is not understood. A study is needed to further explore the ability of body satisfaction, self-esteem, and sexuality to predict the development of maladaptive eating.
Eating disorders are more commonly found among females and the majority of research focuses on women with these disorders. Early research provided evidence that eating disorders can be described on a continuum with differences highlighted on behavioral, cognitive-attitudinal, and self-esteem indices (Scarano & Kalodner-Martin, 1994). Scarano and Kalodner-Martin (1994) describe the continuum with normal eating on one end and bulimics at the other end. While the continuum theory did not specify placement of anorexia nervosa, it did specify that all eating disorders are qualitatively similar and different from normal eating. It is the severity and degree of the eating problem that determines where it is placed on the continuum, rather than qualitative differences (Scarano & Kalodner-Martin, 1994).
Objectification theory proposed by Fredrickson and Roberts in 1997, proposes that current society sexually objectifies the female body; sexual objectification occurs when a women's body is treated like an object. Within this theory, cultural and cognitive factors are linked to views of the body. For this theory it is postulated that self-objectification or body objectification has negative consequences such as increased body monitoring, body shame, and disordered eating (Tiggemann, 2001). Tiggemann and Kuring (2004) reported findings that in women, self/body-objectification and self-surveillance predicted depression and disordered eating.
Prior research studies related to anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) have demonstrated that these disorders are linked with many factors to include socio-cultural, cognitive, and biological factors, psychological correlates (symptoms and comorbid disorders), body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and sexuality. ...