Example

Experiences of Women with BPD: Using Eating Pathologies to Soothe Emotional Dissonance.

Why do BPD patients use eating pathologies? Ntshingila et al. (2016) brought eight individuals with BPD and attempted to illustrate their experiences more clearly through qualitative data. They address several aspects of BPD, one of them being “emotional upheaval.” The participants were even surprised by their reactions to specific events, as they might be utterly content one moment but rageful and irritable the next. This dissonance in motions left the participants feeling out of control or confused about their emotions. In an attempt to escape these emotions, they engage in self-harming behaviors like cutting or purging. One participant said: “ Then I started cutting. I was so confused, ‘cause I was so angry. I was so emotional. I wanted to die, but I couldn't. It was the only thing at that point that could calm me down” (Ntshingila et al. 2016). And another stated, “I was hopeless; I ended up purging” (Ntshingila et al. 2016). Just like individuals with EDs look to eating disorder behaviors to prevent the dissonance between their emotions, so do individuals with BPD.

0

1

Updated 2025-07-28

Tags

Behavioral Neuroscience

Psychology

Neuroscience (Neurobiology)

Social Science

Empirical Science

Science

Life Science / Biology

Biomedical Sciences

Ch.15 Psychological Disorders - Psychology @ OpenStax

Natural Science

OpenStax

Psychology @ OpenStax

Clinical Practice of Psychology