Cognitive processes in dieting disorders

Abstract

This study is an empirical investigation of the prevailing notion that dieting disorder patients have more dysfunctional cognitions and cognitive styles than the nonclinical population. Groups of anorexics, bulimics, normal restrainers, and normal nonrestrainers completed three questionnaires and two repertory grids. Overall, the data supported a cognitive model of dieting disorders. Patients exhibited a lack of awareness of the role played by inner sensations in regulating weight and eating behavior, and emphasized black and white rules instead. Anorexic patients tended to evaluate self‐worth almost entirely in terms of self‐control. Both patient groups evidenced extreme negativity in their views of themselves, but anorexics showed a particularly severe sense of self‐isolation. Unlike bulimics, they extended a tendency to think in absolute terms from the area of eating to the rest of their lives. Thus, the psychopathology of the anorexic patient group appeared more severe than that of bulimics. © 7993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Differences between women with anorexia nervosa and restrained eaters on shape and weight concerns, self‐esteem, and depression

“…Before depression was considered, women with AN scored higher than restrained eaters who scored higher than unrestrained eaters on all measures of shape concern and weight concern, consistent with research by Cooper and Turner (2000). Before depression was considered, women with AN scored significantly lower than restrained eaters on all domains of self-esteem, apart from scholastic and athletic competence, consistent with findings of other researchers (Butow, Beumont, & Touyz, 1993). Restrained eaters only had significantly lower mean scores than unrestrained eaters on physical appearance and global self-esteem.…”

Differences between women with anorexia nervosa and restrained eaters on shape and weight concerns, self‐esteem, and depression

“…Before depression was considered, women with AN scored higher than restrained eaters who scored higher than unrestrained eaters on all measures of shape concern and weight concern, consistent with research by Cooper and Turner (2000). Before depression was considered, women with AN scored significantly lower than restrained eaters on all domains of self-esteem, apart from scholastic and athletic competence, consistent with findings of other researchers (Butow, Beumont, & Touyz, 1993). Restrained eaters only had significantly lower mean scores than unrestrained eaters on physical appearance and global self-esteem.…”

Cognitions of restrained and unrestrained eaters under fasting and nonfasting conditions

“…Overall, restrained and unrestrained eaters did not differ in their relative percentages of thoughts about food in total and their relative percentages of thoughts about the food subcategories: hunger, desire for food, food-planning, evaluation of food, and miscellaneous issues related to food. This finding is consistent with studies that have employed thought-sampling (Zotter & Crowther, 1991), think-aloud techniques (Jansen et al, 1988) and repertory grids (Butow et al, 1993). The only study that has found a difference between restrained and unrestrained eaters in the percentage of thoughts about food-related issues is King et al's (1991) study which employed recall and descriptive tasks and found that restrained eaters have a greater bias to recall food-related thoughts.…”

“…This result is consistent with Herman & Polivy's hypothesis that food restriction increases an organisms motivation to seek food. The only other study that has explored restrained and unrestrained eaters evaluations of food have not found restrained and unrestrained eaters to differ in the nature of their descriptions of food (Butow et al, 1993). However, it is probable that Butow et al's study measured a different aspect of cognition than the present study.…”

Physical appearance as a measure of social ranking: The role of a new scale to understand the relationship between weight and dieting

“…Besides, recognizing the inherent limitations underlying an exploratory factorial analysis, it becomes essential that new studies validate the scale using general samples and confirmatory factor analysis to investigate whether the factor structure identified in the two parts of this scale is stable. Also, these results allowed us to confirm that physical appearance is, for women, one of the salient dimensions in determining their relative social rank (Butow et al, ; Williams et al, ; Troop et al, ). However, given that the sample used in this study is mostly constituted by student, young and single women, the validity of generalizations of these results is reduced.…”

“…It is recognized that social comparison is a fundamental process for human beings, enabling the knowledge of one's relative social rank (Buunk & Gibbons, ; Festinger, ; Gilbert et al, ). Clinical and empirical data show that an unfavourable social comparison plays an important role in psychological functioning, and also in the eating disorders process (e.g., Butow et al, ; Williams et al, ; Troop et al, ). Thus, the evaluation of the process of social comparison through physical appearance becomes a crucial aspect for research and clinical practice in the eating disorders' field.…”

Differences between women with anorexia nervosa and restrained eaters on shape and weight concerns, self‐esteem, and depression

“…Before depression was considered, women with AN scored higher than restrained eaters who scored higher than unrestrained eaters on all measures of shape concern and weight concern, consistent with research by Cooper and Turner (2000). Before depression was considered, women with AN scored significantly lower than restrained eaters on all domains of self-esteem, apart from scholastic and athletic competence, consistent with findings of other researchers (Butow, Beumont, & Touyz, 1993). Restrained eaters only had significantly lower mean scores than unrestrained eaters on physical appearance and global self-esteem.…”

Cognitions of restrained and unrestrained eaters under fasting and nonfasting conditions

“…Overall, restrained and unrestrained eaters did not differ in their relative percentages of thoughts about food in total and their relative percentages of thoughts about the food subcategories: hunger, desire for food, food-planning, evaluation of food, and miscellaneous issues related to food. This finding is consistent with studies that have employed thought-sampling (Zotter & Crowther, 1991), think-aloud techniques (Jansen et al, 1988) and repertory grids (Butow et al, 1993). The only study that has found a difference between restrained and unrestrained eaters in the percentage of thoughts about food-related issues is King et al's (1991) study which employed recall and descriptive tasks and found that restrained eaters have a greater bias to recall food-related thoughts.…”

“…This result is consistent with Herman & Polivy's hypothesis that food restriction increases an organisms motivation to seek food. The only other study that has explored restrained and unrestrained eaters evaluations of food have not found restrained and unrestrained eaters to differ in the nature of their descriptions of food (Butow et al, 1993). However, it is probable that Butow et al's study measured a different aspect of cognition than the present study.…”

Physical appearance as a measure of social ranking: The role of a new scale to understand the relationship between weight and dieting

“…Besides, recognizing the inherent limitations underlying an exploratory factorial analysis, it becomes essential that new studies validate the scale using general samples and confirmatory factor analysis to investigate whether the factor structure identified in the two parts of this scale is stable. Also, these results allowed us to confirm that physical appearance is, for women, one of the salient dimensions in determining their relative social rank (Butow et al, ; Williams et al, ; Troop et al, ). However, given that the sample used in this study is mostly constituted by student, young and single women, the validity of generalizations of these results is reduced.…”

“…It is recognized that social comparison is a fundamental process for human beings, enabling the knowledge of one's relative social rank (Buunk & Gibbons, ; Festinger, ; Gilbert et al, ). Clinical and empirical data show that an unfavourable social comparison plays an important role in psychological functioning, and also in the eating disorders process (e.g., Butow et al, ; Williams et al, ; Troop et al, ). Thus, the evaluation of the process of social comparison through physical appearance becomes a crucial aspect for research and clinical practice in the eating disorders' field.…”

Differences between women with anorexia nervosa and restrained eaters on shape and weight concerns, self‐esteem, and depression

“…Before depression was considered, women with AN scored higher than restrained eaters who scored higher than unrestrained eaters on all measures of shape concern and weight concern, consistent with research by Cooper and Turner (2000). Before depression was considered, women with AN scored significantly lower than restrained eaters on all domains of self-esteem, apart from scholastic and athletic competence, consistent with findings of other researchers (Butow, Beumont, & Touyz, 1993). Restrained eaters only had significantly lower mean scores than unrestrained eaters on physical appearance and global self-esteem.…”

Cognitions of restrained and unrestrained eaters under fasting and nonfasting conditions

“…Overall, restrained and unrestrained eaters did not differ in their relative percentages of thoughts about food in total and their relative percentages of thoughts about the food subcategories: hunger, desire for food, food-planning, evaluation of food, and miscellaneous issues related to food. This finding is consistent with studies that have employed thought-sampling (Zotter & Crowther, 1991), think-aloud techniques (Jansen et al, 1988) and repertory grids (Butow et al, 1993). The only study that has found a difference between restrained and unrestrained eaters in the percentage of thoughts about food-related issues is King et al's (1991) study which employed recall and descriptive tasks and found that restrained eaters have a greater bias to recall food-related thoughts.…”

“…This result is consistent with Herman & Polivy's hypothesis that food restriction increases an organisms motivation to seek food. The only other study that has explored restrained and unrestrained eaters evaluations of food have not found restrained and unrestrained eaters to differ in the nature of their descriptions of food (Butow et al, 1993). However, it is probable that Butow et al's study measured a different aspect of cognition than the present study.…”

Physical appearance as a measure of social ranking: The role of a new scale to understand the relationship between weight and dieting

“…Besides, recognizing the inherent limitations underlying an exploratory factorial analysis, it becomes essential that new studies validate the scale using general samples and confirmatory factor analysis to investigate whether the factor structure identified in the two parts of this scale is stable. Also, these results allowed us to confirm that physical appearance is, for women, one of the salient dimensions in determining their relative social rank (Butow et al, ; Williams et al, ; Troop et al, ). However, given that the sample used in this study is mostly constituted by student, young and single women, the validity of generalizations of these results is reduced.…”

“…It is recognized that social comparison is a fundamental process for human beings, enabling the knowledge of one's relative social rank (Buunk & Gibbons, ; Festinger, ; Gilbert et al, ). Clinical and empirical data show that an unfavourable social comparison plays an important role in psychological functioning, and also in the eating disorders process (e.g., Butow et al, ; Williams et al, ; Troop et al, ). Thus, the evaluation of the process of social comparison through physical appearance becomes a crucial aspect for research and clinical practice in the eating disorders' field.…”