Abstract
The suggestion that patients with eating disorders have low self-esteem has resulted in quantitative research on the self-concept of such individuals. However, in order to have an in-depth understanding of the behavior of these patients, their self-narratives should be analyzed. In the present research, Japanese adult women outpatients (7 diagnosed as having bulimia, and 1 with a “not-otherwise-specified” diagnosis) recounted their life stories, focusing on how they perceived themselves. When a modified grounded theory approach was used to analyze the life-story narratives, 7 hypothetical ideas about the structure, formation, and meaning of relationships were revealed, and a hypothetical model was generated. The model has 3 aspects : eating, self, and interpersonal relationships, with consequences that negatively influence patients’ self-esteem. The self-narratives in each of these areas have complicated associations, which may keep the patients’ self-esteem low.
