Eating Disorders 247multiplicity of role demands, many of which seem to conflict with one
another, which makes the contemporary situation for women so difficult”
(p. 111). Some empirical work has addressed this conflict. At times this
work has suggested that adopting a traditionally feminine role may be
protective. For example, Silverstein, Peterson, and Perdue (1986) showed
that women with nontraditional sex role aspirations were twice as likely
to binge or purge as their more traditional counterparts. In direct contrast,
however, Klingenspor (1994) reported that disordered eating was associated
with low scores for psychological masculinity, and Brown, Cross, and Nelson
(1990) concluded that bulimic behaviors were associated with femininity.
Some researchers have therefore argued that it is not ignoring the conflict
and being either feminine or masculine which relates to eating disorders,
but an awareness of the conflict and a resulting tension and stress. For
example, Thornton, Leo, and Alberg (1991) concluded from their study of
undergraduates in the US that “superwoman syndrome,” which describes
attempts to conform to both traditional and nontraditional stereotypes, was
predictive of disordered eating. Similarly, Martz, Handley, and Eisler (1995)
found that women with disordered eating reported feeling both committed
to a feminine gender role and dissatisfied that they were not meeting their own
expectations. From this perspective the conflict between attempting to con-
form to a traditional gender role and fulfilling the expectations of living in
a more modern world may contribute to the development of an eating
disorder.
The role of gender has also been addressed by the feminist and psy-
chotherapeutic literature. For example, Orbach (1986) stated, “A dominant
motif for all the anorexic women I have worked with is thinness as ultra
feminine and at the same time, thinness as a rejection of femininity. In
other words two exaggerated and oppositional responses, each represent-
ing an attempt to negotiate an individual’s identity, operate simultaneously”
(p. 85).
Identity
Closely related to the conflict over gender is one relating to a sense of
identity. This encompasses conflicts concerning being an adult versus being
a child, and being dependent versus being independent. These conflicts can
occur across the life span, when children leave home, or when career deci-
sions need to be made, but most often occur in young adulthood, the time
when the onset of eating disorders is most common. Erikson (1964)
described identity as a sense of self-cohesion and the sense of continuity