Anorexia as Religion: Ocularcentrism as a Cultural Value and a Compensation Strategy in Persons with Eating Disorders

Building on a view of Feeding and Eating Disorders (FEDs) as passions, this chapter illustrates through personal testimony and materials from publicly accessible (Pro-Ana) websites the nature of anorexia as a kind of religion. The explicit values of this ‘religion’ are shown to have their origins in a cultural value we call ‘ocularcentrism’. Some of the limitations and further developments of this model are indicated. The model though we conclude may be helpful in developing more effective approaches to therapy.