Recently in Body Modification Category

I recently read an article that discussed women's inbuilt fear of getting fat.  It discusses how women, more than men, react negatively when they see other obese women.  They do not react negatively against these other women, but instead react in a way that their brain focuses attention on their own self image.  When they see other women who are over-weight they process their own identity and self reflection, therefore solidifying their need to remain thin.  This can be the first stage of eating disorders, but this reaction is seen in many women, even those that externally would say that they were not worried about their image.  

This made me think about the idea of how our brains are motivated.  When seeing someone who is overweight it seems odd to me that the initial brain circuits would be to reflect on yourself.  I guess for me, I don't cognitively think that I would see someone who is obese and think to myself that I didn't want to look like that.  I guess I wouldn't think anything at all because I am not super thin so I would not be judging them.  It also made me think about what motivates us to want to be thin? Is it the want to be healthy or look good in the eyes of others? Or is it more of an internal motivation to have a positive self-image? From this article, I would think that it is more an external motivation. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266007/Woman-inbuilt-fear-getting-fat-does-exist-men.html

Weight and hollywood

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I recently read an article about Gabourey Sidibe, the plus sized actress that was nomited for an Oscar after her emotional performance in Precious. I wondered, like i'm sure many other people do too, will there be a place for her in Hollywood after this film? The facts are that she is an obese woman, and while she is obvisouly very talented, will there be parts for her and will directors want to cast her in a movie? It's sad that a persons talent can be overlooked or disregarded because of your physical features, but in a way it makes sense. The article I read made a good point in saying that her roles will be severely limited because "no one in the executive world looks like her." Sidibe moved audiences by portraying an abused girl and people were able to feel her pain and suffering through her acting, but is this one role enough to motivate directors and casting agents to cast her in more movies? What would be there motivation for casting her instead of someone more physically attractive? Our culture is so caught up on weight and hollywood that I for one think it will be very difficult for her to continue her career without losing weight. One important factor will be if having her star in a movie will motivate people to go to the theaters and watch a movie she is in. Ticket sales of her upcoming films will really motivate other directors to either keep using her, or to move on to the next actress. Hopefully people can look past her physical size and see her talent, so that she might still have a career next year!

Here is the article I read about her.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/10/gabourey.sidibe.career/index.html

Anorexia

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This is an incredible article about anorexia. One of the best I've read to really get a sense of the struggle and motivation behind extremely controlled eating.

http://ehgazette.blogs.brynmawr.edu/2010/01/15/learning-to-live-with-anorexia/

Autonomy and Eating Disorders

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After watching The Hours, and learning about autonomy and how everyone needs to have that kind of support in their lives, people have the need to be in control of their lives.  Where in the movie, all the women thought that suicide was the one thing that they could control in their lives, that was the thing that their husbands and responsibilities couldn't control.  When learning about this extreme sense to gain control, I thought of girls and boys who have eating disorders.  Where psychologically, they can feel so out of control with their lives, that they try and control what they put, or don't put, into their bodies.  Although, there are other ideas that go into Eating Disorders, I thought that autonomy was greatly related. 

I found an article that hypothesized that disturbances in the development of autonomy are a central psychological feature in anorexia nervosa. Specifically, that both restrictive and bulimic anorexics would evidence greater problems with autonomy than would controls and, further, that the three groups would show differential patterns of response on these measures.  The study proved to show that this was a true hypothesis.  The study states that autonomy isn't the single factor for certain eating disorders, but can be useful in the treatment of some eating disorders. 

http://psycnet.apa.org.proxy.lib.uni.edu/journals/abn/96/3/254.pdf

I believe that having control over one's own life is a huge motivating factor for how we choose to live our lives, and we want to be able to control certain things.  For eating disorders, their reinforce is the way that they feel about themselves when they lose the weight, but the idea that they will never be their 'perfect' size shows that persistence and need to be what their idea of perfect is.

Plastic surgery obsession

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In recent times it seems more prevalent than ever that 'perfection' is obtainable. The article I have chosen to post is from People magazine. The article is a follow up article to the release of the Heidi Montag plastic surgery obsession. The magazine interviewed Montag about the recent changes in appearance. She revealed that she had undergone 10 procedures in one day. The first article quoted Montag saying she was "more than obsessed with plastic surgery." Less than pleased with the dramatic change in appearance were Spencer Pratt (husband) and Heidi's mother. Pratt was quoted saying "the day I saw Heidi after the surgery was the worst day of my life." 

This specific article talks about Heidi retracting her previous statement of being obsessed with plastic surgery. Heidi talks about how all she wants is to be perfect inside and out. The way she saw herself was not perfect. She also goes on to discuss the need for her to have these surgeries for her career. 

I personally do not understand the need to undergo 10 procedures on one day in order to continue being a reality star. I understand the there are many societal pressures pushing her into having an desire for an altered self-image. However, to strive for perfection is nothing but an endless battle. Why to you think the need for this is so strong? Why do you think that 'perfection' is recently seen as a conquerable trait?

The thought of desiring perfection is scary to me. I think that we are all made unique for a reason. I understand small modifications, like the use of makeup. But where do we draw the line? How much is too much?

This all definitely applies to figure 2.2 in the book. It deals with the social aspect of motivation and emotion. And this article in particular deals with questioning what an accepted level of intensity is.  As well as that the cause for Montag's behavior is. Could it be that she is always in the spotlight?

 http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20337744,00.html

There Are No Free Passes

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With every new year comes a wave of resolutions to lose weight, and with spring break right around the corner there is little time to waste! I recently watched a segment on the Today Show in which Al Roker interviewed nutritionist Joy Bauer on the dangers of being "skinny fat." Normal weight obesity, or skinny fat, is a condition in which an individual looks slim and trim on the outside with a normal BMI and body weight, but at the same time has a worrisome level of body fat. This increases the chances of having obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The study conducted by Bauer revealed that 30 million Americans fall into the category of "skinny fat." 

We have discussed what motivates us to exercise in class, and for some of us it is to look and feel better about ourselves. When our behavior is aimed toward achieving a particular purpose or goal like this, it contributes direction. Imagine yourself as one of those people who is naturally skinny no matter how much they eat or exercise--those of us who have to work hard often get irritated by them, but what is the direction of their behavior? What energy drives their behavior if they already have a nice looking body? Well, this study unveils what their direction should be. Even those people who look great on the outside may not look so great on the inside. No one gets a free pass--we all must take care of our bodies by eating right and exercising regularly no matter what we have been blessed with genetically.

Check out the clip to this segment below for more information including a comparison between a naturally trim person and another who diets and exercises regularly. Can you tell the difference between the two?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35181451#35181451

 

BMI over 30 you can't graduate

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Who has ever tried to lose weight but lacked the motivation to actual do it? Or tried to reach that BMI index that is healthy for their height and weight? Many people have started a diet and exercise program and either succeeded at this program or failed. What could be some possibilities that would get people to stick to their weight lose goals or reach that healthy BMI index? Could you say that it is health wise important, or you will have more energy if you do? How about if it were made a requirement for graduation? At Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, they are making it a requirement to have a BMI index of 30, which is higher than the actual BMI average of 22.

Here is the link to the NPR article http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/11/pennsylvania_college_makes_bmi.html

 

How they do this is have the incoming freshmen get their BMI measured and if it comes back higher than 30 they are required to take the "HPR 103 Fitness Walking/Conditioning" class, or they can't graduate.  The other students who took the BMI measurement and passed are not required to take any additional physical tests or classes while attending.

The logic behind this according to DeBoy a chair of the department of health, phys ed and recreation there at Lincoln said, "As health educators we're concerned with the whole student, not just the academic part, but all the components that make up health and wellness."

So as a student whose BMI is way over 30 and is as of my last check up in perfect health, besides some breathing problems that I have had way before I was considered unhealthy, find that this can create a problem. I would just not attend this college if I knew that I would not be able to reach this goal. I also would have a problem with the fact that this can cause some mental health problems for many students who find themselves perfect at their current weight.  It initially states that you may be healthy, but you are at risk and to save you, I think you should lose some weight.

What is your thought on this and is it a good start to achieving a healthier America? And foremost would this motivate you if our university made it a requirement for graduation?

Pro Anorexia Communities

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I'm curious who has heard of these Pro Anorexia (Pro Ana) communities for anorexic and bulimics. In the past, I had heard of these types of communities and even viewed one of the Pro Ana sites. I had forgotten about such sites until looking for an article to blog about this week. I was trying to find more information on motivation in relation to anorexia and ignoring the physiological need for food as discussed in, I believe, chapter 1 or 2 of the textbook, and I came across this article. It is a run down of what a Pro Ana community is and it's purpose. They are controversial sites that actually exist to motivate people to NOT eat and "stay in control." It is bizarre and tragic to me that there are sites that directly promote and encourage eating disorders. While I was reading the article I thought about how "motivation" is a word that usually has a positive connotation (e.g. motivated to work out, succeed in school, be successful in the workplace, etc.) but in this case, people are being motivated to do something very detrimental to their health and bodies.

The wording in this article was disturbing to me. An example would be people who "strive to develop an eating disorder." It also goes on to explain that skinny anorexics have the "upper-hand" in the community because bulimics or those still "striving" to develop anorexia do not exude the same willpower to resist food and "idolize" the anorexics.

One of the most troubling things about this article is the pledge from a community, Thinnest of Them All, which I have pasted below.

"I believe in Control, the only force mighty enough to bring order to the chaos that is my world.
I believe that I am the most vile, worthless and useless person ever to have existed on this planet, and that I am totally unworthy of anyone's time and attention.
I believe that other people who tell me differently must be idiots. If they could see how I really am, then they would hate me almost as much as I do.
I believe in oughts, musts and shoulds as unbreakable laws to determine my daily behavior.
I believe in perfection and strive to attain it.
I believe in salvation through trying just a bit harder than I did yesterday.
I believe in calorie counters as the inspired word of god, and memorize them accordingly.
I believe in bathroom scales as an indicator of my daily successes and failures
I believe in hell, because I sometimes think that I'm living in it.
I believe in a wholly black and white world, the losing of weight, recrimination for sins, the abnegation of the body and a life ever fasting."

Your thoughts on this behavior or these communities? I couldn't find the Thinnest of Them All community, but feel free to share any Pro Ana communities you know of or come across.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1257083/pro_ana_community_underground_community.html?cat=5

*This blog is not in support of these communities or eating disorders. If you or a loved one has an eating disorder please seek help.



After reading the post about the "Biggest Loser" show, I could not stop thinking about the lack of support for the contestants. Thinking about this led me to news article called  "Weight-Loss Camps Invite Mom and Dad Along."

In this news article, it briefly mentions the weight-loss camps across the nation in which children are able to attend in order to learn about and start living a healthier lifestyle. This article focus specifically on a girl named Kelsey and her family. Kelsey attended a summer camp, and over the course of the 3 months, she was losing about 9 pounds per month. At the end of the 3 months, Kelsey's dad and sister joined Kelsey to participate in a family workshop. The idea of the family workshop is to teach the families of these children attending the weight-loss camps about the reasons why children overeat, and also are provided tips and resources to help motivate their children once they leave camp and return home. Kelsey's family is reported to be doing amazing after attending the family workshop, and even her father and sister have reaped benefits by losing weight, and becoming more active as well.  This news article continues on to report that family support is important and beneficial and help kids to maintain the healthy lifestyle and continue to lose weight if necessary.
In my opinion these camps seem to be doing a better job then the "Biggest Loser" television show has done in the area of support. Some of the camps even have the resources available for previous campers(children) to contact counselors when they need some extra motivation or support. Also it is possible for these campers to keep in contact with the camp, and to log their results even while they are at home.

Does anyone else agree that these programs are beneficial for the children? Is there anything that some of you might change about the program?

Social Cognitive Theory

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I was given this short article by one of my other professors, and I found it to be really helpful.  It gives a great overview of Social Cognitive Theory. It also describes how this theory stems from Social Learning Theory, and how it has evolved to what it is today.  It points out similarities of SCT to Behaviorism as well as other theories in psychology. The article describes how modeling and other types of social influence motivates certain behaviors and how these behaviors can then be changed or modified.  This article really cleared a lot of confusing parts of these theories up for me.  Hopefully it will help some of you also!

I thought that one of the most interesting parts of the article was the section on symbols.  Abstract thinking is a large part of social cognitive theory, which would entail the usage of symbols.  I never thought about it this way before, but using symbols is a way that many people learn and understand the environment around them.

Another area I thought was interesting is the section on modeling.  We have all learned about modeling in other classes, I'm sure.  In relation to the Reeve textbook, he discusses how modeling can effect and influence self-regulation (Reeve, 290).  The SCT article goes into death on the importance of self-regulatory behavior (p. 5), because self-regulatory behaviors act as a mediator between external influences and internal thoughts, feelings, and actions. Both the textbook and the SCT article also discuss goal-setting in relation to self-regulation, in that it helps people to achieve their goals successfully and drive them to go farther (Reeve, 290). Reeve also points out four crucial parts of the regulation process: "observation, imitation, self-control, and self-regulation" (Reeve, 291).  The SCT article also discusses these aspects, but in a less-direct manner.

Also discussed in the article are aspects of external and internal motivation.  On page 5, the authors discuss how getting an "A" in class is a great form of extrinsic motivation, and a rewarding experience. At the same time, the sense of pride we feel when getting an "A" is also a form of intrinsic motivation.  Extrinsic motivations are things that motivate us outside of the feelings or emotions we feel (receiving money, rewards, tangible things), whereas intrinsic motivations are more internally driven (Reeve, 111-113).  These types of motivations have a huge impact on how well we perform at a certain task or behavior, why we perform that task or behavior, and how often we perform that task or behavior.

The SCT article describes three factors that can influence how a person is motivated:

1.      Self-efficacy

2.      Feedback

3.      Anticipated Time

We have discussed all of these aspects many times in class.  How do these things relate from SCT back to what we discussed in class? Are the things we have been discussing (exercising, studying for a test, etc) all just forms of applying the SCT to real life?  What are some ways that these aspects can relate to other areas of psychology?

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx3YWRpYW5wc3ljaHxneDo0YjRlYTlhODJiZGQ0NTRl

I'd like to know what you think of it. Do you think this article provides a good overview of these theories, or is the article too generalized?  Are these concepts too complex to be described in a few pages?  What do you think of SCT in general? Does it focus too much on self-efficacy and modeling while ignoring other important parts of motivation and learning?

Body Mod: Lizardman

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After seeing the post about body modification I became curious and decided to research more on the topic and the reasons behind why people do it. The first article I read was "Lizardman Enters Literary World" about Erik Sprague's transformation into "Lizardman". He talks about how he first started body modifying as an art idea but continued because he "just likes how it looks."

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/lizardman-erik-sprague-enters-literary-world/19315457

However, after reading the article it did not delve deeper into reasons people engage in body modification so I, again, went back to Google and found another blog post titled "Spiritual and Philosophical Reasons behind Body Modification." This article states that some of the different reasons are for spirituality and aestheticism. The author states "Many people feel more in touch with themselves and nature, as well as peaceful and in harmony, when they are undergoing to the modification." While I have never engaged in extreme body modification, I do have three tattoos and I can say that while getting tattooed I did feel more peaceful and relaxed. The author also talks about how the main reason for many people is that is looks good and they view their body as a canvas to be used. Although I agree with this point, it feels lacking as motivation behind extreme body modification.

 

http://drinksmokewrite.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/spiritual-and-philosophical-reasons-behind-body-modification/

 

What do you think are reasons people engage in body modification?

The Biggest Loser's Dirty Little Secret

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While working out the other day, I was reading Star magazine and I came across an article called, "The Biggest Loser's Dirty Little Secret.  This article discussed the secrets behind the weight loss for the participants.  The show wants big, dramatic results and unfortunately the participants are at risk.  The contestants participate in extremely intense workouts and are on restricted diets.  Along with exercising and dieting, participants intentionally dehydrate themselves before weigh-ins to have a better outcome.  According to contestants, the morning of weigh-ins was the most intense. 

They would go to the gym and the heat would be cranked up to over 100 degrees F, they would wear layers of clothing, and work out for 2-3 hours without consuming water.  There is also nothing safe about having 500-lb contestants working out to that extent.  According to Star magazine, all participants signed a contract realizing the life-threatening reality of the show.  Those over 400-lbs also had to feel they were "in excellent physical, emotional, psychological, and mental health."

Another problem with the show was they claimed to provide a psychologist for support for the participants mental and physical breakdowns; however, contestants stated they never knew where to find him.  A woman contestant, Kai, who appeared on the show in 2006, says she began developing an eating disorder, her hair was falling out, and her body was covered in bruises.  According to the article, her trainer would not let her see a counselor and forced her to continue working out.  Kai also stated, producers would create drama and untrustworthiness on the show by deliberatly saying their friends were possibly saying horrible things behind their back.

This article was shocking to me.  I realize that the Biggest Loser is a show and wants to create dramatic effect; however, putting people's physical and mental well-being in danger is not safe.  I feel each contestant should have had their own counselor to continually talk to them and support them through this process. 

What does everyone else think about this article?  Is anyone else surprised by this article?  Should the participants be allowed access to a solid support system?  Should contestants to be deliberatly placed in a hot room without AC and no water in order to lose the most weight possible? 

Here's the link to the website.  It's not the whole article but you can get the main point of it!http://www.starmagazine.com/news/16415

Body Modification

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Not for the faint of heart. But if you are interested in thinking about the motivation behind extreme body modification, watch Modify (2005) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455980/ (available streaming and on dvd at Netflix), and then use your textbook as a reference to discuss and analyze this documentary.

Image: http://plasticsergeant.com/files/picture/procedure/bodymodification13089.jpg

5 Easy ways to stick to it

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http://tiny.cc/Z1L6O

This is a post from another blog but it caught my eye. When I hear about all of these easy ways to slim down, get rock hard abs, be healthy etc. it just makes me wonder why more people don't live healthier lifestyles.  Why don't I strive for that? I know personally I have created many excuses for not eating right and getting regular exercise.

Summed up, here are the 5 easy ways to stick to any exercise program out there:

1) Imagine your goal
2) Come up with a routine
3) Think of your past failures
4) Prepare yourself to feel like you are going no where
5) Change it up

So this will make you stick with any exercise program, do you think it will work with any person? (why or why not?)  What about these steps is going to make an exercise program stick?

Here is a short little article with several, and what seem like simple, steps to gain back your weight loss motivation (and there are hundreds more like it).

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/do-you-lack-weight-loss-motivation.html

Right now the internet and TV are full of weight loss advice and covered with adds to join this gym, or buy this piece of equipment and you will look like our model in no time. And just that can be motivation for some people, while others it takes something horrific to make the change in their life. What motivated me was my goal to fit into a wedding dress, and I did, I had reached my goal. But afterwards, I no longer worked hard and have since gained it all back, why? What keeps people motivated to stay on track after they have reached their weight loss goal? What are some things that have and have not worked for you?