A Concept of Self in Eating-Disordered Adolescent Girls: A Consideration of Genetic Factors (Cover Story‪)‬

Abstract This article reviews some characteristics of anorexia and bulimia nervosa, as well as some widely held beliefs about the theoretical concepts of the self with particular reference to adolescent girls who struggle with self-starvation and compulsive bingeing and purging. A review of the literature suggests that as the knowledge base on infant psychology developed. evidence supported the idea that the infant was not the passive recipient of nurturing and drive reduction by the mother, but made an active contribution to the bonding process that greatly affected the child's subsequent development. A contemporary possibility is that the child is not only actively involved, but may be responding to internally driven biological factors that have little to do with the quality of the environment. A case is made for the fact that, despite "good enough" mothering, something can go awry in the maternal-child interaction process which is determined by generic factors, resulting in a problematic influence on selfhood. Such biologically based disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorders, particularly Asperger's syndrome, may be associated with the emergence of an eating disorder in adolescence. Some guidelines for treatment are presented.