Explaining the creation of Anoretic Behavior

If someone looked at a case of anoretic behavior and tried to explain using Maslow's hierarchy of needs, they would probably conclude the individual was behaving irrationally by trying to fulfill a higher tier need by placing reductions on the basic needs of survival and safety. While anoretic behavior may seem odd, its reasoning is often surprisingly stable. The basic way to describe this is that they are creating a docile body, a body created through strict discipline and action. By achieving a social improvement through the use of their own personal will and determination, they gain the admiration from the people that recognize the effort of their work. One could think of it as an sculptor showing their dedication to creating a masterpiece through the use of constant work at the sacrifice of sleeping and eating. The sculptor would show pride in their self-discipline and others would show recognition of the sculptor's achievement. However, their reaches a point where the price of creating the work exceeds its quality, even if the sculptor does not see the degradation in the steadiness of their chisel. In the anoretic individual, their self-discipline at controlling their appetite is admired by others, but reaches a point where the cost of maintaining the image becomes apparent to all but the individual.

Once they have had that first taste of recognition for their ability to control their desires and reap its benefits, it becomes an intoxicating habit that escalates to the point of being self-sustaining. This is where the subject derives recognition from seeing the results themselves rather then from others. One could say that the anoretic subject has achieved the highest level of Maslow's pyramid in that they have utilized their full potential to reach self-actualization in creating a sculpture they believe is without flaw or equal compared to others. In this way, the anorectic individual's behavior begins as a quest to show the strength of their will and ends as an addiction to trying to maintain that image.