Differences in personality functioning among subtypes of eating disorders

This study examined the relationship between eating disorders and personality functioning. Millon\u27s dimension of emotionality, from his circumplical model of personality disorders, provided the conceptual framework for the study. The present author proposed that the way an eating disordered individual experienced and managed affective material was related to the specific subtype of eating disorder from which that individual suffered; specifically, it was postulated that anorexics were more emotionally impassive, while bulimics were more emotionally expressive. Research subjects were 33 anorexics, 62 bulimics, and 13 anorexic bulimics, referred for evaluation at an eating disorders program. Data from the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II were used to assess personality functioning. The specific hypotheses predicted the following: (1) anorexics would average higher scores on impassive scales, (2) both bulimic groups would obtain higher average scores on expressive scales, and (3) the dual-diagnosis group would obtain average scores on the expressive scales that were even higher than those of the pure bulimics. It was also hypothesized that higher levels of symptom chronicity and severity would decrease these overall differences in scale elevations among eating disorder subtypes. Results indicated that personality profiles were able to discriminate among the three types of eating disorders, most reliably between bulimic and nonbulimic subtypes. As predicted, scores suggested that subjects with uncomplicated anorexia were more emotionally impassive than those with bulimia. However, scores did not indicate any difference in degree of expressiveness between the bulimic groups, nor did scores suggest that either of the bulimic groups was particularly emotionally expressive. A dimension of behavioral control was also found to assist in the discrimination between subtypes, with scores pointing to a high level of behavioral passivity in the anorexic bulimics. Results of this study did not support the research hypotheses concerning the effects of chronicity and severity. Limitations of this study are discussed, and implications for theory, practice, and research are addressed