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].
Personality traits such as neuroticism (emotional stability), obsessiveness, and perfectionism play a large role in facilitating some eating disorders, particularly anorexia and bulimia.
People who suffer from anorexia nervosa tend to have high levels of harm avoidance, a personality trait characterized by worrying, pessimism, and shyness, and low levels of novelty seeking, which includes impulsivity and preferring new or novel things (Fassino et al., 2002).
In a study of female twins in the US, increased binge eating frequency was also found to be associated with genetic factors related to the personality traits neuroticism and conscientiousness [74].
Age: Eating disorders are most common in the late teens and early 20s. Family history: If you have a parent or sibling with an eating disorder, you are more likely to have one yourself. Mental health issues: Eating disorders are more common among people with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression.
About Eating Disorders
There's almost always an underlying combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
Eating disorders can and do occur in teenagers, and even in young children. But it's during the college years that young people, especially young women, are most at risk for developing them.
Conscientiousness was associated with variety and sugar moderation. In other similar studies, conscientiousness was linked to healthy eating behaviors such as avoidance of sweets, confectionaries and consumption of fruits [29.
The personality trait of perfectionism and low self-esteem are contributing factors to disorders related to eating, weight, and body shape.
Characterize personality traits and patterns of comorbidity in anorexia nervosa. -Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly display perfectionism, obsessionality, neuroticism, harm avoidance, and difficulties with change or when encountering unfamiliar stimuli.
Emotional and mental signs of anorexia
Having an intense fear of gaining weight. Being unable to realistically assess your body weight and shape (having a distorted self-image). Having an obsessive interest in food, calories and dieting. Feeling overweight or “fat,” even if you're underweight.
Being preoccupied with your body shape and weight. Living in fear of gaining weight. Repeated episodes of eating abnormally large amounts of food in one sitting. Feeling a loss of control during bingeing — like you can't stop eating or can't control what you eat.
These are the most common symptoms of bulimia: Usually a normal or above average body weight. Recurrent episodes of binge eating and fear of not being able to stop eating. Self-induced vomiting (usually secretive)
Abstract. Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) have been postulated to have schizoid, narcissistic, and obsessional personality traits and to be sensitive, introverted, perfectionistic, and insecure.
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.
Both primary and secondary narcissism can be observed in anorexia nervosa. Narcissism is incompatible with relatedness and narcissistic anorexics therefore struggle to form meaningful relationships.
For example, endomorphs were considered to be extroverted, cheerful, relaxed, and lazy; mesomorphs were described as extroverted, active, and competitive; and ectomorphs were described as introverted, intelligent, quiet, and restrained. In Sheldon's system personality traits were predicted from somatotype scores.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by weight loss (or lack of appropriate weight gain in growing children); difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image.
The five-factor model of personality states that there are five basic facets of human personality (known as the big five), which include neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness (expressed by the acronym, OCEAN).
The Five Factor Model breaks personality down into five components: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Openness, and Stress Tolerance. Personality tests that are based on this model measure where an individual lies on the spectrum of each of the five traits.
Novelty-seeking has also been linked to a preference for salty foods, while anxious individuals appear to enjoy a much narrower range of foods. A bidirectional link has also been documented between taste and mood.
Anorexia is more common among girls and women than boys and men. Anorexia is also more common among girls and younger women than older women. On average, girls develop anorexia at 16 or 17. Teen girls between 13 and 19 and young women in their early 20s are most at risk.
Perfectionism. One of the strongest risk factors for an eating disorder is perfectionism, especially a type of perfectionism called self-oriented perfectionism, which involves setting unrealistically high expectations for yourself.
There are biological and genetic, psychological and behavioural, and socio-cultural factors which may increase the vulnerability to developing an eating disorder.