This review focuses on literature regarding the relationship between maladaptive eating behaviors/attitudes and body satisfaction, self-esteem, and sexual satisfaction. This chapter provides a brief overview of topic areas relevant to an understanding of eating disorder including an introduction to eating disorders, causes of eating disorders, and risks associated with eating disorders. Later sections will examine the relationship between self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, sexual issues, and eating attitudes in greater depth.
The current study focuses on maladaptive eating attitudes in general. However as the analysis of related variables may be extended to those with these disorders, this section begins with a brief overview pertaining to eating disorders. Polivy (2002) reported that eating disorders currently include the two prominent disorders of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). While research consider these as two diagnoses as separate disorders, they each have core symptoms such as body dissatisfaction, ego deficits, and a preoccupation with food, weight, and shape, that do not distinguish one from the other. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition) (APA, 1994) states that AN includes the essential feature that the individual refused to maintain a minimally normal body weight, with fear of gaining weight, and disturbances in the perception of the body size or shape. This differs from the essential features of BN, which include binge eating, and inappropriate methods to prevent weight gain (APA, 1994).
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition) criteria for AN include a body weight at a level less than 85% of normal weight for age and height, intense fear of fatness, disturbed experience of body weight or shape, and amenorrhea for at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. AN patients are characterized by a refusal to eat or eat much. Cri...