xii Foreword
the decision to diet are being investigated to broaden our understanding
of who diets and why. The contribution of these same factors, as well as
dieting and body dissatisfaction, to eating disorders such as anorexia
nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and obesity is also coming under closer scrutiny.
Instead of a general recommendation that everyone should diet and lose
weight, prescriptions for self-improvement now emphasize healthy eating
and exercise; lifestyle changes have replaced self-starvation.
The growth of the dieting research establishment may not be as pro-
digious as that of the diet industry itself, but the sheer variety of disciplines
wherein dieting is now an accepted topic of investigation militates against
anyone being able to be conversant with all aspects of the literature. In
The Psychology of Eating, however, Jane Ogden brings together research on
dieting from these diverse domains. She examines the full spectrum of healthy
eating and food choice, through the body dissatisfaction pervasive among
women in Western culture and contributing to the epidemic of weight
loss attempts, and on to obesity and clinically disordered eating and their
treatments. In this updated edition, Ogden reviews both the classic litera-
ture and the latest findings, cogently discusses the prevailing theoretical
approaches to the understanding of weight loss dieting and its associated
maladies, and carefully examines the contributions and shortcomings of
each theory. Although it is probably no longer possible to be exhaustive
in reviewing this line of work, Jane Ogden, a longtime, well-regarded con-
tributor to this field herself, has managed successfully to bring together the
principal issues and domains concerning the interrelated areas of dieting,
obesity, body image, and eating disorders. In addition, she presents an inte-
grated scrutiny of the major themes and motifs running through the field.
This sort of overview of such a wide-ranging area is difficult to perform,
but this volume does an excellent job, providing a much-needed synthesis
for those who study and treat individuals with disordered eating and body
image. This is also an outstanding introduction for anyone entering the
field. For researchers, practitioners, and those simply interested in under-
standing the complexities of eating and related issues, this book provides
a valuable resource.
Janet Polivy
Toronto, Canada