Social identity in eating disorders.
This qualitative study examines social identity in eating disorders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight females with an eating disorder diagnosis. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the data. Three superordinate themes emerged from participants' accounts: (1) Shifts in social identity; (2) Outgroup perceptions and influences and (3) Eating disorders as an ingroup. The findings suggested that a person's social identity can change during the course of having an eating disorder, and an interaction between social identity and a person's recovery from an eating disorder was proposed. Clinical implications, methodological issues, and directions for future research were discussed.
Ison
Julie
J
Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, England, UK. julie.ison@worcsmhp.nhs.uk
Kent
Sarah
S
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011582:Psychological Theory; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception