Bulimics and restrained eaters: a personality comparison

Abstract This study compared the psychological characteristics of restrained eaters and bulimics. One hundred and thirty six female undergraduates completed the Restraint Scale, the Bulimia Test, the Narcissistic Personality Disorder Scale, a borderline personality disorder scale, the Body Cathexis Scale, and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale which yields six measures of self-esteem (physical self, moral-ethical self, personal self, family self, social self, ans total self-esteem) and four measures of psychopathology (general maladjustment, psychosis, personality disorder, and neurosis). Stepwise regression analyses were done using restraint and bulimia as dependent measures and the other measures as predictor variables. Both the regression equation for bulimia and the one for restraint included physical self-esteem and narcissism as predictor variables. As a third variable, general maladjustment was entered in the bulimia equation and moral self-esteem in the restraint equation. The results indicate that both bulimics and restrained eaters are dissatisfied with their bodies and have narcissistic qualities. However, bulimics show an element of psychopathology which restrained eaters do not and restrained eaters perceive themselves as morally virtuous, whereas bulimics do not.