The Meaning of Eating and Body Perception of Women that Sought the Na Medida Multidisciplinary Program

The subjective experience socially lived and the body image developed in the early childhood are aspects that contribute to the own body perception. The act of eating goes beyond its historical and cultural meaning and suffers unconscious processes. It is aimed at knowing the meaning of eating and the body perception of 27 women who were interested in participating of the multidisciplinary program Na Medida, residents in the north of Paraná State (Brazil). It was used a semi structured questionnaire for data collection, that were analyzed from the thematic-categorical context by the psychoanalysis reference, considering the social context. The results demonstrated that eating, besides meaning the species’ preservation; is associated to the unconscious processes in search of satisfaction. The women have felt unsatisfi ed by their own body and it was checked the attempt to supply the fault by investing in the body, (re)framing it and trying to create an idealized image under the Other’s gaze.