Emotional awareness among eating‐disordered patients: the role of narcissistic traits
Abstract
The narcissistic defences and a lack of emotional awareness (alexithymia) are both salient features of eating disorder pathology, as well as being linked to each other. As each of these characteristics impacts independently on treatment, it is important to understand how they interact within an eating-disordered population. The present study assessed the associations between the three core elements of alexithymia and the core and defensive elements of narcissism in this clinical group. Seventy eating-disordered patients completed standardised measures of alexithymia and narcissism, and multiple regression analyses were conducted in order to examine the relationship between these variables. Core narcissism (e.g. grandiosity, entitlement) was associated with difficulties in describing feelings to others, whereas the narcissistic defences were associated with difficulties in identifying feelings and distinguishing them from somatic experiences. These patterns of association suggest that different aspects of alexithymia are associated with different aspects of narcissism. Clinical suggestions are made for how these characteristics might require modifications of standard treatment approaches for the eating disorders.
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In patients with eating disorders, the presence of narcissistic traits was linked to alexithymia.
“In one research study on patients with eating disorders, Lawson and colleagues found that the presence of narcissistic traits was linked to alexithymia [27], while other studies carried out on samples of patients with Personality Disorders (PD) established no such connection between narcissism and alexithymia [28, 29].”
From Symptom severity and mindreading in narcissistic personality disorder. (2018) · cites this paper as [27]
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- Authors
- Lawson, R., Waller, G., Sines, J., & Meyer, C.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- Loughborough University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Waller, Glenn
- Venue
- European Eating Disorders Review
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-10-23
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 44-48
- ISSN
- 1072-4133 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-0968
- OpenAlex
- W2007177116
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2023: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 1.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European Eating Disorders Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Keywords
- eating disorders, alexithymia, narcissism, emotional awareness, grandiosity, entitlement, emotional identification, somatic experience, therapeutic implications
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Affective Symptoms, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Awareness, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Narcissism, Regression Analysis, Multivariate Analysis
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