Cognitive Factors
Cognitive Distortions
According to Neuman and Halvorson, they suggest that one of the most difficult and important tasks that anorexics and their therapists face are corrected cognitive distortions. Some examples of this distorted way of thinking would be the incapacibity to “perceive their body shapes and sizes accurately and may even affect their understanding of the body’s biological function” (Cassell).
Perfectionist Thinking
Perfectionist thinking is often seen in people diagnosed with anorexia. “It involves the setting of unrealistic standards, rigid and indiscriminate adherence to these standards and the equating of self-worth and performance” (Cassell). There is the argument that there is a difference between “normal” perfectionism, which can be a beneficial characteristic, and neurotic perfectionist, which is self-defeating. According to Peter Slade, reader in clinical psychology from Liverpool, England at the New Medical School, University, this neurotic perfectionism is suggested to be seen as a characteristic of those predisposed of getting an eating disorder. Women have admitted to feeling pressure of becoming the “the perfect person” and often they have great fear of making mistakes and low self-esteems.
If they feel that they are dominated in other areas of their life such as school or family, they will take control of at least one aspect in their life: eating; it becomes the aspect in their life within their power. A study focused on 20 anorexics showed that their school achievements were “significantly greater than would be predicted by standard tests” (Cassell).
According to Burns, he describes certain patterns for this unreasonable and irrational way of thinking.
Dichotomous Thinking: the black-and-white way of thinking in which anorexics specifically adhere this all or nothing thought to their experiences. It basically goes from one extreme to another. For instance, either I lose weight now or I will be fat forever. In people with anorexia, this type of thinking is applied to food, weight, and eating. The individual divides food into two categories: good or bad, gaining a pound may be thought as obesity, and not following strict eating routines induces stress and panic because they feel they have completely lost control. This relates back to perfectionism because in their strive to become perfect, they become conscious of their faults and soon feelings of worthlessness rise.
Overgeneralization: This is when perfectionists jump to rash conclusions of a type of negative event or moment will eventually continue repeatedly. For example, (I will never be skinny, I need to eat less if possible).
"Should” Statements: This refers to perfectionists attacking themselves if they were not able to complete a task or fulfill success. For example, thinking "I should’ve done that" or "I should do this."
Garner and Bemis suggest other cognitive errors in people diagnosed with anorexia.
Superstitious thinking: This refers to when someone establishes a cause and effect relationship with events that are not related to one another. This plays part in the origins of anorexic behavior, “with the anorexic believing that weight loss will solve other problems in their life” (Cassell). It has also been thought that this kind of thinking will lead to strange rituals.
Garfinkel and Garner found that when people have anorexia, it is very common for them to feel the need to complete their exercise routine or if not, think that they will gain weight. “One patient developed an elaborate set of exercise rituals in which various situations required her to perform rigorous exercise routines. Passing post boxes of street lamps had to be followed by jogging for one block” (Garkinel and Garner). “…the rituals are designed to avoid or mitigate either specific or, more often, obscure but ominous consequences” (Cassell). In other words, they follow these rituals because they feel if they do not, they will have horrible consequences. These rituals are controlled by a strong belief and are usually resistant to any sorts of examination because it causes a behavior in which the individual avoids or ignores any information that contradicts that belief, like confirmation bias.
Personalization is another type of irrational thinking seen in people with anorexia. This refers to how an individual may take everything personally in the sense that they think they are the focus of people’s the attention and taking remarks or events directly even when it is not intended I that way. For example, a person with anorexia is walking down the street and they see two people talking as he/she walks by and the person thinks they are talking badly about her and consequently, has probably gained weight.
Dissociation
Dissociation is also seen in people who are suffering from anorexia. It is “a mental condition in which, under severe emotional stress or trauma, ideas or mental activities are split off from consciousness and relegated to the unconscious, or outside direct awareness” (Cassell).
Studies of people suffering from anorexia and bulimia show that numerous of them “have dissociated ego states in disharmony with one another, such as body image distortions or superstitious thinking” (Cassell). An example of this may be that a girl with anorexia in its extremes, all skin and bones, stands in front of the mirror and sees herself as fat.
Photo by Ross Brown
Cassell, Dana K., and David H. Gleaves. The Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders. New York, NY: Facts On File, 2000. Print.
According to Neuman and Halvorson, they suggest that one of the most difficult and important tasks that anorexics and their therapists face are corrected cognitive distortions. Some examples of this distorted way of thinking would be the incapacibity to “perceive their body shapes and sizes accurately and may even affect their understanding of the body’s biological function” (Cassell).
Perfectionist Thinking
Perfectionist thinking is often seen in people diagnosed with anorexia. “It involves the setting of unrealistic standards, rigid and indiscriminate adherence to these standards and the equating of self-worth and performance” (Cassell). There is the argument that there is a difference between “normal” perfectionism, which can be a beneficial characteristic, and neurotic perfectionist, which is self-defeating. According to Peter Slade, reader in clinical psychology from Liverpool, England at the New Medical School, University, this neurotic perfectionism is suggested to be seen as a characteristic of those predisposed of getting an eating disorder. Women have admitted to feeling pressure of becoming the “the perfect person” and often they have great fear of making mistakes and low self-esteems.
If they feel that they are dominated in other areas of their life such as school or family, they will take control of at least one aspect in their life: eating; it becomes the aspect in their life within their power. A study focused on 20 anorexics showed that their school achievements were “significantly greater than would be predicted by standard tests” (Cassell).
According to Burns, he describes certain patterns for this unreasonable and irrational way of thinking.
Dichotomous Thinking: the black-and-white way of thinking in which anorexics specifically adhere this all or nothing thought to their experiences. It basically goes from one extreme to another. For instance, either I lose weight now or I will be fat forever. In people with anorexia, this type of thinking is applied to food, weight, and eating. The individual divides food into two categories: good or bad, gaining a pound may be thought as obesity, and not following strict eating routines induces stress and panic because they feel they have completely lost control. This relates back to perfectionism because in their strive to become perfect, they become conscious of their faults and soon feelings of worthlessness rise.
Overgeneralization: This is when perfectionists jump to rash conclusions of a type of negative event or moment will eventually continue repeatedly. For example, (I will never be skinny, I need to eat less if possible).
"Should” Statements: This refers to perfectionists attacking themselves if they were not able to complete a task or fulfill success. For example, thinking "I should’ve done that" or "I should do this."
Garner and Bemis suggest other cognitive errors in people diagnosed with anorexia.
Superstitious thinking: This refers to when someone establishes a cause and effect relationship with events that are not related to one another. This plays part in the origins of anorexic behavior, “with the anorexic believing that weight loss will solve other problems in their life” (Cassell). It has also been thought that this kind of thinking will lead to strange rituals.
Garfinkel and Garner found that when people have anorexia, it is very common for them to feel the need to complete their exercise routine or if not, think that they will gain weight. “One patient developed an elaborate set of exercise rituals in which various situations required her to perform rigorous exercise routines. Passing post boxes of street lamps had to be followed by jogging for one block” (Garkinel and Garner). “…the rituals are designed to avoid or mitigate either specific or, more often, obscure but ominous consequences” (Cassell). In other words, they follow these rituals because they feel if they do not, they will have horrible consequences. These rituals are controlled by a strong belief and are usually resistant to any sorts of examination because it causes a behavior in which the individual avoids or ignores any information that contradicts that belief, like confirmation bias.
Personalization is another type of irrational thinking seen in people with anorexia. This refers to how an individual may take everything personally in the sense that they think they are the focus of people’s the attention and taking remarks or events directly even when it is not intended I that way. For example, a person with anorexia is walking down the street and they see two people talking as he/she walks by and the person thinks they are talking badly about her and consequently, has probably gained weight.
Dissociation
Dissociation is also seen in people who are suffering from anorexia. It is “a mental condition in which, under severe emotional stress or trauma, ideas or mental activities are split off from consciousness and relegated to the unconscious, or outside direct awareness” (Cassell).
Studies of people suffering from anorexia and bulimia show that numerous of them “have dissociated ego states in disharmony with one another, such as body image distortions or superstitious thinking” (Cassell). An example of this may be that a girl with anorexia in its extremes, all skin and bones, stands in front of the mirror and sees herself as fat.
Photo by Ross Brown
Cassell, Dana K., and David H. Gleaves. The Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders. New York, NY: Facts On File, 2000. Print.