SELF-DISCREPANCY THEORY AS A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING BULIMIC SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND ASSOCIATED DISTRESS

This study explored the utility of self-discrepancy theory for understanding bulimic symptomatology and associated negative affect. Female undergraduates (n = 76) completed measures of self-discrepancy and bulimic symptoms and, one month later, completed depression and anxiety measures. As hypothesized, actual:ideal discrepancy was associated uniquely with bulimic symptomatology, but only in the realm of appearance-related attributes. Although neither actual:ideal nor actual:ought general discrepancies from the self standpoint were related to bulimia, discrepancies from the mother standpoint significantly predicted bulimic behaviors. With regard to the association of bulimia with specific forms of distress, actual:ideal discrepancies from the self and the mother standpoints were associated uniquely with depression, and the actual:ought discrepancy from the father standpoint was related uniquely to anxiety. Relations between discrepancies and distress were stronger for participants with high levels of bulimic symptoms than for those reporting normal eating patterns, suggesting that incompatible self-beliefs are more likely to be activated for women with eating disorders, in turn contributing to distress.