Eating Disorders: A Means for Seeking Approval?

This study explored the predictive relationship of specific eating disorder symptomology including drive for thinness, bulimia, body dissatisfaction, ineffectiveness, perfectionism, interpersonal distrust, low interoceptive awareness, and maturity fears with the need for approval. A total of 495 college students completed an 84-item questionnaire phus demographic information. The questionnaire consisted of the Revised Martin-Larsen Approval Motivation Scale (MLAM) and the Eating Disorder Inventory. Results indicated that scores on various Eating Disorder subscales had significant predictive effects on approval-motivation. Gender differences were also found to exist across the variables examined. Females were found to have a significant relationship to approval motivation in the area of bulimia and males showed a significant relationship in the areas of interpersonal distrust and perfectionism.