Masochistic Behavioural Tendencies and Self-Mutilation in Anorexia Nervosa: A Case Evaluation

Abstract

This article presents a case evaluation of a 16-year-old female diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and its relation to her masochistic tendencies and self-harming behaviour. Her unhealthy eating behaviour was rooted to the abusive traumas of her past and her strained relationship with her parents, as a coping mechanism. Furthermore, the paper also presents an insight into the main therapeutic interventions in the “Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy” framework. The particulars of the therapeutic relationship and the defence mechanisms used are analysed here. This case also explores the client’s underlying rage and guilt developed as a result of being raised in a dysfunctional home. The discussion associates progressive changes, made during therapy, with the healing of interpersonal relationships with her parents and the development of healthier eating patterns despite the prevalence of self-sabotaging actions.