Consumers' nutrition behaviour: an approach involving the concept of autonomy

Studying misbehavioural patterns of food habits is very common in psychology and psychotherapy, but the normal range of nutrition behaviour has received little attention so far. Here, a new approach is presented. Starting from the boundary model of eating, it is discussed how external determinants of nutritional habits and practices interact with personality traits of the individual. Results of an exploratory study on possible relations between self‐statements on nutrition behaviour and the concept of autonomy confirm that the degree of an individual's self‐determination can be traced also in his eating behaviour.