Religion and Eating Disorders

Towards Understanding a Neglected Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID14949036
AuthorsJoanne Woolway Grenfell (corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume14
Issue3
Pages367-387
Publication date2006-05-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFeminist Theology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-7350 • E-ISSN: 1745-5189
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0966735006063775
OpenAlexW2140816083
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited16

This article seeks to explore a neglected perspective in pastoral theology: namely that of the influence of conservative family culture and church practice on the spiritual, emotional, and physical development of young Christian women, particularly in the area of disordered eating patterns and negative self-image. It shows the ways in which hidden tensions, particularly within somewhat marginal Christian communities, or for groups which seek to define themselves strongly against prevailing secular cultural norms, can play themselves out in the inner conflicts of vulnerable young women. Such conflicts often centre on their difficulties in trying to define themselves in relation to their family and culture when they may have neither the opportunity nor the language to articulate the burden of such hidden conflicts. The author suggests models of pastoral care which involve working with Christian tradition and scriptural narratives to help Christian communities, and particularly women within them, to redefine assumptions about female roles and norms, and to develop a more open and physically grounded spirituality

Aesthetics · Christian tradition · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Narrative · Pastoral care · Pastoral theology · Political science · Sociology · Spirituality · Gender Studies · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Law · Medicine · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology · Theological Perspectives and Practices

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