Personality Variables and Eating Pathology

Personality variables have long been implicated in the onset and maintenance of eating disorders, as well as in symptom divergence between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Clinical observations are broadly supported by the data, with restricting anorexia nervosa associated with higher levels of constraint and Persistence, and binge-purge behaviors linked to the tendency to take impulsive action when emotionally distressed. Considerable heterogeneity is found within diagnostic categories, however, suggesting that different personality structures may predispose individuals to develop disordered eating through alternative pathways.