Factors Affecting the Development and Spread of Eating Disorders in China

Abstract

In the psychological community there is much debate over the reasons behind the development and rapid spread of eating disorders in China. While a sizable portion of psychologists such as Dr. Sing Lee, hold to the belief that eating disorders in China are mainly western imports, there are others who argue that eating disorder pathology in China has developed as a natural process of modernization. (Tewari & Alvarez, 2009; Leung, Wang, & Tse, 2004) In this thesis the history of eating disorders, along with the causes, development, and influences are discussed in depth. It is commonly believed that the thin-beauty ideal, which often leads to fat-phobic based eating disorders, is not indigenous to China, and therefore must have been imported. Research has shown evidence to the contrary. The development of eating disorders in China is rooted in Chinese history. It seems that eating disorders may have a similarly long-standing history in China.