The purpose of the study is to hear and record what women, who have recovered from anorexia, have to say about their experiences of self-starvation. The study bears witness to these lives and examines the interpretations that have guided the women's intentions, actions, and purposes. There are in-depth case studies of four women—Nell, Rose, Grace, and Marie. Each narrative gives an account of the particular phenomenological meanings embodied by the action of self-starvation and analyzes how each woman used this practice as a form of communication. The principle of collaboration has shaped the process of interviewing and the way the narratives have been constructed to give voice and authorship to the participants. The deconstruction of food and body as symbols gives access to the psychological and social experience of the participants. Violence and/or alcoholism played a role in the family backgrounds of all four women.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-1758 |
| Date | 01 January 1999 |
| Creators | Olson, Mary Ellen |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
Page generated in 0.0024 seconds