Body and self in feminine development: implications for eating disorders and delicate self-mutilation

Eating disorders and the syndrome of delicate self-mutilation are primarily afflictions of women. The author examines this preponderance in light of the hypothesis that women's body experiences are inherently more ambiguous and recalcitrant than those of men, and women are thus both more alienated from and more attuned to their bodies than are men. After reviewing normal female development, the author explores the dynamics of the frequent coexistence in women of eating disorders and delicate self-mutilation.