Strengths, personality traits and psychological well-being in females with body-dissatisfaction and drive for thinness

Abstract

High levels of body-dissatisfaction (BD) and drive for thinness (DT), place youths at risk for development of eating disorders. Strengths and personal traits can act as buffers against pathology and enhance psychological well-being. The aim of this study was to determine whether low BD group (LBD, n = 10), high BD group (HBD, n = 11) and an eating disorder group (ED, n = 10), differ significantly regarding strengths, personality traits and psychological well-being (PWB). Groups were purposefully selected. The LBD group scored practically significantly lower than the ED group on neuroticism, depression, vulnerability, and forgiveness, and practically significantly higher than the ED group on autonomy and fantasy, whilst no differences were found between the LBD and HBD group. Contradictions in findings on forgiveness of others were explained in terms of differences regarding self-forgiveness, self-compassion, self-determination and motivational drives. The LBD group is typified as flourishing, the HBD as at risk, and the ED as languishing.