Sex-role traits and self-monitoring as dimensions of control: women with bulimia nervosa vs. controls

OBJECTIVE: The study investigated sex-role traits and self-monitoring styles as two dimensions of self-control amongst women with bulimia nervosa and normal controls. DESIGN AND METHODS: The participants were 30 women with bulimia nervosa and 40 normal controls who completed questionnaires, which assessed bulimic symptoms, sex-role traits, and Synder's Self-Monitoring Scale. RESULTS: Women with bulimia nervosa were found to identify more strongly than controls with negative feminine traits and Other Directedness, a style of self-monitoring that focuses on pleasing others. CONCLUSIONS: These findings reinforce the notion that women with bulimia nervosa lack assertiveness skills and that the strategies they have developed in their interactions with others can be described as a Negative Yielding style of self-control.