How a Poor Self-Image & Shame Negatively Impacts Your Relationships

Is shame about your body affecting your relationship? Or do you have a child who has an eating disorder and it’s affecting your family? Shame plays a big role in the feelings related to food and it’s important to understand the cause in order to treat it. Read on to learn about the feelings and actions that are often involved in the development of eating disorders and what you can do to help your relationships and family cope. Why? Why does she think that losing weight is more important than anything else, even her health? Why doesn’t she see herself as the bright, talented, athletic, attractive young woman that others see? These are among the questions most frequently asked by family members of a young woman with an eating disorder. A large part of the answer to these questions can be found in understanding the emotion we call shame and its relation to self image. Self-image can be thought of as a set of beliefs about yourself that are formed over time through a process of repetition and emotional reinforcement. These beliefs may be accurate or mistaken, rational or irrational, but we trust them as true guides to our choices or behavior even when they tell us something feels bad. In particular, beliefs about something being dangerous or unpleasant are usually more important to remember and therefore more strongly held than beliefs about things that are pleasant or neutral. The more intense the emotional reinforcement, the less repetition it may take t...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Tags: Disorders Eating Disorders General Relationships Self-Esteem YourTango Anorexia Nervosa Binge Eating Disorder Brock Hansen Depression dieting Emotion Feeling negative self-image Nutrition Obesity principal Rape Self Ima Source Type: blogs