Should She Just Have the Salad? Disordered Eating and Interpersonal Perception Among Women

Abstract

The aim of the present thesis is to integrate clinical and social psychological research to explore the relationship between disordered eating symptomatology and interpersonal perception among women. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the epidemiology and aetiology of eating disorders. As it is clear that disordered eating can have pervasive, prolonged and usually detrimental effects on the psychosocial functioning of women, there is ongoing need for research regarding the development, management and prevention of symptoms. Further, efforts to clarify how social psychological processes are related to unhealthy attitudes about food and body weight are likely to improve current conceptualisations of disordered eating. Chapter 2 discusses the social psychology of food and eating behaviour. It is argued that social motives play an important role in shaping the way that men and women eat, but that women are particularly likely to manipulate their eating behaviour in response to impression management concerns. Motives for restricting the consumption of food in social situations are discussed, including the desire to convey a feminine identity to others (Leary, Tchividjian & Kraxberger, 1999) and to counter negative perceptions ofthe overweight (Crandall, 1994). Chapter 3 confirms that women are correct to be concerned about managing their eating behaviour in public. Evidence for the effect of meal size and meal content on first impressions of male and female consumers is presented. In addition, previous explanations for the influence of food on person perceptions are discussed. It is concluded that information about how disordered eating relates to interpersonal perception among women may help to elucidate why meal cues and body-shape variations affect judgements about women. Study 1, described in Chapter 4, examined whether impressions of a female consumer (Le., target) are influenced by her body weight, the amount of dietary fat that she consumes, and the severity of disordered eating experienced by the women who observe her. Using written stimuli and video vignettes, Study 1 demonstrated that unhealthy eating-related attitudes and behaviours moderate the effect of body shape and meal cues on perceptions of female targets. However, in contrast to previously published works, the results of Study 1 suggest that being overweight or consuming high fat meals may not be entirely detrimental for women who wish to make a favourable impression on others. Chapter 5 describes a second study that aimed to address the potential limitations of Study 1 and provide further clarification of the role of target- and perceiver-related variables in person perception among women. Data obtained in Study 2 replicated the finding that disordered eating moderates the extent to which body-weight and fat consumption colour impressions of female consumers. The results also suggested that women may experience ambivalence when perceiving novel female consumers.Finally, Chapter 6 presents an overview of Studies 1 and 2 and discusses difficulties faced by researchers who wish to explore the role of disordered eating in interpersonal perception among women. Concerns about internal and external validity, accurate assessment of impressions, and recruitment of women with eating disorders are explored. The chapter concludes with a summary of the implications of the research.