Recovery from anorexia nervosa: A sociological perspective

✍ Scribed by Garrett, Catherine J.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 198 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199704)21:3<261::aid-eat6>3.0.co;2-i

✦ Synopsis

Objective: The focus of this article is on the process of recovery from anorexia nervosa, rather than on its etiology. It seeks for sociological, instead of clinical, reasons for recovery. Method:

The article begins with a discussion of clinical outcome studies. It then reports on a phenomenological study of 32 former sufferers contacted through a newspaper article which included the author's own recovery story. Participants' narratives were analyzed to elucidate the social sources of recovery. Results: The analysis refers to the coherence and mythological structure of the narratives and to their rituals of recovery and its ''spiritual'' nature, as understood by participants. Discussion: Anorexia and recovery are conceptualized as two phases in an ascetic rite of passage which involves a confrontation with death and an eventual return to fuller community life. Suggestions are offered concerning the ways this insight can be translated into clinical practice.