning after finishing my third year, I can't help but notice that most of my friends are people I lived with as well as those who are in my program. The fact that I was almost forced to interact with these people in more than one social setting (both living with them and having classes together) led to other simple activities we did together such as eating at meal hall or going to the gym together.
As a student who has spent three years in the HK program, it is not surprising that the activities I do with friends in my program involve physical activity or health related programs. Having classes in the same building as the gym almost makes it wrong to skip out on physical activity, right? This is just one example of how exposure to those with similar interests affects my personal choices.
I'm not saying I haven't built or maintained friendships with others who are not in my program or who I didn't meet in residence, but it is certainly easier to stay friends with those who are constantly part of your daily or weekly routines and who share similar interests.
When considering who I am still friends with from the beginning after finishing my third year, I can't help but notice that most of my friends are people I lived with as well as those who are in my program. The fact that I was almost forced to interact with these people in more than one social setting (both living with them and having classes together) led to other simple activities we did together such as eating at meal hall or going to the gym together.
As a student who has spent three years in the HK program, it is not surprising that the activities I do with friends in my program involve physical activity or health related programs. Having classes in the same building as the gym almost makes it wrong to skip out on physical activity, right? This is just one example of how exposure to those with similar interests affects my personal choices.
I'm not saying I haven't built or maintained friendships with others who are not in my program or who I didn't meet in residence, but it is certainly easier to stay friends with those who are constantly part of your daily or weekly routines and who share similar interests.
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