Bulimia as a disturbance of narcissism: Self-esteem and the capacity to self-soothe

Abstract

A review of the literature on eating disorders reveals that, although psychodynamic formulations linking narcissistic dynamics—particularly difficulties with self-soothing—and eating disorders are common in the theoretical and clinical literature, little empirical work has attempted to substantiate this claim. In this study, 117 women completed the Eating Disorder Inventory and the Bulimia Test Revised and four scales that measure different components of narcissism (the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory, measuring self-esteem, the Self-Care Questionnaire, and two subscales of the Ego Functioning Assessment Questionnaire, measuring self-soothing). The four scales used to assess narcissism were all highly correlated with each other, indicating that they measure a similar construct. In addition, the eatingdisorder measures were correlated with the measures of narcissism, suggesting that a relationship exists between bulimia and narcissism, as assessed using self-report instruments.