Personality Traits of Those That Overcome Anorexia

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is notoriously one of the most difficult eating disorders to recover from—and one of the most deadly. While a number of treatment programs have been adapted to address the needs of those struggling with AN, certain personality traits are also considered particularly helpful for overcoming the illness.

Thankfully, it’s possible to cultivate these personality traits, even if you’re not born with them. The process may take some time, but with the appropriate care and guidance, you or a loved one can develop personality traits that can help you overcome anorexia nervosa.

Where Does Personality Come From?

What a personality is and where it comes from is a tricky scientific concept and something that’s still being studied and better understood. Many theories on the concept have been proposed, though, in general, it’s agreed that personality traits come from a mixture of genetics and your environment.

In this explanation, the experiences someone goes through while trying to meet these needs play a major role in personality development. [1] Temperament, or the way people emotionally react to things, is also thought to affect how these needs are prioritized and the actions taken to achieve them. [1]

Yet, while these needs are born with us, and the experiences around meeting them date back to infancy, it’s believed that the underlying beliefs tied to those experiences can be changed with time, resulting in a change of personality. [1]

Personality Traits that May Help You Overcome Anorexia

Personality may play a bigger role in eating disorders than many people may suspect. In most cases, eating disorders develop as a maladaptive coping mechanism, or ways people attempt to feel better or cope with intense or unpleasant feelings.

Certain personality traits, such as perfectionism or harm avoidance, can also work to drive or maintain an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa. But there are also certain personality traits that do the opposite and can actually help with eating disorder recovery.

Self-Directedness

Self-directedness is an important personality trait that can influence the way people learn, deal with responsibilities, and feel about themselves. Sometimes described as “willpower,” it plays a big role in the motivation to achieve goals and solve problems.

People with this trait tend to recognize that their attitudes and behaviors come from within themselves, and they are more likely to accept responsibility for their behavior or any resulting problems and create proactive change. [2]

People with eating disorders, including AN, bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED), have been found to have lower levels of self-directedness than those who don’t struggle with eating disorders. [3] This can make it more difficult for them to cultivate self-acceptance—a crucial aspect of recovery—recognize disordered eating behavior as a problem or seek out appropriate help.

Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is related to the ability to adapt to change. It’s the opposite of cognitive rigidity, which has long been connected to eating disorders in general and anorexia nervosa in particular. [4] Cognitive rigidity is also linked to personality disorders and traits like perfectionism and obsessive compulsive personality disorder, which both frequently co-occur with AN. [5]

Many treatments have been developed to help people loosen their mental grip on control and broaden their cognitive flexibility and outlook. This can help people move away from the compulsive need to perform certain behaviors or actively trying to be “perfect.”

Resilience

Resilience is another personality trait that helps people deal with change and challenges. It combines cognitive flexibility with emotional and behavioral adaptability to create a sense of strength and perseverance, helping people overcome adversity. [6]

Resilience can be a useful trait to help people overcome disordered eating behaviors and the misguided thoughts that drive them. It has been found to be teachable, so even those with low resilience can cultivate higher levels of this useful trait.

How to Overcome Anorexia

There isn’t a single way to overcome anorexia. The condition comes from a complex combination of emotional, psychological, and genetic factors, and recovery must involve a comprehensive treatment plan to address these various issues.

Still, adopting positive coping skills can help give you the best chance possible to overcome anorexia nervosa and achieve long-term recovery. This can be done through various psychotherapy approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). These methods teach patients how to recognize and regulate unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and learn to separate their self-worth from their body image.

Other techniques, like family-based therapy (FBT), are helpful for those with eating disorder diagnoses, especially younger people diagnosed with AN. They can work to address more environmental factors which may have contributed to personality development or behavior.

Finally, medical assistance can also be helpful, but not always recommended. If someone’s eating disorder symptoms are severe, they may start off with more physical health-based treatment, including nutritional supplementation. Eventually, a doctor may also prescribe medication to help ease additional physical or mental symptoms.

Overcoming eating disorders is a difficult undertaking, but with the right kind of care and a patient support system, it’s possible to recover from anorexia nervosa and lead a healthier and happier life.

FAQs

Can You Overcome Anorexia?

Yes. Anorexia recovery is possible with appropriate treatment, persistent care, and a positive support system. The right kind of help can assist someone with the extreme fear of gaining weight, extreme dietary habits, poor body image, and other issues that frequently contribute to an AN diagnosis.

Can You Learn These Traits?

Yes. Many aspects of personality are deep-seated or even inherited, but it is possible to develop new personality traits at any point in life. Still, this process can be difficult or lengthy, and is often best done with the help of mental health professionals.

Is it Possible to Overcome Anorexia Without These Traits?

It’s possible for anyone to overcome anorexia nervosa, no matter which personality traits they have. Not having certain traits can make it harder to adopt positive coping skills or do other kinds of work related to long-term recovery, and people with certain personality traits overcome anorexia more quickly in some cases. But with the right kind of care, anyone can overcome AN.