You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Rather than expounding a general theory of mental anorexia, my intention here is to present some ideas that have developed during my psychotherapeutic work. In this paper my main aim is not first to treat the unique aspects of an individual's character, to pass on to the formulation of a psychological law of a more general nature, which does, nevertheless, still preserve these aspects. However, a tendency to generalize may still be discerned. The title I have chosen for this paper reflects a psychoanalytical oriented study of the area in question. It was especially the character, upbringing and a certain ascetic attitude of one patient that prompted me to read a series of works dealing with extreme character traits that are observable in biographies (Vitae) of subjects who led exemplary lives. In this way I became more sensitive to the psychological problems surrounding mental anorexia. The book by Bell (1985) with its attractive title: Holy Anorexia was not only pleasant to read but also of great interest.
The author, an American historian, who shares the recent renewed interest in the Medieval and Early Modern periods, presents the original results of his research on 170 Italian female saints.