The Psychology of Eating: From Healthy to Disordered Behavior

246 Eating Disorders

cannot understand the proliferation of these conditions in the contemporary
era without an analysis of the broader sociocultural framework in which
they occur” (p. vi). This approach also reflects the work of psychotherapists
and writers who draw upon a feminist perspective. Such work focuses its
explanation on why those with eating disorders are mostly young women
and emphasizes the role of women within society. A sociocultural model
regards eating disorders as the product of a series of conflicts which are
expressed through eating and eating-related problems. Ogden (2007) has
called this a “socially sanctioned pathway” to reflect the role of the mean-
ings of size and food which provide people with a socially relevant forum
to express any issues they may have arising from living in the modern world.
This is illustrated in figure 10.6.

Gender
The main conflict considered to contribute to the development of eating
disorders is the conflict between a traditional female gender role of nurturer,
mother, and carer, and the expectations placed upon a woman in a modern
society. In line with this, Gordon (2000) argued that “anorexia nervosa
expresses symptomatically the contradictions of female identity of the
present” (p. 12) and that “the politics of eating disorders ultimately revolves
around the politics of gender” (p. 214). He also stated that “It is the

Socially sanctioned pathway

meaning of food

meaning of size

Conflicts

gender

identity

social space

Eating

disorders

Figure 10.6 A sociocultural model of eating disorders.