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ABSTRACT: Anorectics typically maintain that they perceive their bodies as 'fat' and yet also state that they are aware of being 'too thin.' In this study, I use phenomenological insights from the work of Merleau- Ponty and Sartre to explore this apparent contradiction. I suggest that the anorectic experiences a pathological corporealization of the body, and show how this bodily experience may be described as 'feeling fat' due to cultural influences. In addition, I explore how this anomalous bodily experience may lead to partial feelings of disassociation from visual perceptions of the body, allowing the anorectic to recognize the emaciation of a reflected image of herself without it impacting upon her subjective experience of the body as 'fat.'
KEYWORDS: Anorexia nervosa, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, bodily experience, phenomenology.
IN THIS STUDY, I seek to provide an accurate account of the subjective experience of the body in anorexia nervosa, and how this differs from nonpathological experiences of the body, while remaining neutral on the disorder's causes. By applying an understanding of the body as found in the work of Merleau-Ponty and Sartre, I show how the insights provided by these philosophers can help to clarify the subjective experience of the disorder. I build up this account of the experience largely by focusing on first-hand accounts of the disorder, as discussed in memoirs and interviews. In doing this, I intend to show one way in which phenomenological insights can prove to be useful in our understanding of psychiatric disorders.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by voluntary self-starvation leading to extreme weight loss. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition defines the disorder in the following way: "[the anorectic] refuses to maintain a minimally normal body weight, is intensely afraid of gaining weight, and exhibits a significant disturbance in the perception of the shape or size of his or her body" (American Psychiatric Association 1995, 553).
In popular literature, 'anorexia' and 'anorexia nervosa' are often used interchangeably. However, there is actually a distinction between the two; anorexia is merely the loss of appetite, as might happen as a side effect of a medication (Landau 1986, 148). In contrast to this, anorexia nervosa refers to the psychiatric disorder (American Psychiatric Association 1995, 553). In...