The DOI matches its Crossref record; 252 of the 265 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Binge eating as escape from self-awareness
Abstract
This article proposes that binge eating is motivated by a desire to escape from self-awareness. Binge eaters suffer from high standards and expectations, especially an acute sensitivity to the difficult (perceived) demands of others. When they fall short of these standards, they develop an aversive pattern of high self-awareness, characterized by unflattering views of self and concern over how they are perceived by others. These aversive self-perceptions are accompanied by emotional distress, which often includes anxiety and depression. To escape from this unpleasant state, binge eaters attempt the cognitive response of narrowing attention to the immediate stimulus environment and avoiding broadly meaningful thought. This narrowing of attention disengages normal inhibitions against eating and fosters an uncritical acceptance of irrational beliefs and thoughts. The escape model is capable of integrating much of the available evidence about binge eating.
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“It has been proposed that these skills would be useful for other clinical problems, including eating disorders, in which maladaptive coping mechanisms are used to manage negative affect [36, 37].”
From LIBER8 design and methods: An integrative intervention for loss of control eating among African American and White adolescent girls (2013) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“maladaptive affect regulation has been used to explain emotional eating [1, 12], with findings suggesting that difficulty regulating negative emotions is positively associated with emotional eating.”
From Mindfulness facets differentially relate to self-reported negative and positive emotional eating types in treatment-seeking adults with overweight/obesity (2023) · cites this paper as [12]
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review
Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Schweizer, S. (2010) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.004 · Cited by 6,686
High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success
Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00263.x · Cited by 6,557
Self-citationNolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.x · Cited by 5,172
Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and empirical review
Baer, R. A. (2003) · Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice · doi:10.1093/clipsy.bpg015 · Cited by 4,577
Stress, eating and the reward system
Adam, T. C., & Epel, E. S. (2007) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.011 · Cited by 1,732
Metadata
- Authors
- Heatherton, T. F., & Baumeister, R. F.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Bulletin
- Published
- 1991
- Volume
- 110
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 86-108
- ISSN
- 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1455
- OpenAlex
- W1993335407
- Cited by
- 2,259
- References
- 265
- Citations by year
- 2026: 61 · 2025: 79 · 2024: 80 · 2023: 94 · 2022: 85 · 2021: 130 · 2020: 96 · 2019: 99 · 2018: 99 · 2017: 112 · 2016: 90 · 2015: 112 · 2014: 111 · 2013: 89 · 2012: 94
- FWCI
- 28.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- binge eating, self-awareness, self-perception, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, attentional narrowing, cognitive disengagement, irrational beliefs, social expectations, dietary habits
- MeSH terms
- Body Image, Bulimia, Defense Mechanisms, Diet, Reducing, Escape Reaction, Female, Humans, Hyperphagia, Obesity, Self Concept, Social Environment
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