Causes of Anorexia

First, anorexics are often your typical type A person - driven, determined, slightly aggressive, tidy. Often an overachiever in every respect. Perfection is key in everything - they are the perfect daughter, the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect student. Usually the anorexic is incredibly intelligent and yet most are slightly less mature than their peers.
Anorexia in particular is about control, which fits nicely into the type A personality. Something within the anorexic's life makes them feel helpless, and in taking control of their body, they regain a sense of security. To the girl, she may initially think that the beginning of her behavior coincided only with an obsession to be thin and pretty, but there was actually something else in her life that was a catalyst, anything from rape to moving to college. She is generally unable to verbalize her feelings. Sometimes a dancing or gymnastic backround contributes largely.
Anorexics also subconsciously register food as being symbolic of love, like their bulimic cousin, except that the anorexic's self-hatred is so intense, their regimen so centered around punishing themselves, that they rarely if ever allow themselves to indulge in the "love" to begin with because they feel undeserving.

Cousin Characteristics Other features of anorexia that are shared with bulimia.

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