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Per Johnsson psykologi samhällsvetenskapliga institutionen

Per Johnsson

Senior lecturer

Per Johnsson psykologi samhällsvetenskapliga institutionen

A Sisyphean task : Experiences of perfectionism in patients with eating disorders

Author

  • Suzanne Petersson
  • Per Johnsson
  • Kent-Inge Perseius

Summary, in English

Background: Despite the theoretical links between eating disorders and perfectionism, the definition of perfectionism in practice is complicated. The present study explored descriptions and experiences of perfectionism described by a transdiagnostic sample of patients. Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 15 patients. The interviews were analyzed by Thematic Analysis. A comparison between the patients' scorings on the Eating Disorder Inventory-Perfectionism scale was also performed. Results: Seven themes were found: The origins of perfectionism, Top performance, Order and self-control, A perfect body, Looking good in the eyes of others, A double-edged coping strategy, and A Sisyphean task. The women in this study did not emphasize weight and body as the main perfectionistic strivings. Core descriptions were instead order, self-control and top performances. All of the participants described the awareness of reaching perfectionism as impossible. Scorings of self-oriented perfectionism was significantly higher compared to socially prescribed perfectionism. No differences in the narratives related to perfectionism scores or eating disorder diagnoses were found. Conclusions: The results showed that psychometric measures do not always capture the patients' definitions of perfectionism, but regarding that perfectionism serves as a means to regulate affects and may lead into an exacerbation of the eating disorder, and the development of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, it is important to investigate the personal definitions of perfectionism.

Department/s

  • Department of Psychology

Publishing year

2017-02-27

Language

English

Publication/Series

Journal of Eating Disorders

Volume

5

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

BioMed Central (BMC)

Topic

  • Applied Psychology
  • Nutrition and Dietetics

Keywords

  • Eating disorders
  • Perfectionism
  • Qualitative research

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2050-2974