Narrating Anorexia: "Full" and "Struggling" Genres of Recovery

Abstract

Exploring narrative processes through which women treated for anorexia reframe their illness and recovery experiences, I identify features of two distinct genres, "full recovery" (FR) and "struggling to recover" (SR) that differently shape, while also being shaped by, women's lived senses of self. Analysis suggests that full recovery may entail a temporal disjuncture between past and present selves, and the construction of a coherent empowerment narrative with clear beginnings, turning points, and felicitous, institutionally condoned endings. Alternatively, the habitual telling of equivocal struggling to recover narratives, in which protagonists question received wisdom, ponder past and hypothetical life paths, and envision self‐starvation as both good and bad, may perpetuate a cyclical life course in which anorexia recurs and permanent recovery eludes narrators. Illuminating why complete recovery may remain ephemeral and, perhaps, not desirable, for some women, this article contributes to scholarship on the possible role (and limits) of narrative as a therapeutic medium and resource for confronting illness.

Narrative Constructions of Anorexia and Abuse: An Athlete's Search for Meaning in Trauma

“…She concludes by emphasising such thinking persists while recognising that it probably contravenes the thinking of "anybody else". To reiterate the contentions of Shohet (2007), so long as such ambivalence persists, so to will Beth's disordered eating.…”

“…She is equally motivated to avoid overly restricting food and issues the instruction "don't stop yourself". Shohet (2007) suggests envisioning self-starvation as both good and bad is associated with individuals who struggle to recover from anorexia as such ambivalence is not conducive to permanent recovery. Intrigued as to how Beth upheld these two conflicting positions, despite speaking so passionately about the ills of an eating disorder, I decided to try and bring this contradiction to her attention: AP: It's interesting that when you talk about restraining you mentioned it as a strength you said 'I don't have the strength now to do that'.…”

“…These autobiographical narratives illustrate the utility of personal stories in elucidating the eating disorder experience. Shohet (2007) produced a rare example of a detailed narrative analysis of interview data drawn from 3 females with experiences of anorexia nervosa. Sohet identified two narrative genres referred to as 'fully recovered' and 'struggling to recover' narratives.…”

“…The result of these reflections is a less coherent and less concrete understanding of the illness. Shohet (2007) concludes her paper by suggesting that the type of narrative that is constructed also plays a contributory role in shaping experiences of recovery; it is "reflective and constitutive of the type of recovery processes they have undergone" (p. 350). Specifically, the certainty associated with the fully recovered narrative breeds commitment to recovery and thus helps maintain it.…”

Family experiences of living with an eating disorder: A narrative analysis

“…In this respect, the eating disorder is managed and controlled but not overcome completely. Shohet (2007) also identifies ambivalence as an instrumental feature in the persistence of eating disorders. She coins a "struggling to recover" narrative type that is characterised by the envisioning of self-starvation as both good and bad (p. 375).…”