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Perceived enhancement of body size in women sharing anorexic psychological characteristics: The role of self‐preoccupation
Author(s) -
Heilbrun Alfred B.,
Hausman Gwen A.
Publication year - 1990
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 - 10.1002/1098-108x(199005)9:3<283::aid-eat2260090306>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , psychology , perception , context (archaeology) , mechanism (biology) , antecedent (behavioral psychology) , developmental psychology , self , anorexia , eating disorders , social psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , paleontology , philosophy , epistemology , neuroscience , biology
Prior research has demonstrated a tendency for college women at‐risk psychologically for anorexia nervosa, according to the Slade antecedent model, to view women's bodies as fatter within the context of food cues. This perceptual mechanism has been proposed as a source of food avoidance that may contribute to ultimate food aversion in anorexia nervosa. The present study considered self‐preoccupation as a possible determinant of this perceptual distortion. It was confirmed that at‐risk college women who demonstrated the perceptual mechanism also were highly selfpreoccupied, an effect that was not observed in relevant comparison groups. Subjects who were at‐risk according to the model and who displayed both the perceptual mechanism and high self‐preoccupation (SP) also reported the greatest stress in their daily lives.