In focusing on the place of asceticism in the mental life of anorectics, this paper has sought a link between normal adolescent development and anorexia nervosa. Better understanding of the adaptive roots of this disease can be obtained from viewing the spiritually motivated asceticism of anorectics, as exaggeration, at times to grotesque extremes, of the creative self-discipline of healthy adolescents; this view, in turn, offers additional avenues for psychotherapy.