How are the self-perceptions of a person with bulimia nervosa different from those of a person with anorexia nervosa? How are they similar?

Answer 1

People with anorexia nervosa are often very self critical. They tend to be perfectionists and view their bodies as fat even if they are emaciated. They tend to be outwardly very agreeable, but they exert what control they can through reducing their body weight.
People with bulimia nervosa tend to have low self-esteem and are impulsive. They deal with stress by eating large amounts of food. They feel guilty about bingeing and then they purge.
People with both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa use food to deal with uncertainty in their lives. Anorexics avoid food (constantly restrict) to exert control over their bodies and lives and bulimics use large amounts of food to deal with stressful situations. Bulimic individuals, however, feel guilty about their bingeing/purging behaviors and recognize them as abnormal, whereas anorexics are unable to perceive their behavior as such.