The purpose of the current study was to examine the eating behavior, self-esteem, and social anxiety of restrained and non-restrained eaters exposed to an interpersonal stressor. Sixty female undergraduate students completed questionnaires and took part in a stressor and taste test. Results indicated that self-esteem was not predictive of eating behavior during the taste test, but was predictive of a chronic pattern of restricted eating and diet-breaking behavior (p less than 0.01). The relationship between self-esteem and restrained eating was fully mediated by a measure of body image dissatisfaction. Social anxiety was also predictive of restrained eating behavior (p less than 0.05), and this relationship was fully mediated by body image dissatisfaction as well. These results support the cognitive-behavioral model of bulimia nervosa in suggesting that low self-esteem is a risk factor for restrained eating behavior. (Contains 1 table.)