Evolutionary aspects of a new eating disorder: Orthorexia nervosa in the 21st century
Author(s) / Creator(s)
Bóna, Enikő
Túry, Ferenc
Forgács, Attila
Abstract / Description
In this theoretical study, certain characteristics of orthorexia nervosa (ON) are assessed. As a type of disordered eating, ON is characterized as pathological healthy eating obsession. By reviewing previous literature, four orthorexic traits are investigated whether they meet the conditions of becoming adaptive drivers of human behavior. First, learned neophobia to avoid “improper” foods is considered as an advantageous strategy, secondly, ON being a cohesive force based on common beliefs and its religious, virtuous characteristics is adaptive as well. The third orthorexic trait in the form of physiological consequences (refeeding syndrome, malnutrition) suggests that ON is rather a nonadaptive health behavior, along with the fourth characteristic, namely, the psychological disturbances that health anxiety may induce. To conclude, ON can be viewed as an inherently useful tool to protect one’s health by diet, but also as a phenomenon which has extreme forms causing health problems. The exact etiologies are unexplored, therefore, the psychological, social and cultural drivers of extreme healthy eating are important to understand for future improvements. In order to establish the criteria and therapeutic guidelines, it would be beneficial to collect narrative data and experiences from individuals with orthorexic tendencies.
Keyword(s)
theoretical study eating disorder orthorexia nervosa health behavior dietPersistent Identifier
Date of first publication
2019-12-09
Journal title
Psychological Thought
Volume
12
Issue
2
Page numbers
152–161
Publisher
PsychOpen GOLD
Publication status
publishedVersion
Review status
peerReviewed
Is version of
Citation
Bóna, E., Túry, F., & Forgács, A. (2019). Evolutionary aspects of a new eating disorder: Orthorexia nervosa in the 21st century. Psychological Thought, 12(2), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.5964/psyct.v12i2.356
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psyct.v12i2.356.pdfAdobe PDF - 214.35KBMD5: 963a262351f8a67f1263f45e196ee202
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Bóna, Enikő
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Túry, Ferenc
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Forgács, Attila
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PsychArchives acquisition timestamp2020-01-16T14:40:38Z
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Made available on2020-01-16T14:40:38Z
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Date of first publication2019-12-09
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Abstract / DescriptionIn this theoretical study, certain characteristics of orthorexia nervosa (ON) are assessed. As a type of disordered eating, ON is characterized as pathological healthy eating obsession. By reviewing previous literature, four orthorexic traits are investigated whether they meet the conditions of becoming adaptive drivers of human behavior. First, learned neophobia to avoid “improper” foods is considered as an advantageous strategy, secondly, ON being a cohesive force based on common beliefs and its religious, virtuous characteristics is adaptive as well. The third orthorexic trait in the form of physiological consequences (refeeding syndrome, malnutrition) suggests that ON is rather a nonadaptive health behavior, along with the fourth characteristic, namely, the psychological disturbances that health anxiety may induce. To conclude, ON can be viewed as an inherently useful tool to protect one’s health by diet, but also as a phenomenon which has extreme forms causing health problems. The exact etiologies are unexplored, therefore, the psychological, social and cultural drivers of extreme healthy eating are important to understand for future improvements. In order to establish the criteria and therapeutic guidelines, it would be beneficial to collect narrative data and experiences from individuals with orthorexic tendencies.en_US
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Publication statuspublishedVersion
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Review statuspeerReviewed
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CitationBóna, E., Túry, F., & Forgács, A. (2019). Evolutionary aspects of a new eating disorder: Orthorexia nervosa in the 21st century. Psychological Thought, 12(2), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.5964/psyct.v12i2.356en_US
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ISSN2193-7281
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Persistent Identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/2322
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Persistent Identifierhttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2708
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Language of contenteng
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PublisherPsychOpen GOLD
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Is version ofhttps://doi.org/10.5964/psyct.v12i2.356
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Keyword(s)theoretical studyen_US
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Keyword(s)eating disorderen_US
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Keyword(s)orthorexia nervosaen_US
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Keyword(s)health behavioren_US
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Keyword(s)dieten_US
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Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)150
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TitleEvolutionary aspects of a new eating disorder: Orthorexia nervosa in the 21st centuryen_US
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DRO typearticle
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Issue2
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Journal titlePsychological Thought
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Page numbers152–161
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Volume12
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Visible tag(s)Version of Record