Two key personality risk factors consistently associated with eating disorders are perfectionism and neuroticism (also known as negative affectivity).
Personality traits commonly associated with eating disorder (ED) are high perfectionism, impulsivity, harm avoidance, reward dependence, sensation seeking, neuroticism, and obsessive-compulsiveness in combination with low self-directedness, assertiveness, and cooperativeness [8-11].
Among individuals with eating disorders, the two most prevalent personality disorders appear to be obsessive compulsive personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, restricting type) and borderline personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, binge-eating purging type; bulimia nervosa).
What causes personality disorders?
Eating disorders are often associated with preoccupations with food, weight or shape or with anxiety about eating or the consequences of eating certain foods.
Biological determinants such as hunger, appetite, and taste. Economic determinants such as cost and income. Physical determinants such as access, education, skills and time.
Trauma, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues can increase the likelihood of an eating disorder. Dieting and starvation. Frequent dieting is a risk factor for an eating disorder, especially with weight that is constantly going up and down when getting on and off new diets.
Evidence of this theory has grown over the years with the principle theory emerging in 1949. The five broad personality traits described by the theory are extraversion (also often spelled extroversion), agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
What are the types of personality disorders?
The five factors of personality are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (often remembered by the acronym OCEAN).
Perfectionism. Perfectionism – the desire to be or be perceived as perfect – is a common trait among patients with eating disorders that can worsen disordered eating behaviors. Perfectionists often set high standards for their diet, shape and weight and are driven to attain perfection in these areas.
Common eating disorders include binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and, less common but very serious, anorexia nervosa.
Emotional and Behavioral Signs and Symptoms:
Refuses to eat certain foods, and often eliminates whole food groups (carbohydrates, fats, etc.) Makes excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations involving food. Develops food rituals (e.g., eating foods in certain orders, excessive chewing, rearranging food on a plate)
Some personality types that are prone to mental health conditions include isolated introverts, overachievers, dramatists, day dreamers, worry warts, and perfectionists. People with these personalities are at risk of anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and other mental disorders.
These are the most common causes of eating disorders:
Are certain personality traits more common in individuals with eating disorders? Individuals who develop eating disorders, especially those with the restricting subtype of anorexia nervosa are often perfectionistic, eager to please others, sensitive to criticism, and self-doubting.
People with personality disorders often have a hard time understanding emotions and tolerating distress. And they act impulsively. This makes it hard for them to relate to others, causing serious issues, and affecting their family life, social activities, work and school performance, and overall quality of life.
This focuses on three core personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. The HEXACO Personality Inventory assesses six personality dimensions: honesty/humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
What is Personality Disorder? If there is one learning point to take from this chapter above all others, it is the 3 Ps – the need for personality disorder to be Problematic, Persistent and Pervasive.
The five primary personality traits are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The acronyms OCEAN or CANOE can be used to remember these main personality traits. According to the five-factor model, all individuals possess each of the five personality traits to some extent.
The five-factor model provides a dimensional account of the structure of normal personality traits, dividing personality into the five broad dimensions of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness (Costa & McCrae, 1992b).
Clinical observation has long suggested a link between personality and eating disorders. Research has consistently linked anorexia (particularly when the patient does not also have bulimic symptoms) to personality traits such as introversion, conformity, perfectionism, rigidity, and obsessive-compulsive features (1).
Teen girls between 13 and 19 and young women in their early 20s are most at risk. But eating disorders are happening more often in older women. In one recent study, 13% of AmericTeen girls between 13 and 19 and young women in their early 20s are most at risk.
Eating disorders are connected to perfectionism, obsessive compulsive tendencies, and sensitivity to negative emotions. Low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction are risk factors, as well as mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.