Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 9, 2025
08:09
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
11.9K
Emotion regulation flexibility and disordered eating
Elizabeth N Dougherty1, Jonathan Murphy1, Skylar Hamlett1
1Illinois Institute of Technology, Department of Psychology, 3424 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60661, United States of America.
Eating Behaviors
|September 8, 2020
Summary
Individuals with disordered eating show less flexibility in choosing emotion regulation strategies. This reduced flexibility is linked to purging and excessive exercise, suggesting new treatment avenues.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Eating Disorder Research
Background:
- Individuals with eating disorders often use maladaptive emotion regulation strategies.
- Successful emotion regulation involves flexibly adapting strategies to situational needs.
- Limited research has explored emotion regulation flexibility in relation to disordered eating.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between emotion regulation flexibility and disordered eating.
- To examine if reduced emotion regulation flexibility is linked to specific disordered eating behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Employed the emotion regulation choice paradigm.
- Utilized self-report questionnaires and a laboratory-based task.
- Assessed emotion regulation flexibility in a sample of 50 women.
Main Results:
- Lower emotion regulation flexibility correlated with increased purging frequency.
- Reduced emotion regulation flexibility was associated with more frequent excessive exercise.
- No significant association was found between emotion regulation flexibility and binge eating or overall eating disorder psychopathology.
Conclusions:
- Individuals engaging in compensatory eating disorder behaviors demonstrate diminished emotion regulation flexibility.
- Findings suggest potential benefits of incorporating flexible emotion regulation strategy training in treatments for eating disorders.
- Further research in clinical samples is warranted to confirm these associations.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
18.7K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
18.7K
01:23Binge Eating Disorders
338
Binge eating disorder is a significant mental health condition characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive food consumption within a short period, accompanied by a perceived loss of control over eating behavior. Unlike occasional overeating, binge eating disorder is marked by distressing emotions such as guilt, shame, and anxiety following binge episodes. The disorder affects individuals across different ages and backgrounds, with profound implications for physical and psychological...
338
01:25Self-Regulation
140
Self-regulation, also known as self-control, encompasses a range of cognitive and behavioral processes that allow individuals to adjust their internal states and outward actions to align with socially acceptable norms and long-term goals. It plays a fundamental role in adaptive functioning, from resisting impulsive behaviors to persisting through challenging tasks. While its benefits are widely recognized, self-regulation is not limitless. Muraven and Baumeister's theory posits that...
140
01:28Anorexia Nervosa
618
Anorexia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, an unrelenting pursuit of thinness, and a distorted body image. It often leads to dangerously low body weight relative to an individual's age and height. This disorder is marked by significant physical and psychological consequences, making it one of the most life-threatening psychiatric illnesses.
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
618
01:30Bulimia Nervosa
534
Bulimia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by a cyclical pattern of binge-and-purge eating pattern. It generally involves an episode of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative use, or fasting, to prevent weight gain. Despite often maintaining a normal weight, individuals with bulimia are intensely preoccupied with their body image and harbor an overwhelming fear of gaining weight. This can contribute to the...
534
01:29Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
179
Self-discrepancy theory explains how people compare their actual self to their ideal and ought selves and how mismatches between these self-guides can lead to emotional distress. Developed by E. Tory Higgins, the theory distinguishes among three components of self-concept: the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self. These refer respectively to how individuals perceive themselves, how they aspire to be, and how they believe they are obligated to be. Emotional well-being, self-esteem,...
179