How does society shape people’s lives? Essay

The aim of this leaven is to explore how nightclub shapes peoples lives. The meaning of the word shaping in this mise en scene means to influence or advert (The cleared University, 2013, YO32 p 29). This essay will focus on puerility Body externalize and sift related consumeing disorders, from Block 4, whole 3 and Psychology kindly influence, happiness and natural and synthetic happiness from social unit 5.Society has mold us to embrace a rather different personify show to that of 100 years ago to the point where being deoxidize is flat considered the norm (The heart-to-heart University, 2013 Unit 3, 3.2). There has been a shift from the plumper body image seen in paintings dating back to the 19th century, to the ultra slim catwalk stylishels of today. As there has been a shift in body image, there has also been a shift in eat habits (The grant University, 2013, Unit 3, 3.2). It is forthwith less likely for families to sit down to frustrateher and eat the more tr aditional three meals a day, with early people now more likely to favour energy dense fast solid food diets (NSHD) (n.d.). The field of study Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) (n.d.) recommends that young people should constrict regular exercise and start out a minimum of 3 cardinal minute sessions of exercise per week and drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day.The pressure edict places on young people to conform to the archetype body image has led to many an(prenominal) adolescents maturation stress-related eat disorders (The Open University, 2013, Unit 3, 3.4). There argon three main consume disorders Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and binge eating (The Open University, 2013, Unit 3, 3.6). Disordered eating is a mental illness in which the patient s eerely restricts their large calorie intake. Although girls are mainly affected by anorexia a significant enactment of boys are also affected (the Open University, 2013). AN is quite different fr om BN plentiful sufferers of BN cause to overeat and then purge to make themselves sick, thereby autocratic their weight (The Open University, 2013, Unit 3, 3.4). It could be argued that the medias portrayal of the ideal body shape may lead to young people developing eating disorders. The evidence suggests the Press may be wear outly to blame, and that hostelry is ignoring a cry for answer.Quoted in the Daily Telegraph (Jardine, 2013), Kate Moss said slide fastener tastes as good as skinny emotional states comments like this add sack to the argument. Worries ab egress physical appearance lead to low self-esteem and a need to control weight, which may lead into a cycle of falloff and a further loss of confidence (NIMH) (n.d.). Eating habits have changed significantly in the post war period (Youngs, 2004). Youngs points out that these changes in eating habits and the abundance of food now available, in part due to the role exemplifyed by supermarkets, fast food outlets and the growing in international travel, could also be having a detrimental issue on body image. The World Health Organisation (WHO, 2004) reports 10% of children are overweight lending support to the argument that body image in the media may influence the young. Eating disorders such as AN and BN are attempts by young people to be in control of the way they verbalism and are portrayed by society, which may influence their happiness.The influence of our hearty roles in spite of appearance society, whether in our work or home lives, will affect our happiness in our individualist roles (The Open University, 2013 p47). Influences on happiness and gloominess may include factors such as being in employment, inviolable family support, a good network of friends and a sense of belonging (The Open University, 2013 p48). Being quick and keeping ones mind active is also an important part of being joyful and having as many different sources of interest as possible may contribute to this. hatful who are less active and have fewer contacts may be unhappier than those who come int (Layard, 2005). How one perceives happiness may vary with the socio-cultural environs in which they were brought up, with people in Western society being by and large happier (White, 2006).The influence of happiness on our everyday lives contributes greatly to the way we feel about ourselves. As a species we have evolved a chemical mechanism by which we can make up almost anything. gilbert describes a mechanism he defines as an experience simulator, which means we have the ability to presuppose a situation before it actually happens (The Open University, 2013 p51). Another full term introduced by Gilbert is impact bias, which broadly means that within 6-12 months following an apparently life-changing event,one will be as euphoric after the event as before. Gilbert explains real happiness is what we get when we get what we want, as opposed to synthetic happiness which is what we get when we dont get what we really want (The Open University, 2013 pp50-51).It could be argued that if we play a certain role we can synthesise a greater sense of happiness. The evidence suggests that whatever our role in society is, we have an ability to find the best in every situation. Layard (2005) points out that our societal roles play a major part in perceived happiness. Gilbert (The Open University, 2013) points to scientific data that would seem to confirm Layards emplacement that a persons sense of happiness can be influenced by how we live our lives. Gilbert presents two sets of experimental data as evidence that happiness can be synthesised. These sets of data were from only a small sample size and the results may not be illustration of society, so further research should be undertaken. Ones individual sense of happiness, whether synthetic or real, will reflect on how society in general operates. In the authors opinion, having a happy society can only be good in creating a happier world.ConclusionSociety has shaped us to believe that body image is all too important, as we are constantly bombarded with a medical prognosis of the perceived ideal. Looking good would appear to make us happy, peradventure more so during our youth, but there are obviously many other factors that can contribute to happiness.References(All these references have been visited)Jardine, C. (2010) Eating disorders in the young, The Telegraph, 29 September 2010 Online. Available at http//www.telegraph.co.uk/ health/ children shealth/8030962/ Eating-disorders-in-the-young.html (Accessed 16 may 2014). Layard, R. (2005) Happiness Lessons from a New Science, New York, Penguin. National Institute for psychological Health (NIMH) (n.d.) Online. Available at http//www.nimh.nih.gov/ health/ publications/eating-disorders/ index.shtml (Accessed 14 may 2014). National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) (n.d.) Online. Available at http//www.nshd.mrc.ac.uk/(Accessed 21 May 2014). The Open University (2013). Block 4, Unit 3, Childhood society, food and children. 3.6 different eating disorders Online. Available at http//www.nhs.uk/conditions/Anorexia-nervosa/Pages/Introduction.aspx (accessed 23 May 2014) The Open University (2013). Block 4, Unit 3, Childhood society, food and children. 3.2 healthy eating Online. Available at https//learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=441400downloads (accessed 23 May 2014). The Open University, 2013. YO32-13J. Block 4, Unit 3 Childhood society, food and children. 3.2 healthy eating Online. Available at https//learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=441400downloads (Accessed 30 April 2014). The Open University, 2013. Block 4 society, Unit 5. Psychology, society, selves and happiness, p47. Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University, 2013. Block 4 society, Unit 5. Psychology society, selves and happiness, p48. Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University, 2013. YO32 People, work and society access module. Assessment guidelines, p29. Milton Keynes, The Open University. White, A. (2006) University of Leicester produces the first ever world map of happiness Online. Available at http//www.le.ac.uk/ebulletin-archive/ ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2006/07/nparticle.2006-07-28.html (Accessed 24 April 2014). World Health Organisation (WHO) (2004) Fight childhood obesity to help prevent diabetes, says WHO & IDF, WHO, 11 November 2004 Online. Available at http//www.who.int./ mediacentre/ news/ releases/ 2004/ pr81/ en/ (Accessed 20 May 2014). Youngs, I. (2004) My wartime menu, BBC News Online, 30 June 2004 Online. Available at http//news.bbc.co.uk/ 1/ hi/ magazine/ 3847041.stm (Accessed 23 April 2014).