Cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa | AQA A-Level Psychology Revision
- Revision Notes
- Aug 6
- 18 min read
Updated: Aug 14
For 7182 specification, first teach in September 2025
AQA A-Level Psychology | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time: 55 minutes
These cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa A-Level Psychology revision notes examine how distorted thinking and irrational beliefs may contribute to the disorder. You will learn to distinguish an inaccurate perception of body size from unreasonable beliefs about weight, happiness, approval and control. Cognitive theory is one of the three psychological explanations required for this topic, alongside family interactions [Family systems theory and anorexia nervosa] and observational learning [Social learning theory and anorexia nervosa].
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Define cognitive theory as an explanation of anorexia nervosa.
Explain cognitive distortions using relevant examples.
Explain how irrational beliefs may influence eating behaviour.
Distinguish cognitive distortions from irrational beliefs.
Apply cognitive explanations to unfamiliar scenarios.
Evaluate cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa.
Revision Notes 📚
What does the AQA specification require?
For the Eating behaviour option, AQA requires students to study:
Biological explanations of anorexia nervosa, including genetic and neural explanations.
Family systems theory, including enmeshment, autonomy and control.
Social learning theory, including modelling, reinforcement and media.
Cognitive theory, including distortions and irrational beliefs.
This lesson therefore focuses on two essential ideas:
Cognitive distortions
Irrational beliefs
You should be able to explain each concept, distinguish between them, apply them to a scenario and evaluate how successfully they explain anorexia nervosa.
What is a cognitive explanation?
A cognitive explanation focuses on how a person thinks, interprets information and forms beliefs.
Cognitive theory proposes that anorexia nervosa may be associated with faulty or unreasonable thinking about:
Body size and appearance.
Weight and thinness.
Food and eating.
Happiness and personal worth.
Acceptance by other people.
Personal control.
These thoughts may influence behaviour. For example, a person who inaccurately perceives their body as larger than it really is may continue restricting food even when other people see them as underweight.
The approach therefore explains anorexia nervosa in terms of internal mental processes rather than focusing primarily on genes, neural mechanisms, family relationships or observed models.
This application of cognition builds on the wider study of internal mental processes [The cognitive approach].
Cognitive distortions
A cognitive distortion is an inaccurate or misleading way of perceiving or interpreting information.
In anorexia nervosa, a central example is a distortion of body image. A person may believe that their body is larger than it really is, despite evidence that this judgement is inaccurate.
The June 2022 AQA assessment identified believing that a person is bigger than they really are as the clearest example of a cognitive distortion in anorexia nervosa.
The important feature is the mismatch between:
The person’s perception or interpretation.
The available reality or evidence.
For example:
A person is visibly underweight but perceives themselves as overweight.
This is a cognitive distortion because the person’s perception of their body does not match their actual body size.
Distorted body image
Body image refers to how a person perceives and thinks about their own body.
A distorted body image may involve:
Believing that the whole body is larger than it really is.
Interpreting a particular body area as excessively large.
Continuing to see oneself as overweight despite substantial weight loss.
Focusing on perceived size while discounting evidence that contradicts this perception.
The person’s belief may feel entirely convincing to them. Therefore, simply being told that their perception is inaccurate may not immediately change it.
In an exam scenario, possible signs of a body-image distortion include:
A person who is underweight describing themselves as fat.
Repeatedly checking their appearance while remaining convinced they are too large.
Rejecting other people’s judgements about their body size.
Continuing to believe that further weight loss is necessary despite contradictory evidence.
Why cognitive distortions may affect behaviour
Cognitive theory proposes that thoughts influence behaviour.
A distorted perception of body size may lead a person to:
Believe that their body is too large.
Decide that further weight loss is necessary.
Restrict food intake.
Continue restricting food despite being underweight.
Interpret any eating or weight gain negatively.
The cognitive distortion may therefore help explain why restrictive eating continues even when it produces harmful consequences.
A useful explanatory chain is:
Distorted perception of body size → belief that weight loss is still necessary → continued restriction of food
The final behavioural link is important. An answer that only defines cognitive distortion does not fully explain its possible role in anorexia nervosa.
Irrational beliefs
An irrational belief is an unreasonable, illogical or unrealistic belief that is not supported by the available evidence.
In cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa, irrational beliefs may concern the consequences of being thin, gaining weight, eating food or controlling body size.
Examples might include believing that:
Being thin is necessary for happiness.
Other people will only provide approval if the person loses weight.
Gaining any weight would be disastrous.
Strictly controlling eating is the only way to maintain control.
Personal success depends entirely on body size.
Eating particular foods will inevitably produce unacceptable weight gain.
These beliefs are described as irrational because their conclusions are excessive, inflexible or unsupported.
For example:
“Unless I am extremely thin, nobody will like me.”
This is an irrational belief because social acceptance does not depend entirely on achieving a particular body size.
How irrational beliefs may influence eating
Irrational beliefs may give thinness, dieting or food restriction an exaggerated importance.
The process may be:
The person develops an unreasonable belief about weight or thinness.
The belief influences how they interpret eating and body changes.
Restricting food appears necessary to prevent a feared outcome or achieve a desired one.
The person continues restricting food because the irrational belief remains unchanged.
For example:
If a person believes that gaining any weight would cause complete rejection by others, food restriction may appear necessary even when the feared outcome is unrealistic.
The belief therefore provides a cognitive reason for continuing the behaviour.
Distortions and irrational beliefs compared
Cognitive distortions and irrational beliefs are closely related, but they are not identical.
Concept | Meaning | Example |
Cognitive distortion | An inaccurate perception or interpretation of information | An underweight person believes that their body is much larger than it really is |
Irrational belief | An unreasonable or illogical belief about what something means or what will happen | A person believes that gaining any weight will make everyone reject them |
Behavioural consequence | The action influenced by the thought or belief | The person restricts food because they believe weight loss remains necessary |
A quick way to distinguish them is to ask:
Is the person misperceiving what currently exists? This suggests a cognitive distortion.
Is the person drawing an unreasonable conclusion about meaning or consequences? This suggests an irrational belief.
How distortions and irrational beliefs may interact
The two concepts may work together.
For example:
A person inaccurately perceives themselves as larger than they really are.
They also believe that being larger would make them unacceptable.
The distortion and irrational belief both encourage further food restriction.
In this example:
“I am much larger than I really am” is a cognitive distortion.
“Nobody will accept me unless I am extremely thin” is an irrational belief.
Restricting food is the behaviour that follows.
A strong explanation connects the thought to its consequence rather than simply listing the two concepts.
The proposed cognitive process
The cognitive explanation can be summarised as follows:
The person processes information about their body, weight or eating.
This processing becomes distorted or unreasonable.
The person develops an inaccurate perception or irrational belief.
The thought influences decisions about food and weight.
Restrictive behaviour may develop or continue.
Continued distorted thinking may help maintain anorexia nervosa.
This does not mean that a person simply chooses to develop the disorder. Cognitive theory proposes that their interpretation of themselves and their situation has become faulty.
Development and maintenance
A question may ask whether cognitive processes explain the development or the maintenance of anorexia nervosa.
Development concerns why the disorder begins.
Maintenance concerns why it continues.
Cognitive distortions and irrational beliefs may be used to explain both. However, evaluation should recognise that evidence of distorted thinking after the disorder has developed does not prove that the thoughts originally caused it.
For example:
Distorted body image may encourage the person to begin losing weight.
Alternatively, prolonged food restriction may make thoughts about food, weight and body size increasingly disturbed.
This distinction is central to evaluating cause and effect.
Applying cognitive theory to a scenario
Consider this example:
Leon is significantly underweight but says that his stomach looks enormous. He checks his reflection repeatedly and believes that gaining even a small amount of weight would make his friends reject him. He has therefore reduced the amount he eats.
A developed application would explain:
Leon believing that his stomach looks enormous is a cognitive distortion because his perception of his body is inaccurate.
Repeated checking may show that he is preoccupied with his perceived body size.
His belief that any weight gain would cause rejection is an irrational belief because it is an extreme conclusion unsupported by evidence.
These thoughts may explain why Leon restricts food, as he believes this is necessary to avoid weight gain and rejection.
AQA’s June 2023 mark scheme similarly treated an underweight person believing that they were fatter than actors as a cognitive distortion. It also recognised repeated arranging or counting of food as potentially indicating irrational thinking about food.
A reliable application structure
For each point, use:
Scenario detail → cognitive concept → explanation → link to behaviour
For example:
Leon believes that gaining a small amount of weight would make his friends reject him. This is an irrational belief because the conclusion is extreme and unsupported. It may motivate him to restrict food because he believes weight loss is necessary to maintain his friendships.
Avoid writing:
Leon has irrational beliefs because he does not want to gain weight.
This is too general. It does not identify what the belief is or explain why it is irrational.
Distinguishing cognitive theory from social learning theory
Cognitive and social learning explanations may both involve ideas about appearance, but their mechanisms differ.
Cognitive theory | Social learning theory |
Focuses on distorted perceptions and irrational beliefs | Focuses on observing models and consequences |
Explains how a person interprets their body and eating | Explains how attitudes and behaviour may be learned |
A person incorrectly perceives themselves as larger | A person copies a model who receives approval for weight loss |
Behaviour follows faulty thinking | Behaviour follows modelling and reinforcement |
For example, comparing oneself with a media figure could support modelling and media influence [Social learning theory and anorexia nervosa]. Believing that one is larger than the media figure despite being underweight could support cognitive theory.
The same scenario may contain evidence for both explanations. You must identify the mechanism that best matches each detail.
Distinguishing cognitive theory from family systems theory
Family systems theory explains anorexia nervosa through patterns of family interaction, including:
Enmeshment.
Restricted autonomy.
Family control.
Cognitive theory instead focuses on:
Distorted perceptions.
Irrational beliefs.
Faulty interpretations of food, weight and body size.
For example:
“My family makes every decision for me” suggests restricted autonomy.
“I am much larger than I really am” suggests a cognitive distortion.
Do not label family monitoring or overprotectiveness as an irrational belief unless the scenario also describes the person’s faulty thinking.
Evaluating cognitive explanations
Support from negative cognitions
A strength of cognitive theory is that negative and distorted thinking can be identified in people with anorexia nervosa.
Examples may include:
Inaccurate perceptions of body size.
Irrational beliefs about thinness.
Extreme conclusions about weight gain.
Persistent thoughts about food and appearance.
These observations are consistent with the prediction that cognition is involved in anorexia nervosa.
However, evidence of distorted thoughts only establishes an association. It does not by itself establish that cognition caused the disorder.
The cause-and-effect problem
A major limitation is the difficulty establishing the direction of causality.
Two possibilities are:
Distorted thinking contributes to anorexia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa and prolonged food restriction produce or intensify distorted thinking.
For example, a person may begin with irrational beliefs that lead to restrictive eating. Alternatively, the physical and psychological effects of restriction may increase preoccupation with food and body size.
This means that cognitive distortions observed after diagnosis may be:
A cause of the disorder.
A consequence of the disorder.
A factor that maintains the disorder without having originally caused it.
A developed evaluation point should explain the consequence:
If disturbed cognition is produced by anorexia nervosa, evidence of cognitive distortions cannot be used as firm proof that faulty thinking caused the disorder. This weakens cognitive theory as a complete explanation of its development.
Difficulty explaining individual differences
Many people experience negative thoughts about their appearance or hold unreasonable beliefs about weight without developing anorexia nervosa.
Cognitive theory therefore needs to explain why:
Some irrational beliefs remain temporary.
Some people reject or challenge the beliefs.
Some people develop severe and persistent restriction.
Others exposed to similar pressures do not develop the disorder.
This suggests that distorted cognition may increase vulnerability or maintain anorexia nervosa without being sufficient by itself.
Cognitive explanations may blame the individual
A possible ethical limitation is that cognitive explanations may appear to place responsibility on the person for thinking incorrectly.
This could create the mistaken impression that the person could simply choose to think differently.
That interpretation would be inappropriate because:
Distorted thoughts may feel convincing.
Irrational beliefs may be persistent.
The person may not recognise their thinking as faulty.
Biological and social influences may also contribute.
The AQA mark scheme recognises that cognitive explanations can risk blaming the individual or making them feel responsible for the disorder.
A careful conclusion should state that identifying faulty cognition is not the same as blaming the person who experiences it.
Practical value
Cognitive theory has practical value because it identifies specific thoughts that may contribute to the disorder.
For example, it suggests that it may be useful to identify and challenge:
An inaccurate perception of body size.
The belief that any weight gain would be disastrous.
The belief that thinness guarantees acceptance or happiness.
If changing these cognitions is followed by improvement, this would be consistent with the idea that cognition helps maintain the disorder.
However, treatment effectiveness would not prove that cognition was the original cause. A factor can help maintain a disorder without having started it.
Cognitive reductionism
Cognitive theory may be described as reductionist because it explains a complex disorder mainly through faulty thought processes.
This creates a focused explanation, but it may overlook:
Genetic and neural influences.
Family relationships.
Modelling and reinforcement.
The wider social environment.
Understanding different levels of explanation [Holism and reductionism] helps you develop this criticism.
A reductionist explanation is not automatically wrong. Focusing on cognition may make the explanation clear and testable. The limitation is that cognition alone may not capture the full complexity of anorexia nervosa.
Comparison with biological explanations
Cognitive and biological explanations focus on different causes.
Cognitive explanation | Biological explanation |
Focuses on distorted thinking and irrational beliefs | Focuses on genetic and neural factors |
Explains the disorder at a psychological level | Explains the disorder at a biological level |
Emphasises how information is interpreted | Emphasises inherited or neural vulnerability |
May suggest that thought processes can change | May suggest that biological vulnerability contributes to risk |
Evidence for genetic and neural influences [Biological explanations of anorexia nervosa] challenges the view that distorted cognition is a complete explanation.
However, biological findings do not necessarily disprove cognitive theory. Biological vulnerability may affect the likelihood of developing distorted thoughts, while cognitive processes may influence how the disorder is maintained.
Comparison with social explanations
Cognitive theory focuses on what happens within the person’s thinking. Family systems theory and social learning theory focus more directly on the social environment.
For example:
Media models may communicate that thinness is desirable.
The person may then develop an irrational belief that thinness is essential for approval.
A controlling family environment may increase concerns about control.
The person may then form irrational beliefs about controlling food.
This suggests that cognitive processes could connect social experiences with eating behaviour.
The comparison links directly to heredity and environmental influence [The nature-nurture debate].
A multifactorial explanation may be stronger
The supplied mark schemes recognise the multifactorial nature of anorexia nervosa as a relevant evaluation point.
A multifactorial explanation proposes that several factors may contribute, such as:
Biological vulnerability.
Family interactions.
Modelling and reinforcement.
Cognitive distortions.
Irrational beliefs.
Cognitive theory may therefore be most convincing when treated as one part of a broader explanation rather than the only cause.
A balanced conclusion is:
Cognitive theory explains how distorted perceptions and irrational beliefs may motivate or maintain food restriction. However, difficulties establishing causality, explaining individual differences and accounting for biological and social influences mean that faulty cognition is unlikely to provide a complete explanation by itself.
Planning an extended response
For a question asking you to discuss cognitive explanations, divide your response between knowledge, application and evaluation.
Knowledge and understanding
Explain:
The cognitive approach focuses on thought processes.
Cognitive distortions involve inaccurate perceptions or interpretations.
Distorted body image may lead a person to perceive themselves as larger than they are.
Irrational beliefs are unreasonable beliefs about weight, eating or thinness.
These cognitions may contribute to restrictive eating.
Application
For every application point:
Select a detail from the scenario.
Name the cognitive concept.
Explain why the detail fits the concept.
Link it to eating behaviour.
Evaluation
Develop issues such as:
Evidence of negative or distorted cognitions.
Cause and effect.
Individual differences.
Risk of blaming the individual.
Practical value.
Cognitive reductionism.
Comparison with biological and social explanations.
The multifactorial nature of anorexia nervosa.
A discuss question requires evaluation. Repeating definitions of cognitive distortion and irrational belief will not earn sufficient AO3 marks.
Key Words 🔑
Key word | Student-friendly definition | How it may be used in an exam |
Cognitive theory | An explanation which focuses on how distorted thoughts and irrational beliefs may contribute to anorexia nervosa | Use it as the overall psychological explanation |
Cognition | Mental processes involved in thinking, perceiving and interpreting information | Explain the level at which cognitive theory accounts for the disorder |
Cognitive distortion | An inaccurate or misleading perception or interpretation | Apply it when someone misperceives their body size |
Body-image distortion | An inaccurate perception of the size or appearance of one’s body | Apply it when an underweight person believes they are overweight |
Irrational belief | An unreasonable or illogical belief unsupported by evidence | Apply it to extreme beliefs about thinness, weight gain, happiness or approval |
Perception | The way information is interpreted and experienced | Explain how body size may be interpreted inaccurately |
Restriction | Reducing food intake | Link faulty cognition to eating behaviour |
Maintenance | Processes which cause a disorder or behaviour to continue | Explain how persistent distorted thinking may sustain food restriction |
Cause and effect | A relationship in which one factor directly produces another | Evaluate whether cognition causes anorexia nervosa or results from it |
Reverse causality | The possibility that the supposed effect caused the proposed cause | Suggest that anorexia nervosa may produce distorted thinking |
Cognitive reductionism | Explaining complex behaviour mainly through cognitive processes | Evaluate whether the explanation overlooks biological and social factors |
Multifactorial explanation | An explanation involving several interacting influences | Use it to combine cognitive, biological and social factors |
Hints from the Examiner Reports 💡
Examiner hint: Distinguish a cognitive distortion from an irrational belief precisely. Believing that you are larger than you really are is a distortion of perception. Believing that thinness will automatically produce happiness or approval is an unreasonable conclusion.
Examiner hint: In an application question, use the exact wording of the scenario as evidence, but do not merely repeat it. Explain why the detail demonstrates distorted perception or an irrational belief.
Examiner hint: Use several different “hooks” from a longer scenario. The June 2023 examiner report found that students handled the open anorexia nervosa essay well when they selected different details and connected them to appropriate explanations.
Examiner hint: Keep cognitive and social learning applications separate. Comparing oneself with actors may suggest identification or modelling, while believing oneself to be larger than those actors despite being underweight suggests cognitive distortion.
Examiner hint: For evaluate, do not spend most of the answer describing the explanation. The 2021 report noted that many six-mark evaluation responses scored poorly because students described rather than evaluated.
Examiner hint: The most effective evaluations use evidence to support or challenge the explanation and develop the implication of that evidence.
Examiner hint: If the question asks you to evaluate a psychological explanation, do not replace that evaluation with a description of a biological explanation. Use biology as a direct comparison which reveals a limitation of cognitive theory.
Examiner hint: In a 16-mark response, combine accurate knowledge, scenario application and developed discussion. Do not treat these as three unrelated mini-answers.
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Treating cognitive distortions and irrational beliefs as identical.
Why this is incorrect:A cognitive distortion is an inaccurate perception or interpretation. An irrational belief is an unreasonable conclusion or assumption.
How to improve:Ask whether the person is misperceiving reality or drawing an unreasonable conclusion about it.
Mistake: Calling every negative thought a cognitive distortion.
Why this is incorrect:A thought must involve an inaccurate or misleading perception or interpretation to count as a cognitive distortion.
How to improve:State what reality or evidence contradicts the person’s perception.
Mistake: Saying that body-image distortion means disliking one’s appearance.
Why this is incorrect:Dissatisfaction does not necessarily involve inaccurate perception. A distortion means that the person perceives their body size or appearance incorrectly.
How to improve:Use an example in which the perceived body size does not match actual body size.
Mistake: Describing an irrational belief without explaining why it is irrational.
Why this is incorrect:The examiner needs to see that the belief is illogical, extreme or unsupported.
How to improve:Explain why the predicted consequence does not reasonably follow, such as assuming that minor weight gain will cause universal rejection.
Mistake: Assuming that cognitive theory means the person chooses to have anorexia nervosa.
Why this is incorrect:Distorted perceptions and irrational beliefs may feel convincing and may not be under simple voluntary control.
How to improve:Explain that faulty cognition influences behaviour without implying deliberate choice.
Mistake: Applying social learning theory instead of cognitive theory.
Why this is incorrect:Models, imitation and reinforcement belong to social learning theory.
How to improve:Focus on how the person perceives, interprets or thinks about their own body, weight and eating.
Mistake: Claiming that distorted thoughts definitely caused the disorder.
Why this is incorrect:The direction of causality is uncertain. Disturbed thinking may be a consequence or maintaining factor.
How to improve:Use cautious language such as “may contribute to” and evaluate reverse causality.
Mistake: Blaming the person for thinking irrationally.
Why this is incorrect:This ignores the persistence of distorted thinking and the influence of biological and social factors.
How to improve:Distinguish explaining a cognitive process from assigning personal blame.
Mistake: Describing biological evidence without making a comparison.
Why this is incorrect:A separate paragraph about genes does not automatically evaluate cognitive theory.
How to improve:State explicitly that biological vulnerability suggests distorted cognition may be only one part of the explanation.
Mistake: Confusing cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa with restraint theory.
Why this is incorrect:Restraint theory belongs to explanations of obesity [Psychological explanations of obesity], whereas this lesson concerns distortions and irrational beliefs in anorexia nervosa.
How to improve:Check which disorder and which named explanation the question asks about.
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Question 1
Which of the following is the clearest example of a cognitive distortion associated with anorexia nervosa?
A. Believing that thinness will guarantee happinessB. Believing that other people admire thinnessC. Believing that one’s body is larger than it really isD. Believing that controlling food shows determination
[1 mark]
Question 2
Define an irrational belief in the context of cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa.
[2 marks]
Question 3
Explain one difference between a cognitive distortion and an irrational belief.
[3 marks]
Question 4
Explain how a distorted perception of body size may contribute to the maintenance of anorexia nervosa.
[4 marks]
Question 5
Nadia is significantly underweight. However, she describes herself as “enormous” and believes that gaining even a small amount of weight would make everyone avoid her. She frequently checks her reflection and has continued to reduce the amount she eats.
Use cognitive theory to explain Nadia’s behaviour.
[6 marks]
Question 6
Explain one limitation of cognitive theory as an explanation for anorexia nervosa.
[4 marks]
Question 7
Evaluate cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa.
[8 marks]
Question 8
Sam is underweight but believes that his arms and stomach are much larger than those of other people. He checks his appearance several times each day. Sam believes that he must become thinner to be successful and that eating a normal meal would cause an unacceptable amount of weight gain. He therefore carefully limits what he eats.
Discuss cognitive explanations of anorexia nervosa. Refer to Sam in your answer.
[16 marks]
Answers and mark scheme
Question 1
Answer: C
Believing that one’s body is larger than it really is involves an inaccurate perception of body size.
[1 mark]
Question 2
Award up to two marks:
An irrational belief is an unreasonable, illogical or unrealistic belief.
It is unsupported by the available evidence and may concern weight, thinness, eating, happiness, control or approval.
[2 marks]
Question 3
Award marks as follows:
A cognitive distortion involves inaccurate perception or interpretation.
An irrational belief is an unreasonable conclusion or assumption.
One relevant example which clearly demonstrates the difference.
Example:
Believing that one’s body is larger than it really is is a cognitive distortion, whereas believing that any weight gain will cause complete social rejection is an irrational belief.
[3 marks]
Question 4
Award up to four marks for a developed explanation:
The person inaccurately perceives themselves as larger than they really are.
They may therefore believe that further weight loss is necessary.
This belief may lead them to continue restricting food.
The distortion may persist despite weight loss or contradictory evidence, helping to maintain the disorder.
[4 marks]
Question 5
Award one mark for each clear and developed application, up to six marks:
Nadia describing herself as enormous suggests a cognitive distortion.
This perception is inaccurate because she is significantly underweight.
Believing that a small weight gain will make everyone avoid her is an irrational belief.
The prediction of universal rejection is extreme or unsupported.
Repeated reflection checking may indicate continued preoccupation with her distorted body image.
Her distorted thinking may explain continued food restriction because she believes further weight loss is necessary.
Credit other relevant applications based on cognitive distortions and irrational beliefs.
[6 marks]
Question 6
Award marks as follows:
One mark for identifying a relevant limitation.
Up to three further marks for developing its effect on the explanation.
Possible answer:
Cognitive theory has difficulty establishing cause and effect. Distorted thinking may contribute to anorexia nervosa, but the disorder and prolonged food restriction may also intensify disturbed thoughts about food and body size. Therefore, observing cognitive distortions in people with anorexia does not prove that the distortions originally caused the disorder.
Other relevant limitations include:
Difficulty explaining why only some people with negative body-related thoughts develop anorexia nervosa.
Cognitive reductionism.
Failure to account fully for biological and social factors.
Ethical concerns about blaming the individual.
[4 marks]
Question 7
Indicative content may include:
Knowledge
Cognitive theory focuses on faulty thought processes.
Cognitive distortions involve inaccurate perceptions or interpretations.
Body-image distortion may involve perceiving oneself as larger than one really is.
Irrational beliefs are unreasonable beliefs about eating, thinness, weight gain, happiness, control or approval.
These thoughts may contribute to restrictive eating.
Evaluation
Evidence that negative or distorted cognitions occur in people with anorexia nervosa.
Difficulty establishing cause and effect.
Distorted thinking may be a consequence or maintaining factor.
Failure to explain individual differences fully.
Risk of blaming the individual.
Practical value of identifying faulty thoughts.
Cognitive reductionism.
Comparison with biological, family systems and social learning explanations.
Multifactorial accounts may be more complete.
For the highest marks, evaluation should be developed and clearly linked to the explanatory value of cognitive theory.
[8 marks]
Question 8
Indicative content may include:
Knowledge and understanding
Cognitive explanations focus on internal thought processes.
Cognitive distortions involve inaccurate perceptions or interpretations.
Distorted body image may cause a person to perceive themselves as larger than they are.
Irrational beliefs involve unreasonable conclusions about thinness, weight gain, eating or personal worth.
These cognitions may motivate or maintain food restriction.
Application to Sam
Sam believing his arms and stomach are much larger suggests distorted body image.
His underweight status makes the mismatch between perception and reality clear.
Frequent appearance checking may reflect continued preoccupation with the distortion.
Believing he must be thinner to succeed is an irrational belief.
Believing that one normal meal will cause unacceptable weight gain is another irrational belief.
These beliefs may explain why Sam limits his food intake.
Evaluation
Sam’s thoughts are consistent with cognitive theory, but the scenario cannot establish causality.
His distorted thinking may have caused or maintained restriction.
Alternatively, food restriction may have intensified his preoccupation and faulty thinking.
Not everyone who holds negative beliefs about appearance develops anorexia nervosa.
Cognitive theory may be reductionist because it neglects biological and social influences.
Biological explanations suggest genetic or neural vulnerability.
Social learning theory may explain where beliefs about thinness were acquired.
Family systems theory may explain concerns about autonomy or control.
Cognitive explanations may risk blaming the individual.
A multifactorial explanation may be more complete.
A high-level answer will be accurate, coherent and focused. It will apply several different details from the scenario and develop evaluation rather than listing unsupported strengths and limitations.
[16 marks]
Comments