Self-identity in anorexia nervosa
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Anorexia nervosa is widely characterised as a disorder of the self, in which sufferers come to identify with their illness. Yet what such identification amounts to remains poorly understood. I argue that there are two distinct forms of self-identity involved, individual identity and group identity. These emerge at different time points, stem from different factors, and bear different clinical consequences. By unpacking this distinction, I provide a pluralistic and psychologically plausible account of self-identity in anorexia—one that illuminates the disorder’s tenacity and points to new ways of understanding it.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Author: Stephen Gadsby
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7215066605