Locus of control as a measure of ineffectiveness in anorexia nervosa.

Abstract

age = 21.2) couldnot be differentiated from the norms. Comparison of high (external) with low(internal) scorers within the patient sample revealed significant differences onclinical variables related to weight history, eating habits, and psychosocial be-havior. In addition, externality was associated with symptomatic scores on theBeck Depression Scale, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the RestraintScale, and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. It is concluded that theI-E scale may provide a useful prognostic index for the subgroup of anorexicpatients who demonstrat e external I-E orientation.Anorexia nervosa is classified as a psy-chosomatic disorder on the basis of its char-acteristic psychological symptoms, whichoften precede the onset of dieting. Bruch(1973) has outlined three central areas ofpsychological dysfunction in anorexia ner-vosa. These are (a) a distorted body image,(b) inaccurate perception of internal states,and (c) a paralyzing sens e of ineffectiveness.Body-size overestimation and lack of aver-sion to sucrose have been demonstrated ex-perimentally (Garfinkel,- Moldofsky, Gar-ner, Stancer, & Coscina, 1978; Garner,Garfinkel, Stancer, & Moldofsky, 1976).The dimension of ineffectiveness , in contrast,has received limited empirical attention.Clinically, it has been described in devel-opmental terms.Minuchin, Rosman, and Baker (1978)describe the anorexic child as growing up ina highly enmeshed family, one in whichintrusive concern and overprotection by theparents curtail the development of auton-omy. Similar descriptions, with specific ref-erence to the power and control exerted bythe mother, are common in the clinical lit-

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