Anorexia, Masochism, Self-Mutilation and Autoeroticism: The Spider Mother

Abstract

In summary, both self-mutilators and eating-disordered individuals come from dysfunctional homes with a very controlling mother and usually absent father. They often have a history of trauma. They are depressed and obsessive, attached to their mothers, who discourage attempts at emancipation. The symptoms serve the purpose of keeping them as little girls with negative feelings toward menstruation, sexual maturity, development, and femininity in general. These symptoms comprise self-destructive behavior in the service of removing sexual thoughts, temptation, and activities. Favazza (1987) included both eating disorders and self mutilation in his "deliberate self-harm syndrome." The symptoms, whether they be anorexic, bulimic, or a form of self-mutilation are seen as "autoerotic in nature and a substitute for normal masturbation" (Hull & Lane, 1988). Eating disorders and delicate self-mutilation are said to have "a cathartic, self-purifying, function in that they modulate states of anxiety, sexual tension, anger or dissociated emptiness, and they bring about a tremendous quasi-physical sense of relief" (Cross, 1993, p. 50). These patients' use of substitutes prevents maturation and growth as women, causing regression to pregenital phases with the use of pregenital defenses, and the demise of the demands of puberty and mature sexuality.

Influência familiar na anorexia nervosa: em busca das melhores evidências científicas

“…O presente estudo focalizou a produção científica consagrada às relações familiares de pacientes com AN, considerando que esse tema vem adquirindo proeminência no cenário científico em virtude da valorização da dinâmica familiar disfuncional como fator crucial na compreensão etiológica do problema 5,6,14 . Assim, tem sido apontada a necessidade de intervenções que incluam a família e a questão da saúde mental do grupo familiar 15 .…”

Family Psychic Transmission and Anorexia Nervosa

“…Mabel said that the first month of her marriage was complete sadness, since the mother saw the conjugal union as a betrayal perpetrated by the daughter. It therefore appears that the bonds of intense emotional dependence existing between mother and daughter with AN did not allowed the encouragement of the emancipation attempts necessary for the establishment of autonomy (Lane, 2002;Oliveira-Cardoso & Santos, 2012;Peres & Santos, 2011), with this separation being felt as an expression of betrayal rather than an inherent necessity in the course of development.…”

Emotional Meanings Assigned to Eating Disorders: Narratives of Women with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa

“…Scientific literature on ED points out that families are marked by disharmony, trauma histories, confusing patterns of communication and lack of consistency in responding to daughter´s disorder [25,29,30]. Furthermore, Dallos and Denford [31] suggest the predominance of problematic ties among family members, which encompass frequent arguments, discomfort and negative relationship with food.…”