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Recovery from anorexia nervosa: A sociological perspective
Author(s) -
Garrett Catherine J.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199704)21:3<261::aid-eat6>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - narrative , rite , anorexia nervosa , psychology , psychotherapist , psychoanalysis , mythology , ambivalence , perspective (graphical) , sociology , social psychology , eating disorders , developmental psychology , psychiatry , philosophy , linguistics , theology , artificial intelligence , political science , computer science , law
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. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 21: 261–272, 1997.