| Summary: | Thesis (M.S.W.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1990. Social Work Bibliography: leaves 137-140. Eating disorders have emerged over the last decade as a serious health and social problem. The challenge in understanding the developmental processes for eating disorders is in moving past the strange and fascinating behaviour. The literature points to three constellations of factors as significant in the emergence of eating disorders. These are: socio-cultural norms and expectations, family composition and relationships, and personal characteristics. -- This study explores three women's experiences with the emergence and treatment of an eating disorder. The study examines, through the medium of in-depth personal histories, the life and treatment experiences of women who had been diagnosed as having anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or both. -- The data analysis attempts to bring together the collective wisdom of the existing literature and the information provided by the women in this study. There was a great deal of consistency between the participant's stories with respect to their obsessions and rituals related to body shape, weight, and control of eating. The analysis revealed that the eating disorder is symbolic of more deep-seated emotional problems. Family experiences and socio-cultural pressures towards thinness were also seen as significant factors. -- These issues are further analyzed to develop an understanding of the role of social work in the treatment of eating disorders. Consideration is given to the directions indicated for the development of early intervention strategies.
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