Exploring Orthorexia And Exercise Addiction

Exploring Orthorexia and Exercise Addiction: Are There Specific Personality Traits That Exist Among The Healthy Obsessed?

Can you ever be too healthy? When health and the purity of being healthy are taken too far results such as eating disorders, specifically Orthorexia Nervosa and other restrictive eating disorders begin to emerge. The obsession of eating healthy switches into elimination and fear based dieting. Another component that exists among the healthy obsessed is exercise, which quickly can turn into exercise dependence or addiction for fear that if they do not exercise they will not be “healthy”. The need and want to be healthy becomes an obligation and obsession.

According to both Lloyd and Miller’s findings, in 2014, both narcissism and perfectionism may be important precursors of exercise dependence, and that a combination of these personality traits is associated with exercise dependence (Lloyd, Yiend, Schmidt, & Tchanturia)(Miller & Mesagno). Miller says “Narcissism is defined as a pattern of traits and behaviours that represent an obsession with the self to the exclusion of all others, and the egotistic pursuit of gratification, dominance and ambition (Vaknin, 2003)” (Miller & Mesagno).

There are currently limited investigations that have examined the relationship between personality traits that exist in people with Exercise addiction/dependence and Orthorexia (Segura-García, Papaianni, Caglioti, Procopio, Nisticò, Bombardiere, et al. Capranica.). Exercise addiction is characterized by excessive exercise patterns with potential negative consequences such as overuse injuries. Striving for enhancing athletic performance, many undergo rigid dietary habits, which could lead to eating disorders such as Orthorexi...

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...ere is currently limited research that examines the relationship between personality traits and exercise dependence. Previous research has been conducted on personality disorders or specific personality traits in which those with eating disorders display. Though some researchers found Narcissism, Obsessive compulsive traits and Perfectionism to be some of the personality traits occurring among those with eating disorders the results are not conclusive and have not been looked at in regards to those with Orthorexia Nervosa. With this new emerging subtype of eating disorder, Orthorexia Nervosa, and lack of knowledge regarding the disease the purpose of this study will be to examine if personality traits such as Narcissism, Obsessive compulsive, and Perfectionism exist among those who display signs and qualities of Orthorexia Nervosa and Exercise addiction/ dependence.