Biomaterial Database

Fear of abandonment and binge eating. A subliminal psychodynamic activation investigation. 1992

C J Patton

Ozark Guidance Center, Springdale, Arkansas 72765.

Dependency and fear of abandonment by significant others have been theoretically linked to eating disorders, particularly bulimia. This research investigates the hypothesis that unconscious fear of abandonment is one variable underlying binge eating episodes in bulimia. An analogue population of 40 "high eating disorder" undergraduate women and 40 undergraduate women with normal eating patterns viewed either an abandonment or a control stimulus presented at either subliminal (4 msec) or supraliminal (200 msec) exposure durations. Following exposure to an abandonment stimulus, the high eating disorder group ate significantly more crackers in a bogus cracker rating task (p less than .001) than did subjects in any other condition. Contrary to predictions, a subliminal stimulus did not lead to a significant change in self-reported mood. Results provide preliminary support for the psychoanalytic hypothesis that binge eating is a defense against unconscious fear of abandonment.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008960	Models, Psychological	Theoretical representations that simulate psychological processes and/or social processes. These include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Model, Mental,Model, Psychological,Models, Mental,Models, Psychologic,Psychological Models,Mental Model,Mental Models,Model, Psychologic,Psychologic Model,Psychologic Models,Psychological Model
D009769	Object Attachment	Emotional attachment to someone or something in the environment.	Bonding (Psychology),Bonds, Emotional,Emotional Bonds,Object Relations,Symbiotic Relations (Psychology),Bonding, Psychological,Object Relationship,Psychological Bonding,Attachment, Object,Attachments, Object,Bond, Emotional,Bondings (Psychology),Emotional Bond,Object Attachments,Object Relation,Object Relationships,Relation, Object,Relation, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relations, Object,Relations, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relationship, Object,Relationships, Object,Symbiotic Relation (Psychology)
D010555	Personality Inventory	Check list, usually to be filled out by a person about himself, consisting of many statements about personal characteristics which the subject checks.	Edwards Personal Preference Schedule,Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,Indicator, Myers-Briggs Type,Inventories, Personality,Inventory, Personality,Myers Briggs Type Indicator,Personality Inventories
D011336	Probability	The study of chance processes or the relative frequency characterizing a chance process.	Probabilities
D002032	Bulimia	Eating an excess amount of food in a short period of time, as seen in the disorder of BULIMIA NERVOSA. It is caused by an abnormal craving for food, or insatiable hunger also known as "ox hunger".	Binge Eating,Bulimias,Eating, Binge
D003463	Cues	Signals for an action; that specific portion of a perceptual field or pattern of stimuli to which a subject has learned to respond.	Cue
D003674	Defense Mechanisms	Unconscious process used by an individual or a group of individuals in order to cope with impulses, feelings or ideas which are not acceptable at their conscious level; various types include reaction formation, projection and self reversal.	Mechanisms, Defense
D003858	Dependency, Psychological	The tendency of an individual or individuals to rely on others for advice, guidance, or support.	Dependency Burden,Dependency, Psychology,Psychological Dependence,Psychological Dependency,Burden, Dependency,Dependence, Psychological
D004435	Eating	The consumption of edible substances.	Dietary Intake,Feed Intake,Food Intake,Macronutrient Intake,Micronutrient Intake,Nutrient Intake,Nutritional Intake,Ingestion,Dietary Intakes,Feed Intakes,Intake, Dietary,Intake, Feed,Intake, Food,Intake, Macronutrient,Intake, Micronutrient,Intake, Nutrient,Intake, Nutritional,Macronutrient Intakes,Micronutrient Intakes,Nutrient Intakes,Nutritional Intakes
D005239	Fear	The affective response to an actual current external danger which subsides with the elimination of the threatening condition.	Threat Cues,Threat Sensitivity,Cue, Threat,Fears,Sensitivity, Threat,Threat Cue,Threat Sensitivities