René Girard and the Mimetic Nature of Eating Disorders

Abstract

French historian and literary critic René Girard (1923–2015), most widely known for the concepts of mimetic desire and scapegoating, also engaged in the discussion of the surge of eating disorders in his 1996 essay Eating Disorders and Mimetic Desire. This article explores Girard’s ideas on the mimetic nature and origin of eating disorders from a clinical psychiatric perspective and contextualizes them within the field of eating disorders research as well as in relation to broader psychological, sociological and anthropological models of social comparison and non-consumption. Three main themes in Girard’s thinking on the topic of eating disorders are identified and explored: the ‘end of prohibitions’ as a driving force in the emergence of eating disorders, eating disorders as a phenomenon specific to modernity, and the significance of ‘conspicuous non-consumption’ in the emergence of eating disorders.

Recovery from anorexia nervosa: the influence of women’s sociocultural milieux

“…French historian and cultural critic René Girard proposed the theory of peer-based ‘mimetic desire’ to account for the onset and perpetuation of anorexia. 23 Girard suggested that desire is mimetic: since humans learn by imitating others, our desires may be based on what we perceive that other people most want. In adolescence, the desire for thinness emanates from westernised culture through ‘the people who really count in our adolescence and who are our peers and contemporaries’.…”

The social utility of community treatment orders: Applying Girard’s mimetic theory to community‐based mandated mental health care

“…These, he claimed, were fairly easily explained as a manifestation of the universal desire for thinness. In contrast to the prevailing—and complex—psycho‐dynamic or bio‐psycho‐social explanations (Strand, ), Girard argues that eating disorders are an example of mimesis taking on the form of “conspicuous non‐consumption” (Girard, , p. 10). He uses these disorders as an example of what can happen when the braking mechanism of scapegoating is not used or not available (Strand, ).…”

“…In contrast to the prevailing—and complex—psycho‐dynamic or bio‐psycho‐social explanations (Strand, ), Girard argues that eating disorders are an example of mimesis taking on the form of “conspicuous non‐consumption” (Girard, , p. 10). He uses these disorders as an example of what can happen when the braking mechanism of scapegoating is not used or not available (Strand, ). Strand () critiques Girard's conceptualization as suffering from “a lack of openings towards alternative possibilities….it is very hard to picture a way out, to imagine a space for treatment and recovery” (p.575).…”

“…He uses these disorders as an example of what can happen when the braking mechanism of scapegoating is not used or not available (Strand, ). Strand () critiques Girard's conceptualization as suffering from “a lack of openings towards alternative possibilities….it is very hard to picture a way out, to imagine a space for treatment and recovery” (p.575). This highlights a potential limitation of applying Girard's mimetic theory to mental illness: ascribing an illness to a cultural pattern can feel like a reductionist stalemate that leaves little room for individual nuances in presentation, growth or agency.…”

“…For example, Girard suggests that “foreigners” are often persecuted not because they are different but because of their lack of respect for difference. Scapegoats also need to be marginal insiders who “exist in a state of ambiguous in‐betweenness…at once a part of the community and alien to it” (Strand, , p. 554): if they are too much a part of the community, their death will only cause the continuation of mimetic rivalry; if they are too distant, their death will not have enough impact to fulfil the scapegoating role effectively. In addition to this, the ideal scapegoat cannot easily defend themselves (Girard, ; Vinolo, ).…”