Ego-Deficit, Agoraphobia, And Compulsive Overeating: A Structural Model

Abstract

This article proposes a structural model in which agoraphobia and compulsive overeating are viewed as consequences of ego-deficit, a fundamental disturbance of the embodied self. The model integrates phenomenological, psychoanalytic, and neuroscientific approaches to understanding disturbances of embodiment. Ego-deficit is operationalized through the deficit scales of Ammon's Ego Structure Test (ISTA). Phenomenologically, ego-deficit manifests through three phenomena: symmetry (the ontological basis, the search for oneself in the Other), isolation (the claustrophilic act of establishing boundaries), and stagnation (the refusal of change, "getting stuck"). Empirical testing of the model on a sample of 289 women (164 controls, 125 with compulsive overeating), using Ammon's Ego Structure Test (ISTA) and the author's original "Virus" method, confirmed that ego-deficit is significantly associated with all three phenomena, with stagnation showing the strongest association with ego-deficit. Different deficit profiles (Internal Deficit, External Deficit, Anxiety/Fear Deficit, and Aggression Deficit) were shown to be differentially associated with these phenomena, which is relevant for differential diagnosis. Compulsive overeating is interpreted as a somatic equivalent of an unresolvable claustro-agoraphobic dilemma.