Emotional inhibition and personality traits: a comparison of women with anorexia, bulimia, and normal controls.

BACKGROUND

Clinical experience has suggested that women with eating disorders (ED) are prone to displace negative feelings about the self onto the body. This study sought to evaluate these clinical observations by examining emotional inhibition and personality traits in women with ED.

METHODS

Female inpatients and intensive outpatients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (N = 14) or bulimia nervosa (N = 11) were compared to women without an ED (N = 31).

RESULTS

The results of the study indicate that participants with ED inhibit their expression of both positive and negative emotions, even after controlling for neuroticism. Women with ED also reported higher levels of hostility and neuroticism. In addition, participants with ED were less aware of their inner thoughts and feelings (private self-consciousness) and had a heightened awareness of the thoughts and expectations of others (public self-consciousness). Finally, women with bulimia nervosa reported higher levels of emotional inhibition, neuroticism, public self-consciousness, and hostility when compared to women with anorexia nervosa.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that individuals who are not able to identify, and consequently, express their emotions may learn to handle emotional distress, interpersonal conflicts, and unexpressed hostility by turning their expression and lack of insight inward (viz., feeling "fat").