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Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach

The debate concerning the pathogenesis and the maintaining factors of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa in particular, is ongoing especially since therapeutic interventions do not result in satisfactory and enduring rates of remission. This paper presents a model for the pathogenesis of eating diso...

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Autores principales: Amianto, Federico, Northoff, Georg, Abbate Daga, Giovanni, Fassino, Secondo, Tasca, Giorgio A.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4906654/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27378967
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00849
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author Amianto, Federico
Northoff, Georg
Abbate Daga, Giovanni
Fassino, Secondo
Tasca, Giorgio A.
author_facet Amianto, Federico
Northoff, Georg
Abbate Daga, Giovanni
Fassino, Secondo
Tasca, Giorgio A.
author_sort Amianto, Federico
collection PubMed
description The debate concerning the pathogenesis and the maintaining factors of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa in particular, is ongoing especially since therapeutic interventions do not result in satisfactory and enduring rates of remission. This paper presents a model for the pathogenesis of eating disorders, based on the hypothesis of a deficiency in the development of the self. We present the theory in light of new evidence concerning the role of attachment insecurity in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. In particular, we define the self in eating disorders in a comprehensive way by taking into account recent evidence from experimental psychology and neurobiology. The paper considers the development of the self in terms of its synchronic (i.e., experienced in the moment) and diachronic (i.e., experienced as continuous over time) aspects. Both synchronic and diachronic aspects of the self are relevant to the expression of eating disorder symptoms. Further, the maturation of the self is interwoven with the development of attachment functioning from infancy to adolescence. This interplay between these developmental processes of the self and of attachment could be crucial in understanding the pathogenesis of eating disorders. The final part of the paper suggests a neurobiological link between the theory of the self in the eating disorders and the spatiotemporal functioning of the brain. Disturbances in spatiotemporal functioning may represent the neurobiological pathway by which deficiencies in the self is related to attachment functions in individuals with eating disorders.
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spelling pubmed-49066542016-07-04 Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach Amianto, Federico Northoff, Georg Abbate Daga, Giovanni Fassino, Secondo Tasca, Giorgio A. Front Psychol Psychology The debate concerning the pathogenesis and the maintaining factors of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa in particular, is ongoing especially since therapeutic interventions do not result in satisfactory and enduring rates of remission. This paper presents a model for the pathogenesis of eating disorders, based on the hypothesis of a deficiency in the development of the self. We present the theory in light of new evidence concerning the role of attachment insecurity in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. In particular, we define the self in eating disorders in a comprehensive way by taking into account recent evidence from experimental psychology and neurobiology. The paper considers the development of the self in terms of its synchronic (i.e., experienced in the moment) and diachronic (i.e., experienced as continuous over time) aspects. Both synchronic and diachronic aspects of the self are relevant to the expression of eating disorder symptoms. Further, the maturation of the self is interwoven with the development of attachment functioning from infancy to adolescence. This interplay between these developmental processes of the self and of attachment could be crucial in understanding the pathogenesis of eating disorders. The final part of the paper suggests a neurobiological link between the theory of the self in the eating disorders and the spatiotemporal functioning of the brain. Disturbances in spatiotemporal functioning may represent the neurobiological pathway by which deficiencies in the self is related to attachment functions in individuals with eating disorders. Frontiers Media S.A. 2016-06-14 /pmc/articles/PMC4906654/ /pubmed/27378967 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00849 Text en Copyright © 2016 Amianto, Northoff, Abbate Daga, Fassino and Tasca. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Psychology
Amianto, Federico
Northoff, Georg
Abbate Daga, Giovanni
Fassino, Secondo
Tasca, Giorgio A.
Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach
title Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach
title_full Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach
title_fullStr Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach
title_full_unstemmed Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach
title_short Is Anorexia Nervosa a Disorder of the Self? A Psychological Approach
title_sort is anorexia nervosa a disorder of the self? a psychological approach
topic Psychology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4906654/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27378967
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00849
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