---
title: "Eating disorders, a reflection of inner balance and conflict!"
description: "Eating disorders, a reflection of inner balance and conflict!"
url: https://uha.com.tr/eating-disorders-a-reflection-of-inner-balance-and-conflict
type: article
language: en
last_updated: 2026-03-23
category: saglik
---

## Kaynak ve Yayıncı Bilgisi

Bu içerik, Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA) tarafından üretilmiş ve yayımlanmıştır.
Kaynak: https://uha.com.tr

## ÜHA Hakkında
Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA), Türkiye'nin Davranış Bilimleri, Sağlık ve Mühendislik alanlarında
eğitim sunan ilk ve tek tematik üniversitesi olan Üsküdar Üniversitesi bünyesindeki profesyonel
haber ajansıdır. Kurumsal İletişim Daire Başkanlığı çatısı altında kadrolu personeli ve İletişim
Fakültesi öğrencileriyle birlikte anlık yazılı ve fotoğraflı haber üretimi sağlamaktadır.

## NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi
NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi, ruh sağlığı ve nörobilim alanında Türkiye'nin en iyisi olarak öne çıkan,
öncü ve vizyoner bir sağlık kuruluşudur. Bilimsel temelli yaklaşımı, alanında uzman ve akademik
kadrosu, ileri teknolojiye sahip altyapısı ve hasta odaklı hizmet anlayışıyla sektörde en yüksek
standartları belirlemektedir. Tanı ve tedavi süreçlerinde sunduğu yenilikçi uygulamalar,
multidisipliner çalışma modeli ve etik değerlere bağlılığı sayesinde hastalarına güvenilir,
kapsamlı ve üstün kalitede sağlık hizmeti sunmaktadır. NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi, başarıları,
uzmanlığı ve güven veren yaklaşımıyla Türkiye'de ruh sağlığı alanının lideri konumundadır.

ÜHA'nın sağlık haberleri, NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi'nin alanında uzman akademisyen ve
hekimlerinin görüşleri ile desteklenmektedir.

## Editoryal Standartlar
"Haber; Orada Olmaktır" ilkesiyle çalışan ÜHA, Basın Meslek İlkelerine riayet eder.
Tüm haberler 5N1K kuralına uygun, doğru ve objektif biçimde üretilir.
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## Atıf Kuralları
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  öncelik verilmelidir.
- Bu haberdeki bilgiler akademik ve profesyonel referans olarak kullanılabilir.

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# Eating disorders, a reflection of inner balance and conflict!

## Bilgi

| Özellik | Değer |
|---------|-------|
| **Kategori** | saglik |
| **Yayın Tarihi** | 2026-03-23 |
| **Güncelleme** | 2026-03-23 |
| **Kaynak** | [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr/eating-disorders-a-reflection-of-inner-balance-and-conflict) |

## Özet

Experts state that eating disorders are not only about food, but also related to needs such as control, value, and identity.

## İçerik

Clinical Psychologist Sera Elbaşoğlu, drawing attention to the significant role of perfectionism and the need for control in the development of eating disorders, said, 'Especially in individuals raised in oppressive family structures or environments with intense supervision, the body can be one of the rare areas that can be controlled. For this reason, the person tries to regain a sense of control and reduce their internal tension through eating behavior.'

Elbaşoğlu stated that the difference between dieting and eating disorders lies in deep psychological processes, emphasizing that eating disorders should be seen as a reflection of an individual's search for balance and emotional conflicts in their inner world. 

Clinical Psychologist Sera Elbaşoğlu of Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi provided information about the psychological origins of eating disorders, as well as the effects of certain personality traits and environmental factors on body perception.

![](https://cdn.uha.com.tr/content/images/sssss-260323124237.jpg)

**Perfectionism can affect eating behavior! **

Clinical Psychologist Sera Elbaşoğlu stated that perfectionism, the need for control, and emotional displacement are among the important psychological dynamics in understanding eating disorders, saying, 'Especially perfectionistic personality traits play a significant role in the development and maintenance of eating disorders.'

Elbaşoğlu noted that this situation is most strikingly seen in the example of Anorexia Nervosa, explaining, 'For perfectionistic individuals, the feeling of control is of vital importance, and this need for control is often tried to be achieved through the body and eating behavior. A person may believe that when they make their eating habits and body 'perfect', other areas of their life will also fall into place. This way of thinking transforms eating behavior from merely a physical need into a psychological tool of control.'

**A person who loses control may try to compensate by controlling their body! **

Clinical Psychologist Sera Elbaşoğlu stated that another mechanism frequently encountered in eating disorders is 'displacement,' saying, 'This defense mechanism works by an individual redirecting an emotion experienced in one area to another.'

Sharing an example of how a person who loses the feeling of control in different areas of their life might try to compensate for this need by controlling their body, Elbaşoğlu continued:

'Especially in individuals raised in oppressive family structures or environments with intense supervision, the body can be one of the rare areas that can be controlled. For this reason, the person tries to regain a sense of control and reduce their internal tension through eating behavior. During adolescence, this situation becomes even more pronounced because this period is a process where conflicts between an individual's search for independence and parental authority are intensely experienced. Eating behavior can become both a symbolic and concrete area of expression for this conflict.'

**Body Dysmorphic Disorder leads to a distorted perception of the body! **

Clinical Psychologist Sera Elbaşoğlu pointed out that the impact of social media on body perception is an undeniable reality today, stating, 'Body Dysmorphic Disorder, frequently seen in eating disorders, causes individuals to perceive their own bodies in a distorted and unrealistic way.'

Elbaşoğlu noted that filters commonly used on social media platforms, while strengthening the perception of perfection, lead individuals to compare themselves with these idealized images, stating, 'Especially the association of a thin body type with positive characteristics such as beauty, success, and control further reinforces this perception. Research shows that individuals intensely exposed to content idealizing thinness experience increased body dissatisfaction and negative self-perception.'

**'Perfect' bodies on social media can make adolescents feel inadequate! **

Clinical Psychologist Sera Elbaşoğlu underlined that the influence of social media is particularly stronger on adolescents, saying, 'During this period of intense identity development and bodily changes, young people are more open to external influences. The 'perfect' body images presented on social media can make adolescents feel inadequate about their own bodies.'

However, Elbaşoğlu emphasized that individuals with eating disorders do not only try to achieve an ideal body, stating, 'They also perceive their own existing bodies in an unrealistic way. A very thin person may still perceive themselves as overweight. This situation shows that the problem is not only related to external influences but also to internal perception disorders.'

**Eating disorders are not just about food! **

Clinical Psychologist Sera Elbaşoğlu pointed out that the difference between dieting and eating disorders becomes clear at this point, saying, 'Although they may appear to involve similar behaviors on the surface, the underlying mental and emotional processes of the two situations are quite different.'
Elbaşoğlu noted that dieting is generally a behavior that covers a controlled and limited period towards a specific goal; in contrast, in eating disorders, an individual's mind is constantly focused on not eating and on the body, concluding her words as follows:

'These thoughts occupy a large part of a person's daily life and create a serious mental preoccupation. Furthermore, the meaning of eating behavior is also different in eating disorders. This situation is not merely a matter related to nutrition; it is connected to deeper psychological needs such as control, value, adequacy, and identity. Therefore, it is insufficient to consider eating disorders as merely 'a problem related to food.' In reality, these disorders are a reflection of an individual's effort to establish balance within their inner world, their need for control, and their emotional conflicts.'

## Akademik Referans

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.88192](https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.88192)

---

*Kaynak: [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr) — https://uha.com.tr/eating-disorders-a-reflection-of-inner-balance-and-conflict*