10.4225/03/58acc6574646e
Thompson, Rebecca
Rebecca
Thompson
The absence of a mother in early childhood : can the child ever be truly satisfied?
Monash University
2017
Psychological reasons
Bulimia
1959.1/1226934
ethesis-20151116-091239
thesis(masters)
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy
2015
Restricted access
Binge eating
monash:163651
Anorexia
2017-02-21 22:59:33
Thesis
https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/thesis/The_absence_of_a_mother_in_early_childhood_can_the_child_ever_be_truly_satisfied_/4679164
This thesis aimed to consider whether there was a connection between binge eating in
latency aged children and an unavailable early primary object. Psychoanalytic literature wasexamined and revealed that while there are a range of views about the psychologicalreasons for binge eating, the search revealed that there is an Object Relations perspectivethat outlines a connection between the two. Clinical cases of psychoanalytic psychotherapywith children who present with binge eating behaviour (but have not been diagnosed withbulimia or anorexia and bulimia) were examined to determine if a connection betweenbinge eating and an unavailable primary object existed. The cases were drawn from the
psychoanalytic literature and from the writer's own practice. The examination was done byfirst considering the history of those psychotherapy patients and then examining the clinicalmaterial. Because there was a dearth of cases of latency aged children that fitted thisdescription, the search for clinical cases was extended to older children and adults and those with binge eating behaviours where there was also a diagnosis of bulimia and anorexia and bulimia. The results of the examination of the clinical material also revealed a
link between binge eating and an unavailable primary object.