DClinPsy Portfolio Volume 1 of 3 - University of Hertfordshire ...

This project will therefore seek to examine cross-sectionally whether inflexibility is
indeed related to disordered eating. Furthermore, the importance of negative body image
in adolescent females, will be considered as it is an important risk factor in eating
disorders and its’ acceptance is considered important in relation to inflexibility.
Hypothesis and research questions
This study aims to explore the effect of inflexibility (i.e. cognitive fusion and experiential
avoidance) on body image and disordered eating. To the author’s knowledge there has to
date been no research looking at the relationship between experiential avoidance and
cognitive fusion on the onset and/or maintenance of disordered eating. If there is a
significant relationship, then preventative interventions may need to include ways of
helping adolescence with how they process their internal experiences in order to promote
healthy eating and prevent the potentially negative and dangerous consequences of
disordered eating. Alternatives to experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion may need
to be learnt.
Based on the empirical findings and theoretical underpinnings discussed in the
introduction, the hypotheses were divided into four sets. These are defined below:
Hypotheses I: This set of hypotheses concerns the relation between inflexibility, body
image acceptance and Eating Disorder Risk (EDR), (See method section for details). The
sample will be divided into three EDR groups, low, moderate and high risk.
a) Acceptance of body image will be negatively correlated with inflexible emotional
processing (i.e. high acceptance of body image will be correlated with lower
scores on inflexibility)
b) The low and/or moderate EDR groups will have lower inflexibility than the
elevated risk group
c) The low EDR group will have a higher level of acceptance of body image than the
elevated risk group
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