PreprintCC0PsyArXiv
Self-identity in anorexia nervosa
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.
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BibTeX
@misc{gadsby2026selfidentity,
title = {{Self-identity in anorexia nervosa}},
author = {Stephen Gadsby},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/u5439_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/u5439_v1/},
note = {CC0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Self-identity in anorexia nervosa
AU - Stephen Gadsby
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/u5439_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/u5439_v1/
AB - 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.
ER -