Eating Disorders and Contemporary Women

This study explores the problem of eating disorders among contemporary women. I have explored the hypotheses set forth by other researchers that the high incidence of eating disorders reflects a struggle of women to evolve a personal identity—by this I mean an individuation process which is defined in terms of a woman\u27s own life and reality, not that of the culture; women\u27s unconscious conflicts of guilt and ambivalance, especially in relation to their own mothers; and the mothers\u27 struggles with the source of their own female identities and their relationships to their bodies. The results of this study show a high correlation between eating disorders and issues of women\u27s roles in contemporary culture, and indicate a need for further research. In addition, art therapy was shown to be an effective tool for use with individuals with eating disorders