Non-specific terminology: Moderating shame and guilt in eating disorders

ABSTRACT

To examine the effects of terminology on affect, 110 women with eating disorders were randomly assigned to read a manufactured discussion thread with uses of the term “acting out,” a thread with clinical terms, or were assigned to a no-reading control. An interaction effect was found in which participants who were treated at a day or inpatient level and were in the “acting out” condition experienced reductions in shame and guilt, while those in the clinical term condition experienced increases in shame and guilt, relative to control participants. The ability of terminology to moderate shame and guilt in this population has implications for clinical practice.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Sarah Reiner, BA for her assistance with the study.