# Personality Type wih a strong tendency to suffer from eating disorders



## curiousel (Jan 3, 2010)

What are the personality types most associated with eating disorders.

Please rank them. One being the one with more tendency towards eating disorders.


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## danicx (Dec 5, 2009)

I kind of have one, ENTP, and my INFJ friend has one, my ISFP friend had one but recovered. From my experience I've seen any type of personality can have an eating disorder, but possibly with some prevalence of introversion and Judging types.


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## Ungweliante (Feb 26, 2009)




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## Danse Macabre (Oct 30, 2009)

I think that there are a few different reasons why people get eating disorders. Firstly, there's the "I need to be thin to be beautiful/fit in/ love myself" one, and secondly there's eating disorders that people sort of cultivate and consciously use as a form of self harm.

I don't know what types are more prone to the first one, but I guess they'd be image focused and perhaps not very popular (But again, anyone can get them...) and the latter reason... i don't know either, but I know that it's what I do xD Impulsiveness definitely plays a big role in the development of eating disorders. Thinking like "Oh, I'll just throw up this meal it doesn't matter much" really helps the decline into an eating disorder.


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## Frannyy (May 27, 2010)

i used to have an eating disorder and i know another istj who used to have one as well... good question though i would be curious to see the stats


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## kaycee (May 18, 2010)

I've been in treatment for eating disorders, and I've seen all kind of people with all kinds of EDs for all kinds of reasons.

I don't think type really plays a big role.


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## Matt Hancock (Oct 29, 2011)

I think eating disorders can happen to many different kinds of people, but in the 3 1/2 years I've been in and out of treatment centers and therapy programs, I've seen that certain personality types definitely correlate to having certain versions of eating disorders. I'm fairly new to MBTI and am just now familiarizing myself with all of its ideas... but this is a rough account of what I've seen. Hardcore anorexics often are often strong J's and lower in F on the T/F scale. They exert extreme control over their feelings and, in addition to their strict diets and exercise routines, live their lives according to an exact schedule. I've met both E and I anorexics, but it seems that many of them are extremely inhibited, maybe partially due to the effect of having a life-consuming eating disorder, but it seems more than not they are introverted.

Bulimics, that I've met, seem to be much stronger Perceivers and lack the self-control (strong F?) that anorexics practice. That is a clear trend. I've spent a lot of time in treatment centers and have compared myself to the others in an effort to understand why we do the things we do. Often, but not always, bulimics function as extroverts. They're generally more energetic, appearance-oriented, spontaneous, impulsive, and agreeable than are anorexics. 

I've been taking an Abnormal Psychology course and we learned that one of the main causes of developing an eating disorder is an overwhelming (and usually blown out of proportion) belief that one must lose weight and/or get into perfect shape. Starting with that motivating belief, I think someone's specific personality type plays into what losing weight/having control over food and their body looks like for them. 

Also, if someone spends enough time and energy developing an eating disorder to the point it overtakes the majority of their life, I think it either affects and changes the way their traits surface, or exaggerates/suppresses certain aspects of the person's personality.

I would love to keep understanding myself, why I've turned to an ED and let it run rampant, and why my life looks now like it does.


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

I don't think an ordered list can be created. As far as I know, no studies have been done to show correlation between MBTI type and eating disorder prevalence. I personally think the environment plays a larger role in this regard.


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## firedell (Aug 5, 2009)

I don't think it goes by type. Enneagram tell's you more about things like this though, as far as I am aware, though I don't think there is a huge study on it? I just know that 6's are likely to.


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## Worriedfunction (Jun 2, 2011)

I used to have an eating disorder, but then I got over it, now all I have to worry about is my disorderly eating.

Im sorry that was a bad joke, but I couldnt resist I love wordplay, clever or not.


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## Matt Hancock (Oct 29, 2011)

The Addictive Personality: Disorders by Enneagram Type
this was pretty cool to read.


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## dizzygirl (Dec 19, 2009)

Eating disorders are not very well understood. There are many complex causes that can lead to their development in a person. Distorted self-image is a commonly accepted and known one.
However it was found that it affects women more and I think societal perceptions are responsible for this development of low self esteem. Women have been objectified for quite a long time and more often than not they do things to please the male eye. Even if their perception is flawed, they don't realize it. Men however haven't been brought up in a women dominated society and don't have similar unwritten social norms and can thus go around more confidently. If you read the wiki article on Eating Disorders, you'll see the men-women ratio of e.d affected people. 
I suffered from Anxiety disorder which gave rise to a disturbance in my eating habit. Sometimes there are deep psychological issues at play and it's not always related to looking good or giving up on your health. In my case it was apparently a reflection of the fact that i couldn't take anything in from the world. And that manifested itself in my difficulty in swallowing food.
Psychological disorders mainly can't be pinned on personality types. But you will see that Enneagram is something that you can relate psychological disorders to more easily coz it's broad and discusses traits rather than functions that decide those traits.


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