Related Experiment Videos
"Knowing one's self" anorexic: implications for therapeutic practice
Lois J Surgenor1, Elizabeth W Plumridge, Jacqueline Horn
1Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. lois.surgenor@chmeds.ac.nz
The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|December 11, 2002
Summary
This study reveals that how patients understand anorexia nervosa (AN) is crucial for therapy. Exploring diverse patient perspectives on selfhood can inform more effective anorexia nervosa treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Medical Humanities
Background:
- Current clinical approaches to anorexia nervosa (AN) are challenged by postmodernist perspectives.
- These perspectives highlight how clinician-held beliefs about AN can shape the disorder and its treatment.
- The study emphasizes the significance of the patient's own understanding of AN.
Observation:
- A deconstructive methodology was employed to analyze the discourse of women with severe AN.
- The analysis focused on uncovering varied ways patients conceptualize "knowing one's self" as anorexic.
- Radically different subjective experiences of selfhood within the context of AN were identified.
Findings:
- The analyzed versions of selfhood possess distinct strategic implications for therapeutic engagement.
- Different patient constructions of self influence the meaning and trajectory of therapy.
- Understanding these diverse self-perceptions is key to therapeutic success.
Implications:
- Postmodernist insights necessitate a social re-evaluation of common understandings of AN.
- Therapeutic strategies can be enhanced by incorporating patients' individual, authentic bases for self-understanding.
- This approach can foster more personalized and effective interventions for anorexia nervosa.