Women and Eating Disorders

Abstract

This paper presents a view of eating disorders that highlights the interdependent nature of: the subordinate position of women in our society; our culture's emphasis on thinness and dieting; the way these cultural extremes are reflected in eating disordered families; and finally the way these extremes are reflected in the internal processes of anorexic and bulimic women. This multi-level perspective is illustrated with a case example.