Orthorexia nervosa as a clinical-psychological phenomenon: A five-component analytical framework

Context and relevance. Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is considered a clinical-psychological phenomenon in which an orientation towards “healthy” and “proper” eating acquires the character of a rigid system of dietary prescriptions and is accompanied by distress, reduced behavioral flexibility and impairments in social and everyday functioning. Objective. The aim of the article is to provide a theoretical justification for a five-domain framework for analyzing ON, which makes it possible to systematize its key psychological components and cross-diagnostic intersections with eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive manifestations, addictive mechanisms, disturbances in self-attitude, and affective regulation. Methodological approach. The study is designed as a conceptual and theoretical analysis of contemporary research on ON and related clinical-psychological phenomena. Particular attention is paid to the problem of differentiating normative interest in healthy eating from pathologically organized dietary control. Main propositions. The proposed framework includes five analytical blocks: restrictive-eating, ritual-control, addictive-reinforcing, self-attitude and identity-related, and affective-regulatory. These blocks describe different levels of organization of orthorexic behavior: dietary restriction, ritualization of control, mechanisms of behavioral reinforcement, the function of maintenance of self-esteem and identity, and the emotional conditions involved in the development and stabilization of ON. Conclusion. The five-domain framework has a preliminary theoretical status and provides a basis for subsequent empirical examination of the structure, predictors, and clinical-psychological significance of ON in non-clinical and clinical samples.

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