feeling a sense of individual identity if she can "control", for example, when she vomits and when she does not. Now, at least, she can have control over something in her life. Personality factors were also found to contribute to the development of eating disorders. Characteristics such as perfectionist strivings, feelings of ineffectiveness, depressive symptoms and self-regulatory deficits were seen frequently in patients with eating disorders. (Attie and Brooks-Gun, p.71) The authors found, for instance, that girls who early in adolescence felt most negatively about their bodies were more likely to develop eating problems two years later. (Attie and Brooks-Gun, p.76). Thus, overall, Attie and Brooks-Gun found that eating problems emerged in response to physical changes of the pubertal period. Personality variables entered this problem, but only at a later stage. Attie and Brooks-Gun's findings suggest that body shape becomes a primary focus and that efforts to control weight intensify during the middle-school years. In other
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