Anorexia nervosa

Some connections with the religious attitude

Bibliographic Data

ID9618307
AuthorsSarah Huline‐Dickens (0000-0001-6973-2953, Royal United Hospital, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume73
Issue1
Pages67-76
Publication date2000-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Medical Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1129 • E-ISSN: 2056-5194
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1348/000711200160309
PMID10759051
OpenAlexW2009570019
LanguageEN
Citations received9

This paper examines the religious and ascetic features of anorexia nervosa. The concept of asceticism in the Judeo‐Christian culture and the many connections between the ascetic religious attitude and the anorexic are described. Whilst empirical evidence for religious themes in anorexia is not strong, in the family therapy literature there are indications of ethical codes of sacrifice, loyalty and sexual denial in the families of anorexics. The themes of sin, denial and self‐punishment in the Judeo‐Christian tradition are then discussed and the significance of the original sin with respect to both eating and sex emphasized. The psychological features of the ascetic mode are then described. It is argued that there exist many connections between the religious ascetic and the anorexic and that there are many psychopathological features common to both. Both anorexia and asceticism are considered to be connected conceptually in the process of idealization. It is suggested that this line of enquiry can enrich clinical approaches to the understanding and treatment of this neurotic disorder and stimulate further research

Anorexia nervosa · Asceticism · Denial · Eating disorders · Psychiatry · Psychoanalysis · Psychotherapist · Sacrifice · Theology · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology · Theological Perspectives and Practices

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