An experimental test of the relationship between self-esteem and concern about body shape and weight in restrained eaters.

OBJECTIVE

Although self-esteem and overconcern with body shape and weight are considered to be closely connected in bulimia nervosa, little empirical research has been done to investigate the alleged link.

METHOD: In this study, we examined experimentally whether overconcern with body shape and weight was connected with self-esteem in an analogue sample of high restrained eaters by means of a subliminal lexical decision task.

RESULTS

It could indeed be demonstrated that low self-esteem and overconcern with body shape and weight are associated in high restrained eaters: after priming low self-esteem, the accessibility of subliminally presented body shape and weight stimuli was increased. The effect was not found with a supraliminal lexical decision task.

DISCUSSION: Apparently, the automatic, nonconscious processing of body shape and weight words was influenced in high restrained eaters with a low state self-esteem, whereas the strategic, conscious processing was not. As soon as the body shape and weight stimuli were processed consciously, the initial increased accessibility was countered and the effect disappeared.