Body and self in feminine psychology: As illustrated by delicate self-mutilation and the eating disorders.
Item
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Title
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Body and self in feminine psychology: As illustrated by delicate self-mutilation and the eating disorders.
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Identifier
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AAI9108090
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identifier
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9108090
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Creator
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Cross, Lisa Warren.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Irving H. Paul
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Date
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1990
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Psychology, Developmental
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Abstract
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The following theory will be presented in this dissertation: women are at once more attuned to and alienated from their bodies than are men, by virtue of specific aspects of female reproductive anatomy and sexual maturation. Partially internal genitalia, menstruation, relatively abrupt changes in body contours at puberty, and pregnancy all contribute to an ambiguous, paradoxical, and discontinuous experience of the body for women. In addition, efforts by women to transform passive and diffuse experiences of their bodies into active, focal experience have a significant impact on their object relations and psychopathology, as well as lending women special sources of wisdom and psychological strength.;I will test the explanatory power of this theory by examining its capacity to explain some unresolved questions raised by findings of other, empirical researchers. In specific, my hypothesis must satisfactorily explain the well-replicated finding of the preponderance of women in the eating disorders diagnostic category, and the newly-emerging finding of frequent co-incidence of delicate self-mutilation and eating disorders in the same patients.;Implicit in my theory is a dispute with some of the more facile feminist critiques of psychoanalytic theories of femininity. In my opinion many of these critiques are based on overly literal and simplistic interpretations of the key psychoanalytic concepts of feminine masochism, passivity, narcissism, and penis envy. I draw heavily on the theories of Judith Kestenberg and Helene Deutsch in my effort to breathe new life into these concepts and to revive their original depth and complexity.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
