Science Determines Women Are Aggressive

[DanaC]

Absolutely. But there are a lot of different ways that someone who feels powerless or out of control to exert some kind of control. It used to be very rare for young men to present with anorexia - other expressions of control were more likely in lads. These days, though it still less common than amongst girls, more lads are presenting as anorexic.

Why does one person exert control by cutting themselves, and another by starving themselves? Why do we tend to think of lads who are in some sort of crisis directing their need for control outwards in the form of violent or anti-social behaviour, and think of girls directing that need inwards, in the form of self-harm. Both genders behave in both ways, but one is seen as more common in girls and the other in boys.

The sense that some sort of control is needed can manifest in different ways. And imo the nature of the control sought is at least partially shaped by certain cultural expectations. It's not the expectation to be thin, or even beautiful, but the expectation of constant critical scrutiny of the female form. And that doesn't 'cause' anorexia, but it maybe one o f the reasons that girls seem more likely to follow that particular route to establishing control.