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Bulimic psychopathology and attentional biases to ego threats among non‐eating‐disordered women
Author(s) -
Waller Glenn,
Watkins Helen,
Shuck Victoria,
McManus Freda
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199609)20:2<169::aid-eat7>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - psychopathology , psychology , id, ego and super ego , disordered eating , ego depletion , developmental psychology , eating disorders , clinical psychology , self control , social psychology
Objective It has been proposed that bulimic psychopathology is associated with responsiveness to ego threats, rather than to physical threat. However, the concept of ego threat is a heterogeneous one, and needs to be more clearly defined. This study examined the relationship between bulimic attitudes and attentional biases to different forms of threat. Method: The participants were 80 non‐eating‐disordered women, drawn from school and University populations. Each woman completed a Stroop task, measuring attentional biases toward five different forms of threat. Their times to complete these tasks were associated with scores on the Eating Disorders Inventory. Results: Bulimic (but not restrictive) attitudes were specifically associated with an attentional bias toward ego threats that are self‐directed, rather than with ego threats that are perceived to come from others. Discussion: It is suggested that there is a complex relationship between attention to self‐directed ego threats, poor self‐esteem (ineffectiveness), and bulimic psychopathology, although the causal structure of the relationship remains to be established. The results require replication with an eating‐disordered sample. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.