The different faces of Bulimia Nervosa

by Bradford, Karen Mayler.

The Different Faces of Bulimia is a research project that has represented a journey. It began with the question “How do females experience bulimia as part of their lives?” and moved through rooms where different ‘faces’, or theories on bulimia, were met with and interviewed. There appear to exist, in literature concerning bulimia, five dominant faces on the matter. These are the Psychopathology face, the Psychoanalytic face, the Cognitive-behavioural face, the Cyberspace face, and the Narrative face. Each of these appeared to offer an individual and different meaning of bulimia. The research extended to include the sixth and seventh faces of C and L, two women who live with bulimia in their own lives, and the meaning that they attach to it. They represented the individual faces that existed in human interaction and not in the words of books, magazines, or computer screens. The meaning of bulimia in C and L’s lives was searched for in interviews with both women that were audio-recorded and transcribed. The analysis of these was done in line with narrative methodology which holds that our experience is constructed in collaboration with history (or past experience) and culture. Both history and culture is assumed to inform and co-author the narratives of bulimia in C and L lives, as well in the lives of the five dominant faces explored in this research. The analysis took the form of searching for the meaning that C and L attach to bulimia. The five dominant literary faces also became the history and culture that one supposes women living with bulimia to co-exist with, and their effect on their personal narratives became important. That is, whether the dominant literary faces had an effect on the stories told by the faces of these two women. In line with narrative methodology, this research’s aim was not to provide one final answer or conclusion to the research question, but rather to provide an analysis of the individual meanings contained in each face. It has, in effect, added another face of bulimia in it’s search for what bulimia means. Samevatting Die verskillende gesigte van bulimie is ‘n narvorsings projek wat ‘n reis verteenwoordig. Dit het met die vraag begin: Hoe ondervind en ervaar vrouens bulimie as deel van hul lewens? En beweeg deur kamers met verskillende gesigte of teorie van bulimie, wat jy ontmoet en onderhourd voer. Dit wil voorkom dat literatuur oor bulimie, vyf dominante gesigte voorkom. Hierdie is die Psigopatoloies gesig, die Psigoanalities gesig, die Bewuste-gedrags gesig, die Kuberruimte gesig en die Relaas gesig. Ieder en elkeen wil voorkom om ‘n individuele en verskillende mening van bulimie te gee. Die navorsing is verleng om ‘n ses en sewende gesig van C en L, twee vrouens wat met bulimie geleef het, en die waarde wat hulle daaraan geheg het. Hulle het die individuele gesigte verteenwoordig van die menslike interaksie, wat nie in waarde van boeke, tydskrifte of rekenaars skerms te vinde is nie. Die meening van bulmie in C en L se lewe was ondersoek vir onderhoude. Beide vroue was oudio opgeneem en getranskribeer. Die analisering van hierdie, en die vyf ander gesigte van bulimie, was gedan in lyn met relaas metologie wat met ondervinding saamgestel is met samewerking met die geskiedenis (of verlede) as ook kultuur. Beide geskiedenis en kultuur is veronderstel om hierdie gesigte in kennis te stel en te outeur, en die verhaal van bulimie te vertel. Analisering maak plek vir ondersoeking, om die betekenis van elke gesig van bulimie in hul eie lewe net soos die analisering geletterd gesigte probeer om die onsekere meening wat elkeen in hou wat bulimie het. Die vyf dominate letterkundige gesite, word ook later die geskiedenis en kultuur met wie die vrouens met bulimie leef en die effek op hul persoonlike lewe en vertellings is belangrik vir ons. Dit is, of die oorheersende letterkundige gesigte ‘n effek het op die stories van die gesigte hierdie twee vroue vertel. In lyn met relaas metologie, die navorsing was nie daarop gemik om ‘n finale antwoord of gevolgtrekking om die navorsing te bevraagteken nie, maar eerder ‘n analisering meening van die individuele gesigte. Dit het inderdaad ‘n ander gesig in die navorsing van bulimie bygevoeg.