Exploring the Role of Personality Traits in Body Image and Eating Disorders among School-aged Individuals

Description

Page: 141-146

M. Trishala and Beena Daliya (Department of Science Psychology, Christ Academy Institute for Advanced Studies, Hullahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka)

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between personality traits, body image dissatisfaction, and eating disorders among school children. The relation between the Big Five personality traits of openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism with body image and eating disorders are explored in the theoretical study. Increased media exposure, peer pressure, social or cultural beauty ideals, bullying or teasing about body size or shape in schools or brought up in a family which emphasises on appearance, and due to many other factors, there is an increase in body image concerns. Few people are influenced by these factors while some are not, this may be due to the personality traits explored in this study. Distress in body image is a probable symptom of eating disorders as people suffering from eating disorders place an abnormal value on one’s appearance. The interaction between the Big Five traits, body image, and eating disorders is described in this paper.