The Role of Self-Control in Anorexia Nervosa

Research Article
Open access

The Role of Self-Control in Anorexia Nervosa

Xinyi Wen 1*
  • 1 University of Melbourne    
  • *corresponding author xiwen3@student.unimelb.edu.au
Published on 26 October 2023 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/17/20231252
LNEP Vol.17
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-83558-059-2
ISBN (Online): 978-1-83558-060-8

Abstract

Self-control, a key cognitive ability, facilitates the adjustment of behaviour to meet societal norms by overriding thoughts and emotions. Abnormal self-control can be detrimental, particularly in the context of Anorexia Nervosa (AN). AN is a disorder marked by extreme self-control, particularly in dietary intake, potentially leading to deficits in emotional regulation and cognitive abilities. The fear of weight gain can heighten anxiety levels, leading to more restrictive diets and potential comorbidity with other disorders when weight satisfaction is not achieved. However, the exact mechanism between self-control and AN is unclear. Therefore, this review aims to enhance understanding of AN and the role of self-control in its development and management from three perspectives: the cognitive aspects of self-control in AN, factors of social and emotion in AN and self-self, and effective interventions for AN. Through this examination, this review aims to deepen people’s understanding of AN and the role of self-control in its manifestation and management. This review investigates the multifaceted interplay between AN, self-control, emotional regulation, and cognitive rigidity, characterized by restrictive dietary practices and exceedingly low body weights, and presented in two distinct subtypes: restricting and binge-eating/purging. AN individuals exhibit high self-regulation but are prone to negative affective states, underscoring the complexity of emotional regulation in this disorder. A comparison with Bulimia Nervosa illuminates that enhancing self-control can have divergent effects: potentially reducing restrictive eating in AN, while escalating excessive eating in Bulimia Nervosa. The review also highlights the escalated social-cognitive sensitivity and cognitive rigidity in AN individuals, which often trigger restrictive eating. Further, it points to the low mentalizing abilities and high alexithymia levels in AN individuals, leading to cognitive and behavioural inflexibility. Finally, it proposes that neuro-modulatory interventions, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, may enhance cognitive flexibility in food choices, providing a novel perspective on AN treatment. This review can provide some guidance for prevention and intervention progroms in high schools and colleges.

Keywords:

self-control, Anorexia Nervosa, emotion regulation, cognitive perspective

Wen,X. (2023). The Role of Self-Control in Anorexia Nervosa. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,17,222-231.
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References

[1]. Inzlicht, M., Schmeichel, B.J., and Macrae, C.N. (2014). Why self-control seems (but may not be) limited. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(3), 127–133.

[2]. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).

[3]. Guarda, A.S. (2008). Treatment of anorexia nervosa: Insights and obstacles. Physiology & Behavior, 94(1), 113–120.

[4]. Uniacke, B., Slattery, R., Walsh, B.T., Shohamy, D., Foerde, K., and Steinglass, J. (2020). A comparison of food-based decision-making between restricting and binge-eating/purging subtypes of anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(10), 1751–1756.

[5]. Blasczyk-Schiep, S., Adamczewska, K., and Sokoła, K.F. (2019). Subclinical eating disorder symptoms and positive vs. negative affect in high school students: the mediating role of self-regulation. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 7(2), 120–131.

[6]. Seidel, M., King, J.A., Ritschel, F., Boehm, I., Geisler, D., Bernardoni, F., Holzapfel, L., Ehrlich, S., Diestel, S., Diers, K., Strobel, A., Goschke, T., Walter, H., and Roessner, V. (2018). The real-life costs of emotion regulation in anorexia nervosa: A combined ecological momentary assessment and fMRI study. Translational Psychiatry, 8(1).

[7]. Meule, A., Richard, A., Schnepper, R., Reichenberger, J., Georgii, C., Naab, S., Voderholzer, U., and Blechert, J. (2021). Emotion regulation and emotional eating in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Eating Disorders, 29(2), 175–191.

[8]. Rothschild-Yakar, L., Goshen, D., Kartin, B., Stein, D., Shoval, G., Yacobi, A., Eger, G., and Gur, E. (2019). Mentalizing Self and Other and Affect Regulation Patterns in Anorexia and Depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 10.

[9]. King, J.A., Korb, F.M., Egner, T., and Ehrlich, S. (2019). Cognitive Overcontrol as a Trait Marker in Anorexia Nervosa? Aberrant Task and Response-Set Switching in Remitted Patients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(8), 806–812.

[10]. Braver, T.S. (2012). The variable nature of cognitive control: A dual mechanisms framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16, 106–113.

[11]. Pauligk, S., Seidel, M., Fürtjes, S., King, J.A., Geisler, D., Hellerhoff, I., Roessner, V., Schmidt, U., Goschke, T., Walter, H., Strobel, A., and Ehrlich, S. (2021). The costs of over-control in anorexia nervosa: evidence from fMRI and ecological momentary assessment. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01405-8

[12]. Dalton, B., Foerde, K., Bartholdy, S., McClelland, J., Kekic, M., Grycuk, L., Campbell, I.C., Schmidt, U., and Steinglass, J.E. (2020). The effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on food choice-related self-control in patients with severe, enduring anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(8), 1326–1336.

[13]. Ahmed, S.P., Bittencourt-Hewitt, A. and Sebastian, C.L. (2015). Neurocognitive bases of emotion regulation development in adolescence. Dev. Cogn. Neurosci. 15, 11–25.

[14]. Tamnes, C.K. Østby, Y., Walhovd, K.B., Westlye, L.T., Due-Tønnessen, P., and Fjell, A.M. (2010). Neuroanatomical correlates of executive functions in children and adolescents: a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of cortical thickness. Neuropsychologia 48, 2496–2508.

[15]. Vijayakumar, N. Whittle, S., Yücel, M., Dennison, M., Simmons, J., and Allen, N.B. (2014). Thinning of the lateral prefrontal cortex during adolescence predicts emotion regulation in females. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 9, 1845–1854.

Cite this article

Wen,X. (2023). The Role of Self-Control in Anorexia Nervosa. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,17,222-231.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries

ISBN：978-1-83558-059-2(Print) / 978-1-83558-060-8(Online)
Editor：Javier Cifuentes-Faura, Enrique Mallen
Conference website: https://www.iceipi.org/
Conference date: 7 August 2023
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.17
ISSN：2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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References

[1]. Inzlicht, M., Schmeichel, B.J., and Macrae, C.N. (2014). Why self-control seems (but may not be) limited. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(3), 127–133.

[2]. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).

[3]. Guarda, A.S. (2008). Treatment of anorexia nervosa: Insights and obstacles. Physiology & Behavior, 94(1), 113–120.

[4]. Uniacke, B., Slattery, R., Walsh, B.T., Shohamy, D., Foerde, K., and Steinglass, J. (2020). A comparison of food-based decision-making between restricting and binge-eating/purging subtypes of anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(10), 1751–1756.

[5]. Blasczyk-Schiep, S., Adamczewska, K., and Sokoła, K.F. (2019). Subclinical eating disorder symptoms and positive vs. negative affect in high school students: the mediating role of self-regulation. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 7(2), 120–131.

[6]. Seidel, M., King, J.A., Ritschel, F., Boehm, I., Geisler, D., Bernardoni, F., Holzapfel, L., Ehrlich, S., Diestel, S., Diers, K., Strobel, A., Goschke, T., Walter, H., and Roessner, V. (2018). The real-life costs of emotion regulation in anorexia nervosa: A combined ecological momentary assessment and fMRI study. Translational Psychiatry, 8(1).

[7]. Meule, A., Richard, A., Schnepper, R., Reichenberger, J., Georgii, C., Naab, S., Voderholzer, U., and Blechert, J. (2021). Emotion regulation and emotional eating in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Eating Disorders, 29(2), 175–191.

[8]. Rothschild-Yakar, L., Goshen, D., Kartin, B., Stein, D., Shoval, G., Yacobi, A., Eger, G., and Gur, E. (2019). Mentalizing Self and Other and Affect Regulation Patterns in Anorexia and Depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 10.

[9]. King, J.A., Korb, F.M., Egner, T., and Ehrlich, S. (2019). Cognitive Overcontrol as a Trait Marker in Anorexia Nervosa? Aberrant Task and Response-Set Switching in Remitted Patients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(8), 806–812.

[10]. Braver, T.S. (2012). The variable nature of cognitive control: A dual mechanisms framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16, 106–113.

[11]. Pauligk, S., Seidel, M., Fürtjes, S., King, J.A., Geisler, D., Hellerhoff, I., Roessner, V., Schmidt, U., Goschke, T., Walter, H., Strobel, A., and Ehrlich, S. (2021). The costs of over-control in anorexia nervosa: evidence from fMRI and ecological momentary assessment. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01405-8

[12]. Dalton, B., Foerde, K., Bartholdy, S., McClelland, J., Kekic, M., Grycuk, L., Campbell, I.C., Schmidt, U., and Steinglass, J.E. (2020). The effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on food choice-related self-control in patients with severe, enduring anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(8), 1326–1336.

[13]. Ahmed, S.P., Bittencourt-Hewitt, A. and Sebastian, C.L. (2015). Neurocognitive bases of emotion regulation development in adolescence. Dev. Cogn. Neurosci. 15, 11–25.

[14]. Tamnes, C.K. Østby, Y., Walhovd, K.B., Westlye, L.T., Due-Tønnessen, P., and Fjell, A.M. (2010). Neuroanatomical correlates of executive functions in children and adolescents: a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of cortical thickness. Neuropsychologia 48, 2496–2508.

[15]. Vijayakumar, N. Whittle, S., Yücel, M., Dennison, M., Simmons, J., and Allen, N.B. (2014). Thinning of the lateral prefrontal cortex during adolescence predicts emotion regulation in females. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 9, 1845–1854.

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