Accounts of experiences of bulimia: A discourse analytic study

✍ Scribed by Brooks, Anna ;LeCouteur, Amanda ;Hepworth, Julie

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 130 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199809)24:2<193::aid-eat9>3.0.co;2-9

✦ Synopsis

Objectives:

To identify the variety of versions of bulimia constructed by participants, to suggest functions and consequences of these constructions, and to examine the sociocultural ideologies evident in participants' discourse.

Methods:

Ten women and one man were interviewed about their experiences of bulimia. transcribed interviews were analyzed using a discourse analytic approach.

Results:

Five dominant ways of talking about bulimia were identified: individuals were constructed as victims of bulimia, women were constructed as victims of social stereotypes, bulimia was constructed as a damaging action one performs on oneself, bulimia was constructed as a personality trait of individuals, and bulimia was marginalized as abnormal and disgusting.

Discussion:

Sociocultural ideologies evident in participants' accounts included the valuing of individual will-power and self-mastery and the construction of a mind-body dichotomy entailing the need to control the latter. the analysis emphasizes the importance of considering the sociocultural context within which psychological problems occur.