| This study examines the problem of compulsive over-eating which is characterized by the feeling that one's eating is out of control. Binging plays a part in serious eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and obesity, and is also a problem in less severe form for many people.;The literature concerning eating disorders suggests that women who are struggling to maintain an ideal weight become anxious and ashamed about their ability to control their food intake. However, the specific social psychological processes which contribute to binging behavior are generally ignored. This study, using the framework developed from the work of Tamotsu Shibutani, George Herbert Mead, John Dewey, Harry Stack Sullivan, Karen Horney, and other theorists, examines in detail how these processes operate in undesired eating patterns.;This research rests on in-depth interviews with twenty average weight women, ages 18-25, who have experienced episodes of binge eating. Several of the women who were interviewed also kept journals and recorded their thoughts and feelings while they reflected on their binges. Ten women in this study were active bingers at the time of the interview, and ten were former bingers who said they were "recovering." Comparisons were made between the two groups in order to address the question: "Under what conditions do women regain self-control over their eating.".;Based on these data, hypotheses are proposed about the conditions under which self-evaluations and emotions influence the development, escalation, and termination of binges. To the extent that women change the criteria for judging themselves and feel more accepting of their eating, their distressful emotions, and their bodies, they tend to binge less frequently and their binges tend to be less intense.;Knowledge about the processes by which women overcome their eating problems can benefit those who are in the grips of the problem and struggling against their urges to eat. |
